MEETING RECAP
Sunday, September 18, 2022
By: Paula T. OlsonLessons from the Land of Ice
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
There was a warm breeze that swept through the Tacoma Country and Golf Club dining room at 12:21 pm, nine minutes before the Lakewood Rotary weekly meeting. What was it? Kinda had a fruity, Hawaiian scent to it. It was our President! Nine minutes early! All those participating in the “How many minutes before the meeting will Jason show up” lottery got blown out of the water.
Our fearless leader started the meeting on time, as usual blowing his horn or shell or whatever you call that thing he blows. Clint Johnson gave an Autumn invocation and Gary Fulton led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Meeting set up involved those dedicated Rotarians, including James Osundwa, Tom George, and Rob Erb. The bulletin writer is yours truly, Paula Olson; manning the $2.00 table was Mark Edgecomb, a PP, and Chuck Hellar was at the Foundation desk. Phil Eng did duty as the photographer.
We had some guests. One of them was Charlie Hyde. No, wait, he is actually a member but has been absent for oh, so very long. When he paid his $100 fine, he called it “deplorable.” But so nice to see him again.
Above:
Back to real guests. Carl Bronkema introduced Mark Heir for the third time, which happens to be a charm because he had an application to become a member. Good choice and welcome Mark! Prez Jason got all emotional, saying he needed another belt for his new member notches. Andrew Cooley and Linda Disney were guests of Gil Quante. Gil reported that he told them to come here because Tacoma 8 was full up so we were second best. Someone needs to do something about that because that just ain’t right! James Osundwa introduced Medina Rosa for the third time. Application time, Medina? One Puffin was in attendance.
Speaking of Puffins, Clint Johnson announced that the first meeting of the Puffins to prepare for fall events and the infamous Presidential Roast was September 27th. Not sure where or when but Clint will let you know. You guys got it ssoooo easy to roast President Jason.
Eric Warn had no Health and Wellness report because we are all healthy and well. Stephen Enquist then took the floor to make new Paul Harris awards. He presented Tom George with his fifth Paul Harris and said he had committed to a $1,000 per year contribution and is a Paul Harris Society member. What is the Paul Harris Society? Steve explained that the Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants. The purpose of the Paul Harris Society is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation. Rotary districts often honor new members of the Paul Harris Society by presenting them with a certificate and chevron at a district or club event. We have seven members of the Society in our club: Tony Camoroda, Mary Horn, Rose Stevens, Bob Zawilski, Greg Horn and Gary Fulton.
Above:
Kendra Riconosciuto announced a new fall fundraiser, a Murder Mystery to be held at Weyerhaeuser Chapel, Saturday, November 5th. The cost is $100 per person for 75 people only. It will be a catered dinner and fun for all as we solve a murder. Tickets will go fast so don’t be left out. The chapel accommodates those with limited mobility. There is a community service project in October. Details to be shared soon. The District wants to beef up its public image so send pictures of Rotarians doing good works to Mary Horn or President Jason.
Aloha Bucks:
And now for Aloha Giving or fines. Prez Jason picked on Mary Moss, his deputy Mayor for the first opportunity to give. Turns out Mary was just awarded the Hero for Harborstone Credit Union in honor of her journey from the tobacco fields of Virginia to all of her amazing accomplishments. Congrats, Mary, well done! She kicked in $20. Chris Kimball reported on his dream vacation that turned into a nightmare. While getting settled in Victoria, BC, he got a call that his pup was having seizures. He and Vicki raced home only to find that all five veterinary hospitals were full with hours and hours of wait time. They took the dog home and he seems to be doing okay. But those seven chipmunks having a good time in their walls had to go. For his pain, Chris gave up $50.
Barlow Buescher gave $20 to honor Mary. Dwight Williams reported on his first Reeder Roadster Romp into the wilds of northeastern Washington. Dwight stated he was invited to attend at no cost due to a last minute cancellation. His offers to pay were refused so he did the next best thing – pay $300 in Aloha Bucks. Bob Martin also was on the romp and he said it was over the top, thanks to Phil Eng and crew. His poor ‘66 Mustang got to Snoqualmie Falls and went no further. Rather than trash his $4,000 engine, Bob went back and got a working car to continue the trip. He kicked in $25. Clint Johnson had a birthday and went traveling to see one son in Bend, Oregon and one in Los Angeles, California. Then he had three granddaughters visit and has two more in the ovens. Clint donated $100.
Above: Anne Enquist with her buddy—the tour of the Smoke Jumper base was memorable!
Anne Enquist also thanked Phil and John Lowney, and Wagon master Rick Selden for their work to make the romp a raging success and gave $20. This set off a parade of rompsters giving $20: David Swindale, Barb Spriggs, Bob Martin, Jan Gee, Paula Olson, Mary Marlin. John Lowney had to rub it in because “his car” made it the whole way but he got a ticket. He paid as appropriate, $50. Rick Selden gave hats off to Phil for saving all that money by cooking the dinners ourselves and getting it all organized while everyone else got drunk. He paid $20 and set off a round of “I didn’t get drunk!” from other rompsters. Not to be outdone, Phil Eng said it was all about teamwork and paid $50.
Above: This cute cub is not the one who ran across the road in front of our car near Winthrop during Roadster Romp
Whew! Prez Jason sure raked in the cash today. But wait, we weren’t done. Jason reported that he has three daughters and the youngest one was a super star at the Bellarmine track or cross country meet, coming in third out of 111 girls and had the third best time in Bellarmine history. He paid $25.
The Program:
With that Prez Jason introduced our speaker, Bob Martin with part two of his trip to Antarctica. Okay, the truth is that the scheduled speaker couldn’t come and Bob was happy to get another 30 minutes to share pictures and more details about his amazing trip. Bob held up a transparent globe to show the geography of the earth and how most of the land of the earth is in the Northern Hemisphere. Antarctica is same size as North America and consists of 3,000 miles of flat ice spanning the area between New York and San Francisco. That ice is two and a half miles thick.
Bob went on his trip in November 2017. He left the southernmost tip of Argentina, Ushusia, which is at the end of the Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain chain. Bob said that actually the mountain chain went under the water and up through halfway of Antarctica. Bob took Oceanwide Expeditions which is not a scientific expedition. His ship was the MV Ortelius, a refitted ice breaker. Bob said the ocean there between Argentina and Antarctica was the wildest given the narrow gap. Bob showed some great pictures of the area. He told us about Lake Vostock which is found under 3,000 feet of ice. Antarctica is cold but not wet. He talked about the term “rounding Cape Horn” as being going around the island of Cape Horn as opposed to the commonly understood meaning of round a point of land.
Bob talked about the Wandering Albatross, birds with a wing span of 12 feet. They spend months in the air without standing. The Arctic Tern travels about 12,000 on its regular migration. Bob said that it was hard to tell the size of the ice floes. He showed pictures of the exploration stations on the perimeter of the continent. There are no hotels on Antarctica. They saw lots of whales. In one of his pictures, you could see a dark smudge. That was a team of climbers going up an ice mountain. Bob talked about the 50,000 shades of intermediate blue and 50,000 shades of dark intermediate blue. He also talked about the steps that had to be taken so as not to bring anything to contaminate the ground. You have special boots that you have to disinfect. You had to stay with a guide and couldn’t wander off. The people he traveled with did different activities, such as climbing, kayaking. He talked about Damoy Hut, a British station for an airport. It had been abandoned 30 years ago but still looked the same as. He showed how he slept in a snow pit, hole in the ice with ridges around it to protect from the wind. You put your sleeping bag down and sleep like a baby. He talked about pancake ice, layers of ice that has seven times its amount under water. There were lots of pictures of penguins that were everywhere and very friendly as they have no reason to be fearful of humans. One bright light in the ground called the birds that eat penguin poop stool pigeons. Thanks, Bob, for a great program and sharing a place most of us will never see.
Above: Bob with visual aid.
Dwight Williams won the raffle and got himself a white chip. Good for him!
Above:
Back to real guests. Carl Bronkema introduced Mark Heir for the third time, which happens to be a charm because he had an application to become a member. Good choice and welcome Mark! Prez Jason got all emotional, saying he needed another belt for his new member notches. Andrew Cooley and Linda Disney were guests of Gil Quante. Gil reported that he told them to come here because Tacoma 8 was full up so we were second best. Someone needs to do something about that because that just ain’t right! James Osundwa introduced Medina Rosa for the third time. Application time, Medina? One Puffin was in attendance.
Speaking of Puffins, Clint Johnson announced that the first meeting of the Puffins to prepare for fall events and the infamous Presidential Roast was September 27th. Not sure where or when but Clint will let you know. You guys got it ssoooo easy to roast President Jason.
Eric Warn had no Health and Wellness report because we are all healthy and well. Stephen Enquist then took the floor to make new Paul Harris awards. He presented Tom George with his fifth Paul Harris and said he had committed to a $1,000 per year contribution and is a Paul Harris Society member. What is the Paul Harris Society? Steve explained that the Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants. The purpose of the Paul Harris Society is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation. Rotary districts often honor new members of the Paul Harris Society by presenting them with a certificate and chevron at a district or club event. We have seven members of the Society in our club: Tony Camoroda, Mary Horn, Rose Stevens, Bob Zawilski, Greg Horn and Gary Fulton.
Above:
Kendra Riconosciuto announced a new fall fundraiser, a Murder Mystery to be held at Weyerhaeuser Chapel, Saturday, November 5th. The cost is $100 per person for 75 people only. It will be a catered dinner and fun for all as we solve a murder. Tickets will go fast so don’t be left out. The chapel accommodates those with limited mobility. There is a community service project in October. Details to be shared soon. The District wants to beef up its public image so send pictures of Rotarians doing good works to Mary Horn or President Jason.
Aloha Bucks:
And now for Aloha Giving or fines. Prez Jason picked on Mary Moss, his deputy Mayor for the first opportunity to give. Turns out Mary was just awarded the Hero for Harborstone Credit Union in honor of her journey from the tobacco fields of Virginia to all of her amazing accomplishments. Congrats, Mary, well done! She kicked in $20. Chris Kimball reported on his dream vacation that turned into a nightmare. While getting settled in Victoria, BC, he got a call that his pup was having seizures. He and Vicki raced home only to find that all five veterinary hospitals were full with hours and hours of wait time. They took the dog home and he seems to be doing okay. But those seven chipmunks having a good time in their walls had to go. For his pain, Chris gave up $50.
Barlow Buescher gave $20 to honor Mary. Dwight Williams reported on his first Reeder Roadster Romp into the wilds of northeastern Washington. Dwight stated he was invited to attend at no cost due to a last minute cancellation. His offers to pay were refused so he did the next best thing – pay $300 in Aloha Bucks. Bob Martin also was on the romp and he said it was over the top, thanks to Phil Eng and crew. His poor ‘66 Mustang got to Snoqualmie Falls and went no further. Rather than trash his $4,000 engine, Bob went back and got a working car to continue the trip. He kicked in $25. Clint Johnson had a birthday and went traveling to see one son in Bend, Oregon and one in Los Angeles, California. Then he had three granddaughters visit and has two more in the ovens. Clint donated $100.
Above: Anne Enquist with her buddy—the tour of the Smoke Jumper base was memorable!
Anne Enquist also thanked Phil and John Lowney, and Wagon master Rick Selden for their work to make the romp a raging success and gave $20. This set off a parade of rompsters giving $20: David Swindale, Barb Spriggs, Bob Martin, Jan Gee, Paula Olson, Mary Marlin. John Lowney had to rub it in because “his car” made it the whole way but he got a ticket. He paid as appropriate, $50. Rick Selden gave hats off to Phil for saving all that money by cooking the dinners ourselves and getting it all organized while everyone else got drunk. He paid $20 and set off a round of “I didn’t get drunk!” from other rompsters. Not to be outdone, Phil Eng said it was all about teamwork and paid $50.
Above: This cute cub is not the one who ran across the road in front of our car near Winthrop during Roadster Romp
Whew! Prez Jason sure raked in the cash today. But wait, we weren’t done. Jason reported that he has three daughters and the youngest one was a super star at the Bellarmine track or cross country meet, coming in third out of 111 girls and had the third best time in Bellarmine history. He paid $25.
The Program:
With that Prez Jason introduced our speaker, Bob Martin with part two of his trip to Antarctica. Okay, the truth is that the scheduled speaker couldn’t come and Bob was happy to get another 30 minutes to share pictures and more details about his amazing trip. Bob held up a transparent globe to show the geography of the earth and how most of the land of the earth is in the Northern Hemisphere. Antarctica is same size as North America and consists of 3,000 miles of flat ice spanning the area between New York and San Francisco. That ice is two and a half miles thick.
Bob went on his trip in November 2017. He left the southernmost tip of Argentina, Ushusia, which is at the end of the Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain chain. Bob said that actually the mountain chain went under the water and up through halfway of Antarctica. Bob took Oceanwide Expeditions which is not a scientific expedition. His ship was the MV Ortelius, a refitted ice breaker. Bob said the ocean there between Argentina and Antarctica was the wildest given the narrow gap. Bob showed some great pictures of the area. He told us about Lake Vostock which is found under 3,000 feet of ice. Antarctica is cold but not wet. He talked about the term “rounding Cape Horn” as being going around the island of Cape Horn as opposed to the commonly understood meaning of round a point of land.
Bob talked about the Wandering Albatross, birds with a wing span of 12 feet. They spend months in the air without standing. The Arctic Tern travels about 12,000 on its regular migration. Bob said that it was hard to tell the size of the ice floes. He showed pictures of the exploration stations on the perimeter of the continent. There are no hotels on Antarctica. They saw lots of whales. In one of his pictures, you could see a dark smudge. That was a team of climbers going up an ice mountain. Bob talked about the 50,000 shades of intermediate blue and 50,000 shades of dark intermediate blue. He also talked about the steps that had to be taken so as not to bring anything to contaminate the ground. You have special boots that you have to disinfect. You had to stay with a guide and couldn’t wander off. The people he traveled with did different activities, such as climbing, kayaking. He talked about Damoy Hut, a British station for an airport. It had been abandoned 30 years ago but still looked the same as. He showed how he slept in a snow pit, hole in the ice with ridges around it to protect from the wind. You put your sleeping bag down and sleep like a baby. He talked about pancake ice, layers of ice that has seven times its amount under water. There were lots of pictures of penguins that were everywhere and very friendly as they have no reason to be fearful of humans. One bright light in the ground called the birds that eat penguin poop stool pigeons. Thanks, Bob, for a great program and sharing a place most of us will never see.
Above: Bob with visual aid.
Dwight Williams won the raffle and got himself a white chip. Good for him!
| Upcoming LR events: 10/22 “Make a Difference Day”- Playground Fix Work at Fort Steilacoom Park 11/5 Murder Mystery fundraiser 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
Read More
Sponsors
