Carlos Pianelli is giving a talk this month on “The Falkland Islands and the Post Office”.  He is fresh off a visit to those small islands; he always gives a good talk; and Lewis Sprague is sure to enliven the evening with interesting questions.  It should be an interesting program to see.

Program Chairman Lewis Sprague gave an interesting short talk about the stamps of St. Helena at the last meeting.  He too gives interesting talks; and he has a lot of interesting talks to give.  But we should give him a break once in a while….

To all club members:  Continue trying to find something about stamp collecting that you could give a short talk about.  Let’s make our club meetings something more than quick social get-togethers for cookies and door prizes.

Requests from the Editor

Please send me inputs for the newsletter.  Without reader inputs, the newsletter is likely to consist of only an announcement of the next meeting and its program (if there is a program) and a list of upcoming US new issues.

Use the newsletter to buy, sell, or trade stamps; or submit any interesting philatelic items you find….

My inputs along this line….

(1)         I have a used set of 2007 Scott catalogs (no US specialized) to sell cheap to anybody that wants them.

(2)         I also have three volumes of Scott specialty albums that were part of my personal collection and from which the stamps have all been stripped.  I believe somebody in the club asked to have them when I was done with them, but I don’t remember who it was.  If you are that person, let me know; if I don’t hear from said person, I will give the albums to anybody that wants them.  The albums are British Africa (two small-ish volumes) and British America (no Canada).

…Tim Greene

Dues

Dues for 2009 should have been paid by now.  I have not checked in the last couple of weeks to see if dues have been paid – so you might be getting this newsletter even if you have not yet paid.  This will not continue to happen forever.  If you want to remain a member and have not paid your dues for this year, please do so.

President’s Message

Club Now Paying Shipping Charges for Supplies Ordered Through the Club

Reminder:  As noted in last month’s newsletter, members ordering supplies from Dennis Fortney, our supply chairman, will no longer have to pay inbound shipping charges.  The club will underwrite these.  This applies to all supplies including catalogs.  See Dennis for your orders.

PIPEX 2009

May is not too far away - May 22nd, 23rd, and 24th will bring the 68th PIPEX to Portland, Oregon.  PIPEX is the annual WSP 3-day stamp show sponsored by the Northwest Federation of Stamp Clubs.  But more important than all that, PIPIX is the site of the 2009 UPSS National Convention and the Marcus White Showcase.

So this is the time to start planning to attend.  If this is your first trip to a UPSS Convention, you are cordially invited to meet with some of the UPSS administrative staff and Board members at the UPSS table.  Here you can also meet other collectors who might share your collecting interests.  You can get some of your questions answered—both those about the UPSS and those related to the technical aspects of what you collect.  All members are encouraged to attend the UPSS Annual General Meeting on Saturday from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM.  For those interested, there will be a UPSS dinner after the show closes on Friday evening.  Sign up at the UPSS table.

PIPEX 2009 will be held at the Double Tree Hotel at Lloyd’s Center.  Reservations can be made for rooms by calling 503-281-6111.  Ask for the PIPEX rate - $99 for standard room (1 or 2 people), $109 for a premium room.  Rates are good for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights..  The cutoff date is April 21st.  There is free parking for registered guests.  Banquet tickets (Saturday night) are still available.

Besides the UPSS Convention, there will be meetings of the American Helvetia Philatelic Society, the Auxiliary Markings Club, and the Canal Zone Study Group.

If you are interested in seeing the sights of the city, request the “Travel Portland Magazine” from the Portland Convention Center. Their website is:   http://travelportland.com.   Select VISITOR at the top of the home page, then select VISITOR GUIDE at the left side of the next page.  Or you can call toll-free at 877‑678‑5263 and select option 1.

A great feature of Portland, besides its scenic beauty, is its great transportation system including the MAX Light Rail Line.  The MAX Red Line runs from Portland International Airport past Lloyd’s Center (the PIPEX Show) and on to downtown Portland.  Lloyd’s Center is in the downtown Free Fare Zone. A map of this free zone can be found at   http://trimet.org/fares/fareless.htm   If you are flying to Portland, see the video at: http://trimet.org/tv/episode6/index.htm.

Hope to see you there.

Bill Geijsbeek

UPSS Board of Directors