Cogitator Dec 18, 2013

(Thanks very much to Jane Boynton for her help with today’s Cogitator…)

VISITING ROTARIANS

President Jodi Gladstone’s mom and dad, Sidney and Linda Klavett, were in town!  Linda is a Rotarian in the Newport-Balboa, California Rotary Club. 

GUESTS

Chub Clement was in attendance after a long health-related sabbatical.  He was feeling great today, though, and even brought along his wife (and former Rotarian herself) Florence.  Welcome back, Chub!

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

It’s official.  We have our club officers for the 2014-2015 Rotary year, after today’s election. 

-President, Ron Winde

-President-Elect, Bonnie Sauer

-Secretary, Jim Essex

-Treasurer, Ed Neff

-Assistant Treasurer, Jonathan Soule

-Sergeant at Arms, Bill Winter

Again, thanks to the above slate of officers for agreeing to serve in the coming Rotary year!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

President Jodi noted that Jeff Gladstone was able to travel to Tel Aviv, Israel to visit their son Caleb who is attending university there.  Jeff planned to attend a Rotary meeting during his trip, and he met with a recipient of International Service funds from our club.  (The funds were allotted for a hydro-therapy pool.)

HAPPY BUCKS

-Several Rotarians were very happy see Chub Clement back at lunch.  

-Janet Essex was happy to report that her family faced down some tough challenges in 2013, but came out stronger for it. 

-Jane Boynton got a glowing report about daughter Jenny doing well in Sardinia, Italy. 

SPEAKER/PROGRAM

Bob and Cathi Sloan’s Trip to Southeast Asia—

Bob and Cathi Sloan recently traveled through Southeast Asia, making stops in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. 

Today, Bob took the time to share pictures and stories from his wonderful trip.  There wasn’t enough time to get to Cambodia and Thailand pictures, but he brought the club to Vietnam via great pictures and explanations.   

Vietnam is a land of few cars, no traffic lights, and lots of scooters.  Scooters are the primary transportation devices in Vietnamese cities.  They are sometimes ridden by 4 people at the same time, and, are also statistically the number one cause of traffic deaths.    

Bob noted that it struck him how kids in Vietnam seemed to act very similarly to American kids, including possessing a similar addiction to texting! 

For local cuisine and food, Bob loved the fresh produce and meats but found it somewhat odd that meats are left out on street tables while being sold.   

There is very little sidewalk space, so vendors go ‘up’ and build tall booths.  Also, there was a great deal of Russian-inspired architecture in government buildings. 

The people were very friendly.  Many make their living fishing.  And most deal with clean water from a bucket twice per week. 

The Sloans traveled to the infamous ‘Hanoi Hilton,’ and Bob mentioned that seeing the bomb shelter was ‘unnerving.’  There was also a beautiful building above the shelter, however. 

The turtle is an honored animal in Vietnam. 

Water puppets have been around for 1,000 years, and the puppet masters work in the water behind the scenes. 

Thanks for sharing, Bob!