USS MERRICK (AKA97/LKA97)
  • INTRODUCTION
  • HISTORY
  • MERRICK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
  • AGENT ORANGE
  • REUNIONS
    • 2001 - 2005 >
      • 2001 - NEW ORLEANS
      • 2002 - BRANSON
      • 2003 - BRANSON
      • 2004 - BRANSON
      • 2005 - HOUSTON
    • 2006 - 2010 >
      • 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C.
      • 2007 - NASHVILLE
      • 2008 - PORTLAND
      • 2009 - SANTA MARIA, CA
      • 2010 - WASHINGTON, D.C.
    • 2011 - 2015 >
      • 2011 - BRANSON
      • 2012 - BRANSON (AGAIN)
      • 2013 - NASHVILLE
      • 2014 - MOBILE
      • 2015-BRANSON
    • 2016 - 2020 >
      • 2016 nashville
      • 2017 CHARLESTON S. C.
      • 2018 BRANSON
2009 - SANTA MARIA, CA
25 - 29 OCTOBER 2009
HOSTED BY: BILL AND CLARA REYNOLDS

Our 2009 reunion was held at the beautiful Santa Maria Inn in Santa Maria, California.  The Inn was originally opened in 1917 and has gone through many phases to reach its present size and décor.  We had use of a hospitality room 24 hours a day.  We gathered there to swap sea stories and look at memoabilia provided be shipmates covering their time on the Merrick.  An exact count is not available on attendees, but a count of people in the group picture taken at the Hearst Castle indicated there were 38 of us.  Sunday and Monday were pretty much free time with nothing formal scheduled until after dinner Monday night.  Shipmates scattered out over the California country side on their own mini tours. 
Picture
Some found the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal rookery located north of San Simeon along Costal Highway 1  Seals can be found there year round (but not the same ones).  They spend most of their time soaking up the sun.

Picture
Monday night we got together in the hospitality room for a short meeting and fund raising auction.  First thing on the agenda was an update on next years reunion in Washington D. C. by Bob Dolehide who will be hosting it.  We then moved on the auction.

An early item was a plaque of the Merrick crest
Winning bidder was Dick Bonn
This banner was a popular item - spirited bidding
Tuesday main event was a tour of the Hearst Castle.
First a bus from hotel
Then a wait for another bus
second bus ride
Trying to get organized for a group picture
We made it.
Neptune pool - built in 1934-36
Holds 345,000 gallons of water
Décor in one of the "guest" houses
Also had a view
Front entry to the Casa Grande (Maine house)
The dinning room - long narrow table - made conversation easier
Tour concluded with a look at the indoor Roman pool
Built in 1927-1934. Decorated from ceiling to bottom of pool in 1" square mosaic glass tiles.
Has a surface area of 1,665 square feet.
one of the early cabins used while the "Castle" was being built.
On the way back to Santa Maria we stopped for lunch at the Ciao Bella in Morro Bay

It was an enjoyable meal
With time for visiting about the tour
It was a windy day - the gulls were grounded on the roof next to the dinningroom
Picture
After returning to Santa Maria (and dinner on own) most of us gathered in the hospitality room to swap more stories as we wrapped up the day.

Wednesday morning started with our memorial service in the rose garden of the hotel next to the swimming pool.


Color guard from VFW post 2521 presented the colors.
Steve Paul gave the invocation
Bill Reynolds read the names of our departed shipmates
Picture
We honored 24 departed shipmates at this reunion, including 8 plank holders.

The rest of the day was spent in more individual touring in the area, visiting in the hospitality room  and signing up for the 2010 reunion in Washington D. C.  The day concluded with our banquet.


We started gathering about 5:30
The dinning room looked great.
There was even someone (or something) at the piano.
It was an enjoyable dinner
With great fellowship
Our thanks to Bill and Clara for a great reunion.
We then auctioned off any thing else we could find
and said our farewells till next year