Yes Tom, it would be difficult for you to move after spending a lifetime at your home; I can identify with that.
And besides the uprooted feeling, you'd probably never find another place to display "all" your Driver of The Year Awards.

Walt, we hope you will be able to endure at least through Fan Fest Time in October.
After that, you are on your own.  So, please hang in there!

Yes, those Hallmark "Ventures" Models are beautiful!

Gary Essex bought a Pearl White one at the 2011 Fan Fest.  I had my eye on it, but he pulled the trigger
before I made a definite decision. However, later that day I was called upon to accompany Gary when he
stepped up to play lead on "Apache", and "Journey To The Stars". 
Though I can't comment on the playability of the guitar, I can say that I felt the instrument sounded terrific!

Bob Shade still had another one there in Sunburst...OK, so I thought I might make that one mine...
Oops! Too Late! Beat to punch by Byron Tietjen!

I'll save up a few $$$, maybe next time!

Hopefully, sometime in the not too distant future, inclusion will warm, and we can all find a time to get together
and make this idea a reality.

The prospects regarding this is something we all could discuss between the prospective Beach Boy Project
participants on the Friday evening before the Fan Fest.  It will be a time when all, or at least many us will be collectively together.

Yesterday(Friday May 22, 2015), Julie and I enjoyed lunchtime with Jack Defranco and his dad, Jack Sr.
at Skyline Chili in Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Jack and I first met at the San Pedro Hilton Hotel just prior to The Ventures "Cruisin' to Baja" event in February 2003.
It turned out that Jack was raised in Richmond Heights, Ohio, which is only 5 miles as the crow flies from my own
hometown of Eastlake, Ohio.  In 2003 however, I was married to Julie and our home was, and still is, in Solon, Ohio.
This is less than 10 miles from Richmond Heights, and Jack when reading over the manifesto, seeing that 2 guys
on the cruise were from his former home area, he made it a point to meet up with Don Ressler of Eastlake and me.
That was an surprising discovery, to learn that Jack grew up in such close proximity to us here on the Northcoast
of Northeast Ohio. We got along very well right from the start and Jack provided me with an All Access badge!
Jack, Julie and I reminisced about that exciting time aboard the Ecstasy, and the cruise to Santa Catalina Island
and Ensenada, Mexico.  Night after night we were the recipients of concerts by The Ventures and Los Straitjackets.
We also enjoyed music from Zoe McCullough and the remarkable Elvis presentation by Tracy Moore, and who
could forget the Cruise Fan Jam that received eloquent praise onstage from Don Wilson.
Also, for the first time. many of us met Josie Wilson and other members of The Ventures family including Jill,
Staci and Tim.  Lucky, lucky me, while having breakfast at the Hilton, who happened to be sitting at the next
table?  It was Judy Edwards who was soon joined by Nokie! After that, we got together a few more times for
breakfast or lunch, and Nokie and Judy came to Cleveland in August and our group The Pickniks backed up
Nokie for his concert at The Beachland Ballroom!  Since then, Judy, Nokie, Julie and I have over the years,
enjoyed other times that we were able to spend together. That was a fabulous time on the cruise,
I won a Stratocaster guitar on my birthday, Ferbruary 4th, and 2 members of The Ventures celebrated birthdays;
Don Wilson and Bob Spalding, both on February 10th.
Jack speaks with high praise for the all Ventures, especially praising Don Wilson and Bob Bogle for their contributions
for the groups longtime success. For Jack, his association with the guys became his own tutorial for the process of
constructing musical arrangements.
Jack and his lovely wife Joy now live in Michigan, but Jack visits his dad here every 2 weeks.
Jack Sr. is 94, and looks great! When he asked me, "How old do I look?", I responded with,
"You don't look a day over 80." Then he had a hearty laugh!
Jack has his own instrumental group, Surfs Zup. You can check his group out at SurfZupBand

Excellent performance by this group on "He Never Came Back"!

Trivia:
This Ventures original was formerly titled "Monster Monkey" and later became the vocal "My True Love" by The Moonstones(Dolton #70)
"He Never Came Back", is the revamped arrangement and new title that became a track on The Ventures In Space album.

I'm prepared to add the mute string guitar back up parts for "California Girls" and "Fun-Fun-Fun".

Jeff G.