Hosted by John Gray, the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association held its 22nd annual reunion in Bremerton, WA. Our host hotel was the Hampton Inn located right on the waterfront of Bremerton. The hotel is part of a complex which includes the ferry landing, the USS Turner Joy destoyer floating museum and the Kitsap County's convention center. All in all a pretty good venue for the reunion.
With about 120 attendees, many old friendships were renewed and new friendships forged.
The Navy Nuclear Weapons Association (NNWA) is a nationwide organization of military and civilian participants in the US Navy Department nuclear weapons program during the years 1946 to present. Many of its members meet annually in September or October at various locations across the US to reminisce with long-lost friends, provide support with veterans affairs and medical information, visit historical sites, enjoy quality entertainment in hospitable environs, and salute our departed. The NNWA website is http://www.navynucweps.com/.
The reunion began on Wednesday, September 24th with registration and gatherings in the hospitality suite. On Thursday, the scheduled event was a Group Bus trip to Clearwater Casino for dinner and entertainment.
Several of us decided to go on a Gray Lines tour of the Boeing factory north of Seattle. After taking the ferry back to Seattle (again), we were met by the bus at the waterfront and taken on our tour. Unfortunately, Boeing's mechanics union has chosen this time to go on strike!!! We didn't get to see the factory where the Boeing Dreamline is being built. We did get to see a private collection of military aircraft, but it wasn't the same.
After the tour, several of us went out to dinner at the Thirsty Owl, an Irish pub close to the Seattle waterfront - good beer (as always) and good food and good friendship
Friday found us on the scheduled DUKW tour of Seattle (woth the time and effort) a great lunch at, of all places, a brew pub.
As an aside, the best beer we found in Seattle was Mac & Jack's ale!
Friday night, many of us went to dinner at Anthony's at the waterfront in Bremerton.
Saturday - morning taken up with the Association's business meeting, afternoon free and Saturday night's dinner dance at the Kitsap Convention center.
Sunday morning, folks packing up the historical items and saying their final goodbyes.
Mary and I got a ride to the Seatac Airport area with John and Nancy O'Malia where we rented a car for our final days in the great Pacific northwest.
Before returning to Bremerton, we drove to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. As members of the Corning Museum of Glass, we have reciprocal admission rights so it cost us nothing. The museum is nice enough and their hot glass demonstration was most interesting, but the museum is small and their galleries don't hold a candle to the Corning Museum of Glass.
Looking forward to the next NNWA reunion to be held in the Dallas area in 2009.
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