Calling all Puget Sound "HAL PALS"

[middle-aged mom]

A few of us here in the Seattle area thought it would be a nice idea to plan a shoreside CC "Meet and Greet". So for those of you who are interested and available, you are cordially invited to a HALiday Party on Saturday, Dec 1 at 5 pm. For particulars, please email me middleagedmom59 at gmail dot com and I will contact you.

Thanks!:)

Karin

[Ferry Watcher]

Karin,
It's very gracious of you to host our NW local CCer's for a HALiday Party. I look forward to meeting you and our other local 'HAL PALs'.

Thanks again,

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[sungoddess]

I'm looking forward to it! :)

[middle-aged mom]

My husband is going to make his famous hot German "Gluwein" (glow wine). After a few mugs of that, and you know why they call it "glow wine".:D The fewer people show up, the more there'll be for me:) Come one, come all, and have a ball! Meet the faces of the posters that you love to hate!:D

Karin

[lorekauf]

My husband is going to make his famous hot German "Gluwein" (glow wine). After a few mugs of that, and you know why they call it "glow wine".:D The fewer people show up, the more there'll be for me:) Come one, come all, and have a ball! Meet the faces of the posters that you love to hate!:D

Karin

I could use a few of those mugs of glow wine right now. Have a great time. Makes me wish I lived in the area.

[middle-aged mom]

I could use a few of those mugs of glow wine right now. Have a great time. Makes me wish I lived in the area.

That gluwein is delicious, isn't it?:) Hey, it's less than 500 miles from Calgary to Seattle. Come on over!:)

Karin

[lorekauf]

That gluwein is delicious, isn't it?:) Hey, it's less than 500 miles from Calgary to Seattle. Come on over!:)

Karin

Don't tempt me.........

[Cruising-along]

A few of us here in the Seattle area thought it would be a nice idea to plan a shoreside CC "Meet and Greet". So for those of you who are interested and available, you are cordially invited to a HALiday Party on Saturday, Dec 1 at 5 pm. For particulars, please email me middleagedmom59 at gmail dot com and I will contact you.

Thanks!:)

Karin

Karin, this is so nice of you to put this together! I would love to come and meet you and my fellow Puget Sound CCers, but unfortunately we have family obligations up in Bellingham that weekend :(
Please take lots of pictures and post them! Thanks for doing this.

[middle-aged mom]

Karin, this is so nice of you to put this together! I would love to come and meet you and my fellow Puget Sound CCers, but unfortunately we have family obligations up in Bellingham that weekend :(
Please take lots of pictures and post them! Thanks for doing this.

Carolyn, I'm sorry you won't be able to come. I know it's a busy time of year. That's a good idea of yours to take and post pictures:) Enjoy your holidays, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Karin

[Cruising-along]

And Happy Thanksgiving and holidays to you too, Karin :)
Looking forward to those pictures!

[midgecruiser]

Darn it Karen!!! My husbands Christmas party is at the same time. UGH!! I so love a party and it would have been so nice to meet other CCers in the area. Sigh.....I'm so dissappointed. You all have a great time. Take some pictures and hopefully there will be a next time.

Wendy

[middle-aged mom]

Darn it Karen!!! My husbands Christmas party is at the same time. UGH!! I so love a party and it would have been so nice to meet other CCers in the area. Sigh.....I'm so dissappointed. You all have a great time. Take some pictures and hopefully there will be a next time.

Wendy

This was sort of a spur-of-the-moment arrangement, and I realize that people are socially very busy during this time of year, so I'm sorry about that. If this gathering goes well, we can plan for another one down the road.:)

Karin

[AWED23]

We too must say no but thank you for your effort. Living in the San Juans does have it's downside..Enjoy a festive Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas to all!....Rob&Teddy:)

[middle-aged mom]

We too must say no but thank you for your effort. Living in the San Juans does have it's downside..Enjoy a festive Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas to all!....Rob&Teddy:)

See you on the Amsterdam, Awed (but maybe, hopefully, somehow before then, too:) ). Good wishes to you too, for a joyous holiday season:)

Karin

[middle-aged mom]

Have you got room to park my "withces broom" its rather and big one, the last one was confiscated by a certain copper down LA way, so I could try and come through SFO :D now that I am once again out of Jail! :eek:

Hope you have a great do.

__________
Cheers

There's a parking place for your witch's broom, Val. Do you have a spot on that broom for a case of NZ Sauvignon Blanc, and if so, could you bring some along:D ? How's the new daughter-in-law? Any plans afoot to make you a grandmother witch yet?:) Happy Christmas to you, you ol' pistol-toting mama, you. I long ago learned your bark is much worse than your bite.:D

Karin

[Chivalrygirl]

There's a parking place for your witch's broom, Val. Do you have a spot on that broom for a case of NZ Sauvignon Blanc, and if so, could you bring some along ? How's the new daughter-in-law? Any plans afoot to make you a grandmother witch yet? Happy Christmas to you, you ol' pistol-toting mama, you. I long ago learned your bark is much worse than your bite.:D

Karin

Thanks Karin, sure glad I have at least one friend on the planet. :D Some folk just don't have good sense of humours ugh!

Too early for Merry Xmas's yet, in fact no boy no Xmas is a bit how I am feeling right now, not too sure about the grandmother witch yet either. I hope you don't have to give a tip when American DIL produces a baby witch ;) Actually she is an amazing person, and such good humour we are very lucky to have her in our family and whats more she actually likes me :D :D

Will see about the case of SB, but am I likely to get done over for state taxes :D Hope you have a great affair on the 1st. if my broom dosen't get through.

Cheers

[Cruising-along]

Thanks Karin, sure glad I have at least one friend on the planet. :D Some folk just don't have good sense of humours ugh!

Too early for Merry Xmas's yet, in fact no boy no Xmas is a bit how I am feeling right now, not too sure about the grandmother witch yet either. I hope you don't have to give a tip when American DIL produces a baby witch ;) Actually she is an amazing person, and such good humour we are very lucky to have her in our family and whats more she actually likes me :D :D

Will see about the case of SB, but am I likely to get done over for state taxes :D Hope you have a great affair on the 1st. if my broom dosen't get through.

Cheers

Hi Val, I always enjoy your posts and I get a huge kick out of them (and I mean that in a good way)! :D

[Chivalrygirl]

Hi Karen

Oh goodie now I have two friends on the planet. You know my friend that this is still a bit of a cyber world, but others don't seem to get it! Actually I have many, many very good friends in the US, some made at sea and some when we have been up there and of course now we have some more American family. My husband's Aunt who is still going strong at 97 settled in the NE as a war bride many years ago. So we have the lot from NJ and now the lot from PA :D

How I wish that I really did have a "Witches Broom" or even a "Magic Carpet" that would transport me everytime I felt the urge to be closer to my only child and his wife :( or the crazy woman in Seattle :D etc. but life does through some nasties at you from time to time, however I have to admit to having one very happy son, and in the end that is what really matters eh!

Cheers
Val

[Ferry Watcher]

Hi Karin, Sungoddess and other Northwesterners,

Our planned HALiday get together should be lots of fun. Thanks to Karin for hosting it. Maybe this initial get together will inspire additional meet and greet events for all the HAL PALS in the area. Who knows, maybe the good folks at Holland America will even invite us to one of their on-board luncheons at the beginning of the summer cruise season. Or, our meeting could inspire other CCer's in other parts of the country to also meet locally. It will be fun to see where this leads!

Looking forward to meeting everybody!

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[Chivalrygirl]

Hi Karen

Oh goodie now I have two friends on the planet. You know my friend that this is still a bit of a cyber world, but others don't seem to get it! Actually I have many, many very good friends in the US, some made at sea and some when we have been up there and of course now we have some more American family. My husband's Aunt who is still going strong at 97 settled in the NE as a war bride many years ago. So we have the lot from NJ and now the lot from PA :D

How I wish that I really did have a "Witches Broom" or even a "Magic Carpet" that would transport me everytime I felt the urge to be closer to my only child and his wife :( or the crazy woman in Seattle :D etc. but life does through some nasties at you from time to time, however I have to admit to having one very happy son, and in the end that is what really matters eh!

Cheers
Val

Oops just seen another error of my ways :) Should have read Hi Carolyn, oh well old age is a wonderful thing, too much going through the grey matter right now :D

[middle-aged mom]

Oops just seen another error of my ways :) Should have read Hi Carolyn, oh well old age is a wonderful thing, too much going through the grey matter right now :D

That's OK, Val, you're welcome to join us on the road to senility!:D :)

[Chivalrygirl]

That's OK, Val, you're welcome to join us on the road to senility!:D :)

Yep but Karin you are only a middle-aged Mom and I am a Mum who qualifies for the Old Age Pension :( , although I prefer to call it National Superannuation :D

[middle-aged mom]

So far, we have a nice group of CC'ers who will be getting together for our HALiday party on Saturday, Dec 1st. If you're in the Puget Sound region, and are interested or able to get together for a meeting with some HAL PALS:) , we'll be meeting at 5 pm. For more details and info, please email me: middleagedmom59 at gmail dot com

I just found my recipe for Dutch spekulaas (spice cookies):) I'm feeling inspired! I thought it would be fun to include some traditional Dutch treats on our HALiday menu.:)

Thanks!

Karin

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Oh goodie now I have two friends on the planet. You know my friend that this is still a bit of a cyber world, but others don't seem to get it!


Now Val you know you have a friend down in Sin City Las Vegas:D

Karin, I was telling Tom about your Haliday Party and he wanted to know if he could come :) Then he thought for a second and said there is no HAL ships in Seattle right now and said well may another time:D

Karin, I do hope your Get Together is so much fun and I do wish we lived a bit closer so we could attend.

[middle-aged mom]

..........:D

Karin, I was telling Tom about your Haliday Party and he wanted to know if he could come :) Then he thought for a second and said there is no HAL ships in Seattle right now and said well may another time:D

Karin, I do hope your Get Together is so much fun and I do wish we lived a bit closer so we could attend.

Lisa, any time you and Tom are in town we will have a HAL PAL party. That's a standing invitation. :) The Oosterdam is doing Alaska again this summer from Seattle via Hubbard Glacier. There's time to fit her in before your Eurodam cruise, hint hint.:)

Karin

[Ferry Watcher]

It would be interesting to do a geographic poll/survey to figure out where all the HAL ccer's lived.

I took a quick look on the 'Western Port Departure' board to look for other Puget Sounders. I found that during the summer cruise season, it was filled with helpful locals answering questions about Pier 30, hotels in walking distance and other hospitality questions. I hope these folks will now check-in to the main HAL board and read about this HALiday get together!

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[RetiredMustang]

Karin,

I wish I could be with you all: my body is in D.C., but my heart is in Kitsap -- or King, or Pierce, or Thurston, or Grays Harbor, or Pacific, or Kittitas, or Yakima, or Benton County. I have lived in them all, and I miss them. (Although one reason I am where I am may be that the forecast tomorrow is sunny and 71 here in ONC -- Our Nation's Capitol). ;-}

Dave

[middle-aged mom]

Karin,

I wish I could be with you all: my body is in D.C., but my heart is in Kitsap -- or King, or Pierce, or Thurston, or Grays Harbor, or Pacific, or Kittitas, or Yakima, or Benton County. I have lived in them all, and I miss them. (Although one reason I am where I am may be that the forecast tomorrow is sunny and 71 here in ONC -- Our Nation's Capitol). ;-}

Dave

Would love to have the opportunity to meet you one day, Dave!:)

It sounds like very nice weather in the capitol:) . We're predicted to have a dry, sunny, but somewhat chilly Thanksgiving. Highs in the mid-forties, lows in the low thirties fahrenheit. For this time of year, this is good weather!:) Dave, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Karin

[Chivalrygirl]

Karin,

I wish I could be with you all: my body is in D.C., but my heart is in Kitsap -- or King, or Pierce, or Thurston, or Grays Harbor, or Pacific, or Kittitas, or Yakima, or Benton County. I have lived in them all, and I miss them. (Although one reason I am where I am may be that the forecast tomorrow is sunny and 71 here in ONC -- Our Nation's Capitol). ;-}

Dave

Well Dave if I had my most dearest wish I would be with you in D.C. I think my soul is now living there. Hey and its not too bad a city either. :D

[Chivalrygirl]

OK someone needs to tell this dumb Kiwi when exactly is Thanksgiving?

[maxout]

OK someone needs to tell this dumb Kiwi when exactly is Thanksgiving?


For the U.S., the third Thursday in November.

Or as we are on the "wrong side" :D of the dateline, the day after tomorrow...

[maxout]

For the U.S., the third Thursday in November.

Or as we are on the "wrong side" :D of the dateline, the day after tomorrow...


DOH! :rolleyes: should have said For the U.S., the Fourth Thursday in November.

[Chivalrygirl]

lol, so are you celebrating on the 29th November ? I had it in my head it was the last Thursday in November, is this correct?

[Ferry Watcher]

Hi Chivalrygirl,

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, November 22nd. This year there are 5 Thursday's in the month of November (Nov. 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th).

Wish you could join us at Karin's!

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[Chivalrygirl]

Hi Mary

If only we could just take outselves out of our time capsule for a few hours and drop in on nice people, it would be such good fun.

I hope you have a great time and I will be thinking of you, actually I am flying off for a four day holday on the 29th so I will be out on the East Coast of NZ while you guys are jiving it up.

Val

[Ferry Watcher]

I think Karin said that there will be at least 4 local HAL Seattle/Puget Sound CCer's and their spouses and/or guests at her HALiday get together. It will be fun to meet other HAL fans. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you this weekend!

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[middle-aged mom]

Hello, again! So far, we have the following folks coming for sure (weather permitting) to our HALiday party this Saturday: Middle-Aged Mom, Kruskat, Ferry Watcher, Sun Goddess, and Mrs. Muir, plus their spouses, companions, fiancees, significant others, or anyone else they may care to bring along:).

If you might still be interested in joining us, please let me know by Friday, so I can plan accordingly. Again, my email is middleagedmom59 at gmail dot com This is not the email address I normally use, but if you send me email there, I will contact you with all the particulars:)

Looking forward to meeting my CC friends,

Karin

[MrsMuir]

Karin, we're looking forward to seeing you and the other Puget Sound HAL folks. I'm glad to see that you received my RSVP, and will be checking my email for the particulars. What a great idea! You may have started a new tradition.

Mrs Muir (Linda)

[middle-aged mom]

Karin, we're looking forward to seeing you and the other Puget Sound HAL folks. I'm glad to see that you received my RSVP, and will be checking my email for the particulars. What a great idea! You may have started a new tradition.

Mrs Muir (Linda)

Hi Linda:

I sent you an email this evening.:) So glad you can make it!

Karin

[Chivalrygirl]

Sadly I just can't make it Karin, I am actually away for the weekend, DH and I are flying out to the East Cape of NZ on Thursday, I am going on a plane ride for my birthday :-) So we are going to spend sometime exploring our own country just for a change. The East Cape of NZ is the first place to see the sun each day. Maybe you guys can have a drink for us and we will toast you all with the rising sun about 1 1/2 days too early :D

Love you all
Val

Have a great dooooooooo

[Cruising-along]

Have a great time, I'll be thinking of you all! Looking forward to those pictures, too! :) Hope it doesn't snow, it sure has felt cold enough lately.

[middle-aged mom]

Sadly I just can't make it Karin, I am actually away for the weekend, DH and I are flying out to the East Cape of NZ on Thursday, I am going on a plane ride for my birthday :-) So we are going to spend sometime exploring our own country just for a change. The East Cape of NZ is the first place to see the sun each day. Maybe you guys can have a drink for us and we will toast you all with the rising sun about 1 1/2 days too early :D

Love you all
Val

Have a great dooooooooo

Now you're a girl who knows how to celebrate a birthday! We will definitely make a toast to our favorite NZ witch, Val!!:) :D Happy Birthday!!

Have a great time, I'll be thinking of you all! Looking forward to those pictures, too! :) Hope it doesn't snow, it sure has felt cold enough lately.

Carolyn, it's going to be the perfect weather for drinking gluhwein, or glow wine. I'm sorry you won't be able to make it. We'll have our digital camera ready to go, but only the glamorous shots will be posted here.;)

Karin

[Ferry Watcher]

Hi Karin,
It was nice to talk to you on the phone yesterday. It does sound like there will be a nice group of HAL Pals present. Maybe, as you said there will be some additional RSVP's in the next couple of days to the HALiday get together.

Until then, I look forward to meeting Kruskat, Sungoddess, Mrs. Muir and our host (Karin), Middle-aged-mom!

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[middle-aged mom]

Hello, fellow cruisers!:)

We have the following folks joining us this Saturday for our HALiday party:

Ferry Watcher, Sun Goddess, Kruskat, Mrs. Muir, PoseidonGodoftheSea, and me, Middle-Aged Mom.

The National Weather Service is now predicting snow for our area this weekend, with highs only in the low 30s fahrenheit. We in the Puget Sound region know that all heck breaks loose when we get snow in what is normally a temperate rain forest. Everything shuts down, and cars go rolling all over the place and into ditches:eek: . So, if the weather prediction is accurate, our party will have to be postponed to a later date, and my husband Ed and I will be drinking a LOT of hot, delicious gluhwein all by ourselves;) . Hopefully, that won't be the case.........

Karin

[sungoddess]

I'll put my chains on my SUV to get there....after the 7 days without power after the windstorm last year, I can do anything!! Plus, I love gluhwein!

[Copper10-8]

Hello, fellow cruisers!:)

We have the following folks joining us this Saturday for our HALiday party:

Ferry Watcher, Sun Goddess, Kruskat, Mrs. Muir, PoseidonGodoftheSea, and me, Middle-Aged Mom.

The National Weather Service is now predicting snow for our area this weekend, with highs only in the low 30s fahrenheit. We in the Puget Sound region know that all heck breaks loose when we get snow in what is normally a temperate rain forest. Everything shuts down, and cars go rolling all over the place and into ditches:eek: . So, if the weather prediction is accurate, our party will have to be postponed to a later date, and my husband Ed and I will be drinking a LOT of hot, delicious gluhwein all by ourselves;) . Hopefully, that won't be the case.........

Karin

Hey have a great time, ladies! I personally think Karin should make some bitterballen to make it more of a HAL party;)

[middle-aged mom]

I'll put my chains on my SUV to get there....after the 7 days without power after the windstorm last year, I can do anything!! Plus, I love gluhwein!

It's a deal! I'm doing this party no matter what!:D We'll keep the gluhwein hot in front of the fireplace if necessary, and we'll send out St. Bernard dogs with kegs of brandy to rescue any guests who have gone astray.........;)

It's only supposed to be a little dusting, anyway.........

John, do you have a recipe for bitterballen? Wish you could be at our party, too......:)

Karin

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

I'm lookin forward to it Karin, how nice it is of you to open up your home!!

I will hope for no snow :(

[sungoddess]

I know; if it snows, Novelty Hill will be a bear....however, if John has a bitterballen recipe it might make it easier!

[middle-aged mom]

I'm lookin forward to it Karin, how nice it is of you to open up your home!!

I will hope for no snow :(

Delighted to have you join us, Mr. Poseidon. Perhaps you have an "in" with the weather gods?:D If so, please ask them to treat us gently this weekend:) .

[middle-aged mom]

I know; if it snows, Novelty Hill will be a bear....however, if John has a bitterballen recipe it might make it easier!

I found two bitterballen (meatball appetizer) recipes. So now I think we will have bitterballen:)

Karin

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

Delighted to have you join us, Mr. Poseidon. Perhaps you have an "in" with the weather gods?:D If so, please ask them to treat us gently this weekend:) .

I'll see what I can do:) . Weather is so hard to predict around here, maybe thats why Poseidon turned down the weather department and opted for the oceans instead:D .

CU then.

[MrsMuir]

What a kick it is to read about Novelty Hill on the HAL CC board! Sungoddess, we used to live in Duvall and traversed that hill hundreds of times. I sure hope the weather cooperates and we can get off the Sammamish Plateau. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Mrs Muir

[NanetteF]

Hello Karin and other CCers,

My husband and I would love to come join the CC "Haliday" Meet and Greet party this coming Saturday evening. Hopefully we are not too late to send in an RSVP. I will send off an email right away.

We live in Puyallup and if there's a bit of snow, it wouldn't be troublesome for us.

We love to travel and we are always delighted to hear the travel stories from others. A local party is a great idea.

Nanette and Jeff

[romancing_the_sea]

What a great idea - wish I had found this post earlier to make plans. Now that we moved back to Portland from Florida, we definitely need a cruise fix and what a fun way to go but to get together with other cruisers - especially here in the Northwest.

The fun part on a wet, dreary day like today was going to the Postal Center and mailing autographed books of Real Women Wear Red to some of my cruising friends who ordered them as gifts. While in line I watched "Regis & Kellie" at Atlantis in the Bahamas. I must say, cruising is much more of a necessity now than when we lived in Florida. :)

[middle-aged mom]

Hello Karin and other CCers,

My husband and I would love to come join the CC "Haliday" Meet and Greet party this coming Saturday evening. Hopefully we are not too late to send in an RSVP. I will send off an email right away.

We live in Puyallup and if there's a bit of snow, it wouldn't be troublesome for us.

We love to travel and we are always delighted to hear the travel stories from others. A local party is a great idea.

Nanette and Jeff

Nanette, that would be lovely! I've just sent you email:) Looking forward to meeting you!

Karin

[middle-aged mom]

Nanette and Jeff F:

I've just sent you a second email from my regular email address. The gmail account I've posted here is not an account I normally use. Hopefully, you will receive my second email.:)

Everyone:

Although the weather forecast is a bit iffy, I'm going to assume that we won't have enough snow accumulation for travel to be an issue for some of you folks who are coming a fair distance. However, please let's all monitor the situation in case things do get messy on the road. Our get-together starts at 5 pm.

This is just a low-key, informal gathering of CC friends. Nothing fancy, just a good time (hopefully) with some good food!:) Looking foward to seeing you, weather permitting. So far, we have me, Middle-Aged Mom, Ferry Watcher, Kruskat, Sun Goddess, Mrs. Muir, PoseidonGodoftheSea, NanetteF, and possibly some "swallows" from Port Orchard! I don't want anyone to make a difficult trek through bad road conditions to get to our gathering. So please be safe, everyone!:)

Karin

[Copper10-8]

Bitterballen are Dutch beef croquettes:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound beef or veal (even pot roast), chopped fine but not ground
1/4 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
5 tablespoons flour, plus 1/2 cup extra for rolling
1 cup beef stock or milk
1/2 cup panko or dried bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Deep-fried parsley, for garnish
Mustard for dipping

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add beef, carrots and onions. Cook, stirring until meat is browned and carrots are tender. Briefly drain meat mixture in a colander and transfer to a mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 5 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring well for 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef stock or milk. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until thick. Scrape flour mixture into meat mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or until completely cold and solidified.

With your hands, roll meat mixture into 1-inch balls. In a shallow bowl mix together remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tablespoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place panko (or bread crumps) in another shallow bowl. In a third bowl, whisk egg and water mixture.

With your hands, roll balls in seasoned flour, then in egg mixture, then in panko, and then back into the egg mixture and lastly in panko again. Lay out bitterballen so they do not touch on a parchment-lined baking sheet or platter until ready to fry.

Add enough oil to a Dutch oven, heavy skillet or deep fryer to measure at least two inches deep. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pan (do not allow tip to touch bottom of pan). Heat oil to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Add a few bitterballen at a time to oil and deep-fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer bitterballen to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining bitterballen in batches.

Serve hot or at room temp. with deep-fried parsley and mustard or whatever dipping sauce you prefer. :)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/170350546_c832d0099c.jpg?v=0

[middle-aged mom]

Yep, thank you John; that's what I did today......Quite a piece of work, let me tell you.....;) I smell like one big bitterballe........:eek: :D


Karin

[Copper10-8]

Yep, thank you John; that's what I did today......Quite a piece of work, let me tell you.....;) I smell like one big bitterballe........:eek: :D


Karin

Time to throw one or two of those balls in an envelop and send them our way!;)

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

After lookin at the weather this morning I have decided the snow threat is enough to keep this Seattlelite home (originally from Georgia). I know the rest of the country is probably wondering what the big deal is about 3" and if the streets were flat here it probably wouldn't be much of a big deal.

I will be looking for the pics to see what I missed out on if you do decide to have the party.

P.S. Did all the Seattle folk get the invite from HAL for the pioneer square book signing? Is anyone going to buy it?

[middle-aged mom]

After lookin at the weather this morning I have decided the snow threat is enough to keep this Seattlelite home (originally from Georgia). I know the rest of the country is probably wondering what the big deal is about 3" and if the streets were flat here it probably wouldn't be much of a big deal.

I will be looking for the pics to see what I missed out on if you do decide to have the party.

P.S. Did all the Seattle folk get the invite from HAL for the pioneer square book signing? Is anyone going to buy it?

Hi Poseidon:

I understand your concern. As of now, I'm proceeding as planned for the party. I will monitor the weather, and if it looks as if driving is going to be a mess, I will cancel our get-together. As of this morning, though, we're good to go.:) If we end up with no snow, you're still welcome to join us!

Yes, I received an email invite to a book signing for HAL's The Art of Cruising, Fine Art and Antiques of Holland America Line. It's being held this coming Thursday, December 6th, at the 123 Gallery in Pioneer Square, Seattle, from 5 to 9 pm.

Karin:)

[Ferry Watcher]

Good Morning Everyone!

As of nearly 10 AM in Edmonds, it's cloudy but no snow. DH reported a slight dusting of snow in Shoreline.

We will plan to be there unless Karin cancels, or DH has concerns about driving. DH is in Seattle for most of the day so he will have a good sense of the road conditions.

I'm still baking my pecan tart for this evening's dessert!

Let's hope for the best weather-wise.

Mary

[OldCodger73]

After lookin at the weather this morning I have decided the snow threat is enough to keep this Seattlelite home (originally from Georgia). I know the rest of the country is probably wondering what the big deal is about 3" and if the streets were flat here it probably wouldn't be much of a big deal.

I will be looking for the pics to see what I missed out on if you do decide to have the party.

P.S. Did all the Seattle folk get the invite from HAL for the pioneer square book signing? Is anyone going to buy it?

Poseidon, at this point I think you're overreacting. You can actually do a real time check by using the traffic cameras at this site and then make a last minute decision.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/

Karin, sorry to miss. This is a bad weekend for us with other activities. Plus I'm taking an antibiotic and anything alcoholic is a serious no-no.

[midgecruiser]

You all have a great time tonight. We are heading downtown to the Hotel Andra for my husbands Holiday Party but will be thinking of all of you. Wish I could join......have fun.

Wendy

[sungoddess]

I'll be there; we had 2 inches this morning, but it has all melted away!

[jimgev]

I hope to meet all of you in the future. Living in Central Washington it becomes difficult to make plans traveling over the passes in winter.
Enjoy your get together.
Jim

[middle-aged mom]

Here's our afternoon weather update:

At our house, we currently have about 2 inches of snow, and it's still falling hard. I believe that major streets are fine at this point, mostly wet and slushy. I'm not sure about secondary roads. We do live up at the top of a big hill; which may be a factor if the temperature drops.

Please let me know if you will be braving the elements to come to our house. :) Thanks!

Karin

[middle-aged mom]

I've talked with several folks who had been planning on coming to our party, and travel conditions are deteriorating. Some people were coming in from more than thirty miles away, and I just can't imagine being on the road for that distance when road conditions are not good. I think we're going to have to postpone our HALiday party until another time. I'm very sorry. We have two gallons of gluhwein and more than 100 bitterballen at our house that we now forced to consume!:eek:

Stay warm and dry, everyone.

Karin

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

"overreacting"?

Call it what you want, Seattle is filled with steep hills, not to mention nobody knows how to drive in snow around here.

Karin-downtown has about 1/2 an inch, queen anne and capital hills appear to have gotten more from what I can see from my apartment.

Its pretty to look at though.

[Copper10-8]

I've talked with several folks who had been planning on coming to our party, and travel conditions are deteriorating. Some people were coming in from more than thirty miles away, and I just can't imagine being on the road for that distance when road conditions are not good. I think we're going to have to postpone our HALiday party until another time. I'm very sorry. We have two gallons of gluhwein and more than 100 bitterballen at our house that we now forced to consume!:eek:

Stay warm and dry, everyone.

Karin

Holy Moly, bitterballen sandwiches for the next three weeks!:eek: Maybe you can box some up and send them this way;)

Sorry you guys had to cancel!

[kruskat]

Dear Karin,

Thank you for the update. As disappointed as we are not to meet you and our fellow HAL cruisers tonight, I think you made a good decision. Darn weather! We hope to see you sometime soon. Until that time stay warm, safe and enjoy the Gluhwein and 100 bitterballen.


Best wishes,

Kathy and ‘the Gang’

[Cruising-along]

Yes, darn weather :( We have 1-2 inches and it just started snowing a couple hours ago. Coming down fast and heavy now. Needless to say, we're staying home tonight and not going up to Bellingham, it's worse up there. Poseidon is right, lots of people around here don't know how to drive in snowy conditions, and all the hills make it a nightmare. (we live on a hill too)

Karin it was so sweet of you to go to all the work and planning for this, and I hope to meet you and my fellow Puget Sound CCrs some day. :)

Can you freeze the bitterballen??

[Ferry Watcher]

Hi Karin,
I agree with your decision. The driving would have been bad, so it's probably better to stay home and off the roads. I hope you and your family enjoy the bittenballen. My family will be forced to eat my world famous pecan tart and a sweet potato pie from Ezell's Fried Chicken (Oprah's favorite fried chicken place). Ah, the sacrifices we need to make. :rolleyes:

Thanks again for offering to host this gathering. I'm glad that you are willing to try again after the holidays and after the possibility of potential snowfall. The best part of all this is realizing that there is real interest in local HAL Pals meeting. It's possible that our next planned get together may attract even more HAL fans. Maybe Seattle HQ has a nice atrium with catering...;)

As I sit here the snow is coming down even harder. The right decision was made. Kids are even trying to sled in a sports field nearby.

Well enjoy this snowy evening. I look forward to when we can all meet.

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[NoNoNanette]

Hey, Karin-

Dom and I will catch a quick flight in the a.m. Hate to see all of that good stuff go to waste, my friend! ;)

(Don't I wish!!!!!.....BUT.... will be outta here 1 week from today, heading south to Ft. Lauderdale!) :)

[Cruising-along]

Hey, Karin-

Dom and I will catch a quick flight in the a.m. Hate to see all of that good stuff go to waste, my friend! ;)

(Don't I wish!!!!!.....BUT.... will be outta here 1 week from today, heading south to Ft. Lauderdale!) :)

Have a great cruise NNN :)
Much warmer than here right now.......wish I was going somewhere warm too :p

[NoNoNanette]

Thanks, Carolyn! :)

The packing started today. We've got clothes, wine, beach stuff and suitcases all over the house.

(I'd DIE if there were a knock on the door!.....luckily we're 3/4 mile back in the woods behind a locked gate) ;)

[RetiredMustang]

Karin,

I'm so sorry the weather did not cooperate! Perhaps a funny story (on me!) may help cheer you up.

I remember a time in the mid-90s when our sons were at UW, and we decided to spend a night at a hotel in Seattle after meeting them for dinner, rather than take the Bainbridge Island ferry to go home to Silverdale. Early the next morning, DW woke me to say that about 3 inches of snow was on the ground, and more was falling. We decided, after watching KING news and the Weather Channel, that we would not chance the Bainbridge ferry, the drive across Bainbridge Island, across the Agate Passage bridge and through Poulsbo because we thought the Kitsap County snowplows, etc., would concentrate on route 3 and other main roads and we would be stuck in a mess.

So, we went down I-5 to Tacoma and up route 16 to Gorst and then to route 3. Route 16 was a mess and it took us almost two hours to crawl the 30 or so miles!

The next day at work, I related my story to a co-worker, who said, "Why didn't you take the Bremerton ferry instead?" D'oh!

(For those not from the Seattle area, I drove about 60 miles out of the way to avoid 12 or so miles of back roads, whereas I could have taken a different ferry and arrived about 10 miles away from my home on main roads. The Bremerton ferry ride was about twice as long as my usual route, but I guess I had become so used to using the Bainbridge ferry, I forgot about the other one.)

Dave

[middle-aged mom]

Sorry that I had to cancel our HALiday party.:(

Here's a picture of our street as the snow began falling. We ended up with four inches of snow. The surface streets in our suburb don't get ploughed (there isn't enough snow equipment to handle it), and so while I'm sorry I had to cancel our get-together, I'm glad nobody had to be driving through that last night.

Shall we try again after the holidays, when the weather is a little more compliant?.........I do want to thank all of you who had prepared appetizers and desserts to share. I'm sorry we couldn't enjoy the fruits of your labors. I plan to freeze some of my unused food for use at Christmas.:) I've so enjoyed the opportunity of getting to know all of you better. Even though we didn't manage to have our party, I still feel like I've made some lovely new friends.:) Thank you!

Karin

[Chivalrygirl]

Hey Karin

Really sorry you had to cancel. What a bummer eh! All that snow as well, golly looks like picture perfect to me, but I have just come back from lovely warm sun and 25 celsius temps and 4 nights in a perfectly lovely hotel/apartment.
Send me down some of your meatballs if you like, or else remember the discussion we had about spaghetti for the masses, perhaps you can unload it that way :D

Val

[cruisinjudy]

Sorry you all had to cancel the get together. Down here in Portland our snow all melted, most before it hit the ground! Then we got rain.

[sungoddess]

Okay all Puget Sound HAL PALs, lets plan a new get together! This weather is awful; it took me 2 hours to drive 15 miles this afternoon!

Let's shoot for January. I am more than willing to host at my house, in Duvall, if that is okay for everyone. I feel so bad for Karin, but I am jealous about all of the bitterballen that she has to eat!

Would the 12th work for everyone?

Bridgett

[InTheWASide]

If any of you saw my post, Thursday in Pioneer Square is a book signing for HAL's new art book.

SOme of us could meet there too if there's any interest.

[Ferry Watcher]

Bridgett,

Thanks so much for the offer. Unfortunately, I am unavailable that weekend. (Darn it!) It will be a lot of fun when we all do finally get together!

Brad, great suggestion meeting at the book signing, especially for any folks working or living in DT Seattle. I hope the event goes well for the authors.

I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you both soon.

Thanks,

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[sungoddess]

Hi Mary,

I'm not set on the 12th; let's see what works best for everyone and make something happen!

[Chivalrygirl]

Whats happened to Karin, I hope she is OK.

[MrsMuir]

Fellow Puget Sounders, I suggest we wait until that dark month of January is over (even though my birthday's on the 19th). No telling what will happen to the weather. Monsoon season has really arrived!

Mrs Muir

[Cruising-along]

Fellow Puget Sounders, I suggest we wait until that dark month of January is over (even though my birthday's on the 19th). No telling what will happen to the weather. Monsoon season has really arrived!

Mrs Muir

I have to agree. January can often be our worst month of the winter (happy birthday Mrs. Muir, mine is right after yours on the 24th) :D I remember many a birthday in blizzard conditions :(

Bridgett, it's really nice of you to start putting this together -- I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!

[Ferry Watcher]

Today is my birthday!:D

And, it is probably best to wait until after that dark dreary month known as January has passed. The HAL get together will give us something to look forward to!

Thanks again to Karin and Bridgett for offering their homes.

Mary
Ferry Watcher

[sungoddess]

Happy Birthday Mary!

I agree, January is not the best month in the NW! After the holidays are over, I'll come up with a plan for February.

[middle-aged mom]

Hi, sorry I haven't responded here sooner; it's been busy here! We had some water seeping into our basement because of all the rain. Also, my father's health is deteriorating rapidly, and we are bracing ourselves for his passing, whenever that may be.

Mary (Ferry Watcher) many happy returns to you on your special day:)

I also recommend February over January for our get-together. The days are noticeably longer then, and there's even a hint of spring to come in the air.........Thank you, Bridgett, for offering your home.

Karin

[Ferry Watcher]

Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

Karin, I'm sorry to hear about your father's health. Was he able to go to your house last Sunday for your family party? It's always hard when a parent has health problems. PLease accept my prayers for both your parents and for you and your family.

Mary

[traveller123]

Even though I don't live in Puget Sound, could I be included in your group? I could drive down from Vancouver, BC and stay in a hotel for a night....a nice break from work. Let me know.

[sungoddess]

Of course! You can send me your email address at eskimoflyin77@hotmail.com and I will send you the details as soon as they are worked out!

Bridgett

[Cruising-along]

Happy Birthday Mary! The sun even came out today for you!

Karin I'm so sorry to hear about your father's health. It's very hard, I know. We're going through the same thing with my mom.