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Vol. 19, No. 2, JULY 11, 2006 |
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The new Zidar administration gets christened this coming Friday, as the regular meeting schedule resumes after a two-week hiatus. After a successful and playful Rotating the Wheels, the BBRC took another week off as Glendale held their annual golf tournament. As everyone knows, the BBRC comes back next Monday, July 17, with the first ever BBRC Golf Classic, a 1:00 p.m. start at Willows Run in Redmond. ALL members are urged and invited to pay a visit to the course sometime that day. You’ll get a make-up for doing so and perhaps you might like to engage the little white ball in a putting contest. The putting green holds the action at 3:30 that afternoon, with prizes for all contestants. One of the big jobs before the club’s leadership is to fine-tune whatever fundraising events the club will sponsor. The Golf Classic is the first, with the Walk-a-Thon now scheduled for the spring, probably in April/May. It’s expected that every member participates as a member of the one of the committee’s formed to pull off these fundraisers. Make sure your name in on the list. Beginning this new Rotary Year, the BBRC has nearly as many members as it’s had in its 20-year history. There are 117 active members and 3 honorary members on our current roster. Experience tells us that we can expect nearly 10% of the membership to make a change during the year, which means a constant searching for new members to replace the departing group. Remember, if Rotary is good for you, it should be good for your best friend. Invite him/her to join. Rotary’s year begins officially on July 1 and ends on June 30. Our billing system is broken into four quarters, with July1, October 1, January 1 and April 1 being the first days of the four quarters. We also have a clean slate for attendance as the New Year begins. Resolve to maintain at least a 60% attendance, as requested by Rotary International. If you have questions regarding any aspects of the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, kindly contact the Club Administrator any member of the Board. Let’s go out and have a great year! Treasurer Steve Szirmai put out the call for volunteers to join the Cashier’s Crew for the coming Rotary year. By the looks of things, volunteerism is NOT DEAD in the BBRC! Steve reports that ten Rotarians stepped forward to volunteer a turn as Cashier at the desk each Friday morning. Thanks to the following:
Newcomers Nolan, Chapman and Allington have joined the Cashier Brigade, while former Treasurers Jeff Maxwell, Steve Peters and Margie Burnett don’t know when to yell “Uncle” ... or “Aunt!” Then, there’s guys like Terry Baker, one of our beloved Charter members, and past president Howard Johnson who can’t get their fill of pain and suffering. Mary Bell and Robin Callan are former BBRC board members, so all this experience means that Szirmai has a wonderful crew working each week. With the ten volunteers, this means the rotation will schedule most of a quarter on the calendar — not too heavy lifting for the collective crew. Thanks to those who are now bona-fide Cashiers by virtue of answering the classified ad, “Inquire Within.” Maybe, just maybe, we’re coming around to being the Best Darn Rotary Club in the World! Attendance Report for 2005-2006 Forty-one BBRC members compiled 100% attendance during this past Rotary year, a little over 36% of the membership. The figure was higher than previous years. Champion attender was none other than President Steve Lingenbrink, who attended 49 of 50 meetings. He had 31 make-ups during his term as president, which indicates the activity generated by the office. Champion make-up artist was President-elect Jim Zidar who was credited with 41 make-ups during 2005-2006. Members who had 20 or more make-ups during the year included Tom Smith (30), Phil Salvatori (25), Bob McKorkle (20), Wayne McCaulley (23), Jane Kuechle (24), Howard Johnson (21), Brian Evison (24), and Chuck Barnes (28). At the other end of the spectrum, 15 members compiled less than 60%, the barometer by which RI rates attendance. That’s 13% of the membership. Several of those members were on leave of absence. Looking at the glass as half full, those statistics show that 87% of the membership compiled better than 60% attendance — pretty doggone good for a club of 113 who are busily engaged living in today’s challenging world.
But, we all know we can’t sit around and wait to see what happens. Dick Clarke and Terry Baker, two of our original Charter Members have decided dogs are part of their retirement (maybe a big part!). Reveille went to the dogs Saturday, July 8, for competition by the Dog Agility Association. Conveniently, over a 100 people with their dogs came to Monroe and staked out a corner of Sky River Park, a large multi-use facility near the Skykomish River. We first met Dick and Donna Clarke and their sweet little 4-1/2-year-old Westie Annie (West Highland White Terrier) a year ago at this same time. The dogs compete in several categories based on size. Annie’s in the small category. Dick’s job is to guide Annie over the jumps (20 hurdles) including a maze of a dozen vertical posts set a couple of feet apart. Depending on the speed the dog and handler take the course, a run takes less than a minute. The Clarke’s have been enjoying this hobby for 2-1/2 years, going to an average of 12 events a year. (The Dog Agility Trials typically are run over a two-day weekend). This doesn’t count the weekly lesson that Dick and Annie take on Mondays; a rally every week on Friday; and the special training sessions that Dick and Annie have together at other times during the week. This is serious business and one thing you find out is that the human handler has a built-in exercise program working with their dog. Donna Clarke is the cheerleader and minds all of Annie’s needs during each event. What, to our surprise, did we see, but Terry Baker lugging a huge piece of canvas and learning that he and Marge have attended several of these Dog Agility events in support of their daughter Mary Ellen. ME has a black border collie Skipper, who’s listed as a novice. That means the Baker’s are just getting started!
The competition begins and Dick and Annie have the Number 7 spot in the first round of action. Annie missed a gate, preventing a perfect run. Dick was chastised by another dog handler for “taking your eyes off the dog.” Gee, Dick, what a bummer. But, as Donna says, “We have a basket full of ribbons earned by Annie and little stuffed animals they give out to reward her work.” Annie is the third Westie the couple has owned and she takes center stage in the Clarke family. Dick reported that Annie’s weekend work included three Excellent (another word for Advanced) runs, not qualifying on any of the runs, but qualifying for her Open, or intermediate level title. These agility trials are held by various dog clubs under the sanction of the American Kennel Club and the North American Dog Agility Association. The Baker’s are just gearing up for what could be a regular year-round activity. Only time will tell. It’s interesting to see all of the different people and their dogs coming from all over to participate in this activity. And, it’s truly exciting to watch the dogs navigate the course, following the lead of their master who’s giving hand signals and encouraging the dog over every hurdle. Add to Terry Baker’s retirement his use of the family boat for enjoyment throughout the year, and Dick Clarke’s interest first in the banjo and now in the ukulele, keeps these two Rotarians busy. For anyone who witnessed the antics of the Ukulele Band of Langley B.C. at some Rotary District Conferences, you find out how much fun this instrument has become. So, fellow Rotarians, don’t lament that Dick Clarke and Terry Baker have nothing to do in their retirement. The dogs are seeing to that. Don't buy a putter until you've had a chance to throw it. When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls. If you're afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there. The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing. Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot. It is surprisingly easy to hole a fifty foot putt ... for a 10. Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts. It's not a gimme if you're still away. The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree. You can hit a two acre fairway 10% of the time and a two-inch branch 90% of the time. When you look up, causing an awful shot , you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again. Every time a weekend golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe. If you want to hit a 7 iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to lay up just short of a water hazard. You can put a draw on the ball, you can put a fade on the ball, but no golfer can put a straight on the ball. A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours. If there is a ball on the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your ball is in the bunker. If both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint. It's easier to get up at 6:00 AM to play golf than at 10:00 to mow the yard. A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game. • • • A man is being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. The light turns yellow just in front of him. He does the honest thing and stops at the crosswalk, even though he could have accelerated through the intersection. The tailgating woman lays down on on the horn, screaming as she is forced to stop and wait. As she is still in mid-rant, she hears a tap on her windshield and looks up into the face of a very serious police officer who orders her to exit her car with her hands up. He arrests her and she is then searched, transported to Jail, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours, a cop arrives at her cell and opens the door. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with her personal effects. He says, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing him worse than I have heard anyone cuss before." "Then I noticed the "Choose Life" license plate holder, the "What Would Jesus Do?" bumper sticker, and the "Follow Me to Sunday School" plaque in the rear window ... "Naturally I assumed you had stolen the car." |
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So, what does a Rotarian do when retirement comes? If it’s all laid out so you don’t have a worry, then you just follow the plan and hope your funds maintain their position. 
They must be serious, because the first order of business was to raise the fancy canvas cover to shield the party from the blistering Monroe sun. Once set up, they pulled in the other comforts, including water and munchies for the dog. Accompanying Skipper was the family elder, Zip, a smaller version of Skipper, who shows his age with his graying nose.