I just posted three new photos on the gallery. They were sent to me by owner Cathy Crim Hall and show the three new tikis that have just been built as well as the new pool furniture. There is one photo especially that shows just how nice the pool area looks now. If anybody has any photos that they would like to share, please let me know & I’ll put them up on the gallery.

Owners Jerry & Lynne Warren forwarded a letter to me that they sent to the Hawks Nest regarding their recent two week stay. As you will see, they were very happy with their treatment and were very complimentary regarding the staff. Jerry also told me that this was not just their opinion, that the new staff was the major topic of conversation around the pool during the two weeks they were there.

They were gracious enough to allow me to reprint it here. Enjoy.

To whom it may concern:

Kudos to all the new staff at the Hawks nest. This is my 20th season there and over the years I have seen many staff changes, some good, some not so good.

This year I truly did know what to expect with a nearly 100% turn over in staff and maintenance personnel.

I am very happy to say on arrival we found the Hawks Nest under the best management in years. The establishment was in good repair, and many positive changes have been made.

Michael Blume, the General Manager, was a breath of fresh air. He was very attentive, courteous, and he had a firm handle on what needed to be done. When problems arose he promptly took care of them. On Sunday afternoon the elevator had an electrical short that filled the lobby with a burning smell. Mike had to deal with a fire alarm, the Fire Department, and an elevator repair company that was willing to let everyone walk up the stairs until Monday, if not longer. Based on past experiences, I expected that we would be using the stairs for days. I don’t know how he managed it, but he immediately had someone working on it and it was repaired and operational in hours.

Kristin Herbst, the Office Manager, was exceptionally proficient in her duties; she was always available to the guests and consciously carried out her daily tasks. When the Wi Fi in the rooms went on the blitz, one call to her fixed the problem immediately.

David Burmeister, the Maintenance Supervisor, and Hans Pfab, his assistant, were always friendly, courteous and helpful. They did not idle away their work day and the grills, boats, pool, and grounds were always clean, functional and in good condition.

At last I cannot leave out our 5th floor housekeeper, Debra Clausen, she too, as all of the Hawks Nest staff worked very hard to see we had a very nice stay.

Thank you all

Jerry and Lynne Warren

I’m sorry to report that long-term owner Mr. Richard Shabro passed away in the hospital in Miami on Wednesday, April 13 after having suffered a massive heart attack at the Hawks Nest earlier in the day. Dick’s wife Janice was a candidate in the recent Hawks Nest board election.

I met Dick and Jan for the first time last year at the Hawks Nest, and we became friends.

For those of you who wish, condolences can be sent to the family at 3421 204th Ave. Ct. E, Lake Tapps, WA 98391.

For those of you who will be coming down to the Hawks Nest in the next few weeks, you will notice a few additions thanks to gifts from several owners and families.

The most noticeable will be the three new tikis which are scheduled to be completed in the next week or two. They will be replacing the umbrella tables located inside the pool fence. These new tikis will have built-in tables and were made possible by gifts from the families of Ray Kolnik, Russell McNeill and Ken and Mildred Hogg.

Next, Gary and Darlene Tucker have donated six new reflective NO WAKE signs to be installed on the seawall. I have posted a picture of one of them in the Photo Gallery.

Finally, the Week 12 owners have made several donations over the last few years with proceeds from the annual Pig Roast. While this is intended to be non-profit, there usually is a little money left over (no deficit spending allowed), and we have purchased several replacement flags as well as a 5′ banquet table for the Hawks Nest.

All these owners deserve our thanks. Gifts like these enable the Hawks Nest to have these improvements at no cost to the owners.

The big event yesterday around the Hawks Nest was the 31st annual Seven Mile Bridge Run. Pretty much all of Knight’s Key was given over to the staging of this event. Until they closed the road at 6:45, some 1,500 runners were milling around, clogging up Knight’s Key Blvd. and Kyle Way.

Being the Keys, not all of the participants were what you would call “serious” runners. I have posted a couple of photos of the race and the run-up (excuse the expression) to it in the photo gallery. Also, here is a link to a You Tube video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l9iDFWvuPQ. See if you can find me in the video. Hint: I’m right next to the guy with the bike.

Not surprisingly, a “serious” runner won the race. A 27 year old from Hialeah named Daniel Martin dominated his first Seven Mile Bridge Run with a time of 38:59. That’s an average of nearly 11 miles per hour. congratulations, Dan!

That’s because they are all the same. This morning, the board held its organizational meeting and the officers all kept their jobs. Marty Shapiro, President; Bill Bergey, Vice President; Rosemary Smith, Secretary and Mike Oostmeyer, Treasurer.

If anyone had any doubt that every vote counts, it was put to rest today. The difference between getting elected to the board in 5th place and not getting elected in 6th place was five votes.

Congratulations to incumbents Rosemary Smith, Marty Shapiro and Pete Stade, who were reelected to two year terms, and Alden Corley who was reelected to a one year term, as well as newcomer Scott Jacobs who was successful in his first quest for a two year term on the board.

Although they weren’t elected, thanks should also go to Jan Shabro and Carlos Reyes for making it a contested race. From what I know about these two, either would be an asset to the board if they were to be elected in the future.

Regardless of how you voted, good for you. You participated in the process.

If you didn’t vote, don’t complain about who got elected.

In a related matter, the results of the vote on housekeeping was also announced. 337 unit weeks recommended elimination of daily housekeeping while 224 unit weeks were in favor of keeping it. Only 272 out of 700+ owners bothered to participate, so it wasn’t exactly a landslide

For those of you who thought you were actually deciding this issue: not really. This was an advisory vote which the board will consider when they make their final decision on what to do.

We should find out tomorrow (Sunday) who the officers of the board will be for the next year. I’m told they will be holding their organizational meeting by telephone at 11:00 AM. I will let you know when I hear.

The results of the second election are as follows:

Rosemary Smith – 586
Marty Shapiro. – 562
Pete Stade. – 551
Scott Jacobs. – 507
Alden Corley. – 453
Janice Shabro. – 448
Carlos Reyes. – 330

More later.

According to the local papers down here, the funding for the Pigeon Key Ferry will not be renewed in 2012, and the closure of the old bridge, even to pedestrians is imminent. And this, just a year shy of the 100th anniversary of the construction of the bridge.

According to electronic counts, over 100,000 people walked the bridge last year, by any measure a very popular attraction. We know that it’s very popular with the owners at the Hawks Nest.

The Save old Seven campaign has been launched to try to convince the state and county to raise the funds, both public and private, to keep the bridge open to pedestrian traffic and for the Pigeon Key Train.

If you’re interested in signing the petition, go to http://www.saveoldseven.org. It’s probably a long shot, but worth a try.

The Third annual week 12 pig roast is now history. Approximately 60 owners, renters and guests gathered in the screen room last night and pigged out (so to speak) on pulled pork, baked beans, cole slaw from Porky’s, and salads, appetizers and desserts from the participants.

While Sue & I organized the event, thanks go to all for their participation and help. Special thanks go to to Karen & Graham Norval, Sue Fleming, Gloria Moore, and Paula Evans for their help in setting things up, picking up the food and clean up. Their assistance made the event almost effortless. Thanks to Mary in the office and maintenance man Marty for their help as well.

This harkens back to the old days at the Hawks Nest when there was a big party nearly every week. You meet new friends and have fun with old ones. If anyone thinks this would be a good idea for your time down here, please contact me. We can give you some pointers so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

While we try to make the party a break-even proposition, we usually do have some money left over (it beats the alternative), and if so, we buy something for the Hawks Nest. The first year, we bought a couple of flags since they were out, and with the money left over from last year, we bought a banquet table for HN which we used for a dessert table last night.

Look in the photo gallery for some pictures of the fun!