PLEASE SEE THE 2nd POST (the one below this one) FOR IMPORTANT EVENT UPDATES!
In case none of those links work, click here.
If that backup link didn't work, just scroll down to the next post.
If scrolling didn't work, I am out of ideas. I filled in most of the missing details in this post.
See you Saturday 3/15 at 9am.
Hopefully you remembered to order your SHIRTS!
Shirt ordering deadline has come and gone: Wednesday February 26, 2025 11:00pm PST
In case none of those links work, click here.
If that backup link didn't work, just scroll down to the next post.
If scrolling didn't work, I am out of ideas. I filled in most of the missing details in this post.
See you Saturday 3/15 at 9am.
Hopefully you remembered to order your SHIRTS!
Shirt ordering deadline has come and gone: Wednesday February 26, 2025 11:00pm PST
It seems like we just had one of these last March. Anyway, it's time (ehh, a little late) to set your sights on coming to San Diego for the 2025 edition of the St. Paddy's Day Gathering. Big news this year is that Darin (MLastovo) has reclaimed the hosting of our Saturday party in a coup that stunned 12-13 people and has returned the party to his house now that the giant white paint spill in front of his house has been covered up by new asphalt. We are eternally thankful to Carl Nelson and the La Jolla Independent family for hosting the Saturday party for the last three years getting our event back on track after the COVID pandemic. Truly great members of our community and if you have occasion to, you should support them.
More on the Saturday party component in a bit, but here are the main details:
Friday, 3/14 is the day where we have traditionally had a pre-party, chiefly for those that come from out-of-town. This year we have decided to have a meetup, but instead of having it at someone's house, we will meet for dinner at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens at Liberty Station. The address is: 2816 Historic Decatur Road San Diego, CA 92106. Start time is 6:30 PM. We will be in the garden area. You park across the street to the south. Your bill is your responsibility. Should work out well. Might not.
The main event begins Saturday, 3/15 at the Boat Ramp parking lot at Mission Bay. It is located to the west of I-5 (wonder why they put it on the west side of the freeway) off of the Clairemont Dr. exit. Make a left over the freeway, then right at the stop sign at Mission Bay Dr., then left into the parking lot. Usually most roll in between 9 and 10am, but others will likely be there earlier. In case you're trying to enter an address into Google Maps and are too lazy to look it up, use this address (it's the EV charger in the Boat Trailer Parking Lot): 2688 E Mission Bay Dr, San Diego, CA 92109.
It looked like this while we were there in 2011:
Sometimes, we are asked to leave.
That hasn't happened in recent years. In fact, they seem to be cool with derelict RVs with upside down pineapples on them So, once we have had our fill of comparing speedometer needle resting positions, paint thickness on various panels and different variants of Arktisblau, we will leave and head to Darin's house.
It looked like this when we were here in 2014.
While we are there, we will watch Andy take a nap.
As with previous years, expect great food and beverages. Darin takes this quite seriously. I have been seeing beverage updates and it's been quite interesting. We will also have beer on tap. Apparently we will see some IPA from Culture brewing and some lager from Alesmith. You will not be disappointed.
This year we want to thank Gary Collins for his generosity in providing the meat for our lunch. Here's the menu:
We will have smoked tri-tip and St. Louis ribs, chipotle macaroni and cheese, BBQ beans, garlic mashed potatoes and coleslaw.
Lunch should be served in Darin's backyard by 1:30 PM.
We will also have some fun.
In years past, we have held a raffle in Darin's back yard, aka the Ashford Arboretum. We are not doing that this year. We have pivoted to a new aspect to the Saturday party. BMW Trivia. Think of it more as a test you didn't study for than something fun. This will involve a series of trivia questions and potential to win tremendous prizes. Given the focus of the event and to have the highest number of successful answers, the trivia will primarily cover pre-war BMW cars and motorcycles with a particular focus on the EMW 327s and end up somewhere around the cars referred to as the "Baroque Angels." Of course, that is absolutely ridiculous, but we really want Carl to get that prize. The fix is in.
That said, if you have parts you want to bring for sale, we have space in Darin's front yard for a swap meet of sorts, so don't be afraid to bring some.
For the out-of-towners that wish to join us, there are lots of lodging options within a reasonable distance of all of our event locations. Some are very expensive and some are worrisomely cheap, so shop around! When booking a reservation, please inform the desk that you're in town for the St. Paddy's Day BMW event. If you let them know that and present other eligible discounts, you should get a break on the room rate.
We have been very lucky over the years to have the generosity of our hosts who open their houses and supply more than enough consumables for us to have a great time. This does not come cheaply for them. Please be prepared to provide a donation which goes towards reimbursing THEM for the money THEY spend so we can all have fun, In addition to one of the largest selections of "adult beverages" this side of a liquor store, we always have great food as well, so it's a worthwhile donation. There will be a box for this at the event at Darin's house on Saturday.
Just a quick recap:
The dates this year for our festivities are in March. They are Friday and Saturday, March 14th and 15th.
The Friday event will be happening at Stone Brewing at Liberty Station. 6:30 PM.
The meet at Mission Bay starts at about 9am on Saturday. It ends when they threaten to bring in the tow trucks...
...or we just get tired of comparing the markings on the tools in our toolkits.
After that, we head to MLastovo's house where the festivities go on for the remainder of the day.
Saturday Festivities include:
•Lunch should be served by 1:30 PM
•No Raffle, but you can bring crap to sell on the front lawn to passers-by.
•BMW Trivia
•????
That should cover the basics. Remember to watch this space for updates.
GUMBALL.
He'd be talking nuclear physics and the 6th dimension of human relationships while the Ranger is talking parking. Talking non stop. 
