THE BIG SIR COLUMN. Mike Long, Big SIR LITTLE SIR SEZ. December 2017 Editor: Barry Brown

Transcription

1 December 2017 Editor: Barry Brown THE BIG SIR COLUMN Our final regular meeting at the Hilton on November 13 was packed! In addition to a great speaker, the BrassFire quintet provided a lively music background. We mentioned and honored twenty-two SIRS that are directly responsible for our lunches, i.e., greeters, badges, cashiers, etc.. This made me think of the many other workers in our branch that volunteer during Overall we have 350 members and 212 currently volunteered for positions that make our organization function. Here is a quick summary of our volunteers. Our BEC is composed of only 12 members. Another 23 have branch positions such as the LDL Committee, Chaplain, Nomination Committee, ect. Technology positions such as audio, photo and webmaster totals 25 SIRS. Our Membership group, i.e., publicity, recruitment, roster, ect. are busy with 30 members. We have over 99 Activity and Assistant Chairman and the Hotline editors/publisher adds another 6 members. Our hats off to everyone this year that helped our branch. We look forward to seeing many of you and your ladies at the Roundhill Country Club annual Christmas Ladies Day Lunch on December 11 th. Nat Bitton and his committee have done another outstanding job of organizing this yearly event. Mike Long, Big SIR LITTLE SIR SEZ We owe a big vote of thanks to Speakers Committee members Ron Brown, Bill Espey and Tony de Losada for putting together a roster of ten excellent speakers in It takes a lot of time, hard work and perseverance to pin down speakers and coordinate with them. The committee works collaboratively and with great enthusiasm. Their results speak for themselves: January: David Gilbert, US Department of Energy, DNA Research Made Understandable February: Debbie Toth, CEO Choices in Aging March: Joe Tuman, Professor, SF State and Terrorism Expert: Terrorism and the Media April: Bob Shusta, retired Captain Concord OPD & Howard Jordan, retired Oakland PD Chief: Policing in the 21 st Century May: Gary Schaub, docent & Tom Leatherman, Superintendent, National Park Service: Eugene O Neill s Life and Tao House History. Tony de Losada livened up the day with some lovely Hula dancers and a memorable Hawaiian Shirt Day contest. July: Mark Sherry, Staff Specialist, SFO Air Traffic Control: Operating the Control Tower August: Dan Ashley, KGO TV: The Challenges of Television News September: Lawren Hicks, Medical Director, John Muir Senior Services: Demystifying Dementia October: Assemblywoman Catherine Barker: California Legislative Update November Maj Gen Rob Ostenberg, US Army (ret): Vietnam Reflections. Branch 8 member Bill Eich brought his brass quintet to entertain us before lunch and played while General Ostenberg awarded the Vietnam War Era pin to 140 Branch 8 veterans. HOTLINE Index = Spouses/Friends Activity welcome Page # General Branch Business 1-5 Biographies 17 Branch Positions Activity Report 2 Arts, Crafts & Hobbies 5 Astronomy 5 Bargain Bites 6 Birders 6 Birthdays 18 Bocce ball (All) 6 Book Exchange 7 Book Group 7 Bowling 7 Bridge (All) 7-9 Car Enthusiasts 9 Computers and Tech 9 Cribbage 9 Digital Photography 9-10 Dine In (All) 10 Dine Out (All) 10 Dine Out Single SIRs Dominoes 11 Explore & Eat 11 Fishing Golf (All) 12 Heads Up Walkers 13 Hikers 13 Ladies Day Luncheon 13 Luncheon Information 4 Membership Report 18 Mexican Train Dominoes 11 Model Railroading Mixer 14 Photo Gallery 19 Pickle Ball 14 Poker 14 Senior Center Activities 3 SIRS at the Games 14 SIRS in the Kitchen 15 SIRS at the Opera 15 Sums In Retirement 15 Sunshine Report 4 Traveling SIRS 15 Wine Articles (All) Writing your Life Story THANK YOU, SPEAKERS COMMITTEE, FOR A MEMORABLE YEAR! Phil Trapp, Little Sir

2 RAMP Recruitment, Activities, Member relations, Publicity. RAMP is a collection of programs and services that together support the building of a successful branch. RECRUITING & DIVERSITY COMMITTEE Gents, 2017 is now in our rear-view mirror. It was not one of our notable years in meeting our Guest/Member goals. We now need to look ahead and focus or attention on We now have new Recruiting and Diversity Committees whose goals are to assist the Branch in, a) increasing membership, b) increasing a diverse membership. For the Branch to meet its goals for 2018, we need the help of all of our Membership. If any of you wish to help by becoming a member of one of the Committees, or if you don t wish to formally join a Committee, but have some ideas that you wish to share, by all means contact me or a member of one of the Committees. January is Bring a Guest Get a Bottle month, so let s start off the New Year with, not just a Bang, but with an EXPLOSION! Let s all commit to make 2018 our greatest year ever! Thom Watkins, Chairman ACTIVITY REPORT Last month, I wrote about meeting leaders of other SIR branches. Many of these branches have fewer members and cannot support the number and variety of activities that are available to us in Branch 8. In November, we took these discussions to the next level. Specifically, we are developing a collaboration with Branch 146 in Walnut Creek. Like Branch 8, they are contemplating new activities, but unsure whether they will generate a sufficient number of members to create a viable activity. However, a collaborative effort of two branches could engage enough members to maintain a healthy activity. At our November luncheon, I asked if we have anyone who is interested in Pinochle. Five members signed the blue Activity Interest card. Those names were shared with Branch 146. Together, we may be able to generate sufficient interest for a co-branch Pinochle group. Similarly, we are creating a SIR Chess group. In addition to good support from Branch 8 members, Branch 146 is sharing names of members who would like to play chess. Again, we are working together to develop a co-branch activity. For our future, please think of new activities that you would enjoy. If we do not have sufficient interest within Branch 8, we will reach out to other branches for potential collaborations. Many of our activities add members over time. Nevertheless, it may be useful to work with other branches in the early stages of some new activities. A collaboration may give a new activity a good foundation for a successful future. As you select and participate in your favorite activities, please consider how we can make our activities healthier and stronger by thinking outside the box or even outside the branch. Activity Coordinator: Steve Schramm MEMBERS RELATIONS COMMITTEE November 30th the last Member Relations Meeting, of the year, was held at the Capital One Cafe meeting room on Main street, next to the APPLE Store. MRC Co- Chair SIR Tom Mohrman discovered this unique and conveniently accessed meeting facility for the MRC Meeting and Tom also ran his first MRC meeting as Co-Chair. Tom ran an excellent meeting! The results of the meeting will be tendered to the BEC for their consideration to act. The Member Relations Committee wishes you, our valued membership, a wonderful, enjoyable Christmas Season and a healthy New Year and all years to come. Tony de Losada and Tom Mohrman, 1st. Co- Chair PUBLICITY AND IMAGE Publicity and Image is teaming with the new Chairman of Recruiting and Diversity Committees Thom Watkins, to create a combination of concerted effort to the three committees This Teamwork effort is done solely to emphasize the importance of achieving the New Member Goal for I would like to take this opportunity to explain something I should have covered in my Member Relations article. I hope it proves of interest to some of our membership who think" we keep getting bigger and bigger, because that is what they want!" or something similar. "That" is not all we want... my answer to this statement, which I have heard, is what we want is to replace our outgoing numbers with incoming plus one more, that is all that is our stated goal! This year of 2017 is the first time since I have been a member that we did not make our goal. If that happens really not many times more, we lose! No more branch for our Sons and Grandsons to join and enjoy as we do today, we just go the way of so many other Men's Social Groups have gone to. Page 2 INDEX

3 So, as you see and hear of slight, yet important changes in various RAMP, Recruiting, Activities, Member Relations, Publicity & Image areas remember we are moving towards keeping the branch as you make it today; current, vital, fun loving, friendly, interesting just the way it is today! Tony de Losada Chairman ACTIVITIES AT OTHER BRANCHES Breakfast Call Philip Magen Bridge Lunch 2nd/4thTu Milt Greenstein Historical Call Rich Sjoberg Stamps Call Rich Sjoberg ATTENDANCE Attendance for the November luncheon Active Members: Membership Prior to Luncheon 342 Excused Absences - 66 Unexcused Absences - 6 Members Attending 270 Others: Visitors - Guests - Speakers 13 Others Attending 13 TOTAL ATTENDANCE 283 Visitor Jerry Hicks Little Sir Elect Br 116 Michelle Brown BrassFire Quintet Tom Hyde BrassFire Quintet John Taylor BrassFire Quintet Ron Wetzel BrassFire Quintet Guest Mike Cornelius Mike Cunningham Jim Frediani Steve Furtado David Gee Mark Kahn Rolando Salazar Sponsor Tom Trice Allen Grossman Bud Grisanti Bud Grisanti YK Chan Al Fahrenkrog Roger Lamm Speaker Rob Ostenberg General, US Army Retired Bill Peterson, Attendance Secretary CONCORD COMMUNITY CENTER FREE LEGAL CLINIC FOR SENIORS! Held once a month on the SECOND THURSDAY! Sponsored by the City of Concord and Contra Costa Legal Services. 60 and over M/F invited to attend for a 45 Minute personal advice from Attorneys on: Advance Health Care Directives (AHCD). No income requirements. By appointment only! Call Concord Senior Center: and sign up. There are six appointments Mention you are a SIR from Branch 8! Tony de Losada P & I Chairman COMMENT CARD CORNER Analysis of Comment Cards from November 13, 2017 SIR Branch 8 Lunch Meeting. There were 10 cards turned in by one unaffiliated attendee and 9 members. Three members were Impressed, one member was A bit annoyed, and the unaffiliated attendee and 5 members gave no attitudes. Food got 7 comments: Three wanted Turkey and trimmings in the Thanksgiving month. Lunch was so-so, good, or delicious; pie was excellent, wow! Page 3 INDEX

4 Three enjoyed the music and one thanked Sir Ernie Sherne for Taps. Two thought the discussion of Recruitment was too complicated and confusing. There is no reason to limit the use (of the spinning wheel?) to the next meeting. It should be for Branch 8 only, and eliminate the cash alternatives. The meeting is too long, which is contributed to by too many announcements. A recurring comment was that the slide show should be turned off not only during the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, but in this case during presentations such as Golf Awards. The most interesting comment was from one member who was disappointed in those who did not remove their hats during the Pledge of Allegiance. Remember Sirs, headgear off unless you are under arms. SinSIRly, Jim Sowell ABSENCES & BRINGING GUESTS If you are going to be absent or are bringing a guest, please call or by Wednesday noon before the meeting. Phone: (calls are not automatically returned) sirbr8attendance@outlook.com (a confirmation will be sent to you) IMPORTANT: If a confirmation is not received, it is the member s responsibility to follow up and ensure it was sent to the correct address. Either resend the or call the attendance number at by Wednesday noon before the meeting Bill Peterson, Attendance Secretary FREE LUNCH DRAWING FOR BRINGING GUESTS As an incentive to bring in new candidates for membership, a drawing for a free lunch will be held in January and in July for members who bring new guests to meetings during the previous 6 months. You can use the SIR cards available at the check-in table to invite guests. For each new guest sponsored during the 6 month period, a member will have an entry in the drawing. Bring one new guest, have one chance. Bring 3 new guests, have 3 chances! And for your efforts, you do not have to be present to win. LEGAL NOTICE This notice is available in the Roster and on the web site. NEW ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR If you change any of the above, please notify Bob Barnes. If you need a new member s address (or phone number), you can also contact Bob Barnes at (925) or send him an . DECEMBER LUNCHEON MENU Ladies Day Luncheon Round Hill Country Club Salmon or Chicken or Vegetarian NEED A RIDE? Those Sirs who do not have transportation and would like a ride to the monthly luncheon are invited to call: Scott Graff , scottkgraff@gmail.com RED DOT BADGES They belong to our new members; don t forget to say Hi and introduce yourself. So let s make them feel at home and let them feel they can talk about your SIR activities and ask them to join you. SUNSHINE REPORT Since the November Hotline Report the Committee has extended wishes for a rapid recovery to Richard Bal, Stewart Patrick, Bob Mayo, Bob McIvor, and Monte Allen. Since the November Hotline Report, the Committee has extended condolences to the Tony Watkin family. Sunshine Committee (br8sunshine@yahoo.com Terry Norton Larry Mersmann Page 4 INDEX

5 HOTLINE INPUT AND WEB EDITORS IMPORTANT SINGLE HOTLINE ADDRESS: Send your articles and photos BEFORE the 20th of the month. Include meeting information and dates for the following month to keep your group properly informed about meetings, deadlines and upcoming events. Late reports may not be included in the Hotline. Hotline Editors (Hotline Coordinator *) * Dan Weller dweller@astound.net Barry Brown barryb@bkbrown.net Chuck Joyce joycc003@gmail.com Jim Ripley jimrip99@aol.com Website Editor, Webmaster, and Activities Page Derek Southern derek.southern@gmail.com Asst. Website Editor Bill Hunter wkhbill@pacbell.net TREASURERS REPORT Oct 2017 Receipts Monthly luncheon $ Contributions Interest.13 Total receipts Disbursements Monthly luncheon State Assessment Printing & supplies Total disbursements Net loss ( ) Cash,beginning Cash,ending $ ARTS, CRAFTS & HOBBIES I know there are at least 100 of you out there who have a special talent or an interesting hobby or you collect things. Don't be bashful! Share it with us. We all would really like to see your special art work, carving, sculpture, wood turning, fishing lures, match book covers, travel memorabilia, photographs, silver spoons (even the one you were born with in your mouth), baseballs, golf balls, or moth balls. Or maybe you do taxidermy, collect coins, make beer, build toothpick castles, make train cars, fly drones, have a model plane collection or something really unusual that we don't know about. All of us old guys like to see stuff and we appreciate people who collect or have a hidden talent or special skill. SHARE it with us. It makes the meeting more interesting and I'll even buy you a glass of wine. If you have a hobby, special interest collection, art of any form or a special skill, please consider sharing it with your fellow SIR. All it takes is an hour before our monthly meeting and we'll help you get things set up and taken down. In the process you may find a new friend who has your same interest and of course your fellow SIR will appreciate your time and effort. Give me a call or send an e- mail.. Thanks in advance. Ron Smith, Chairman resmith62@aol.com Al Steunenberg, Co-Chairman als2nnbrg@comcast.net ASTRONOMY No report submitted for December Larry Lange, Chairman rllange@pacbell.net Leary Wong, Asst. Chair kinglear3@aol.com Page 5 INDEX

6 BARGAIN BITES Hello Bargain Biters! By the time you read this our December event will be history. Hope you were able to join us at the Himalayan Cuisine in downtown Concord on Tuesday, Dec. 5. In January 2018 we will start our 5th year of Bargain Bites with a Chinese extravaganza at 3 Brothers from China, in Pleasant Hill. We were last there in 2016 and it was a real treat. Alex Go has arranged for the same great menu to be prepared for the January dinner. And the owner has agreed to hold the price to $20 PP tax/tip incl. Happy Chinese New Year!! Watch your s for the announcement including the menu details and the date and times. While you are waiting -- Enjoy a Merry Christmas and a Joyous Hanukah with your family and friends. Chairman: Ron Smith resmith62@aol.com Asst. Chairman: Ron Maciak rammedical@sbcglobal.net BIRDERS No report submitted for December Chairman: Leary Wong, , kinglear3@aol.com BOCCE BALL OPEN PLAY The 2017 Bocce Ball Open season is over. The last games were on October 20th in Newhall Park. Friday players were invited to attend a Brunch at Mel s Diner (Treat/Clayton, Concord). We began play at 8:30 am and played on the Bocce courts in Newhall Park, Concord. Newhall Park is located on Turtle Creek Rd. between Treat Blvd. and Ayers Rd. Play is open to all SIR members and partners. You do not require any knowledge of the game as we will show you how to play and explain the rules that govern the game of Bocce Ball. We provide all the equipment (Bocce Balls and score boards). I organize whoever comes to play into teams. If you have any questions, please call the Activity Chairman. This is the status as of September Members have participated in the Open play activity. Top% => 30 Games Name Won Lost Games Winning % Bob Barnes Tom Keehn Dave Allen Other players may have a larger Winning % but have not played the minimum number of games. Notes: 1. We only play until 10:30 am and as a result some games may end early. 2. Whoever is ahead at 10:30 wins the game. See you next season! Chairman: Bob Barnes sb8msec@hotmail.com Assistant Chairman: Danny Rinaldi: BOCCE BALL - LEAGUE PLAY The 2017 Concord Bocce Ball Federation (CBF) League season has ended for The score in the table represents the SIR Bocce record for the 2016 season. All team members enjoyed the Bocce team play during the season and are looking forward to another season next year. This table represents the team s end of season record. Date Results September 5 Won 13 Lost 35 In our League group, we placed 9 of 9 teams on Tuesday evening. The SIR Bocce team for Branch 8 has the maximum number of players for If a player decides not to play in 2018 then I will ask if any current Bocce Ball players would like to play. They will be asked on a first come basis from the Members who are on the Friday Bocce Ball List. Chairman: Bob Barnes sb8msec@hotmail.com Page 6 INDEX

7 Assistant Chairman: Danny Rinaldi: BOOK EXCHANGE If you read it and liked it, bring it! IF YOU READ A BOOK THAT YOU REALLY LIKED AND WANT TO SHARE IT, BRING IT TO THE NEXT SIR LUNCHEON AND DONATE TO OUR COLLECTION. However, we have recently been inundated with books. Some generous members are bringing boxes of books to donate...not individual books. The net result is that instead of the collection growing at a box or two of books per meeting, we are growing at 4-6 boxes. This is creating a storage issue for us so we are spending a large amount of time to weed through our collection to reduce down the number of boxes. In the future, if any member has a large number of books to donate, it would help us if they brought only a dozen or so per meeting, so that we can assimilate them more easily. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions contact any member of the book exchange team: Chairman: Tom Kerns, jtomk01@aol.com ( ). Assistant Chair: Alan Curtis, alancurtis@sbcglobal.net Assistant Chair: Rob Laaback, rlaabak@yahoo.com Assistant Chairman: Ray Dewit, ray.dewit@yahoo.com BOOK GROUP Twenty-two eager readers met at Round Table Pizza and discussed "Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown. It is the compelling story of the 8-man crew from the University of Washington who in 1936 won the gold medal at the Olympics defeating the German shell, much to the chagrin of Adolf Hitler.All of us praised the book and the style of writing of the author, who followed the lives of the 8-man crew as they developed into a well-oiled machine. Next month we';ll be reading "Wolves Eat Dogs" by Martin Cruz Smith whose first novel, "Gorke Park" introduced the world to Russian detective Arkady Renko.Book Group meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 10:30 am in Round Table Pizza on Oak Park in Pleasant Hill and there's always room for one more.. Nick Maufe is the chair of our growing group of readers. /s/ Fred Nelson, December Reporter Chairman: Nick Maufe nickmaufe@gmail.com BOWLING Bowling Report for Decemberr 2017 Winter Leagues Branch 19 SIR League Branch 19 (Concord) sponsors a SIR league at Clayton Valley Bowl. The league started on September 6 th. The league consists of 10 four-person teams. Spouses and guests are welcome. We bowl starting at 10 AM every Wednesday at Clayton Valley Bowl. This is a good time to be back into Bowling if you have been too busy while you were working full-time. We have averages from 120 to 220, so everyone is welcome. If you are not able to commit to a 30 week season, you might want to sign up as a substitute where you can normally bowl on the weeks that you choose, if there are any absences on your week. Many of the bowlers participate in some of the 20 SIR Bowling tournaments each year. These are a great way to meet SIRs from other branches. Contact Dan Weller, if you are interested. SIR State-Wide Tournament Schedules, Applications, and Results Are On Line: To access the SIR State Bowling information, open the state bowling web site at:. Upcoming SIR Bowling Tournaments: DATE LOCATION COMMENTS Dec 3 Fremont Sunday date for better traffic conditions N: Dan Weller dweller@astound.net ASSISTANT CHAIR: Jim Erickson jim@jterickson.com BASIC BRIDGE Page 7 INDEX ACTIVITY CHAIRMA We have discontinued the formal lessons and we will have open play with each player rotating after 4 hands. Table Talk is allowed. A discussion is encouraged after a hand has been played. Coaches are available for questions at any time. The Basic Bridge players are getting used to the challenge of playing with new partners each round. Our session begins with each table playing a demonstration hand to show how many ways a deal could be bid and played. After the discussion, we have open play at each table. This month the open play produced the following top scores: Nick Maufe (1260); Roger Lockwara (1110); and Stan Johnson (850). Learning players are invited to join us on the first Thursday of the month at Round Table Pizza, 1938 Oak Park Blvd, Pleasant Hill. We start 1:30PM and play until 3:30PM. Arrive early for lunch because that is our payment for the use of the room. At the mid-point of the session we will take a break to check our tires because the of the parking restrictions.

8 Rod Spicer, Chairman, , BRIDGE DUPLICATE 1 The Duplicate Bridge Group I held their regular session on November 10 at Round Table Pizza in Pizza in Pleasant Hill. The top 3 finishers were as follows: 1. Hubinger-Woolf 38 points 2 Milano-Plisco Kahl-Schulze 32 There were no slams bid and made, but some very high scores were achieved none the less. A score of 2050 was earned by the defensive team of Tom Hensley and Dick Long. This is, possibly, the highest score attained by the defense on any hand since the Duplicate Bridge I group has been playing. The result occurred when N-S redoubled a doubled 3 diamond, vulnerable contract that ended up with a 5 trick set! The top high hand earned by the offense happened when the team of Jerry Milano and Gary Plisco, playing N-S, made a redoubled vulnerable 3 NT contract. This resulted in a score of 1000 points. One of the largest swings of the day occurred on the same hand when Bob Kahl and George Schulze, playing E-W, made 4 hearts vulnerable resulting in a 1620 point difference between thescores of the two contracts Thanks to Ernesto Tong and Steve Greytak for subbing. Also, thanks to Jim Regan for hosting. Ernie Sherne has these duties next month. Substitutes are frequently needed. Please contact one of the chairmen below to et on the substitute list: Asst Chairman: Dick Long Asst Chairman: Tom Hensley Chairman: Bob Kahl Bob Kahl, Chairman Dick Long, Asst Chairman Ton Hensley, Asst Chairman DUPLICATE BRIDGE We play on the 4th Friday of each month (exceptions announced here and in Hotline). We do not play in November and December due to the holidays near the ends of those months so the next meeting of the group will be the fourth Friday, 26 Jan The group is currently short one partnership to bring us to the full complement of 12 pairs. And there s always room on the substitutes list for a SIR to sit in and get the feel of the game without a standing commitment. Please call Jerry, Gary or Bud to enquire or suggest a new participant. September Tournament Champions are: Greene-Regan 1st with 60.5 points; Davis-Spicer 2nd with 49.5 points; Southern-Steichen 3rd with 49 points; Bushnell-Scherne 4 th with 44.5 and Kahl-Schulze 5 th with 44 points. Each team scored at least one high board. Greene-Regan scored seven highs and two teams had six. Davis-Spicer had no bottom boards; all other teams had at least one. Board 2 was tied with identical scores. All the N-S pairs were minus 200 and all the E-W pairs were plus 200, creating identical scores for all teams. Davis-Spicer bid and made 6NT on Board 7; two other teams tried Heart Slams and were set. Bushnell-Scherne bid six and made seven hearts on Board 8. One other team made all the tricks also, but had not bid the slam. Perhaps the strangest hand of the day was Board 12 when Davis-Spicer bid 6NT and made 7; four other pairs did not bid slam, three made all thirteen tricks, but one other team lost three tricks in a 5 diamond contract. Jerry Milano Co-Chair jmilano44@comcast.net Bud Grisanti Co-Chair bgrisanti@juno.com Gary Plisco Co-Chair gwp740@astound.net BRIDGE RUBBER Three tables of tire checkers had a great competition. The top players this month were: David Bushnell (4130); George Schulze (4080); and Al Welch (3150). The scores ran from 1520 to 4130 and the median score was about All members are invited to our game which meets at Pleasant Hill Round Table Pizza at 1830 Oak Park Blvd. The game starts at 9:00AM and we try to finish by 12:30PM. Please answer Al Welch's early so we can try to fill the tables. Chairman: Rod Spicer, , marod61@att.net Al Welch, Co-Chair, , blackpool68@gmail.com David Bushnell, Co-Chair, , dbushn@swbell.net BRIDGE - COUPLES On November 20, 2017, the Couples Bridge session had four tables with eight couples. Les and Carole Hopkins took first place with points; Raleigh and Helen Davis were second with 3,640 points; and Steve and Honora Greytak were third with 3,290 points. Our next session will be at 1:00 pm on Monday, November 20, 2017 (our Page 8 INDEX

9 normal 3 rd Monday of each month) at the Mary s Pizza on Oak Grove, in Walnut Creek. We always welcome new players, so if you are interested in joining us, please contact: Ray de Wit (ray.dewit@yahoo.com) or Ken Main (mainkenneth46@gmail.com). CAR ENTHUSIASTS Reservations are underway for the Pacific Grove outing in March of next year. We have made a large dent in the B&B's accommodations as we have 7 or 8 couples planning to go. If interested in joining the Car Enthusiasts Activity, please contact any of the folks listed below. We meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 1 PM in the Round Table Pizza meeting room, Oak Park Blvd. Pleasant Hill. Come a few minutes early to get your food and drink ordered prior to meeting. meetings usually last about 1 hour. Next meeting November 7th. Activity Chair: Chick Lowry - clowry2845@aol.com Assistant Chairs Tom Mohrman mustangtpm@gmail.com Bill Koski billkos36@comcast.net Bob McMains stude35@mac.com COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY At our November meeting, Neil Schmidt gave us an introduction to spreadsheet basics, focusing on applications that might interest retirees. He then went on to demonstrate some of MS Excel s many charts and functions. Examples included a password vault and an investment record sheet. In one big take away, Neil showed us how easy it was to find Excel s many work saving templates you just click on File, then New and the list of Templates will appear. There are over 30 of them! Unfortunately, the subject of Neil s presentation, spreadsheets, did not attract our usual 40 to 50 participants. Only 33 people showed up, and that included nine CAT officers. If you did not attend, you missed a very worthwhile presentation. You will, however, be able to review Neil s presentation notes at the CAT Web page (a2cat.sirinc2.org) The final take away,... a spreadsheet is not just a business tool, it can also be used in many ways in everyday life. There will be no Computers & Technology meeting in December. We look forward to seeing you 9:15 AM, January 18, at the Walnut Creek Elks Lodge, 1475 Creekside Drive. We ask for a donation of $5 to cover the cost of the hall rental, coffee and cookies -- but some months are free, so come and see if our October meeting is another one of those! All SIR members and their guests (spouses included!) are welcome to attend. See you there. Bill Phelon, rphelon@juno.com: CRIBBAGE The Cribbage Group meets on the First Wednesday and the Third Tuesday of each month. There s been a PERMENENT LOCATION CHANGE from Treat Blvd in Concord to the Round Table Pizza located at 1938 Oak Park Blvd. in Pleasant Hill. Hours of play are 1pm to 3pm. Please join us if you have played Cribbage or would like to learn the game November Results November 7, 14 players 1 st Place Dennis Mierzwa 191 pts 2 nd Place Ray Nummi 185 pts 3 rd Place Dan Smith 181 pts. 4 th Place Larry Mersmann 145 pts November 21, 14 players 1 st Place Steve Strobel 236 Pts 2 nd Place Ray Nummi 187 pts 3 rd Place Terry Mason 187 pts 4 th Place Bud Grisanti 177pts Chairman, Ron Draper r-draper@pacbell.net Asst. Chairman, Dan Smith dns.ins02@astound.net DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY The Digital Photo Group s November assignment was Landscape Photography and the group delivered some outstanding landscape photos, as well as covering a few other subjects. Dave Morse really illustrated the value of early and late daylight for getting powerful photos. Rob Brockman displayed some scanned film photos that made one long for the day of film. And, of course, Dave Davis and Jock MacKaig managed to include some insightful comments along with their photos. All in all, a great meeting. The Friday, December 15, meeting will be the Photo Group s holiday luncheon at the Encinal Yacht Club. Bill Phelon will be sending reminders and asking for attendance confirmations soon, as the club needs to plan for our arrival. Page 9 INDEX

10 Please be sure to respond if you are planning to attend. The Digital Photography Group meetings begin at 10:00 AM on the third Friday of the month. Coffee, tea and snacks are provided, for which we ask a $2 donation. All levels of photographer are welcome, from the point and shooters to sophisticated mirrorless & DSLR users. We even entertain phone photos! Bill Phelon, Chair: rpheon@juno.com Dave Davis: Vice Chair: dav.davis@comcast.net DINE IN # 1 Smiths hosted an historic walk back in time to the 1950's. We were treated to Cincinnati Chili serve over pasta with cheese a oyster crackers. This is a famous regional dish and Ron Smith used the recipe from a restaurant in his home town near the Ohio border. As usual, appetizers were over the top. Salad by Judy Karg was terrific and Stephen Deness brought a Hungarian dessert that was superb. Wine flowed as usual. Next dinner is Jan 19 Chairman: Ron Cassano: roncassano@gmail.com DINE IN # 2 No article received by press time. Co-Chair: Ed Cohn; gitano2@att.net Co-Chair: Bob Price sprice8126@yahoo.com DINE IN # 3 Our next dinner, and the last for this year, will be at Jeff Foster and Grace Chang's house on November 15th. Our dining group has evolved over the 2 years we have been together. Several members have moved on to other activities and new people have filled their places at the dinner table. At the end of this year, we say good bye to Tony delasada and Chris Tang. We look forward to greeting new members who would be interested in joining us. If you have an interest in this activity, contact Rich Cheney at or at richard.s.cheney@gmail.com for more information. DINE OUT # 1 DINE OUT 1 WILL BE AT THE GREENERY RESTAURANT AT THE DIABLO HILLS GOLF COURSE ON THURSDAY JANUARY 18, TOM AND SHEILA MOHRMAN ARE HOSTING. ALL SIR'S (COUPLES, SINGLES AND GUESTS) ARE INVITED TO JOIN US AT THIS NEWLY REMODELED VENUE. MENU: You have a choice of 1) New York Steak OR 2) Salmon OR 3) Roasted veggie plate with fettuccine. Baked potato and vegetable included with meat dishes. All entree's include a house salad. WHEN: Social hour begins at 5pm (no host bar. Chips & salsa provided). 6pm. WHERE: The Greenery Restaurant is located at 1551 Marchbank Dr in Walnut Creek. PRICE: $30.00 per person, which includes tax and tip. CONTACT: Your host and hostess Tom and Sheila Mohrman. Make your checks to Sir Tom Mohrman (INCLUDE YOUR CHOICE OF ENTREE ON YOUR CHECK) and mail to 1700 Botelho Dr, APT 205, Walnut Creek, CA (516) or mustangtpm@gmail.com. RSVP: By Thursday January 11, 2018 to reserve your spot..activity Chair: Ken Main Assist Chairs: Don Allen and Jim Ripley DINE OUT #2 No article received at press time. Chairman Jerry Milano jerrymilano@astound.net DINE OUT - SINGLE SIRS Tuesday, December 5 th at La Tapatia Mexican Restaurant and Cantina 1802 Willow Pass Rd., Concord Social time is 5:00 with dinner at 5:30 p.m. host is Glenn Gilman glenngfam@sbcglobal.net Page 10 INDEX

11 LaTapatia Restaurant has been popular with the group before as we dine on Taco Tuesday and giant Margaritas are a house specialty. Last month ten Sirs, single for the night, dined at the Peony Garden Restaurant, hosted by Frank Kilarr. Good food, good conversation and the highlight was when separate checks were received and we than realized how inexpensive was the meal. If you are single or just single at dinner time and wish to join the guys for dinner on the first Tuesday of the month, let Chairman Glenn or the host of the month know and a seat will be saved for you. Separate checks ensure each pay for his own meal. Check out our web page: Don Atwater, Asst. Chairman datwater@pacbell.net DOMINOES Glenn Gilman Chairman glenngfam@sbcglobal.net Wanted: New Players for Dominos Have you wanted to learn how to play dominoes? Here's your opportunity. We are looking for members who would like to play the game. You will play along side one of the experienced members during regular play until you feel comfortable to venture out on your own. We meet at ROUND TABLE PIZZA located at 1938 Oak Park Blvd, Pleasant Hill, Ca. Hours of play are 10:00am to 2:00pm. We usually purchase lunch around 12:30pm, socialize and continue play after lunch. We donate $5.00 each and keep score by points. High score wins. We invite you to join, have fun, and meet new friends. Please join us on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. Chairman: Dan Rinaldi danrinaldi944@gmail.com Co-Chairman: Alan Schulze a_schulze@sbcglobal.net MEXICAN TRAIN DOMINOES Mexican Train Meets on 2nd Tuesday & 3rd Wednesday@10 a.m. Round Table Pizza 1938 Oak Park Blvd. Pleasant Hill Mexican Train, a popular Domino game, is played on the second Tuesday and third Wednesday of the month starting at 10 a.m. at Round Table Pizza 1938 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill. After the game we enjoy lunch and social time. Newbies and experienced players are all welcome. Like in golf, the low score wins. Results of the November 15th game: 13 Rounds - Clark Morehouse* 304; Jerry Ward 369; Terry Norton 407; Don Atwater 467; Larry Mersmann 483; Dan Rinaldi 579; Bill Peterson 649 *Clark Morehouse ran the tracks in one round before the other players were able to make their first play for a score of O while his opponents collected a total of 568 points (Low score wins). Results of the November 14th game: 13 Rounds - Terry Norton 311; Jerry Ward 319; Clark Morehouse 345; Larry Mersmann 366; Bill Peterson 434; Don Atwater 455; Dan Rinaldi 436 Chairman: Danny Rinaldi danrinaldi944@gmail.com Asst. Chairman: Terry Norton norton@sbcglobal.net EXPLORE AND EAT No new article at press time. Chairman: Ron Woods FISHING - AREA 2 All SIR members and guests are welcome, and indeed encouraged, to participate in fishing trips as well as attend the monthly meetings. Next meeting will be Thursday, November 16th, THE THIRD THURSDAY, at the Legend Sports Bar and Grill at the Diablo Creek Golf Course at 4050 Port Chicago Highway in Concord. Meeting starts at 8:30am, come early. We have shifted into our winter mode: trout, sturgeon, stripers, crabs, and rockfish for a while. We got the trout portion off with a bang: Stan Wong, Phil Scimonelli, Bob Page 11 INDEX Sturgeon caught on the Bay

12 Hillacker, Terry Miller, Reggie Fromm, and Carl Moyer all got in on the early action at San Pablo Reservoir (now closed for the winter,) and Lafayette Reservoir. Phil lead the charge with a nice 4 pound rainbow. Rich Fiscina and Tom Boltz each took nice sturgeon. Tom Kostik, Mike Corker, and Pete Gates had fun with stripers. Stan Wong and Raleigh Davis have been busy on crab/rockfish combo trips upon the ocean, doing quite well. Lee Clark and Raleigh Davis finished a scintillating salmon season with big fish. Chuck Vanoncini lead a large group of us to Lake Almanor for 3 days of fishing, feasting, and frolicking. This has been a highlight of our year and thoroughly enjoyed by the participants. Thank you, Chuck. Contacts are Paul Dubow ( ) and Carl Moyer ( ) GOLF - 18 HOLES Congratulations to our Club Champion for 2017, Kevin Roberts with scores of 85, 83 (168) Great shooting, Kevin. Our Low Net winner for 2017 was Stan Johnson, 61,62 (123). Good going also. Our Club Championship had its share of excitement We have one golfer we shall name D who has a motorized cart that we shall name Spitzer Spitzer obeys every command from D. Day three of our Club Championship, hole number 11: D hits his driver dangerously close to the water hazard. Spitzer responds to D s command and proceeds toward the hazard and stops short as ordered D, being the golfer that he is goes down on his hands and knees looking for his lost ball. As D is searching a butt call occurs and Spitzer being the faithful servant that he is, proceeds forward towards the water hazard. D, realizing what is happening frantically searches for his remote, finds it and throws it to the ground. Spitzer, not recognizing the command proceeds in to the water hazard and falls bag first. The whole scenario was witnessed by his foursome, Bill, Jack and Stan. No further incidents were reported. By the way, D ended up in the money. Bill Koski, Communications: billkos36@comcast.net GOLF - 9 HOLES As we approach the holiday season and the onset of what masquerades as winter in California we should be thankful we are here and not in one of those spots where winter means snow drifts and fur boots! It should be mentioned that the results every week are posted on the branch website on the 9-hole golf play results page where you can read all about the good and bad play by our group. The Hotline is undergoing a makeover and the aim is to make the branch website the up-to-date source for activity news and use the Hotline for more basic information. For those of you who have neglected using the web site please check it out, everything there is current and interesting! To everyone who plays with our group we wish you all the very best for this holiday season, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Barry Brown, Chair: barry@bkbrown.net (925) Phil Philpot Asst. Chair: jr5753@outlook.com (925) Dick Brooks, Stats & Board member sb8golf9holes@gmail.com GOLF COUPLES Today 3 couples actually challenged the rain and had an excellent round of golf at Diablo Hills. Golfers were the Barrellas, Lockwaras and the Batesoles. Highlights included not having to use cart path only, and #4, in one of our foursome s, everyone made a par. For SCG we make sure that the rain does not "rain on our parade". Nine additional couples showed up for lunch at the Greenery: the Derby's, Hersch's, Olson's, Steichen's, and the Yarberry's. Our Annual Year-end Celebration was on Oct. 27 at Boundary Oak. This annual event was a great way to enjoy our group without keeping scores! Paul and Sue Derby made all the arrangements, and the food was great as well as the friendships. Thursday, Dec. 14 (the second Thursday of each month) is our next outing with Roger and Mardi Lockwara as our marshals. They will a reminder before the date with tee times. SIR Couples Golf is open to anyone who would like to join in a 9 hole 2 nd Thursday group. For more information, you may contact chairperson Paul Derby , derby.paul@comcast.net or Asst. Chair Paul Hersch hershibar@astound.net. Truly we have as much fun off of the golf course as we do playing golf. WEBSITE (and be sure to check if you will also stay for lunch) Chairman: Paul Derby derby.paul@comcast.net Asst. Chair: Paul Hersch poppy3642@gmail.com. Page 12 INDEX

13 HEADS UP WALKERS December 2017 Walks One-hour walks start at 9:30 AM and usually are on flat surfaces. Most walks are out and back which means you walk for 30 minutes at your own pace, then turn around and walk 30 minutes back to the starting point. At 10:30 AM, we leave the trail for coffee, refreshments and spirited conversation. Spouses and dogs welcome. 11/30/2017: Orinda: Tilden Regional Park, Inspiration Point. Exit Hwy 24 at Orinda, north on Camino Pablo (~2 mi.), left on Wildcat Canyon Rd., (~2 mi.) to Inspiration Point parking lot on the right. Cafe: Geppetto's Cafe. Leader: Terry Norton 12/7/2017: Lafayette: Moraga Community Center. Meet at the Lafayette Community Center on St. Mary's Road. Parking is near the new sport court. Cafe: Noah's New York Bagels. Leader: Bill Peterson 12/14/2017: Danville: Railroad Museum Iron Horse. Exit I-680 at Diablo Rd., west to Hartz Ave., left to Prospect Ave., right to Railroad Ave Meet in Railroad Museum parking lot, corner of Prospect & Railroad Ave. Cafe: Pascal French Oven Bakery & Cafe. Leader: Dan Smith 12/21/2017: Moraga: Moraga SMC. Meet at the staging area on St. Mary's Road approx. 1/10th mile north of the entrance to St. Mary's College. Cafe: Starbucks Moraga. Leader: Dan Weller 12/28/2017: Lafayette: Moraga Olympic. Meet at the eastern trailhead parking lot, north of Olympic Blvd. & west of Pleasant Hill Rd. Note, parking may be full. Try the smaller lot at the west end of Olympic, or hang out in the larger lot and wait for someone to leave. Cafe: Noah's New York Bagels. Leader: Dave Allen ACTIVITY CHAIRMAN: Dan Weller ASSISTANT CHAIR: Erland Persson ASSISTANT CHAIR: Jim Kawal HIKERS - SIR HIKERS December 2017 SIR Hikes For more details on these 2 hikes, including directions, car-pooling, what to bring, map, pictures, and optional lunch see the SIR Hiker web page at Easy Hike Black Diamond Regional Preserve, Antioch, December 12 Retired geologist and fellow SIR hiker Dave Bushnell has organized this special easy hike for December 12. We meet at 10 am in the main lower parking lot on Summersville Road, then hike a mile or so to the restored Hazel Atlas Mine. A Naturalist will meet our group and lead us some distance into the mine, which produced both coal and glass sand in the late 1800s. This mining area is Eocene age and was one of the only sources of coal in California in the decades after the gold rush. The walk up to the mine is gentle, but the mine is quite chilly (56deg) so warm clothing is advisable. The mine tour is limited to 16 hikers and costs each a $5 fee. If more than 16 are interested, we'll prioritize participation to the most active easy hikers in Hike Leader: Dave Bushnell (925) ; dbushn@swbell.net Hard Hike Nimitz Way, Berkeley Hills, December 26 This is a good all-weather hike atop Tilden Park with great views. An out-and-back beginning at 10 am, we can do up to 8 miles on an undulating paved trail. Turn around when you want. There are restrooms off the parking lot at Inspiration Point, the beginning of the hike. No need for trekking poles, but bring a hat, water and sun screen. Hike Leader: Rob Laaback (925) rlaabak@yahoo.com December Coordinator: Martin Simmons (925) martin@infinitylane.com Activity Chairman: Dave Davis; (925) ; dav.davis@comcast.net LADIES DAY LUNCHEON Dear SIRS, please join over 220 of us, already signed up, at Round Hill Country Club for the Ladies Day Luncheon on December 11th. You can find the application forms on the website. No host drinks & socializing, delicious food in elegant company, with beautiful holiday decorations all around. Send applications, before Wednesday December 6th, to Ed Dijkman, his address & details are on the application forms" Thank you, MODEL RAILROADING We ve changed the location of our model train layout! Design and construction of the HO layout will begin soon. Please stay tuned for future announcements on the direction of the group. There will be an exciting project for us to assist with in 2017! Watch the Hotline for details. Page 13 INDEX

14 Instead, members of the Model Railroading Activity are encouraged to visit one or several of the many existing Train Club layouts in the Bay Area. Over the next few months, please consider visiting: The Golden State Model Railroad Museum in Point Richmond ( the Carquinez Model Railroad Society in Crockett ( and the San Leandro Historical Railway Society in San Leandro ( Please check websites for open house events. Note: This Activity will hopefully soon be an Area 16-wide area of interest. Asst. Chairman: Dick Grube MIXER Meets last Tuesday of the Month at Stanford s in Walnut Creek from 3pm to 6pm. Check our website for more information. Chairman: Jack Sagen PICKLE BALL No article submitted by press time. For information, please call: Chairman: Tom Trice (510) tstrice@yahoo.com. POKER Players wanted. Come join us for poker! We now have 10 groups: playing days are shown in the table below. First Monday First Tuesday First Friday Second Tuesday First Wednesday Third Wednesday Third Thursday Fourth Monday Fourth Tuesday Fourth Thursday Our groups meet either from noon to 3:00 PM or 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Group members rotate as hosting. We play with no wild cards and a three raise max. It s an inexpensive way to spend an afternoon with a great group of guys! Chair: Dan Franklin montgall26@gmail.com Asst: Ekk Keller ekkeller@astound.net Ass t: Ron Draper r-draper@pacbel.net SIRS AT THE GAMES You don't need a reminder of how expensive it is to live in the Bay Area. We see this fact in our everyday lives including our entertainment options. Certainly, ticket prices for sporting events have increased significantly. As the teams become more successful, the ticket prices have escalated. That is the good news and bad news of our sports environment. In response, SIRs at the Games has offered college games as a way of managing expenses. We have tried St. Mary's basketball, and both basketball and football at California - Berkeley. Attendance at these games has been mixed to disappointing. This winter, we have group opportunities to attend another Golden State Warriors' game (they are the NBA Champions!) and the San Jose Sharks (we can carpool to the Shark Tank). These games can be great fun for you and your spouses/friends, but can be costly as well. Tickets can reach the $100 -$160 range plus refreshments. I would like your feedback regarding these higher priced games. Are you willing to pay higher ticket prices for premium events like the Warriors or Sharks? I would appreciate your feedback before we commit to purchase tickets to one of these games. Please contact me with your feedback, sschramm01@gmail.com. I look forward to your responses to this question of ticket pricing and SIR group attendance. Thanks, Steve Schramm,Activity Chairman, SIRs at the Games Page 14 INDEX

15 SIRS AT THE OPERA No article submitted by press time. Note that until further notice, the opera and ballet HD transmissions will not be shown in Pleasant Hill due to theater renovations. Chairman: David Bushnell SIRS IN THE KITCHEN Christmas Open House Due to travel plans and the Thanksgiving holiday, Sirs in the Kitchen did not meet in November. We hope that all the Sir Chefs and their families had a very happy Thanksgiving! On December 19, we'll have an open house for our Sirs in the Kitchen members and spouse/partners from 3.00 pm until 7.00 pm.. As of now, the open house menu will include Roast Tri Tip with Chimichurri, Dinner Rolls, Meatballs in BBQ Sauce, Chef Jim's Frijoles de la Olla, Iced Shrimp, Green Salad, Ms Karen C's Potato Salad, Assorted Cheeses and Luncheon Meats, Vegetable Platter, Chips and Assorted Dips such as California, Garlic, Clam, Guacamole and Hot Queso. There will also be refreshments, mix your own cocktails, red and white wine, assorted beers, assorted soft drinks and even some water. I'll need three sous chefs at am on Monday, December 18 and two crews of three sous chefs (3.00 to 5.00 and 5.00 to 7.00) the evening of the party. I'll also need at least two bartenders to keep the bar stocked and a clean up crew after the party ends. Best of all, the event will be free. When you sign up, let Executive Chef Ed know your preferred volunteer position and shift and your approximate time of arrival so the food can be properly staged. SUMS IN RETIREMENT There's no meeting in December. Back to 4th Wednesdays starting January 24. SUMS Chairman Tom Henry tomhenry925@gmail.com Co-chair Dave Sutton davesutn@comcast.net TRAVELING SIRS The Colorado Train Adventure has a lot of interest and some signups already. The trip includes: 7 nights hotel, 15 meals, all taxes and gratuities, airline fare to and from Denver, professional tour manager, and many sightseeing opportunities. Also, home pickup to and from the airport. The trip is September 15, Lets all get aboard, We are planning a travel meeting next year after January 1. We will have a travel agent present to discuss the train trip and some river cruises Chairman Traveling SIRS: L.yarberry42@comcast.net WINE BARGAIN WINES No article submitted by press time. Chairman: Jim Warner, Assistant: Ed Benson, Page 15 INDEX

16 WINE - CELLAR FILLERS December 2017 is a down month for the Cellar Fillers Wine Activity. The next meeting will be in January or February, 2018, with time and place TBD. New hosts for the meeting are always welcome. Anyone with room enough to have ten or more thirsty Sirs for lunch is qualified to be the next host. Call if you would like to take it on. The activity is open to members, applicants, and guests and is a great way to introduce a guest to SIR. Spouses and SO's are welcome at our other five wine activities, such as All About Wine, Wine Finders I, II, and III, or Bargain Wines. We meet at 11:30 AM for a simple lunch of sandwiches and fixin's, then taste five whites and five reds. Occasionally we throw in a few blush wines. Our price point is $7.00-ish, but if tempted by a pretty label we will go a little higher. The cost of the events is usually around $10.00, depending on the wines selected and how many members attend. A report on the wines evaluated will be sent to the CFWA members shortly after the meeting, and will be available on the Branch 8 website home page. It will list the wines, their rankings, price and source. If you have questions or if you would like your name to be added to the mailing list, please contact: Jim Sowell, Chair, sowell4jim@aol.com, (925) or (925) cell Jim Warner, Ass't Chair, jdubew@hotmail.com, (925) WINE FINDERS 1 WINE FINDERS 2 December 14th, we propose to have our annual CHRISTMAS GALA, with all three WINEFINDERS GROUPS (WF-1,2, and3). Jack (Rose) Sagen has agreed to open his home, and requests that all revelers dress the part of decorations, bright, cheery, and in party mode. Suggested beverage would be sparkling wine, plus shared appetizers Ron C. and Larry McE, would appreciate your forwarding this note to your respective wine finders. Bob and Sandy P will be out of country unit October 10, so please direct any comments/suggestions to Tony D, including your Chardonnay selections for the Oct 12 gathering. Chair : WF-1: Bob Price sprice8126@yahoo.com (925) Co-Chair: Tony de Losada delosada@ix.netcom.com (925) No Article submitted by press time Ron Cassano roncassano@gmail.com (925) WINE FINDERS 3 December will feature another grand reunion of all 3 wine finders groups at a location yet to be determined. The next Wine finder III meeting will take place in February and hosted by Gene and Mary Lou Paschal..Chair WF-3: Larry McEwen elmsooweaux@comcast.net (925) ALL ABOUT WINES NEW ACTIVITY The first meeting of SIR All About Wine was held on Oct. 19 at the home of Tom & Barbara Anders in Walnut Creek. Chairman Tom Anders included a harvest and winemaking experience with his red wine grapes from the back-garden small vineyard. All 10 participants took part in harvesting, destemming and crushing while Tom explained normal winemaking industry practices. This was followed with appetizers provided by the participants along with wines selected by Tom Anders from the Sierra Foothills-El Dorado and Amador County which was the wine region theme of this meeting of the group. Wine evaluation sheets for each wine were provided and all became wine judges Based on 5 judging points. Results: (Avg. score of judges. Prices not known prior to judging.) Lewis Grace Winery 2018 Pinot Gris: 88 pts. ($18 at winery) Lava Cap Winery 2016 Chardonnay: 87 pts. ($15 at Total Wines) Lava Cap 2014 Barbera: 87 pts. ($14 at Total Wines) Lewis Grace 2013 Tempranillo: 88 pts. ($28 at winery) Turley Wine Cellars Zinfandel Rinaldi Vineyard: 91 pts. ($38 at winery) Karmere Winery 2013 Barbera: 86 pts. ($27 art winery) The next meeting of the All About Wine group is planned for Thurs., Dec. 14 featuring wines of California Central Coast. Chairman Tom Anders Page 16 INDEX

17 WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY Writing Your Life Stories will meet on Dec. 26 and we welcome new members. We write short stories about events in our lives that are of interest to us and perhaps will be to our progeny. Meeting as a group and sharing stories (always voluntary) triggers our memories and keeps us inspired. We meet on the fourth Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at Vintage Kensington Place (in the second floor Game Room), located on Geary Road near North Main in Walnut Creek, just off I-680. You will receive a syllabus to guide you in writing your own life stories Dick Brewer revrpb@aol.com ACTIVITY CHAIRMEN & BRANCH 8 LEADERS BIOGRAPHIES Mike Long, Big SIR 2017 Jim Sowell, Chairman Wine- Cellar Fillers My roles in SIR have been Little Sir-2009, Big Sir 2010, Chair of Cellar Fillers Wine Activity, Asst Chair of Sirs in the Kitchen, Member Relations Committee, and Ride Share coordinator. My artistic wife, Sandra and I have two children, two grandchildren, one step grandchild, and one great-stepgrandchild. I was born in Knoxville,TN and moved to rural Kentucky after WW II. I earned a BA in Math at the Univ of Kentucky, a MSc in Systems Management at the Univ of Southern California with a 4.0/4.0 GPA, and a two year Certificate in Hazardous Materials Management at the Univ of Cal Irvine, with a 4.0/4.0 GPA. I studied Latin, French, German, Dutch, Vietnamese, and Spanish. I have lived in the Netherlands, Germany, and Vietnam and traveled to 22 other countries and all the states except Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. My military career began with the Army Reserves and ROTC where I was on the rifle team and took flight training. My first duty station was Ft Bliss, TX for Air Defense (AD) Artillery school. Next to the Boston region as a Nike AD Missile Battery officer during the Cold War. After AD I transferred to the Transportation Corps, attended Basic and Career Officer courses at Ft. Eustis, VA and served tours in Vietnam as a stevedore company commander and adviser to ARVN transportation units in Qui Nhon. Other jobs were in port operations, motor pools, and logistics staff at the Benelux Terminal in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Ft. Bliss, TX, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, Kaiserslautern, Germany and. Ft MacArthur, CA, rising to the rank of Major. Next was a 30 year career with the SoCal Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) and its successor agencies, the LA Co. Trans Commission, and the LA Co. Metro Trans Auth, In 2004 I retired and followed our daughter and grandchildren to Walnut Creek where I joined SIR in I have participated in the SIR activities of astronomy, barbeque, bocce ball, book exchange, bridge, car enthusiasts, computers and technology, digital photography, explore and eat, hiking, Sirs at the Opera, Sirs In The Kitchen, SUMS in Retirement, walking, wine tasting, and yoga. Outside of SIR my interests have been skiing, hunting, fishing, competitive shooting, camping, acupressure and massage, woodworking, modifying and repairing pre-1990's Volvos, and bird watching. I was born in Lakewood, Ohio and grew up an avid sports fan of my Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns. I earned a BS degree in Economics at the University of Dayton in 1961 and spent my college summers working on several steam ships on Lake Michigan. My working career started in St Paul, Minnesota with the 3M Company as a sales engineer in our St Louis office. In 1965, I was transferred to San Francisco where I met my future wife Patricia and married in We raised three great children and this year celebrated our 50 th wedding anniversary with our families and seven grandchildren. In 1969, I accepted a marketing management position at our headquarters in Minnesota overseeing industrial products and writing business plans. Three years later, I accepted a position in New York and finally earned a MBA degree in I also served as the President of the Connecticut American Marketing Association. We packed up the station wagon in 1981 with three kids and two gerbils for a new assignment in San Francisco and moved to Walnut Creek. I retired from 3M after 40 years in We now spend our time traveling and being with our families and grandchildren in Wisconsin, Colorado, and Sacramento. Thanks to Ron Smith, I was introduced to SIRS and over fifteen years served as 18 Hole Golf Chairman, Activity Chairman, Little Sir, and Big Sir. Page 17 INDEX

18 Membership Data for November 2017 BEC Approval: 11/13/2017 Applicants Inducted: 2 Name Badge Sponsor Members Requested Active Status: 0 New Applicants: 1 Name Badge Sponsor Herb Friedman MD-170 Dan Casella MD-214 Applicants Attended Orientation: 0 Name Badge Sponsor Applicants Induction Date:1 Name Badge To Be Inducted Herb Friedman MD-170 Tentative for 1/8/21018 Applications Withdrawn Date: 0 Name Badge Reason Members Requested Inactive Status: 5 Name Badge Reason Bob Brown MD-503 Family Member Health Mike Paster MD-502 Member Health Harry Reiter MD-504 Member Health Howard Berkman MD-506 Monthly Meeting absences Stewart Patrick MD-507 Member - Health Active Members Resignation: 3 Name Badge Reason Bruce Benszler MD-331 Other activities Maurice Nelson MD-241 Deceased Carl Mianecke MD-348 Resumed work Inactive Members Resignation: 0 Name Badge Reason Membership Totals Group - Status Number Members - Active 342 Applicants To Be Inducted 1 Members - Inactive 17 New Members: Inducted October 2017 N/A SIR Birthday December 2017 Day Name Day Name 3 Gary Plisco 19 Rich Deyoe 6 Dick Brown 19 George Marich 6 Harry Hubinger 20 Dick Schally 7 Bud Bartz 21 Bill Barnard 10 Tom DiGrande 22 Ron Brown 10 Bill Phelon 23 Bob Mayo 10 Don Sanderson 24 Bill Hunter 11 Ken Rader 24 Peter Kiernan 12 Pete Boss 25 Marvin Kreitz 12 Al Frankenkrog 25 Bob Weiss 13 Rob Brockman 26 Don Flynn 13 Stu Harris 27 Rich Knowles 13 Terry Harris 28 Jim Lunn 15 Ken Main 28 Dick Marvin 17 Clark Morehouse 28 Alan Schulze 18 Ray de Wit 30 Dennis Fitzpatrick 19 Alan Curtis 30 Nick Maufe SIR Anniversary - December 2017 Name Years Obituary Report: Name: Maurice Nelson Inducted: 2/2/2001 Deceased: 9/14/2017, Activities: Antique Cars. Digital Photography, RVing, Wine Club SIR Certificates December Name Certificate Type Harry Hubinger Senior Page 18 INDEX

19 PHOTO GALLERY Gen. Rob Ostenberg, November Speaker Vietnam Award Line Ernie Sherne, played Taps Thom Watkins with his Wheel rewards! Kevin Roberts 2017 Golf Open Champion Page 19 INDEX