A View from the Hill September 3, 2025

The ViewMaster
Sep 4
6 min read

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome to this week’s edition of:

A View from the Hill

Today is the 58^th anniversary of the day Sweden switched from driving on the left side of the road to the right side. This is thought of as one of Sweden’s most significant logistical events. The day is known as Dagen H (H-Day) or Högertrafikomläggningen Day (which means the right hand traffic diversion). Today also marks a transition for A View from the Hill. The ViewMaster starts the transition from the summer season to the winter season, my very own Övergången till vintern (the transition to winter). While the club has a vibrant winter schedule, as the pool closes and the tennis winds down, the club shifts into a slower cadence of events. So too does the View. Do not fret, I will still be popping up in your in-boxes from time to time, just not every Wednesday. So, while you all sit and weep at the loss of the weekly edition, on to the upcoming events at our fabulous gem on the Hill, The Park Hill Racquet Club.

TENNIS:

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, there is still plenty of road left in the tennis world here at the club. The mixed doubles continue to wind its way thru its brackets. The last two quarterfinal matches are set to be played this Friday (9-5). At 4:00PM Danny Muskinÿ & Merideth Lue (subbing for the injured Robin Muskinÿ) will face Claire Miko & Bill Sanchez. The second match’s time is still TBD, but when it is, Stella Y Yi-Burke & Jean Lambert will square off against Patty Cecere & Jose Alvarado. Make your way to the club on Friday afternoon to watch some pretty fine competitive tennis. After the completion of these two matches, the winners will join Kate Greener & Tom Westmoreland (Westy) and Sharon Ollivierre & Joel Sciascia in the semifinals.

I have a correction to make on this next item; there will be no Sunday Round Robin Fun Tournament. Do not worry there is still a Sunday Round Robin this weekend starting at 4:00PM. It is just not a Fun Tournament. Those are special events that fall on holiday weekends. I am not saying it won’t be fun, it most surely is fun, it is just not a tournament. Thanks to those of you who put my “view” into focus. No need to reserve a spot, just bring your racquet and your smile to the club on Sunday at 4 PM to enjoy time with fellow members on the court for a decidedly fun but un-tournament-like few hours of tennis.

POOL:

Although the last day of Summer is not until September 22^nd, we mark the end of summer, and the pool season, on Labor Day, which this year was September 1^st. So alas, another pool season comes to a close. Many will be sad that we no longer get to frolic in the clear and cool waters of our oasis, or lounge in the sun soaking up the rays, or even taking part in a fun Pool Volleyball contest on Thursday nights. For those who are saddened I ask you turn to the sage advice of the great philosopher and author, Dr. Seuss, who said, “Do not be sad that it is over, be happy that it happened.” Also be heartened to know that come May, the pool will reopen and we get to enjoy it all over again.

As we close out the season a few hearty “thank-yous” need to go out. First off, thank you to our wonderful pool committee, Pam Opdyke, Casey Quinn, and Karin White. Their tireless work from before the pool opens until months after it closes for the season, which is often taken for granted (not by the ViewMaster mind you) makes our pool the wonderful summer respite it is. Also, a thanks to our lifeguards, Emmett, Pierce, Nate, Eavan, Alleen, Nox, Carmine, Gabrielle, Olivia, and Zorba, who kept the pool safe thru out the season.

Some people are perplexed that the end of summer is so imprecise, why can’t the club have a definitive date? I don’t know the reason, but take solace that it is not just the club that sometimes can’t settle on a date, Canada, our friendly neighbor to the north can’t even decide what date it was formed! The Supreme Court of Canada, in a 1984 case Reference re: Newfoundland Continental Shelf, ruled that Canada acquired sovereignty from Great Britain sometime between 1919 and 1931. So, let’s give our Board of Governors a little slack, they did get it down to a range of 21 days, not 12 YEARS. Fun fact: in English, twelve is the largest number that has just one syllable.

BOOK CLUB:

September is National Read a Book Month. The first written word seems to have appeared in 3400 BC, and the first story was The Epic of Gilgamesh, a tale of the eponymous ruler of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk. Though this tale was inscribed on clay tablets long before paper was invented, it still qualifies as a book. Of course, the definition of what constitutes a book has changed over the years from bark pages, to rolled pages of papyrus, to the version we recognize today. The PHRC Book Clubdidn’t choose the 5,900-year-old classic The Epic of Gilgamesh for this month’s selection (so no need to learn ancient languages!), they have chosen Empire Falls by Richard Russo.

Russo’s 2001 novel and 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction follows the story of Miles Roby in a fictional, small blue-collar town in Maine. It explores the people, places, and the past surrounding him, as manager of the Empire Grill diner. Why not celebrate National Read a Book Month by joining the PHRC Book Club and diving into this Pulitzer Prize–winning novel? For more information contact Claire Miko at clarabell711@aol.com.

MEMBERS’ LOUNGE:

With the passing of summer (as defined by Park Hill) the extended Lounge hours also come to an end. The new hours, starting this week, are Thursday 6:00PM to 10:00PM, Friday 6:00PM to 11:00PM and Sunday 1:00PM to 8:00PM. To start off the “Off Season” the bar committee has planned a trio of special events.

On Thursday September 4^th, in honor of the 74^th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s opening speech before a conference in San Francisco, well not actually the speech, but rather that it was broadcast nationwide, making it the first transcontinental broadcast. We are having Thirsty Thursday with Vivian (yes, she is back for a cameo appearance). Come watch the transcontinental broadcast of the US Open’s Women's Semifinals or the NFL’s opening game, Cowboys vs. Eagles, or both if you are up to multitasking.

On Friday September 5^th, we commemorate the first session of the Continental Congress, which was convened in 1774 at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia with Friday with Vinny. So come “convene” at the lounge to catch either the Chiefs vs the Chargers or the US Open’s Men’s Semifinals.

On Sunday September 7^th, in celebration of National Beer Lovers Day, which by the way beer has been brewed for over 7,000 years – thank you inhabitants of ancient western Iran, we will be hosting Sunday with Vinny. It is the first Sunday of the NFL season and the US Open Men's Finals! The day will kick off (not sure if pun was intended or not -grin) at 1PM with a plethora of NFL games to choose from. US Open Men's finals will be screened at 2PM. Bring a snack to share and get ready to enjoy a beer or other cool beverage. I did inquire why National Beer Lovers Day is celebrated every year on September 7. It turns out they wanted it to be nice and easy day to remember, so you can focus on, well, beer.

EVENTS JUST OUT OF VIEW:

Since today (9-3) is US Bowling League Day, I wanted to remind all to keep an eye out for announcements of the fall Bowling League here at Park Hill. The league will start up in mid-October with sign-ups coming in the next few weeks.

Before I go, I have an apology/correction to make about last week’s edition. When talking about the Labor Day Porch Karaoke (which by the way was a rousing success), I mentioned the Karaoke was invented in the “small Japanese town” of Kobe. It was pointed out to me that Kobe is one of Japan's largest cities, not a small town. Although it is indeed a major city (the sixth largest city in Japan), some people might call Kobe a "small Japanese town" because it often feels less intense and less crowded compared to larger, more famous cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Interestingly enough, if it were located in the US, it would also be the US’s sixth largest city (just a bit larger than San Antonio). So, for those who live in Kobe (or know people who live in Kobe) my apologies, if offense was taken, it truly was intended as a compliment to its small-town feel.

Also please note that while the Japanese inventor Daisuke Inoue created the first karaoke machine in 1971, Shigeichi Negishi created the first commercially available karaoke machine, the "Sparko Box" in 1967 and licensed it to bars in Kobe.

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,