Meeting on Oct 1, 2014

Posted by Jirayr Kembikian

on Oct 01, 2014

Pres Lisa presiding.

Jirayr was the greeter and provided an inspirational quote by Steve Jobs:

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Good Times

Chuck returned from Italy and read a poem he wrote about his trip:

MY THREE WEEKS IN ITALY

(a pseudo poem?)

Seven cities in seventeen days

Via planes, trains and automobiles

As well as boats and ferries - no bicycles this trip

First stop is Rome, the eternal city

The home of Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini

And an outdoor museum that I never tire of

Must see the Vatican, the Coliseum and the Pantheon

At least once every 50 years

Then the piazzas – Trevi, Santa Maria and Navona to name just a few

We begin our Caprese salad a day routine

And of course our Marguerita Pizza and pasta

In Italy they are the best of course

Off to Capri -the lovely island in the sun

A boat trip around the island offers the best views

As well as a quick dip in the warm and clear Mediterranean

Then we explore Ana Capri

The charming and less commercial part of the island

A refreshing change to the many fancy, upscale stores in Capri

Off to Taormina via Palermo

Crossing the parched interior of Sicily

And passing a steaming Mt Etna that erupted as recently as August

Taormina, the city up on a rock on the Ionian Sea

In the shadow of Mt Etna

Still shimmering with snow after a gentle rain

A concert in the Ancient Theatre is a treat

As is the comb fish at the Blue Grotto

And dancing in the street

Then to Rapallo on the Italian Riviera

Walking distance to Santa Margarita and Portofino

And a short train ride to the five towns of Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre – a destination long anticipated does not disappoint

Charming, colorful, vertical towns perched high on the coastline

Easily visited by train, boat or foot – but not by car

On to Tuscany with a quick lunch stop in Lucca

Named after a famous Bay Area delicatessen

And home of the well-known Pasticceria Pasquinelli – which we visit

We pass the Carrara quarry, famous for its white marble

And source of Michelangelo’s’ Pieta that adorns the Vatican

And buildings in ancient Rome as well as our White house

(when remodeled by the Kennedys)

Now to San Gimignano, the small, walled, medieval town

Perched on a hill, 300 meters above the vineyards

With its 14 towers providing an unforgettable skyline

Fine examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture abound

A church adorned with frescos of Italian renaissance artists

And piazzas surrounded by well-preserved,13^th century houses

San Gimi - which I affectionately refer to

Is also known for its white wine- Vernaccia di San Gimignano

Which we often partake - at wineries, restaurants and picnic places

It’s harvest season in Tuscany and the grapes are bursting with flavor

We sample a few right from the vineyards

And help the family members pick the grapes

Firenze and Sienna are a short trip away

We visit the Duomos and piazzas

And sample more food – the best of the trip

Finally it is back to Rome for the flight home

One last visit to Piazzi Espania and our last Marguerita pizza

And it’s arrivederci Italy

Did we have a great trip? Of course we did

Have you ever anything but good about Tuscany?

Or Italy for that matter?

The people are great

The sites are great

The food is great

I could go on but no need

You now know

What a great destination Italy can be

Ken announced his son and daughter in law had Avala, a baby girl, ahead of schedule. They spent the weekend with them at the hospital. He now feels old, as a grandfather.

Dianne has old Rotary photos that she will be bringing to the club to share her memories.

Bill went to Mexico last week to visit his favorite ruins near Cancun.

Herman visited his daughter in Columbia, South Carolina. He ate lots of grits and saw an official football tailgate party, which was being covered by ESPN.

Farhad visited Cape Cod where he enjoyed eating many fried clams. He also had his first Irish coffee, which he said was a great experience. Farhad visited the Niles club in Fremont as a makeup meeting.

Lisa had a great time at the several projects on our week off. She took part in the Food Bank packing, Masquers play, and Rotary Means Business.

Announcements

Jirayr gave a refresher on what the greeter duties are: showing up at 7am, setting up the ‘welcome table’, bringing an auction item, greeting as people enter, and cleaning up after the meeting.

Alan announced the Call of the Sea outing on October 19^th, 2-5pm, which will be a fundraiser for his organization. $70 per person will include a 3 hour sail and a tour of the shipyard after.

Cammie gave an overview of her visit to West End Café, as it is a potential future meeting location. We will be meeting at West End for our October 22^nd meeting.

Chuck announced that the Ride4Vets sponsor shirts have arrived. If you know any sponsors or are a sponsor, see Chuck for a shirt.

Farhad talked about a grape harvesting in Sonoma at Saturday, 7am-1:30pm. There will be lunch and music after. There is no cost for attending.

Raffle

Cammie was selected but did not win.

Speakers

In light of our speaker not being able to make it, Emerson and Tom spoke of their respective roles.

Emerson provided insight on the upcoming speakers.

Tom introduced the new vocational speaker format. There will be two club members who speak at the last meeting of the month. Each speaker will have 10 minutes to speak about their classification, with 5 minutes of questions. New businesses to the community will also be welcomed to come to our club to introduce themselves and their business. Lastly, Tom is in the process of creating a club directory, which may in time expand to a district directory.