THE LAMORINDAN 8-7-09

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Rendered by Joanne Luscher courtesy of writer Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

1.    Life is too short to hate anyone.
2.    When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
3.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
4.    If we all threw our problems into a pile, and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

VISITING ROTARIANS AND GUESTS

Palmer Riedel - Former President of Walnut Creek Sunrise
John Malter - Clayton Valley Club
Bobbi Landers - Buddy Burke's mother-in-law
Steve Setzer - Acalanes HS varsity football assistant coach

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

David Waal celebrated $25 worth of hiking and swimming in the eastern Sierra on his 23rd wedding anniversary.

Dan Garfin forked over $40 in honor of his parent's 40th wedding anniversary. He also sneaked in the breaking-news morsel that a certain veterinarian named Paul Bettelheim made his debut as a new character on the Simpsons TV program last week. Evidently, this was not deemed worthy by said vet of a financial proffering.

Walt Nelson's birthday drew $20, with no meaningful explanation of a celebration. He's still Jack Benny's perpetual age.

Rich Shearer managed to top everyone with what is perhaps the most bizarre anniversary narrative in club history. August 3rd marked the 24th anniversary of his marriage to Riley Warren. August 24th marks the 1st year anniversary of their divorce. I'm not sure what happened next. Maybe the club made a contribution to Rich to help the poor, clearly disoriented lad regain his bearings.

ACALANES FOOTBALL PROGRAM ON THE PROWL FOR $$$

Steve Setzer, Acalanes alum and assistant coach of varsity football, is also the director of fundraising for community outreach. Steve, along with new head coach Mike Ivankovich, has done a complete review of the Acalanes football program and determined the school is in serious need of upgrading virtually every facet of the program. The current state budget crunch only exacerbates the budgetary woes.

The school, he related, is pitifully behind the other leaders in the district. The program is in need of modernized technology, new safety equipment, weight room upgrades, new uniforms, new workout sleds, and overall support of the program, which for the professionals involved runs year-round, not just in the autumn months. All of this adds up to nearly $100,000 per annum. The school is seeking supporters of Acalanes football in the community and the alumni in order to maximize the potential of the program and the players ... and, not incidentally, make ends meet (that's fiduciary ends, not tight).

The school is offering promotional opportunities of various kinds to donators: e.g. banners and game promotion recognition, adult tickets to all home games, logo sportswear and more. For additional information contact Steve at 683-1675 or [email protected]. Good luck to you, Steve, and the program. Go, Dons!

NEW KING, NEW RECOGNITION AWARD

King Fazel introduced a newly hatched Rotarian of the Month award, bestowing a recognition pin on Jim Brencic as the inaugural LSRROTM. Jim was charged with the awesome responsibility of having "the future of Rotary in his hands." Congratulations, Jim. You are indeed a worthy recipient for your outstanding service week in and week out.

ORINDA NEWSPAPER DOES IT AGAIN

In addition to the earlier Thre- Quarter Club recognition in this local publication there was also mention of our own Mark Roberts as co-chair of the Fourth of July parade and a major factor in raising $5,000 in private donations. Since he also isworking with Krysten Laine on our own fundraising this year, we are expecting outsize results from Mark as a big-time leader with this abundantly talented group.

ARTS & WINE FESTIVAL FRIENDLY (?) COMPETITION

Mark your calendars. September 19 and 20 are the dates for the annual Lafayette Arts and Wine Festival. You will be hearing much more from Alex Arnold about this event, and our eagerly anticipated participation. At the very least, there is a bet with the nooner club as to which of us can field the largest team of volunteer worker bees in rendering superior service in traffic control and sundry other "duties as assigned." Save the dates and sign up early to be a winner. There will be more information and opportunities to announce in the weeks ahead.

INTERACT REPRESENTATIVES RECRUITED

No sooner had Dan Garfin requested club sponsor assistance for the Acalanes Interact Club when Don Reichert's hand shot up to take it on. LSR has been connected to, and sponsored by, this club since its inception. It's great to know that we will again be ably represented on the campus.

INCOMING...INCOMING...WELCOME PARTY NEEDED

Steve Ware announced that our exchange student from Belgium will be arriving SFO airport at 8 p.m. on August 22nd. It would be nice to have as many club members as possible to join with Steve's family in greeting him at the airport. (For the record, this person does have a name, but so far no one can pronounce it. Stay tuned while we consult higher authority ... and a dictionary.)

OKAY, WHO HID THE WHITE RAFFLE BALL?

This week we were down to three balls in the raffle pouch. So Kevin Croak thought his chances were pretty good to pull the winning white ball. He came up blue (meaning no cigar). Upon further inspection it was determined that the two remaining balls in the sack likewise were blue!? No one has yet 'fessed up as to how this could happen. But the white ball was eventually discovered residing in plain sight in the ticket basket. So Kevin was given a "do over." Now if Kevin wasn't having bad luck today he would have been having no luck at all. Again, as if for emphasis, he drew blue. So, for next week there is one blue and one white ball. Someone will be certain to double-check this out BEFORE next week's raffle. Come prepared to rival Chuck Kenney's indulgence in raffle tickets this Friday (14th). Chances are now fifty-fifty. Far better odds than you'll find at any casino.

WORK PROJECT COMING UP

Our next great work project will take place Saturday, August 15 at the Rush Ranch near Suisun, from about 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will be building stuff, painting/staining stuff, and generally doing a good turn for Michael Muir's Access Adventure project that takes physically challenged folks on wagon rides. Not little dinky rides in dinky little wagons around some parking lot. These are serious rides into wildernesses and other scenic spots that they would otherwise never get to see. (The wagons are pulled Percherons - seriously large horses - and no, we will not be building or painting/staining any of those.) To paraphrase our very own Buddy Burke, "All y'all c'mon out an' help if you can." King John is still circulating the sign-up sheet. Please add your name to it.

PROGRAM:

Fazel started the speaker introduction with a autographed poster of the 1990 Peace Climb to the summit of Mt. Everest led by Jim Whitaker, the first American to make the climb. Buddy Burke then began the real introduction of Ginny Daws, a native San Franciscan, and principal of a middle school in the city. Ginny was born in San Francisco and grew up in Singapore until she came here to college ...Cal! ... and decided life could not get any better than living in the Bay Area. She taught high school and middle school, and decreed that her four children could go to any college they choose as long as it was Cal, Cal, Cal and Cal.

Ginny loves the adventure of discovering people and the places they inhabit. She claims to be "just a regular person" who is interested in adventure. Her real impetus came to explore began when she had a summer job in Wyoming. She took up skiing and hiking and confessed that she is really a slow hiker.

Ginny took the giant step of tackling a Mt. Everest climb two years ago. She found two friends to join her in this grand quest. They established a goal of a minimum climb to the first base camp (18,000 feet). They ruled out having to use oxygen, and went for a minimum tech climb. The first key decision was to select the Tibetan side of the mountain. Why? Because it attracts the fewest (would-be) climbers, "only" about 1,200 altogether.

What followed was essentially a first-class travelogue, complete with excellent photos of the route taken from San Francisco toTibet. After the long flight to Beijing they spent the first three days sightseeing, obtaining visas, and took their first practice hike, a ten-mile trek along the Great Wall. After a train ride to Xian and a bicycle ride around the city with an impressive stop to view the terra cotta soldiers, they flew onto Lhasa to meet their guide.

In Lhasa they began acclimatizing at 13,000 feet. Here they were introduced to the Blind Massage School, the Potala Palace, 5 a.m. viewing of pilgrims walking the prayer circle pressing the prayer wheel, and experiencing the inescapable, yukky-smelling yak butter. Yuk!!! Each day they ascended another 1,000 feet.

Ginny loved the Sera Monastery, where resident monks debate loudly and firmly. She deemed this a great teaching tool. We saw pictures of sleeping quarters and kitchens where food was prepared. There were wines from China called Great Wall Red and Great Wall White, all terrible-tasting, according to Ginny. She pronounced the Tsing Tao beer (sold here) OK. These words do not adequately describe the accommodations or the cuisine. You had to see the photos.

Moving ever upward they rode a river ferry (really just a large row boat) crossed a desert, and took a very circuitous route to Everest. At 15,000 feet they spent a night at the Rungbook Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. They passed sheep and yak herders and sherpa tents on there way to base camp at 18,000 feet. They had achieved there goal! They went on an additional 5,000 feet when they ended the second half of the adventure at 23,000 feet.

Of course. No one can ignore the rule of what goes up must come down. The decent sounded far worse and more harrowing than the ascent. Among other things there was bus ride on the Friendship Highway, which is nothing more than a dirt road with one-way traffic alternating directions between day and night. Then there was the rope bridge over a huge gorge. Heck, all in a day's work for these intrepid trekkers.

What's next on Ginny's to-do travel agenda? She has a list which includes the following three trips:

1.    Hiking the glacier El Calafate in Patagonia.
2.    Hiking the Lycean trail and sailing in a barebones boat along the Turkish coast, including two days in a hot-air balloon over Capadoccia.
3.    Going to the camel fair in Pushkar. (We didn't ask, but we assume this is not to be confused with the running of the bulls in Pamplona.)

To you, Ginny, a high-five, a gesture which seems entirely fitting.

CALENDAR

Friday, August 14 - Weekly meeting at Postino, 7:00 a.m. Program: Christie Hockel, keynote speaker, National Down Syndrome Congress.

Saturday, August 15 - Work Project, Rush Ranch, Suisun, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Contact John Fazel for more details.

Friday, August 21 - Weekly meeting at Postino, 7:00 a.m. Program: Paul Fillinger recounts his and Glenda's recent trip to China as part of an Alliance for Smiles cleft palate surgery team.

Friday, August 28 - Weekly meeting at Postino 7:00 a.m.

Program: Pat Flaharty reveals first-ever secrets of upbringing

Friday, August 28 - TGITLFOTM Thomas & Tamara Raeth's home.

Friday, September 4 - Weekly meeting at Postino 7:00 a.m.

Program: Misadventures with Ronald Reagan in 1966, with humor and irony.

Friday, September 11 - Weekly meeting at Postino 7:00 a.m.

Program: BLAST OFF! IGNITION OF OUR ECONOMY, with Randy Williams of the Kieretsu Forum

Friday, September 18 - Weekly meeting at Postino 7:00 a.m.

Program: Foster Mentoring with county supervisor Susan Bonilla

Saturday/Sunday September 19 & 20 - Lafayette Arts and Wine Festival. Be prepared to outwork the Lafayette noon club!

Thursday, October 1 to Sunday, October 4 - Annual District Conference for District 5160, Lake Tahoe.