| My Friends,
My hope is that as you read this you will have
had a great year in 2009. With all the turmoil of change this year,
the one constant we can always hang on to is friends! I hope this
new year brings you
all that you wish for to become true!
  My 2009 started with another business trip to my
birthplace in The Netherlands. The first week there I worked at
Stork/Fokker, a 737 wing-tip supplier, located near Rotterdam. I
traveled with 3 other co-workers and I took several trips to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Delft, Den Haag, Scheveningen and visited the
Windmills at Kinderdijk.
<Arts Photo Art>
 After my work was complete, I visited relatives,
Maarten and Barbara in Amsterdam and stayed with them for a few
days. I took those days to spend more in-depth trips in the city and had great
evening global conversations with the Van Wijks.
 Clear and cold Amsterdam greeted me with miles and miles of interesting
sights! I then put my laptop in my backpack, a few essentials and I traveled by
train to central Netherlands to the town of Dodewaard, where my
cousin Caroline and Aunt Ilse live. I stayed at Caroline and
Henk's house for a couple days in their nice guest apartment above their
dive shop. I just stayed locally and enjoyed visiting.
Mitchell their son, drove me through the country-side with his
compact car. It was another great visit to The Netherlands. I did a
similar trip with John Orr in 2008. I am
planning to guide a trip in May of 2011. Contact me!!!! A once in
a lifetime must! Flowers, Windmills, Rembrandts, Van Gogh's, Cheese
and more!
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After the demise of my 30 years as a Sonics
NBA Season Ticket Holder in the 3rd row, I fed my love of the game with a package
of games to the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. What a refreshing
change and much more fan friendly! Go Storm!!
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"The most beautiful game in the world"
came to Seattle this year with a bang and I was able to get great
inaugural season tickets to Major League Soccer's Seattle
Sounders FC. I had followed the original Seattle Sounders
of the NASL in the 70's and it's been great to see the overwhelming
support at these matches. My pair of tickets are next to Harold's
pair and we've enjoyed bringing everyone to these matches!
Sounders FC pictures
Season
Ticket Holder Party
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During this year I was also involved in some of
the up front planning of a new Boeing enterprise operating group called
Boeing Test & Evaluation. We are tasked with being the Test &
Evaluation arm of the company utilizing all the resources of the company
as one shared service. That ended my 30 year career with Boeing
Commercial Airplanes but the start of a new focused Boeing enterprise
group. I was involved in many of the 787 structural
tests.
Here's a video
highlighting a test in our lab.With my additional responsibilities, I also
stepped down from my 25+ year association with Boeing Corporate
Citizenship. I held numerous positions in helping run many campaigns,
organizing projects and running web sites. I enjoyed it very much and
will still always be a community volunteer!
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During the summer, my relatives from the Netherlands whom I visited at the
beginning of the year, visited me. My Aunt Ilse and
cousin Caroline came also with her son Mitchell and his friend Wouter.
They came during the Seafair weeks and we spent time cruising
Lake Washington and the ship canal with my boat Banda. I
took them to the Pits for the Hydroplanes and the Museum of Flight
for the Blue Angles. Of course we were out there for Seafair
too. They also brought diving gear and dove off Alki. I also took
the boys up to Snow Lake. They had never "hiked" before. The boys
were in heaven with all the new Apple Computer gear, flash drives
and other electronic gear they could buy! It was a good time for
the Euro!
   
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After Seafair it was back out on the saltwater for crabbing in
the San Juans, anchoring with fellow gunkholers, the Orrs and
Aalviks. I visited my favorite spots in Shoal Bay and Ewing
Cove in the Sucia Islands. Ahhh....
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At the beginning of October my annual hiking
trip turned into a boating/camping trip to Sucia Island. John and
I took my Banda to Friday
Harbor where the
Orr's Double Diamond was moored for the summer. The
next day I picked
up Ralph and rendezvoused with John at Sucia Island. I did a
pickup run for Rich, Scott and John McKay the next day. The
islands were empty and we were blessed with very nice weather! We spent
a few days on the Fossil Bay docks, which are usually crowded
with boats rafted deep a few weeks earlier! John attempted
eXtreme Sandstone Luging now shown on YouTube.
I also documented our trip in another YouTube Video
in HD Sucia Island Hikers.
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USCG high surf practice runs. |
  
My annual trip to Point Brown Resort
next to the
northern jetty of Grays Harbor was met with high winds, high surf and
power outages! I had lots of forced relaxation!!
Always a great
getaway! Visits from John, Ralph & Tammy.
<More
Pt. Brown Jetty 2009
pictures>
"Blown
Away at Pt Brown" on
YouTube
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My outdoor fountains kept growing and I had an in
between year of fruit because of last years pruning.
My
grape vineyard on my deck was bigger than ever though! |
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My feline companions Oranya and Poeski have been a constant delight in my
life.
They've both been doing good, enjoying each others company and live
as queens!
 
 
Sisterhood!
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This was
The year of
Concerts and I coined a new phrase:
Front Stage Baby - FSB!!
I saw a wide variety of performers this year for a total of over
35 performances!!
I honed my skills at getting to the front of the stage for many of the
venues. I've enjoyed listening to all the new
music that was created this year!
My best FSB Concerts of 09:
My internet businesses have kept "eXpanding"....
My main web business
eXpandRetreats.com/Find-A-Retreat.com, expanded to a new URL
Sell-A-Retreat.com, a place to sell retreats centers. It's been doing well
with a constant influx of new subscribers. My business partner Donna
Arnold and I are looking at exploring additional services online in 2010.I
have now consolidated all of my Internet Services under the eXpand
brand:
eXpandInternet.com
I have been fortunate
to have another blessed year with friends like you
and the years keep getting better!!!
I hope this
new year brings you
all
that you wish for to become true!
Don't dream it, be it!
  
Peace
Love Cougs
...Art :))
PDF of
this message
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I have a new HTC Ozone SmartPhone for 2010.
It's number is still my old cell phone number of 206-300-2307.
I will be using this as my main phone.
If you have my Boeing cell
number (206-240-9654) programmed as my main phone please change that.
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My landline at home is 206-772-2431
8418 S 112th St
Seattle, WA 98178
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art@ruschetek.com
ArtRusche.com
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