President's Message By George Darnell

Welcome to Fall!

Well, here we are at the beginning of the joyous holiday season when we gather to celebrate love and friendship with family and friends. There are many events at the Lodge and Athletic Center to help us get ready. Check out the Events Calendar and do not wait too long to register for events you want to attend. That includes Travel Club events. Our events fill up fast. We have had several last-minute cancellations on our trips and that is understandable given the age and obligations of our members. But we hate to see spaces on a trip go empty. If you find you can’t make a trip let us know, and, if possible, call a friend to take your place. If you have any ideas on how we can handle this, please let me know. Gary McDowell, our treasurer and registrar, is working on this and would appreciate your input.

September Trip Report

Mike Erickson’s report of our Bridges and Breweries trip in September is included in UPCOMNG this issue because the trip occurred so late in the month. Once again, the club appreciates the time and effort that Mike put into scouting, leading, and reporting this outstanding trip.

October Trips

We had three great trips in October: the Potomac Eagle train Ride; and two Fall Colors Wine Tours in the Charlottesville area. Read the trip reports in this issue. My thanks to Bill Johnson for leading the second trip to make sure everyone interested had a chance to sample three great wineries. His trip report may be included in our December newsletter to give him time to put it together.

November 10 Meeting

Greg Payonk, our cruise coordinator, will be speaking at our November 10 Lunch Meeting in Rachel’s Kitchen. He has some tips for making your foreign trips and cruises less stressful, safer, and more enjoyable. Don’t forget to bring your special dish to share with us. I hope to see you around campus and at our meeting in Rachel’s Kitchen at 11:30 a.m.