The Record Volume XXXXV August, 2004 President’s Message By Martha Erwin August. All Ready! Summer, summer, where goest thou? Oh, my! It is good dancing with the Diablo Singles & Doubles. Dancing with new faces and more people always makes summer dancing refreshing, we look forward to dancing with them for the month of August. On August 26 we will celebrate the end of the summer dancing at Pacheco with an ice cream social, then we’ll be back to dancing at Oak Park Center on September 2 and our busy fall schedule of Clutch Buster activities. First in order of notable mention for the months of June and July was the addition to our CB family of a new granddaughter for Bob & Chris Kratz who have been in Washington with baby and family. Congratulations! Then came a successful cornea transplant for Bonnie Jo. Any other momentous occasions in our CB family? Thanks to Bonnie Jo & Joe Zehrung for arranging the demonstration dance on July 24. Thanks to the CB’s: Erna, Bob & Martha, John & Dorothy, Kathy, Tom & Flo, Ted, John & Avis, Joe & Bonnie Jo, Carl & Diana, Tracy & Lisa who came to dance. When we invited the audience to join us we got to dance with some able dancers, Gary even called an additional tip for two young couples (from Richmond) who were very interested – and good dancers. A club in Richmond would be blessed to have them as members. Thank you to Gary for volunteering his great calling for this occasion to promote square dancing. And thank you to April for her caller assistance. You know, ‘Behind every successful man is a good woman working right with him.’ It was good. There have been so many interesting trips over the summer. I look forward to reading all about your adventures in summer re-creation. Next Thursday, August 12, the Rip Snorters are hosting a Thursday night mini hoedown with Oregon caller Craig Abercrombie as well as Eric Henerlau, Rounds with Dan Drumheller. The Diablo Singles & Doubles and Clutch Busters will be going to this mini-hoedown. Place: Veterans Building, 1250 Locust St., W.C. Time: 7:30 – 9:30. Free parking across the street in the shopping center. Hall has air conditioning. Look for an update of our fall calendar as you read on. See you with your dance shoes on. Martha Birthdays Jack Giolitti 7/16 Egon Pedersen 7/18 Frank Birsa 7/23 Liz Phelan 7/25 John Walker 7/25 John Evans 7/27 Cheryl Bisson 8/27 Bill Bisson 8/28 Terry Leonard 8/30 Lynn Leonard 8/31 Anniversaries Don & Wynell Snodgrass 8/22/59 Welcome Madeline Madeline Ashley Sims, 6 pounds even, 19¾ inches of perfection, arrived at 3:01 pm on July 14., Madeline is beyond a doubt the most beautiful baby ever born, and I am not just saying this because she is our granddaughter. Prejudice would not cloud our judgment in this matter. The trip to Washington was a bit rushed but enjoyable. Chris and I decided to take 101 all the way to the Oregon – Washington border and on to Tacoma over a four day, three night period, checking out sights and campgrounds to explore on our planned 5 to 7 day return trip. But our return travel designs were quickly discarded. Shortly after Debbie went into labor we received a call from our son Rob to tell us his National Guard unit had been activated for duty in Iraq. He was to report for his scheduled two week summer training in four days to check out all their equipment and fill out paperwork. He would get off in time to fly up to Washington for a day and a half to see is new niece on August 9th and then return home until his departure for Ft. Bliss, El Paso TX. on August 16th. There he will train for four to five months and then, after a possible few days of leave at home, the unit will leave for a one year tour in Iraq. We are now vacillating between absolute joy and deep apprehension. It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Madeline is, of course, a continual delight. We see subtle changes in expressiveness and movement ability every day. What a gift it is for us to spend her first 4 weeks of life here. We are doing the shopping, laundry, cleaning, cooking, dog walking, horse care, et all. Deb and her Rob are just caring for and spending time with the baby (but not sleeping a lot). Rob has a two month sabbatical from his work at Intel and is really enjoying this time. I have not kept count, but I believe he has changed the most diapers. It was a difficult birth, but Debbie says; “Since it was such an easy pregnancy, what else should I expect.” All are doing wonderfully well now. We will see you all some time after August 16 Yellow rocks Bob and Chris From Your Official Halloween Headquarters By Bob Phelan Guess the theme contest and clues: Clue 0: Definitely larceny – December Clue 1: Your cold logs. - January Clue 2: It Slices, It dices, It shish Kabobs February Clue 3: Pittsburg has ‘em – March Clue 4: Moving across the board – April Clue 5: Have you seen an eye doctor lately – May Clue 6: These boots are made for walking – June Clue 7: Maps are required – July Clue 8: Poly want a cracker – August If you’re ready for a guess, contact – Dorothy Evans , Elizabeth Phelan or Bob Phelan. Spooky.... guessing...... There will be a pumpkin carving contest this year. There have been 6 correct guesses as of the June/July News letter. Anniversary Celebration The Clutch Buster Anniversary Party, an evening of fun, food and great company, will be held at the Zehrung’s church building again this year. The club, acting under the leadership of Mr. John Evans, chose the Back Texas 40 to cater our affair because it was so good last year. So mark your calendar for the evening of October 1. You do not want to miss it. New Dancer Class It is hard to believe you have accomplished so much over the past few months. As much fun as we have square dancing, there can be some frustrating moments in the learning period. These moments do not stop; we just learn to laugh at them a little more easily. We will celebrate your accomplishment on September 9th. It will be an exciting evening and I understand Bob Erwin has invited a special guest to help commemorate this occasion. Note: This paper has been told the sign up list for the September 11th CB Picnic has not been adequately circulated among the new dancers. Ask, nay DEMAND this sign up list because it will not be as much fun if you guys are not there. CALENDAR UPDATE AUGUST 12: Dancing at Veterans Bldg. 1250 Locust, W.C. 7:30-9:30 26: Ice Cream Social. Chair: Carol Giolitti SEPTEMBER 1 Board Mtg. 7:30. Snodgrass 2 Dance at Oak Park Center General Mtg. 9 Newer Dancer Graduation 11 Picnic: Chair: Kratz Newhall Park. Conc. Maps available. Games: unstructured. Bring your own. Potluck: Sign-up sheet at workshop. OCTOBER 1 Anniversary Celebration 6 Board Mtg. 7:30. Birsa 7 General Mtg. 23: Boating Outing. Chair: Leonard Optional additional date, 10/9 28: Halloween Party. Chair: Phelan NOVEMBER 3 Board Mtg. 7:30. Evans 4 General Mtg. Begin nomination of 2005 officers 11 Potluck. Chair: Zehrung 20 Plus Hoedown. Caller: Sikorsky Ygnacio Vly H.S. 8 Rnds. 8:30 square 25 Thanksgiving – NO dancing. DECEMBER 1 Board Mtg. 7:30 TBD 2 Gen. Mtg. Election of Officers 2005 4 Board Christmas Party. Erwin 16 Club Christmas Party. Chair TBD. 23 & 30 NO Dancing JANUARY 2005 5 2005 Board Mtg. 6 General Mtg. Installation of 2005 Officers News From the Alley by Avis Walker June and July were interesting months of bowling with folks coming and going for vacation and illness. Wynell and Don Snodgrass, Don and Lois Lollich and Peg and Ken Wygal left us to go to Sacramento to the Jazz festival over Memorial Day. Lois and Don and Wynell and Don made it back but Ken stayed in Sacramento with Peg in the hospital there. They finally made it back home so Peg could have her surgery here and while she was home Recuperating Ken ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and a surgery. After a few weeks for both of them to recuperate they took off again the end of July to join Don and Lois at a fly-in of antique and experimental planes in Illinois. Peg and Ken flew home last Monday leaving Don and Lois to take a leisurely trip home in their RV. We certainly seem to have a hardy group of square dancers/bowlers. You just can’t keep them down or at home. On June 15th we had a pretty full crew of 12 bowlers. Ray Pardee took the first game with a 193 and Allen Wesdorf tied that score for high score in the 2nd game. So the girls won’t be left out Pat Pardee rolled a 192 for the high score in the 3rd game. No one else came close except John Walker with a 183 in the 3rd. On June 22nd several bowlers had really good games. John Walker took the first game with a wonderful 218. Don Snodgrass had a very good 160 and 170 in the 2nd and 3rd game and Bob Erwin and Milan tied twice, once in the 1st game with a 154 each and in the 3rd with a 156 each. We aren’t mentioning Avis’ scores for the day as John came in definitely TOP DOG beating her 3 out of 3 and total pins. On June 28th no one was particularly hot. Milan had a good day with a winning 177 the first game and picking up the 8-10 split. Don Lollich picked up the 2-6 split and Avis had a very good 190 in the 2nd game and took TOP DOG award from John with 2 out of 3 and total pins for the day. NOW THAT’S BETTER! Wynell was back in the swing with 3 over 100 games for 315 total pins. Her average is still hanging in there at 100. She has a wicked hook on her ball and if she doesn’t clean the gutter she can really get those pins. July 6th brought us all back from the long weekend and raring to go with NO TAP TUESDAY when we get those magical scores because of a 9 pin strike. Allen Wesdorf started out the first game with 6 strikes in a row for a 250 game followed by John Walker with 8 in a row and a 244. Pat Pardee with 5 in a row and a 227 and Bob Erwin with 4 in a row and a 211. A great start for the day! The second game wasn’t quite as spectacular. Although Avis started out with a turkey and a 200 game Pat Pardee took the lead with a 234 and Allen had a 210. The third game we all seemed to fizzle out although Don Snodgrass had a very nice 182. I had to leave to pick up my granddaughter and John and Allen finished bowling for me. I was told that they could roll strikes and spares for me but not for themselves. But some of us had to have put some good scores together because when the handicaps were added Janet Lococo took women’s 1st place for a win of $8.00 and Avis took 3rd for $5.00 Allen Wesdorf took men’s 2nd place for $6.00 and Bob Erwin won 5th for $3.00. July 13th found us with few bowlers and no pizzazz at all. When all three Pardees are bowling and the high game of the day is only a 190 we aren’t doing too well. The good news was that out of our pathetic scores I beat John 2 out of 3 and by 26 pins total. He finished my last game for me and I won by 5 pins. Cool way to be TOP DOG for the day!! I don’t have very good notes for July 20th for some reason. I remember that Wally Everett had a very good day taking the first game with a 172 on a 108 average. John and I tied at 132 each. I don’t have scores for the second game so they must have been pretty bad and I had to leave before finishing the 3rd game but with John finishing for me I beat him by 1 pin. We started out July 27th by singing “Happy Birthday” to John Walker while watching a sparkler candle on his doughnut hole. John started out with a bang by picking up the 3-5-8-10 split but losing to me by 9 pins. I had the pathetic high score of 157. Pat Pardee beat husband Ray by 2 pins 143 to 145. In the second game Ray beat Pat by 1 pin and I beat John by 3 pins. In the last game of the month the male competitive spirit kicked in and Ray creamed Pat. I had to leave in the 2nd frame and Mary Gregovich took over for me. John decided to bowl mostly strikes and beat me out 161 to 123 and took total pins so we all shared TOP DOG in the end. Come on down and join us some Tuesday morning for free doughnuts and coffee and fun bowling. See you at the alley!! Hello from Bonnie Jo – By Bonnie Zehrung Well, I'm home and doing well after my corneal transplant. I am finding it very difficult to be patient. I feel real good and even though I cannot get out and about, I'm busy with crochet projects and keeping in touch with the outside world on my trusty computer. I decided to try to put some thoughts on paper and so here is poem I wrote - I thought some of you might relate and enjoy reading it. Please keep those e-mail and phone calls coming - it's great to hear from you. I will be recuperating for several months and look forward to seeing all of you very soon. Does This Ever Happen to You? At times our lives are so unsure. We are not in control For health may challenge us down to our very soul I sit and ponder about my life today - And yet what can I say I want so much to think things through - Does this ever happen to you? I sit and try to write things down, my mind is in a cloud I feel alone and yet sometimes I fell I‘m in a crowd My life is full of blessings - each day it starts anew But still I stress and get upset - Does this ever happen to you? What do you do when things go astray? Do you shout out loud or do you pray? How do you find the way you should go? Maybe it’s yes or maybe it’s no Maybe we need to just take control - Slow down and enjoy the path even though We may be walking and taking it slow - What do you think? I really don’t know I‘ve run out of words to express how I feel - Some folks say, That’s no big deal! So I’ll just have to stop as we all have to do - Does that ever happen to you? Trying to Keep Fit fm John Evans I rode with Frank & Shrilee Birsa to Jack & Jean Strickler’s birthday party. Frank and I wore similar blue blazers. A couple of Saturday’s ago, I got ready to go to the Lions Club installation dinner and put my blue blazer downstairs to put on as I went out the door. When we went to leave, I put on the blazer and felt like I had just put on a monkey suit!! I called Frank and left a message for him to go try on his blue blazer and call me. When he called back, he said he didn’t know he had grown so much recently! We’ve decided to switch blazers. The Erwin's Summer Shangri-La by Martha Erwin Imagine spending a whole week with our RV parked amongst the pines in the midst of 150 acres of private land, this being surrounded by pasture and forest service land. Mt. Lassen is the backdrop, its snowmelt feeding Hat Creek that flows by a few steps away, the water rushing jubilantly toward its destination. Add to this, hosts who took us on a 6-mile hike in a wilderness area, and delighted in making every meal a gourmet feast in their rustic camp kitchen (aided only slightly by the convenience of house trailer refrigeration.) Of evenings spent with dear friends, laughing over card games or solving the problems of the world, the light fading into the darkness of night revealing a star-studded sky. And every afternoon the breeze comes up, sighing through the tops of the pines. Sublime. To top it off, spending two days with just the two of us, and the forest, by the babbling brook and the rushing waters of Hat Creek, Mt. Lassen, the star-studded sky, and the sighing of the wind in the pine tree tops. Yes! Re-Creation! From John Walker A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug store. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing.. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question. Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle." ''I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist. His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?" We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry, "the pharmacist said, softening a little.”Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs." The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need? “I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money." How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to." Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need." That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. That surgery, " her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child. A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law......(A TRUE STORY)