Zoom Visit with the Rose City Mixed Quartet

I’m not one to dwell on might-have-beens or even on wanna-bes or better-next-times.  I’m pretty much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get and a let’s-make lemonade-outta-lemons kinda gal.  So this weekend’s empty feeling is a bit foreign to me.  And, I may add, not at all to my liking.

Were it not for the dreaded circumstances of the world right now, we would be about to sit down to breakfast with four of our most favorite people ever — the Rose City Mixed Quartet!  In that more perfect world, the BC (Before Covid) one, we’d be rehashing last night’s House Concert and talking about today’s Regatta and tomorrow’s Vesper Service.  But… the fates had other plans.

Not This Year

We’ve been lucky, though, to be invited to two (count ’em) TWO zoom visits with the Quartet.  Our latest “get-together” was this past Thursday.  We caught up with all our news at this tail-end of summer,  talked about plans for fall, and even got a glimpse of spouses and a daughter (Helen’s) and of Mark’s spiffy new dining room light fixture!  We didn’t do much lamenting.  As in, what’s the use?  We all know how we feel about the should’ve-beens.

And then… there’s the Oysterville Regatta.  I’m not sure what number it would be.  We’ll call it the “Umpty-Umpth Annual” because, after all, it began back in the 1870s in the days that all the Oystermen did their work in sailboats called “plungers” and it was an annual tradition for the Oysterville Yacht Club (Yes! Really!) to host an annual competition.

Tucker’s 2016 Regatta Invitation

In those days, the race was followed by a grand ball, probably held in the hall above Dan Rodway’s saloon, “The Temperance Billard Hall,” which was located just across the street from the Methodist Church (not far from today’s Oysterville Sea Farms.)  These days, the after-regatta activities include a huge awards banquet with musical accompaniment hosted by Skipper Tucker Wachsmuth at his daughter Lina and son-in-law Dave’s  place a few doors north of the once-upon-a-time Baptist Church.  The entire community of Oysterville is invited. Plus, of course, all regatta participants and their friends and families.  And musicians galore!  It is definitely the highlight of summer!

But… not this year.  Damn!  There may be a few stalwart sailors out on the bay.  There may even be music wafting through houses and gardens — after all we have electronic possibilities.  But it won’t be the same.  No sirree.