First Christmas in the US

December 1982

On November 26 — our first anniversary, no less — Mui left for basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas.  Before he left, he put up a small Christmas tree so that I’d have some holiday cheer in the apartment.

Seeing as how we weren’t going to be together for our first Christmas in the US, I decided to visit my brother.  Deniz (or Dennis, if you prefer) had moved to the States while I was in college to go to university in Wichita, Kansas.

It was supposed to be a quiet, uneventful Christmas.  It started out that way.  But then it started snowing.  It came down thick, and it stuck.  It didn’t stop.  Things got so bad that the airport shut down, thus beginning the domino effect of delayed flights.  With limited vacation time, I had to get back to Washington no matter what.   The airline couldn’t help me — unless, that is, I could find my way to Dallas, Texas.

So what did I do?  I bought a ticket on Greyhound and took an overnight bus down I-35, through Oklahoma City, to Dallas.

The ride seemed interminable.  I tried to sleep, but it was no use … I’ve never been able to sleep while sitting upright.  I read a bit, but didn’t want to keep the light on long for fear of disturbing my seatmate.  I was relieved to finally arrive in Dallas some 400 miles (640 km) later.  My flight was uneventful and I made it to work on time!

In case you’re curious, it was another 20 years before I traveled again during Christmas.

Afternoon Tea Aboard TCG Yücetepe

November 14, 1982

From whom we received the invitation to have tea aboard the TCG Yücetepe (formerly USS Orleck) I know not.  But we were aboard the ship for a “Ship’s Ahoy” afternoon tea event a few days before Yücetepe was due to begin its 39-day voyage from Tacoma, Washington to its new homeport in Gölcük, Turkey.

L to R: Ronnie, Nancy & Ron Geier, and İbrahİm Kasapoğlu.

Click here for the story of how the USS Orleck became the TCG Yücetepe.

King & I

November 4, 1982

A couple of penniless youngsters couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drive from Tacoma to Seattle to see Yul Brynner perform live in the King and I.  If I remember correctly, we justified the rather expensive tickets as an early first anniversary gift to ourselves.

From the souvenir program we picked up that night …

You can read more about the story behind the play here.

What a show it was; what a wonderful memory!

Cumhuriyet Bayramı Kutlu Olsun

October 29, 1982

… in other words, Happy Republic Day!

On this date in 1923, the Turkish constitution was amended and Turkey became a republic, formally declaring the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The day is one of major celebration in Turkey, with festivities and parades all over the country.

Not wanting to be left out, the Turkish community in Seattle organized a get together at Latitude 47, a restaurant on Lake Union. I don’t recall how we heard of the event, but the pictures prove that we joined in the celebration.

Left to Right: Joanie, Mui and Me, TaşkIn and Grant

Of course, there was belly dancing …

… Mui and Grant jumped in with both feet to join the dancers.

A Day in the San Juan Islands

October 10, 1982

We drove from Tacoma to Anacortes to catch the ferry to the San Juan Islands, located in the Salish Sea in the northwest corner of the US.  These islands are part of an archipelago by the same name, which is split into two groups — the San Juan Islands (part of the US) and the Gulf Islands (part of Canada).

On our way to Anacortes, we stopped at the Smokey Point Rest Area to check out the Big Cedar Stump.  From the nearby signage:

This famous stump remains as evidence of the giant trees that once forested this area. Over 20 feet [6 m] in diameter and 200 feet [60 m] tall, the huge “Western Red Cedar” is believed to have been more than 1000 years old. Discovered by early settlers of the area, the following is a resume of its recorded history:

1893 – the stump was killed by a fire which started in its hollow base.

1916 – After the top was removed, Paul Wangsmo and Ole Rodway cut and chopped three spines from the core and cut archways through the stump.

1922 – After cutting the stump off at its base, Ole Reinseth and Slim Husby used horse teams to drag it north 150 yards where it was set on a concrete base.

1939 – the stump, by now cracked, was taken apart and pieced back together just north of Portage Creek, alongside the newly completed US 99.  On May 27, Crown Prince Olav and Princess Martha of Norway drove through the stump.

1971 – The stump’s final move brought it here.

I don’t remember much about our day in the islands.  I know we got off the ferry at one of the islands, had lunch, and wandered around a bit before catching the return ferry to the mainland.  My faulty memory would have placed us in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, but the few photos we took that day prove that we were, in fact, on Orcas Island.

Rosario Resort, Orcas Island
The figurehead for the clipper “America,” built in
Massachusetts in 1874.  The ship was wrecked in
the san Juan islands in 1914.
(notable Voyages: New York to San Francisco – 89 days;
San Francisco to Liverpool – 102 days)

USS Orleck to TCG Yücetepe

October 1, 1982

Around mid-September, an article in The Tacoma News Tribune announced that the USS Orleck, a WWII era battleship, was going to be decommissioned as a US Navy ship and recommissioned as a Turkish Navy ship.

(Click any of the pictures for larger versions.)

I’m not sure if we managed to wrangle an invitation or if the ceremony was open to the public. Either way, we were amongst the guests who were there to watch as the US flag was replaced by the Turkish flag.

From the decommissioning ceremony program:

The decommissioning ceremony marks the retirement of a ship as a unit of the operating forces of the US Navy. On 15 September 1945, when the order to commission this ship was given, a commissioning pennant was first hoisted to the forward truck. A pennant has flown there through 37 years of proud service. Today, when the commissioning pennant is hauled down for the final time, USS ORLECK (DD-886) will no longer be the responsibility of her commanding officer. Until this moment, he, along with the ship’s officers and men, had the responsibility of making and keeping her constantly ready for any service demanded by our country in peace or war.

The commissioning pennant is said to date from the 17th century, stemming from an incident between the warring Dutch and English navies. In one particular engagement, Maarten Harpertszoon Troomp, the Dutch Admiral, hoisted a broom at his masthead to indicate his intention to sweep the English from the sea. The English Admiral then hoisted a horsewhip, indicating his intention to chastise the insolent Dutchman. Ever since that time, the narrow “coachwhip” pennant, symbolizing the original horsewhip, has been the distinctive mark of a man-of-war. This tradition of so designating ships of war has been adopted by all nations.

The modern US Navy commissioning pennant is blue at the hoist with a horizontal red and white stripe at the fly and varies in length with the size of the ship. At one time, there were thirteen white stars in the blue field representing the original states, but in 1933 seven white stars became standard. It is a naval custom that when the commissioning pennant is hauled down for the last time, it is presented to the commanding officer.

Handing over the keys … so to speak

Ceremonial color guard.

The US Navy crew disembark the ship for the last time.

TCG Yücetepe (D-345)
The ship is named for the hill in Ankara, Turkey that
was chosen by Atatürk, the founder of the modern
Turkish Republic, as the location of the capital city.

The day after the ceremony, the following picture and article appeared in The Tacoma News Tribune …

… followed by this article a few weeks later …

After serving in the Turkish Navy for 18 years, TCG Yücetepe was decommissioned and transferred to the Southeast Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation in August 2000. The ship was berthed in Orange, Texas as a museum under its original name, USS Orleck. When Hurricane Rita struck the Texas coast in September 2005, the ship was severely damaged. Following repairs, the Orleck was moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana (May 2010) where it is now on display.

Visiting Family in Vancouver

September 29, 1982

When Mui’s Aunt Leman and Uncle Faruk traveled from Turkey to Canada to visit their son, Rıfat, we took the opportunity to see them in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Left: A Roundtrip 360-mile (576 km) trip to visit family.
Right: View from RIfat’s apartment on Beach Drive.

We even managed to squeeze a bit of sightseeing into our day-trip.  First, we went to Queen Elizabeth Park, a former stone quarry that is home to beautifully landscaped gardens and the Bloedel Conservatory.

Later we walked around Gastown, a neighborhood that dates back to 1867 when “Gassy” Jack Deighton canoed in with a few barrels of whiskey and opened a saloon.  Though the city that grew around the saloon was destroyed by the great fire of 1886, today’s Gastown rose from those ashes.

Live steam winds the weights and blows the
whistle of the clock that sounds the
Westminster chimes on a regular basis.

For those intrigued by Gastown’s most famous landmark, here are some scans from the brochure we picked up on that trip.  (Click the images for larger, legible versions.)

 

Despite our best efforts, we have not managed to get back to Vancouver, but it is high on our list of places to return to.