Beachcombing

Last week my wife and I attended the wedding of our great niece, Rebecca Doub, to Adam Castleman at The Army and Navy Club in Washington DC. It was a spectacular affair to be forever remembered.

For more than 130 years (according to its website) “The Army and Navy Club on Farragut Square has been committed to its mission of providing social, cultural and life enrichment to its members. The club is a members-only, Five Star Platinum Club in the heart of the nation’s capital and has served as a timeless home away from home for members and their families. The membership roll includes some of the top admirals and generals, members of congress and public servants. The club includes elegant facilities, fine dining, a renowned bar and lounge, hotel rooms and a vast array of social and networking events.”

My niece and her husband, Susan and Lewis Doub (parents of the bride), are members of a reciprocating Hamilton Club in Lancaster, Penna., which allowed them to use the facility for the wedding and reception. I’ve never slept in a bed that was obviously designed for Abraham Lincoln and was over three feet high with bed posts about seven feet high.

I figured that Donald Trump would take advantage of our week-long visit to the nation’s capital to pick my brain on what to do about his image problem, but that invitation never arrived. Apparently the federal budget crisis, State of the Union Address, plus the Friday and Saturday protest marches in the city were of higher priority.

That adventure had me thinking ahead to our own 50th wedding anniversary plans for Dec. 28, 2018. Should we have a dinner party boat cruise along the shoreline or party hardy at The Grand or partake in the Queen Mary Sunday Brunch? Perhaps reserved group seating at the Tournament of Roses Parade would make a nice addition to the meal function.

I’m open to your suggestions as well. What fun-filled things did you do on your 50th wedding anniversary to make it memorable?

We are off and running with the 16 annual Best of Long Beach contest and you’ll find the first of two service ballots on the next page. Another will appear in the Feb. 16 issue. We are forever grateful to the following sponsoring organizations that have provided us with more than $10,000 in prizes to be awarded to those who submit qualifying ballots:

Aquarium of the Pacific • Art Theatre • BBQ Festival • Belmont Athletic Club • Belmont Pet & LaunderPet • Bridal Showplace • Crawfish Festival • Emery & Emery DDS • Family Floors • Forbidden City Restaurant • Harbor Breeze Yacht Charters and Cruises • Hof’s Hut/Lucille’s • Home Instead Senior Care • Hornblower Cruises & Events • J&L Fine Jewelry • LBCC Senior Studies • Long Beach Boot Camp • Long Beach Playhouse • Long Beach State Athletics • Mobül: The Mobility Store • Original Lobster Festival • Steven Pakiz DDS • Queen Mary • TLD Law, (Jennifer N. Sawday) • Shoreline Village • Wags to Whiskers • Zombie Fest

This year we are focusing more on local businesses to make Long Beach residents aware of the best services available to them in 100 different categories. Votes for nationwide businesses will not be counted in the balloting process. A second round of ballots will appear in our July 6 and 20 issues for product-oriented businesses.

Winners in the current contest will be published in our April 13 issue. May the best-of-the-best businesses win in each category.

Remember that life always offers you a second chance. It’s called tomorrow.

publisher@beachcomber.news