Northwind July 28, 2011

WHATCOM COUNTY NORTH ROTARY CLUB

NORTHWIND

July 28, 2011

MEETING TO ORDER:  President-elect Laurie Lloyd called the meeting to order.  Tim Carpenter provided a few timeless and thought provoking words penned by Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville as the invocation.

Four Way Test: Julie led the way for the Club to recite our Rotary four-part mantra.

GUESTS: Tim V.’s guest was Cathy Campbell. Ray’s guest was his son Collin. Randy’s guest was his daughter and special assistant, Maren.

VISITING ROTARIANS:  Our visiting Rotarians…George Tsakumis from Vancouver, B.C. and Bliss Goldstein from the Bellingham Club.

RETURNING ROTARIANS: Tim V. was newly returned from Ireland where he visited, among other places, a Rotary Club in Dublin that held the first Rotary meeting outside the USA. ( Wikipedia tells us that after the first Rotary Club meeting in Chicago, 1905, the next four Rotary Clubs were organized in San Francisco, then Oakland, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The National Association of Rotary Clubs in America was formed in 1910. On the 22nd of February 1911 the first meeting of the Rotary Club Dublin was held in Dublin, Ireland. This was the first club established outside of North America. In April 1912, Rotary chartered a club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, marking the first club outside the United States. To reflect the addition of a club outside of the United States, Rotary’s name was changed to the International Association of Rotary Clubs in 1912. In August 1912, the Rotary Club of London received its charter from the Association, marking the first acknowledged Rotary club outside North America.

 BIRTHDAYS:  Ken R. July 30.

                       Tim V.  August 7.

ANNOUNCMENTS:  Norm awarded Tim V. his 10 year perfect attendance pin as Tim was absent (without spoiling his perfect attendance) from the Installation Dinner when excellence in attendance by practicing Rotarians was previously recognized.

Rotary District 5050 Leadership Institute seminar/training is scheduled for September 24, 2011 in Mt. Vernon, WA.  

Health Care Fundraiser for Jeanne MeGee

Jr. Livestock Sale at the Northwest Washington Fair

   August 19, 2011.

If you are not participating in the District’s Golf Fun,

         try the Jr. Livestock Sale.

HAPPY BUCKS:  --A brief editorial note regarding the need and purpose of the Joy of Giving Happy Bucks:  Please give Happy Bucks whenever you can. You do not technically have to be happy. You can pretend to be happy. You can be witty and clever just for fun. You can give sad doubloons. But please, don’t let just a few have most of the fun week after week. As Club Treasurer Julie pointed out during her Club Assembly finances presentation, the Club budgets the receipt of $150.00 or so from Happy Bucks and Fines each week. So, give until it makes you feel good each week. The last few weeks, better than half the members in attendance gave Happy Bucks and that is a good thing.)

Laurie started the festivities with dollars for sunshine and for getting to practice running Club meetings.

Tim V. tossed in dollars having been to Ireland where he was fortunate to learn they have beer and rum.

Norm has been having a great July: a son’s birthday, a newly acquired boat and his 15^th wedding anniversary.

Stan had a two day visit in Spokane to see new his son and family and their new construction.

Bliss Goldstein, our visitor from Bellingham, put a few bucks in the box for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Golf Tourney fundraiser and the fact it might not get rained out.

Ken R. donated $100.00…$63 to match his new age, a $1 for each of his fellow Rotarians in attendance and the balance just to use up his money wisely by donating to Rotary.

Jerry for he and his wife Sharon having enjoyed their visit to South/Central California (Port Hueneme, part of naval Base Ventura County) in relation to his US Navy Seabees associations and for a visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA, which he described as quite intriguing and worth a visit. He also noted the Old Settlers Picnic in Ferndale July 28 to 31, 2011, and encouraged purchase of Memorial Bricks for Ferndale Veterans Memorial.

Bill Grace had good news to celebrate. He found his lost wedding ring and received a full refund for the replacement ring he bought. The savings went right back out to pay for generator repairs for some practically 100 old Model T car he fancies enough to tell us about from time to time.

Nick Furnari paid his IOU and for playing in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Golf Tourney.

Tim C. recognized his long-winded fellow Happy Buckateers, was happy about Laurie’s leading the meeting and for Sharon Robinson’s ‘nuptials’ and he paid for not having a clue about the banners.

Maureen was happy about a beautiful kayaking rip to Clark Island.

Rick Staeb, having spent a week back in hot and muggy Michigan was happy for the visit to see family, and glad to be back home where the weather is much nicer, at least by comparison.

Derrick Thornton was happy about Rotary on the radio.

Marlene liked the beer at Bellingham Bay Rotary’s recent Brewers by the Bay event and she was planning to go to a similar beer tasting event in Portland. (What?  Marlene, hath thou forsaken thy wine? Thy wine of which you have so oft noted your jubilation at having partaken of so as to have regularly tried to singly fill our Happy Buck coffers? Hail, Beer! Milady’s new wine!)

Randy was appropriately happy to have his most able and delightful daughter and assistant Maren as his guest. He also liked the good weather, Rum and Norm’s new boat.

Rome, also originally a Midwesterner from Wisconsin, dittoed Rick’s comments about the abysmal weather back east.

Ray was glad to be back at Rotary, but sad to have lost an expensive truck transmission.

FINEMASTER: 

Ken Richardson, Fine Master of the Day, without uttering a word of overt political satire, eliminated our artificial debt ceiling (the so called “Wallace Rule”) and raised revenue, all in keeping with the fun times our national political leaders are having. Isn’t it great when our Fine Master has an instructional and timely theme?

The fines were fast and furious, thus, a few may be slightly imagined by your editor, were entirely missed or have been plain messed up as reported herein…..

Ray was fined for being the last guy in with the most to say.

Generally, those at the dentist table were all fined.

Then, the non-practicing lawyer table was unfairly fined.

Those without their Badges on and those who ‘ratted out’ their fellow Rotarians for not having their Badges were fined.

If you had not ridden a bicycle or ridden in a convertible in the good weather, you paid for not enjoying the rare weather.

If you have not been riding the Lummi Island Ferry, get used to paying for it anyway. I guess we all get to pay and pay fines.

If you have not taken a week off already, pay a fine. And then, I think Ken said you pay a fine if you have taken a week off.

If you were not present for the Club Assembly you owe a fine.

If you have not contributed at least a buck for the good weather, you pay.

If you have not been to the beach or by or on the water in the last two weeks, you owe a fine for not believing that the good weather is fleeting and will soon go away.

Jake, to give symmetry to the days fines, was fined for being the last guy in.

A few folks were fined for not guessing the significance/meaning of the Banners.

Banners: All the Banners had geographical elements in their names, such as ‘point’, ‘hill’, ‘lake’, and the like. Another good job. Thanks Stan.