A View from the Hill August 27, 2025

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome to this week’s edition of:

A View from the Hill

Today, August 27^th, is National Just Because Day.  Why today? Well, just because.  It all started in the late 1950s when Joseph J. Goodwin of Los Gatos, California, created Just Because Day. It began as a family holiday and grew into an annual celebration across the United States.  According to 1-800-Flowers, one way suggested to celebrate the day is to do random acts of kindness (just because).  You can enjoy the fun of randomly blessing someone in so many ways.  Tell a stranger one thing you like about their clothing, let someone merge in traffic, or just pay for the order of the person behind in the drive-through (back in 2014 at a Florida Starbucks there was a 378-person pay-it-forward chain that lasted over 11 hours).  Or even just smile at people you encounter.  There is even a national organization devoted to the idea of promoting random acts of kindness, Pay It Forward 9/11.  This group was founded in the aftermath of the tragedies of 9/11 to not only remember those we lost that day, but also the tremendous outpouring of kindness it inspired.  In the ViewMaster’s opinion, it is a great organization.  Hopefully you don’t suffer from Allodoxaphobia and will check out their story at Payitforward911.org.   (BTW Allodoxaphobia is the fear of other people’s opinions). 

Why the long intro?  Well, the answer is obvious: Just Because.  Now, onto the activities coming up this busy Labor Day week.

TENNIS:

I need to start off with a correction this week.  My “View” was a little out of focus.  Last week I reported that our WCTL SENIORS beat Country Tennis Club, which was in third place, for a close 3–2 win and that allowed them to finish tied for third in the division.  It turns out that WCTL utilizes a tie-breaking format, and by beating Country head-to-head, our Seniors took sole possession of third place (sorry Country, fourth place for you).

The Competitive Mixed Doubles Tournament continues.  The first three rounds are almost complete and the “Final Four” is soon to be set (no pun intended).  You can keep track of your favorite couple on the official bracket posted in the Members’ Lounge.  We are hoping to be able to send out match times to everyone so they can enjoy watching the great matches that this tourney is providing.  Keep an eye on your inbox.

The Annual Labor Day Weekend "Fun" Tournament is on Sunday, August 31st.  We will provide balls and pair you with a partner to make for a fun, round-robin, doubles tennis tournament. We will form the teams and get the event started at 9:30AM on Sunday.  And as always, use the tennis reservation sheet to reserve a court or look for a game.

POOL:

The pool season ends this coming Monday, Labor Day.  Until then, the pool hours continue to be Sunday–Thursday, 11:00AM to 7:00PM and Friday & Saturday, 11:00AM to 8:00PM.  There are some rumors “in view” saying that, if the weather stays hot, the Pool may open up the following weekend.  Mind you, those are just rumors.  Keep an eye on your inbox next week for official news from the Pool Committee. 

Pool Volleyball has proved so popular that there will be two sessions this week.  The first session is in its traditional Thursday night spot starting at 7:00PM and a second session slated for Saturday at 4:00PM.  No need to RSVP, just show up and bring your “Fun”.

FRIDAY MONDAY POTLUCK BBQ:

That’s right, no BBQ this Friday.  But no worries for those of you who suffer from Mageirocophobia (the fear of cooking), we have the LABOR DAY POTLUCK BBQ AND KARAOKE!  In honor of Eat Outside Day (which this year falls on August 31), on Sunday at 2:00PM (following the tennis "Fun" Tournament), Patty Gamba and Justine Henry will fire up the grill.  They will be serving the Labor Day staples of Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Hot Dogs, and Chicken, along with those famous Members’ sides and desserts. 

Karaoke will start up at 3:00PM and go until 7:00PM.   It is said that karaoke (which is Japanese for “Silent Orchestra”) was first invented in a bar in a small Japanese town called Kobe. A band didn't show up for their gig, so the owner - not wanting revelers to miss out on entertainment, put on some music and invited customers to sing.  They soon realized how fun this was and the concept of karaoke was born.  Even if you suffer from amusia (the fancy word for tone deafness), don’t miss out on one of Parkhill’s signature events, Porch Karaoke.  Be it belting out one of your favorite songs, sitting back and enjoying the musical talent, or performing an interpretive dance, there is something for everyone at Porch Karaoke.

MEMBERS’ LOUNGE:

The extended Lounge hours continue with the Members’ Lounge open Monday thru Thursday 3:00PM to 9:00PM, Friday 3:00PM to 11:00PM, Saturday 1:00PM to 9:00PM, and Sunday Noon to 9:00PM.  With the last long weekend of the summer upon us, make your way to our wonderful Members’ Lounge for a refreshing cocktail.  Though we are down one bartendress (Vivian is off to college — good luck, Viv), Anthony, Chess, and Vinny will be there to make sure you can get properly hydrated.

That is it for this week’s edition of The View from the Hill.  As always, please reach out to PHRCView@gmail.com with any comments, corrections, or suggestions you might have.  I love hearing from you.  Hope to see you around the Club,

The ViewMaster

PS: All Labor Day events have a rain date of Monday, September 1^st.