Newsletter - Archive  Jan 20, 2010

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P.O. Box 620700                                                   Riki Intner                                                                   Dave Hyman 

Woodside CA 94062-0700                                District Governor                                                       Club President

                                                      http://wpvrotary.org                                          

Regular Meeting                                                                                   January 20th 2010

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Wednesday with breakfast by Encore Performance Catering, fellowship, project updates and an interesting speaker from the community.  The last Wednesday of some months we meet at 6:00pm at a local restaurant for hors d'oeuvres and a no host bar and meeting new people.  Please check our website calendar for details. 

Morning meetings:  Guild Hall, Woodside Village Church, 3154 Woodside Road, Woodside, California  Guests are not only welcome but encouraged!

This Week's Program:  Riley's Place

Wendy Mattes will tell us about Riley's Place  a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children on the San Francisco Peninsula experiencing chronic or life threatening health problems and/or challenging family situations such as homelessness.  Riley's Place shares the NCEFT facility in Woodside. 

Last  Week's Program:  (courtesy of Last Week Editor, Dean Babcock)  Our roving newsletter editor, Joan Fuetsch, told us the story of “Christmas and New Years and beyond in Central and South America.”  Some of our members have stayed at her home in Guatemala City and the environs and the folks there have become quite familiar to the club. 
   The holiday season erupts frequently with fireworks, starting on December 7^th with the burning of the devil.  On the 12^th is the first procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, complete with decorations for the church and the people. Young boys appear with “facial hair” and in their native costumes.  Pine needles are strewn on the streets to welcome visitors and release the delightful scent of pine.

    Joan’s slide show was delightful, the decorations, including a truck with St. Nick and his reindeer reaching out to 14 feet from the bed and her Christmas tree (which cost all of $7.50) resplendent with ornaments from the local artisans.  The locals decorate their homes, complete with crèches and piñatas, and there is much partying.  Schools are closed, one of the daughters of a staff member was using the opportunity to read to the other kids.  There was the Parade of the Giants (eight feet tall) with monstrous papier-mache heads. On New Years the streets are closed at 4pm for dancing and marimba concerts.  At midnight more fireworks and the release of paper hot air balloons. 

    Joan and her nephew journeyed to Cusco and on to Machu Picchu, which starts at 7,000 feet and goes to 8,000 feet. Upon arriving at Cusco which is at 11,000 feet they were served coca tea to help them deal with the rarified air.  Joan liked it so much she had 3 cups and pocketed a bunch of coca leaves for the trip to the top. Her picture from an overlook was the high point of the slide show.

Next Week's Program:  Jean Cary and New/Green Design Ideas

Club News:  If you haven't checked out the Rotary International website on what Rotarians are doing

to help in Haiti now would be a good time to do so:   http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/100113_news_haitirelief.aspx

Coming Events:

Next Board Meeting:  Tuesday, February 2nd, 7:30am, Church Library 

Rotary Means Business:  Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010, 5:30 pm Encore Performance Catering

5150 District Assembly:  Saturday, March 27th 2010, Redwood High School, Larkspur

District Conference:  San Francisco, April 16-17, 2010, www.rotary5150.org

Announcements:   Have you had a look at the Rotary International website lately for what is going on in Rotary's world?  www.rotary.org   How about finding out about what is going on in the district?  www.rotary5150.org    

Belmont Rotarian, Jeanie Cary, will give a talk on a number of desgn issues, green and cost effective including:

Landscaping with less water but more drama
Bender board made from recycled milk jugs
Concrete  siding to replace redwood siding that is fireproof and  termite resistant
What products are made from recycled beer,gin and wine bottles?
What is the "scoop " on artificial grass?
Biodegradable insulation
Paints without the smell of new paint
Local sources for replacement tile and light fixtures with outdated  designs
How to resurface a concrete slab patio without demolition
Re-roof once and it lasts a lifetime-Monier Tile