News and notes for this week

• HOA board meeting Thurs - all welcome, but please follow protocol
  
  The next Esplanade HOA board meeting will take place on Thursday, November 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the community room. There will be committee reports, budget updates, and more.
  
  Residents are reminded that while they are welcome to attend, this is not a general HOA member meeting. The board conducts their business during these monthly meetings, sometimes asking for input from committee members and others present. However, non-board members traditionally do not speak at the board meetings unless the board requests their input. A Q&A session for residents is usually included at the end of the meeting. To see an unofficial summary of the last meeting click HERE.

• More information on the food drive, underway now
  Donation bins have been placed in the Esplanade lobby and the P1 elevator foyer for residents to donate non-perishable food to help the poor and hungry of Tacoma and Pierce County. Food items will be taken to the Food Connection at St. Leo’s. Located just up the hill from the Esplanade, St. Leo's serves hundreds of hungry families each week.
  
  According to Kevin Glackin-Coley, the Director at St. Leo Food Connection, 25% of Washington children live in households that struggle to put enough food on the table. In addition to donating non-perishable food items, Esplanade residents may also donate monetarily with cash or check (made out to St. Leo Food Connection). Residents can feed a family of four each week for every $20 they give. Last year, St. Leo Food Connection served about 65,000 families through their food banks and children's programs. About one third of their clients are below 18 years old and another 20% are above 55. Click HERE for more information on on the food drive.

• Mark your calendar for several upcoming holiday events
  The Esplanade Social Committee is planning several social events in the building for the upcoming holiday season, in addition to the numerous holiday events held along the Foss Waterway and downtown. For a list of planned Social Committee events, click HERE. Many events can also be seen on the Esplanade calendar, which can be seen HERE.
  
• 12/2/17 - The Social Committee will be decorating the Esplanade lobby and community room for the holidays. Any volunteers are welcome and appreciated. 
• 12/9/17 - The annual Esplanade Holiday Party will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the community room. There will be no auction this year, but plenty of food, drink and socializing.
• 12/10 and 12/11/17 - Argosy Cruises' Christmas Ship will visit the Foss Waterway. The large, lighted ship features live musical performances, broadcast over loudspeakers for the benefit of those on shore. There will be three cruises leaving from the Foss Waterway this year, and the ship will make several passes through the waterway during the two days. For more information or to buy tickets for the cruises, click HERE.
• 12/12/17 - Christmas movie in the community room.
• 12/16/17 - Tacoma Yacht Club's annual lighted boat parade. The parade, which typically features 30-40 boats decorated with colorful lights, begins at the Tacoma Yacht Club at 6:00 p.m. and should reach the Esplanade at approximately 7:00 p.m.

• Books Club selections for December and January
  The Esplanade Book Club will next meet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, 12/7 in the community room. The book for December is Call the Nurse, by Mary J. MacLeod. It's a memoir of the years the author spent serving as a traveling nurse to the unique characters who lived on a windswept Scottish isle.  "A light and uplifting fare for caregivers, Scots, or anyone tired of the hectic pace of modern life."
  
  Victoria's Daughters, by Jerrold M. Packard, is the pick for  January's meeting. "Queen Victoria bore four sons, but it's her five daughters who are of interest here. They lived privileged lives yet were 'married off' politically all over Europe and faced the kind of family turmoil and intrigue we associate with soap-opera sagas." An alternate selection for January is John Grisham's Camino Island, a page-turner involving murder, theft, a bookstore, and a millennial main character.
  
  All are welcome at the Book Club meetings regardless of whether you have read the book or not. Wine and snacks are also on the agenda; feel free to bring something to share if you like.