THE LITTLE SIR SEZ MARK YOUR CALENDERS

Transcription

1 April 2015 THE BIG SIR COLUMN THE LITTLE SIR SEZ What a Great Party! 50 th Anniversary - Well, our 50 th year got kicked off in a fine way. We had the three things that make for a great party wine, women and song. Along the way we also had proclamations making March 9 Sir Branch 8 Day in the cities of Walnut Creek and Concord, congratulations from our State President Bob, and a terrific speaker. Again, I want to thank the anniversary committee and especially Sir Bill Peterson for all the hard work in putting the day together. At the meeting I spoke about what our Branch stands for and read our recently approved Mission Statement: To provide a Sons in Retirement Branch for retired and semi-retired men with the purpose of enriching their lives and consequently, the lives of their spouses/partners This is what we work toward, and what all the officers, chairmen and volunteers strive to accomplish. We want to enrich our member' lives and the lives of their spouses and partners. I think we are doing a darn good job of it, and I invite any member who has suggestions for improvement to send me an , call or fill out a comment card at the monthly luncheon. We've had a great response from our drive to have you, the members, bring guests. At the, same time we have lost 12 members to prolonged illness, about 11 percent of our membership and through March our turnover is running at close to 15 percent.caregiving for a loved one, moving from the area and most unfortunately, death. Continued on Page 2 What a fantastic 50th Anniversary luncheon. Our Big SIR Ed deserves a big thank you for a great job organizing and leading the anniversary committee to its very successful conclusion.. Everything ran very smoothly and it certainly appeared everyone had a great time. Now we can look forward to our centennial in 2065 but, I think we ll let someone else handle that one. How about our speaker Michael Finney? I received a lot of compliments on Michael s presentation and he was gracious enough to stay after the lunch and answer questions from 7 or 8 members. Now, our speaker for April will be Tom Lindermuth SR and the subject will be of great interest to all of us as we continue with another year of drought, desalinization. Tom will discuss the technical driving forces behind desalinization, the opportunities, and California s strategy regarding desalinization. Should be another good one. MARK YOUR CALENDERS Not too early to remind everyone that our May luncheon at the Hilton has been moved to the third Monday, May 18 th due to a conflict with a Hilton convention. Darryl Sweetland, Little SIR March HOTLINE Editor: Ekk Keller Next SIR Luncheon: April 13, 2015 Concord Hilton 1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord Executive Meeting: 9:00am Social Hour begins: 10:15am Luncheon starts: 11:30am Greeters: : Dave Robins & Steve Pierce. HOTLINE INDEX = Spouses/Friends welcome Page # General Branch 1-4 Business Branch Positions 16,17 Activity Report 4 Annual Barbeque 4 Arts, Crafts & Hobbies 4 Astronomy 4 Bargain Bites 5 Birthdays 14 Bocce ball (All) 5 Book Exchange 5 Book Group Bowling 6 Bridge (All) 6-7 Car Enthusiasts 7 Computers and Tech 7 Cribbage 7 Digital Photography 8 Dominoes 8 Explore & Eat 8 Fishing 8 Genealogy 9 Golf (All) 9 Heads Up Walkers 9 Hikers 10 Hotline Input 4 Let s Dine In (All) 10 Let s Dine Out (All) 10 Luncheon Menu 3 Membership Report 14 Picture Gallery 15 Poker 11 Pub Games 11 Single SIR Dine Out 11 SIRS at the Games 11 SIRS in the Garden 11 SIRS in the Kitchen 12 Sums In Retirement 12 Sunshine Report 4 Table Pool 12 Traveling SIRS 13 Wine Articles (All) 13, Writing Your Life Story 14

2 Big SIR continued Each year we lose about 11 percent of our membership, and through March our turnover is running at close to 15 percent. Talk to your friends, the husbands of your spouse/partner's friends, guys you meet at your usual haunts such as golf courses, Costco and Grocery Outlet's wine department. Carry your Sir cards and hand them our frequently to guys who could be friends. Remember that our Branch Mission is to enrich lives, and we're darn good at it. Remember to mark your calendar, the May meeting will be held on May 18, NOT on our usual date.best to all, and I ll see you on April 13, Ed Benson, Branch 8 Big Sir 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 . Bob Barnes sb8msec@hotmail.com Dave Perkins snikrepj@aol.com FOR ABSENCES AND GUESTS s sent to sirbr8hotline@hotmail.comor excused absences will be confirmed with a Reply it was received. Messages sent to personal accounts will not be answered. If a Reply confirming receipt of the 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 Thursday noon prior to the meeting. Please note calls to the telephone number will not be automatically returned since the greeting message confirms the correct number was reached. Please bring a guest, but if you want to be sure your guest has a place to sit and gets a meal, you need to do the following: Call the Attendance Secretary, Bill Peterson, on the attendance hotline: or by SIRBR8Hotline@hotmail.com on Thursday before the meeting. Then Bill can adjust his count for the caterer. MEMBER RELATIONS COMMITTEE A big congratulations and thanks to all members of our branch Member Relations Committee (MRC) who helped organize and carry out our fiftieth anniversary celebration. A special thanks to MRC members Ed Benson, Tony delosada, and Bill Peterson who were especially responsible for the initial ideas and much of the work for this great success! You hopefully noticed the use of our new wireless microphone during our last meeting. Thanks to Dick Brooks and Tony delosada for buying these and getting these working. Continue to search out our new members by noticing the red dots on their badges. Say hello and get to know them. Invite them to your favorite activity. Stan Johnson, Chairman of the Member Relations Committee COMMENT CARD CORNER At the March 9, 2015 lunch 25 attendees submitted 14 comment cards. Eleven cards were identified as members and three showed no identity. Seven attendees were "Impressed", one was "satisfied", one was "Mad as the dickens", and 16 gave no attitude. All but one of the cards praised the food and service with such accolades as good, good job with meat, steak warm and tasty, serve more like this, impressive, great dessert, delicious, wonderful (2), and excellent (3). The odd card out was "mad" because there was "NO CORNED BEEF", and on one of the multiple comments the steak was tough and not cooked to his preference. Three were thankful for the wine and another thought there was not enough of it. One noticed there were no bread plates. Favorable mention was made of the overall program, the choral group, the slide show, short speeches, short jokes, and the top notch speaker. Suggested improvements were: To display a picture of deceased members when the Sunshine Committee makes its report. To spotlight the speakers platform to improve visibility of the meeting focus. Provide a hat rack, and control the feedback squeal on the sound system. The most interesting comments highlighted the well planned, organized and efficient preparations for this important Branch 8 milestone..sinsirly, Jim Sowell LEGAL NOTICE This notice is available in the Roster and on the web site. RECRUITMENT The new year started off great. The recruitment committee is looking for new ways to introduce SIR to the community. The best recruitment method is still the members of the branch. Get together with your friend and neighbors and let them know how much fun you are having and ask them to join you at a luncheon meeting. Don' forget to stop by the recruitment table and pick up brochures and wallet cards to aid you in your discussions. Chair: Don Dennler dondennler@yahoo.com 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 guests to meetings during the previous six months. You can use the SIR cards available at the check-in table to invite guests. For each new guest sponsored during the six 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. RED DOT BAGES 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 2 of 20

3 them feel they can talk about your SIR activities and ask them to join you. BRANCH 8 ATTENDANCE RULES Rule 60. This notice has been moved to the web site. TREASURER S REPORT Larry Yarberry, Treasurer Treasurers Report February 2015 Branch 8 BEGINNING CASH BALANCE $17, TOTAL RECEIPTS $7, Monthly Luncheon $6, Dues $1, Hotline $42.00 Interest $0.16 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $7, AT&T $14.00 Monthly Luncheon $6, Other $ Hotline $99.79 Gain or Loss $ HELP WANTED Branch #8 Speakers Our member survey indicated you wanted speakers from the Branch to speak about their unusual and perhaps exciting life experience(s) at our luncheons. Our usual presentation is about 20 minutes in length with 10 to 15 minutes allowed for questions. So, if any of you are interested in being considered please contact Little Sir Darryl Sweetland ATTENDANCE REPORT Attendance for the March luncheon Active Members: Membership Prior to Luncheon 320 Members Inducted 4 Excused Absences - 47 Unexcused Absences - 2 Members Attending 275 Others: Special Invited Guests & Visitors 30 Visitors - Guests - Speakers 15 Others Attending 45 TOTAL ATTENDANCE 320 Special Invited Guests & Visitors Bob Hairston State President Don Dill State Vice-President Dwight Sale Past State President Dick DeVoe Director, Region 6 Bob Fox Director, Region 5 Jim Filippo Director, Region 10 Rob Ingebreston Governor, Area 8 Bob Simmons Walnut Creek Mayor Dan Helix Concord City Council 5 Representatives from the Hilton Concord 16 Representatives from other SIR branches Guest Ricardo Almeraz Jerry Benson Bruce Benzler Ron Brown Dan Chiappone Preston Jiannalone Stephen Lucey Robert McManis John Meade Vivek Patwardhan Ralph Reamy Dave Roberts Art Westman Speaker Michael Finney Sponsor Mario Moratorio Greg Ryan Dave Bushnell Larry Lange Joe Casalaina Greg Ryan Bill Koski Tom Hodgson Stan Johnson Ed Cohn DeWayne Ruwe Hal Samson Darryl Sweetland Bill Peterson, Attendance Secretary 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 scottgraff@comcast.net LUNCHEON MENU FOR APRIL House Salad Meatloaf w/ Mushroom Gravy Mashed Potatoes Vegetables Red Velvet Cake Coffee/Ice Tea VEGETARIAN MEAL OPTION We offer a vegetarian meal option to those who cannot eat the regular monthly entrées served at the luncheons. This is not intended to be a choice made each month simply as an alternative to the regular menu but to do our best to accommodate members health, dietary or religious needs on a permanent basis. Please call to discuss your particular situation. Bill Peterson, Attendance Secretary ACTIVITIES AT OTHER BRANCHES The list is being revised. Look for an updated list here next month. STATE SIR HAPPENINGS A complete archive is now on the State website at You can open the file and sort on any keyword by using the binoculars icon. Just click on the icon; type in a word like activity or activities in the box; and all of the activity articles will be indexed. The current issue of SIR Happenings is at Walt Schick 3 of 20

4 SUNSHINE REPORT Since the last Hotline Report the Committee has sent condolences to Derek Lofquist s family. Lawrence Mersmann lmersmann@yahoo.com SIR Sunshine Committee: br8sunshine@yahoo.com HOTLINE INPUT and WEB EDITORS IMPORTANT SINGLE HOTLINE ADDRESS: Hotline@sirinc3.org. 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 will not be included in the Hotline. Current Hotline Editors (Hotline Coordinator *) Dan Weller* dweller@astound.net Barry Brown barry@bkbrown.net Chuck Joyce joycc003@gmail.com Ekk Keller ekkeller@astound.net 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 Please be brief, we will attempt to keep the articles worded as you wish them to be presented. Please place the Chairman and other contact information at the bottom. While formatting and type style is left to the discretion of the Hotline Editors, we will try to preserve your format bolds and underline. Please avoid complex boxes and having the whole article in bold or ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. For sending text, a word document or just typing into the message works just fine. Please avoid copying and pasting text from websites as this can require retyping before it can be used. To be sure your article is not missed, please put hotline activity and month into the Subject of your submittal Example: Hotline Activity - Poker for October We, your Editors and Webmasters, are here to serve you, and we need your very important input. For the Website, send input anytime, but expect some possible delay before input is added. ACTIVITY REPORT Have you noticed that we are having a lot of new members starting up new activities? Their energy is infectious and is adding a lot to the strength of Branch 8. We also have new members signing up for leadership positions in existing activities. These newcomers clearly understand that you get a lot more out of SIR Branch 8 when you put something into it. I know that we have several current activities that need members stepping up to chairman or assistant chairman duties. Please help out when you are asked. It takes all of us, new members and longer tenured ones, to keep us strong and growing. It will add to your fun and enjoyment, too. Coordinator: Phillip R. Trapp Home Mobile Fax ANNUAL BRANCH 8 BARBEQUE Annual Branch 8 BBQ June 16, 3:00 Till Dusk So far we have 84 sign ups for the event, and we can take about 130 so get those reservations in. The details follow: The BBQ will be held at the Concord Community Park on Cowell Road just south of Monument Boulevard. We will again be using last year s caterer, headed by our own branch 8 member, Tom Borman; they did a great job. The price remains the same at $25.00 per person. You can sign up either by (ebensonbwa@aol.com) or at the April and May meetings. Walt Schick will be manning the activity table. We will be collecting the money in mid-may when Executive Chef Benson returns from his travels. We are sticking with our winning combination of Tri Tip Steak, beans, potato salad, green salad, garlic bread and chocolate cookies for dessert. Pre dinner appetizers will include last year s big hit barbequed sausage. Other appetizers will be buffalo wings and the usual assortment of dips, etc. Wine, beer, soft drinks and even water will be provided by the Sirs in the Kitchen crew for those working up a thirst, and beverages are included in the price. The festivities will start at 3:00, dinner will be served around 5:00 and we ll wrap up at dusk or whenever the drinks run out. LOL Remember, we are not collecting money now. We will be asking for money at the May meeting or by check made out and mailed to Ed Benson. We will be in contact with those who have signed up in mid-may. Chair: Ed Benson ( ) ebensonbwa@aol.com ARTS, CRAFTS & HOBBIES No input for this issue. Chairman: Al Steunenberg als2nnbrg@comcast.net ASTRONOMY There will be a guest speaker at our regular meeting of the Astronomy Activity immediately after the luncheon at the Hilton on Monday, April 13. Our speaker will be Dr. Rollie Otto, retired scientist and educator from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While at the Lab Dr Otto was Head of the Center for Science and Engineering Education and held a number of key positions. Ollie's topic will be on the connection between science and faith. The Astronomy Activity will also be taking a Field trip to the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab on Friday April 17. Our Web page at is updated frequently with new information, videos and links relating to upcoming topics. Bill Hunter, Chairman; wkhbill@pacbell.net Leary Wong, Asst. Chair: kinglear3@aol.com 4 of 20

5 BARGAIN BITES FOR APRIL Are you ready for some Thai food? Join us on Tuesday, April 28, at 6PM at Savanh, 1910 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill. Savanh has been operating at the same location for over 20 years and formerly went by the name of Bangkok. Same owner and same delicious food, a favorite of Judy s and mine for a long time. If you like Thai food, you will certainly enjoy the evening. If you have never tried Thai food, then now is the opportunity to sample a few of their favorites. Our dinner will start with an appetizer of Chicken Satay (grilled chicken on a skewer served with peanut sauce) followed by a complimentary house vegetable/chicken soup. (I sampled it and it was very good). Dinner will be a variety of three Thai dishes that are among the most popular at the restaurant. Yellow Curry Chicken- This is the mildest of the curry dishes. Chicken, potatoes, carrots and peas. Not real spicy but has the delicious flavor of coconut milk which is used in all curry dishes. It is served over brown or white rice. Really good! Pad Thai- A wonderful sweet and sour noodle dish with crushed peanuts, bean sprouts and egg. My favorite. Kapraw Eggplant- Ground chicken, zucchini, onions, basil leaves, and bell pepper in a spicy garlic sauce. Served over brown or white rice. Very special. We ll top everything off with a dish of ice cream. Total Cost--- $17.50 pp or $35 per couple. No host bar. All beverages will be paid individually. If you would like to join us please me and then send your check to Ron Smith, 219 Cascadas Ct., San Ramon, CA Remember, Savanh is small and we will be limited to 40 people so get your checks in early. First come first served. Interested in being placed on the list. Just send a note to resmith62@aol.com and say Place me on the Bargain Bites List. You will receive personal s in advance of the Hotline. Chairman Ron Smith resmith62@aol.com Asst. Chair: Ed Benson ebensonbwa@aol.com BOCCE BALL OPEN PLAY The 2015 Bocce Ball Open season will begin in May at 8:30 am. We play on the Concord courts in Newhall Park. 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). If you have any questions, please call the Activity Chairman. Chairman: Bob Barnes sb8msec@hotmail.com Assistant Chariman: Danny Rinaldi: dmrinaldi@astound.net BOCCE BALL LEAGUE PLAY The 2015 Concord Bocce Ball Federation (CBF) League season will begins in May 6, We play on the Concord courts in Baldwin Park. Baldwin Park is located off Beach St. (near Port Chicago Highway and Bonifacio St.) Play is limited to 10 SIR members and/or partners. Currently, we have 8 members/partners and 2 members only. 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. The CBF League provides all the equipment. If you have any questions, please call me (Activity Chairman). Chairman: Bob Barnes; sb8msec@hotmail.com Asst. Chairman: Danny Rinaldi dmrinaldi@astound.net BOOK EXCHANGE If you read it and liked it, bring it! We mark some of the boxes with red tape indicating NEW BOOKS & RETURNS which we place at the end of our Book Exchange tables. Drop any new books or books from the collection you are returning in these marked boxes. That way everyone knows what is NEW. However we will no longer keep audio or video tapes. We will continue to keep CDs and DVDs...the technology, she is changing!! We will continue to review the collection to maintain it at about 40 boxes of books total. Any removed material will be donated to the Assistance League of Diablo Valley or the Contra Costa libraries. Lastly, if anyone would like to become a Assistant Chair of the Book Exchange activity, please contact Tom Kerns. We have some co-chairs that have been doing this for a while and are getting involved in other activities so some turn over is in our future. The only requirements for this activity is that you are able to store up to 12 boxes of books at your house, have a vehicle that can transport these boxes 4-5 times during the year and you are physically able to lift a box weighing about 20 lbs. This is a great activity for new members to get involved in our Branch activities. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions contact any member of the book exchange team: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: Stan Orlik, stanner1@sbcglobal. Assistant Chair: Ken Main, mainkenneth46@gmail.com Assistant Chair: Rob Laabak, rlaabak@yahoo.com BOOK GROUP Salmon Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children' was our February read and was met with mixed to negative reaction. Rushdie's style, his use of rare and invented vocabulary, his extensive cast of characters, his habit of jumping out of 5 of 20

6 the narrative to comment on his writing process or to provide suggestions of what is ahead, were generally not liked. That, plus a 600+ pages got this one a thumbs down! There were one or two who loved the book and talked enthusiastically about the colorful and magical images Rushdie created. And one group member was convinced to give it another go. One comment was that one of the values of Book Group is to challenge us to get a little out of our comfort zone and expand our horizons. Rushdie certainly can do that! And for me, as chairman, there were lessons learned about what the Book Group interests are that will help as we move forward with the Group. Now, during March, we are reading the 'The Lemon Tree' by Sandy Tolan. Topical (when would the lives of Arabs and Jews in Israel not be topical!), and informative but very human. It promises to be the trigger for a full discussion. The Book Group meets the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. at Round Table Pizza on Treat blvd. me, Nick Maufe if you are interested in joining us. Chairman: Nick Maufe ; Nickmaufe@gmail.com BOWLING Winter Leagues Branch 19 SIR League - Branch 19 (Concord) sponsors a SIR league at Clayton Valley Bowl. There are eight four-person teams. Ladies are welcome if you would like to bowl with your life partner. There are a few openings for permanent team members; and there is normally a need for substitutes. Contact Dan Weller if you are interested. Just curious? Visit the league any Wednesday morning, starting at 10 AM at Clayton Valley Bowl. 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 You can find tournament schedules, applications, and results on the site. Upcoming SIR Bowling Tournaments: DATE LOCATION COMMENTS BASIC BRIDGE The Basic Bridge format is open to players of many levels. Each table will have a coach. For beginning players there will be a review discussion after the hand has been played. The more advanced players have non-competitive, free play. All players are invited to ask questions and offer friendly advice on mistakes at any time. The sessions are co-ed. Basic Bridge is held on the first Thursday of the month from 1:30 3:30 PM at Round Table Pizza located on Treat Blvd. near Oak Grove Road. Come early for lunch as that is our payment for use of the room. Call Rod Spicer, , to be added to our reminder list. Rod Spicer, Chairman, , marod61@att.net Al Hudgens, Co-Chairman, COUPLES BRIDGE The March 16, 2015 Couples Bridge session had 5 tables or ten couples, resulting in some competitive games. Steve and Honora Greytak took first place with 3760 points. Second and third place were taken by Rod and MaryAnn Spicer with 3080 points and Ben and Helen Yeraka with 2740 points. The remaining couples scored less. Our next game will be Monday April 20, 2015 (the 3 rd Monday of the month). Mark you calendars! If anyone is interested in joining us, please contact Ken Main by phone or . We are always in need of substitutes. We meet at Round Table Pizza on Treat Blvd (near Oak Grove) in Walnut Creek, with play starting at 1:00 PM. Join us for lunch before bridge play begins. By the way, thanks goes to Les and Carole Hopkins for offering to help coordinate our bridge sessions as needed. Bob Pate Chairman Phone (925) retirednuc96@yahoo.com Ken Main Assistant Chairman Phone (925) mainkenneth46@gmail.com April Carson City, NV Very popular tournament at the Gold Dust West casino.. BRIDGE DUPLICATE ONE Duplicate Bridge I met March 13, 2015 for the regular monthly session at Chateau II in Pleasant Hill. Top finishers were: May 4-6 Sonora SIR State Team Tournament. SIRs only, no guests or spouses. Doubles and 4-man team events only. Very nice venue at the Black Oak Casino. 1 st T Myrtle-Spicer 36 points 1 st T Grisanti-Regan 36 points 3 rd Hubinger-Woolf 35 points ACTIVITY CHAIRMAN: Dan Weller dweller@astound.net ASSIST. CHAIR: Jim Erickson erickson.jim@att.net Slams were bid and made on two boards. In one case all four teams bid a slam but none were in the same suit or played from the same seat. A top score of 1440 went to the Kahl- Schulze team who bid and made 6NT played from the East seat. The NT slam was set when played by West. 6 Hearts played by West and 6 Spades by East also made. 6 NT was bid by 2 teams on another board but the top honors went to the Hubinger-Woolf team who managed to take all 7 tricks. 6 of 20

7 Thanks to Dick Long for hosting and set-up. Ed Myrtle will have these duties in for our April 10 session. Players are reminded not to use the parking close to Chateau II as that is needed for the residents and their guests. Lastly, thanks to Margaret Kozak and Dean Steichen for subbing. Substitutes are often needed and any SIR wishing to play should contact: Chairman : Bob Kahl, , rirkahl@att.net Asst. Chairman: Dick Long, BRIDGE DUPLICATE TWO [No input for this issue] Chairman: Max Creamer maxcreamer@sbcglobal.net ASS T CHAIR: Walter Schick walterschick@astound.net BRIDGE RUBBER brought out more players this month. We had sixteen players competing for the bragging rights. The best players this month were: Rich Burke (4680); Don Atwater (4520); Al Welch (4090); and The sunshine Dean Steichen (4020). The scores ran from 1300 to 4680 and the median score was about All are invited to our game which meets on the first Thursday of the month. Try to arrive at 8:45AM so we can start right at 9:00. We meet at Round Table Pizza on Treat Blvd. near Oak Grove Road. Be sure to answer Al Welch s reminder early because the last person in may be eliminated if the tables are full. Rod Spicer Chairman, , marod61@att.net Al Welch Cochairman, , maynal41@hotmail.com CAR ENTHUSIASTS Group had its first meeting last month and was well attended. It was agreed that the group will meet the first Tuesday of the month at Round Table Pizza, 2960 Treat Blvd Concord at 1:00 p.m. You are encouraged to arrive early and order your lunch. A special event at Blackhawk museum was scheduled for March 29 th. As of this writing, 40 members have indicated they will attend. Next meeting is Tuesday April 1 st (no fool s day) where future events will be discussed. All Branch 8 Sirs interested in cars are encouraged to attend. Chairman Chick Lowry, clowry2845@aol.com Asst. Chair Tom Mohrman (cell) mustangtpm@gmail.com COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY At the March meeting, CAT s Barry Brown covered "The Evolution of Microsoft Windows," with a review of how Windows has changed over the years. of Barry then went on to give his take on the upcoming Windows 10 (based on Microsoft s test version he s been evaluating). Win 10 will be a free upgrade (for the first 12 months) after it is released later this year. As with all new editions of Windows, the question is: AShould I upgrade as soon as Windows 10 is released, or should I wait?@ For an answer, come hear Barry s presentation. A pdf or slide show copy of Barry s presentation is available at For April, Nick Kloski from HoneyPoint3D will be discussing the technical and mechanical aspects of 3D printing and how this industry has the capability to radically change the way things are created in the world. A special attraction at the meeting will be a 3D printing demonstration. Come see what it s all about! As always, coffee and cookies are available before and during the meeting. And, in addition, there s Barry s nifty freebies raffle. Odds of winning are better than one in ten. We look forward to seeing you 9:15 AM, April 16, 2015, 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 April meeting is one of those! All SIR members and their guests (spouses included!) are welcome to attend. See you there. Bill Phelon rphelon@juno.com CRIBBAGE March 4 There were twenty SIRS who participated. Steve Strobel had the high score for the day with 301 points followed by Dan Weller with 242 points. Third place went to Jack LaSalle 208 points and fourth place to Dennis Mierzwa with 195 points. March 17 We had fifteen participate in this session. Herb Hellsten had the high score for the day with 244 points. Second place went to Steve Bishop with 192 points followed by Stan Johnson with 133 points, Larry Mersmann with 127 points and Dennis Mierzwa with 125. The Cribbage Group meets on the first Wednesday and the third Tuesday of each month at Round Table Pizza on Treat Blvd. at 1 PM. Please join us if you have played Cribbage or would like to learn the game. Our next meetings are on Wednesday, April 1; Tuesday, April 21; and Wednesday, May 6 Overall Results from January thru March are as follows: Highest Individual Game Scores Frank Begert/Herb Hellsten 121 Steve Bishop/Herb Hellsten 109 Larry Mersmann/Dennis Mierzwa 105 Dennis Mierzwa/Dan Weller of 20

8 Highest Daily/Total Scores Herb Hellsten 435 Steve Strobel 301 Frank Begert 295 Steve Bishop 257 Herb Hellsten 244 Dan Weller 242 Highest Per Game Average Score (50% of Games Played) Herb Hellsten Frank Begert Terry Mason Larry Mersmann 25.6 Don Atwater Chairman, Herb Hellsten Asst. Chairman, Ron Draper DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Our March Meeting at Dean Steichen s home focused on reviewing our Window Light photos along with the usual assortment of member s recent interesting photos and photos from past assignments. The next meeting of the Digital Camera Group is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Friday April 16, at the Jim Ripley residence. The general assignment for the meeting is Wild Flowers. Jim will be mailing reminders / directions and looking for attendance confirmations a week or so before the meeting. Coffee, tea and snacks will be provided, for which we ask a $2 donation. All levels of photographer, from point and shooter to sophisticated DSLR users are welcome. Bill Phelon, Chair rpheon@juno.com Dave Davis, Vice Chair, dav.davis@comcast.net DOMINOES to play the game. Wanted: New Players for Domino's Have you wanted to learn how to play dominoes? Here's your opportunity. We are looking for members who would like to learn the game. The thought is to set up a table with beginners and one or two current domino players to show you how We meet at ROUND TABLE PIZZA located at 2960 Treat Blvd, Concord Calif. Hours of play are 11:00am to 2:00pm. We usually purchase coffee or lunch. We donate $5.00 each and we keep score by points. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place take home the money. We'd love some new players and always have fun. Please join us on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month. Chair: Danny Rinaldi dmrinaldi@astound.net EXPLORE AND EAT April 15th Explore and Eat Event Walk in the footsteps of Presidents and Kings! Please join us Wednesday, April 15th, for a 45 minute Docent Led Tour of the Presidential Yacht Potomac - FDR's "Floating White House" berthed at Jack London Square. Lunch to follow at Scotts' restaurant immediately adjacent to the Potomac. QUESTIONS: Contact Ron Woods. Full Details to follow very soon in an 'allmember' Branch 8 . Chairman: Ron Woods - shepwoods@comcast.net Ass t: Larry McEwen; ; elmwoodeux@comcast.net AREA 2 FISHING FOR APRIL 2015 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, April 23rd, at the Legend Sports Bar and Grill at the Diablo Creek Golf Course at 4050 Port Chicago Highway in Concord. It s all about the trout, most from San Pablo Reservoir. Fishing there were Ernie Wong, Pete Gates, George Vogt, Reggie Fromm, Karl Droese, Rich Fiscina, Terry Miller, Mike Corker, and Carl Moyer. Everybody caught fish. The one s we kept were between one and two pounds. No giants yet. Carl Moyer, Ernie Wong, and Ken Konzak fished the shore at Shadow Cliffs Reservoir for a couple of trout. Shadow Cliffs is still too low to launch our boats there, but it is being filled, so we are hopeful. Two boats tried for sturgeon by the mothball fleet. Rich Fiscina took Pete Gates, Tom Boltz, and Ron Maciak, Carl Moyer took Terry Miller. Only a few small sturgeon were caught on a gorgeous spring day. April 4 th is the opening day for Salmon in our area. April 15 th is the opening day for rockfish from the ocean. We have great expectations. Meanwhile Tom Kostik continues his fun and productive striper fishing in the delta. Soon the black bass will be occupying his time. We will be very busy this spring with: delta fishing for bass, catfish, striped bass, and sturgeon; trout in mountain and local lakes. Salmon and rockfish season on the ocean starts in early April. We live in a fishermen s paradise. Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 23rd, at the Legend Sports Bar and Grill at the Diablo Creek Golf Course at 4050 Port Chicago Highway in Concord. Meeting starts at 8:30 am. For further information, please contact Dick Thomson, Big Fish ( ) Carl Moyer, Branch 8 Coordinator, ( ) or Romano Gnusti, Treasurer/Secretary, ( ) Coordinator: Carl Moyer ( ) Treasurer/Secretary: Romano Gnusti, ( ) 8 of 20

9 GENEALOGY The SIR Genealogy Activity is a new activity for the purpose of assisting members wanting to research their family's genealogy. Since this activity can be pursued on line at home when the member chooses, there is not a strong need to hold frequent meetings. Anyone wanting to receive s concerning genealogy contact Dan. There will be no meeting in April. We are well aware that there is a strong interest in genealogy. Your thoughts and ideas towards improving what this activity can provide will be appreciated. Anyone wanting advice or guidance in the research of genealogy, suggest contact: Chairman: Dan Smith dns.lns02@astound.net or cell GOLF 18 HOLES FOR APRIL Our first Tournament Within A Tournament was played at Eagle Vines, and the winners were: Mike O Neil Best Gross Score, Kevin Roberts, Best Second Gross Score: David Green, Best Net Score, Bill Hunter Second Best Net Score: Scott Graff, Low Net Front Nine, Mike O Neil Low Score Back Nine. On March 16 a similar Tournament within a Tournament was held at Boundary Oak with a prize going to the lowest front nine and lowest back nine.bob Ryan took both with a 39,40 Good shooting guys. The fun has just begun. Our first Branch 8 tournament will be held on April 20, How Well Do You Know Your Game, and here are the rules: Description: The cups for the front nine will be expanded to 2 FEET in diameter. Any ball hitting or rolling over the cup ring or stopping inside of it is considered good from any shot. You also have 2 mulligans to use or lose anywhere on the front nine. The back nine is Play it as it lies No mulligans no 6 bump no gimmes! The challenge? Before tee off, each player estimates their total stokes for each nine and puts those scores on the card with a circle. Prizes will be given out for best estimates for front and back nine and total. A/B and C/D Divisions separate. There will be a special prize for the worse guesser also. On the signup sheet pick your own group. Looks like fun. Area 2 Team Scramble will be held at Deer Ridge on May 28. So far seven teams have signed up. Last year one of our teams went on to the State Tournament..There is still time to sign up your team. Please note that teams are made up of: A,B,C and D players (according to their handicap). Due to space limitations rules will be sent our golfers direc. Dave Platter, Chair: golfplatter@hotmail.com Bill Koski, Communications: billkos36@comcast.net GOLF 9 HOLES We continue to have a great turn out every week and a good time afterwards in the restaurant. After careful consideration and feedback from the players it has been decided to continue with the free drop from the bunker no closer to the hole rule for the time being or until adequate sand is put into the traps. Of course if you prefer to play from the hazard please feel free to do so. The plans for the Don Atwater Invitational on June 4 th are rapidly being formulated see the page on the website for more information. If you are planning on participating please contact the event chairman Phil Philpot at jr5753@outlook.com or Barry Brown, Chair: barry@bkbrown.net Phil Philpot, Asst. Chair: jr5753@comcast.net COUPLES GOLF. Marshals Leo and Judy Barrella hosted our March 13 th event and we set another record for our highest turnout. We had 14 couples compete in a very creative competition. The participants were: Leo and Judy Barrella, Rod Hughes & Shirley Tutton, Paul and Sue Derby, Denny and Carole Hintz, Joe and Bonnie Dell'Orfano, Dean and Marilyn Steichen, Roger and Mardi Lockwara, Ron Maciak and Linda Gawura, Ed and Birgit Pearson, Larry and Holley Yarberry, Bob and Daphne Olson, Jim and Aira Regan, and Gordon and Margaret Batesole. Paul and Millie Hersch were not able to play but joined us for lunch. Rather than trying to describe the play format, you can simply ask Leo & Judy. The winners were: Gordon & Margaret Batesole and our newest members, Denny & Carole Hintz. This year, we want to experiment with something new in addition to our regular monthly games and participating in the SIR 9 Hole DAI on April 16 at the Monte Rio Northwood Golf Club, we are trying to put together an away game at the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club at a date to be determined in the 3 rd week of August so please keep that week open details will be available shortly. In the meantime we hope to see y all at our next regular game on Thursday, April 9 with Marshals Joe and Bonnie Dell'Orfano leading the way. If not already signed up, please do so on the SIR website or contact our activity chairperson, Paul Derby at derby.p;aul@comcast.net or phone Chair: Paul Derby, or derby.paul@comquest.net HEADS UP WALKERS April 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 we leave the trail for coffee, refreshments and spirited conversation. Spouses and dogs welcome. 3/26/2015: Alamo: Stone Valley Rd. Iron Horse. Exit I-680 on Stone Valley Rd. across Danville Blvd. Meet at the south 9 of 20

10 end of the Alamo Plaza Parking Lot off Stone Valley Road Cafe: Cherubini's Coffee House. Leader: Dan Smith 4/2/2015: Martinez: Martinez Regional Shoreline. Exit i-680 N. At last offramp to Martinez. Turn left on Marina Vista. Turn right on Ferry St. And cross the RR tracks. Meet at the first parking lot on the left. Cafe: Starbucks Martinez. Leader: Dan Weller 4/9/2015: Walnut Creek: Countrywood C.C. Canal. Meet at the flagpole near Safeway in the Countrywood Shopping Center, corner of Treat & Bancroft. Cafe: Noah's New York Bagels. Leader: Erland Persson 4/16/2015: Pleasant Hill: C.C. Canal. Meet in the shopping center parking lot at the corner of Taylor & Morello, (North of the service station). Cafe: Panera Bread Cafe. Leader: Ernesto Tong 4/23/2015: Lafayette: Moraga Olympic. Meet at the eastern trailhead parking lot, north of Olympic Blvd. & west of Pleasant Hill Rd. Cafe: Noah's New York Bagels. Leader: Jim Erickson 4/30/2015: Pleasant Hill: Concord, Hester Park. Meet at Hester Park, corner of Hookston & Bancroft, street parking on Hampton or Hookston, adjacent to the park. Cafe: Noah's New York Bagels. Leader: Jim Sowell 5/7/2015: 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: Ken Main 5/14/2015: Concord: C.C.C. Regional Trail. Take Treat Blvd east. Go 3/4 mile past Oak Grove and turn left on San Miguel. Turn right on Via Montanas. Meet in Parking Lot across the street from the trail at the Lime Ridge Open Space. There is street parking also under shade trees about 90 feet from the trail head. Cafe: Peet's Coffee. Leader: Lynn Jones Chairman: Dan Weller Home: Cell: Assist. Chair: Erland Persson, SIR HIKERS April , easy hike to Sugarloaf open space A 3.5 mile easy hike with an elevation gain of about 400 ft. The hike starts at 10am on a fairly steep climb along Orchard Trail (through a black walnut orchard preserve). We then pick up Ridge Top Trail, which provides views of Mount Diablo, Shell Ridge, Las Trampas Ridge and the Briones Hills. The trail then drops down a fairly steep hill to Bottom Spring Trail. At the end of bottom Spring Trail, we will follow some residential side streets over to Rudgear Park. At Rudgear Park, we will decide if the group wants to extend the hike an extra ~ ½ mile loop. The final leg of the hike is along the Sugarloaf-Shell ridge connector trail back to our starting point. Optional Lunch: At Don Jose s Mexican Restaurant 3168 Danville Blvd., Alamo. For full details, including directions and map, see Hike Leader: Ken Main, April Coordinator: Martin Simmons, April 28, 2015, Hard Hike, Mount Diablo Foothills via Emmons Canyon This Mt Diablo foothills hike includes beautiful single track trails, smooth fire road trails, and spectacular views of Mt Diablo, San Ramon Valley, and Las Trampas. The hike is a somewhat demanding 7.65 mile loop with about 1,700 foot accumulated elevation gain. The steeper segments are generally moderate in length (Emmons Canyon 0.2 mile/100 gain, Sunset Trail 0.4 mile/265 gain, and Secret Trail 0.6 mile/290 gain). Carpooling is recommended since Emmons Canyon trailhead is in a residential area with limited parking. For those who want to carpool, meet at the Rudgear Rd I-680 Park & Ride for a 9:15 a.m. departure. If you are going directly to the trailhead, be at the Emmons Canyon Rd trailhead at 9:30 a.m. For full details, see Hike Leader: Dave Davis April Coordinator: Martin Simmons Chair: Dave Davis, H: dav.davis@comcast.net LET S DINE IN # 1 Our next dinner is March 27 hosted by the Bensons. Chef Ed plans a rolled chicken breast with asparagus, mozzarella and sherry cream sauce side of pilaf and green beans. Other members round out the dinner with salad,bread, dessert and appetizers. Wine flows(as usual). Chair: Ron Cassano: roncassano@gmail,com LET S DINE IN # 2 The next function will be held at Bill and Pat Eich's home at a time and date of their choosing. Co-Chair: Ed Cohn; gitano2@att.net Co-Chair: Bob Price sprice8126@yahoo.com LET S DINE OUT # 1 Ernie Sherne has arranged for our next Dine Out at THE GREENERY AT DIABLO HILLS GOLF COURSE (1551 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598) on Thursday May 21, 2015 The Restaurant recognizes the support of SIR s (particularly our nine-hole group) and looks forward to providing outstanding food and service for our May Dine Out event. 10 of 20

11 THE MENU Salad: House dinner salad (special dressing on request) Entrée Selection: Choose one: First Monday Second Tuesday Fourth Monday First Tuesday 3rd Wednesday Fourth Tuesday First Friday Third Thursday Fourth Thursday Prime Rib, 10 oz cut, served with baked potato and fresh sautéed vegetables - Grilled Salmon with lemon butter sauce, served with rice pilaf and fresh sautéed vegetables - Pasta Primavera with pesto cream sauce All dinners selections include rolls, coffee and hot tea Dessert: Lemon Cream Cake Time: Social 5 PM (no host bar accompanied by veggies, dip & chips); 6 PM Contact: Sir Ernie Sherne (925) , retxcpa@gmail.com Price: $30 per person, includes tax and tip. Mail check with your entrée selection to: 2770 Pleasant Hill Road, Pleasant Hill, CA Deadline: RSVP by Friday May 15, 2015 to reserve your spot CHAIR: Ken Main CO-CHAIR: Don Allen LET S DINE OUT # 2 mainkenneth46@gmail.com dondorothyallen@comcast.net Attention San Ramon Valley Sirs Dine Out 2 is dining in small groups of four couples. No better way to enjoy an evening of dining than with fellow Sirs and their ladies. And for this opportunity our members south of Walnut Creek don t need to travell north on the dreaded 680 freewayand time, and arrange for a table of 8, and separate checks per couple. Jim & Christine Ripley will be hosting a Dine Out 2 opportunity Tuesday April 22 nd at 6:00 p.m. Pasta Primavera restaurant 3124 Crow Canyon Pl., San Ramon. Jim serves as one of our Branch 8 Hotline editors and participates in many of the branch s activities, including the Hiking, Digital Photography, Dining and Wine groups. Jim & Christine s selection should interest in particular our members residing in the San Ramon Valley. Table is limited to three additional couples, so reserve a space for yourselves by contacting Jim & Christine. To host a Dine Out 2 activity, one needs to only: Select restaurant, date and time. Arrange for a single table and separate checks per couple and notify chairman Don of the arrangements Chairman Don Atwater datwater@pacbell.net Assistant Chair: Jerry Milano jerrymilano@astound.net POKER Come join us for poker! Players wanted. We offer refresher games at 10:15 before the Monthly Luncheon for any member who wants to try again. Call Dan Franklin if you want to sit in to learn. You can also sit in to help our new players. We now have nine groups and the playing days are shown in the table below. Our groups meet usually from 1:000 to 4:00 p.m. Group members rotate as hosts, providing drinks and munchies. Deal rotates; dealer calls the game and antes a quarter-- three-raise limit. We play nickel, dime, and quarter. It s an inexpensive way to spend an afternoon with a great group of guys! Chair: Ekk Keller ekkeller@astound.net Asst: Dan Franklin PUB GAMES games montgall26@gmail.com Darts & Pub Games, a new branch activity, gathers on the 2nd and 4th Thursday afternoons at 2:00 at Arties Countrywood Lounge 2068 Treat Blvd. Walnut Creek. All skill levels are welcome as some of us are learning the intricacies of dart throwing from those more skilled in this and other pub Members participating in this activity include Bill Cooke, Chairman, Al Welch, Assistant Chairman, Don Atwater, Bob Bailey, Tom Kerns, Ron Santini, Jack Schweitzer and Jerry Ward. We have room for more so please join us at the pub. Chairman: Bill Cooke, bwcooke@yahoo.com SINGLE SIRS DINE OUT There is no report for April s Single Sirs Dine out. Our dinners are on the first Tuesday of each month. Chairman: Jack Stack, carjack@ips.net Asst. Chairman: Herb Hellsten, hjchell@astound.net SIRS AT THE GAMES SIRS IN THE GARDEN Please consult the Branch 8 website for information about future events Chair: Steve Schramm sschramm01@gmail.com Co-Chair: Tom Kerns jtomk01@aol.com SIRS in the Garden met for a Pruning Class on the third Thursday of the month of February. We were instructed by Sir Branch 8 member and Ph.D Professor of Agriculture, Mario Moratorio. Professorr Moratorio has been with 11 of 20

12 us since 2011 and has recently joined in with Sirs in the Garden. We are extremely fortunate to have Mario in our group and he has already shown his uniquely qualified instruction of Tree Pruning that took place at The Gardens at Heather Farms where SIG holds its meetings once a month. We hope to prevail upon the Professor once in a while for future tutorials and talks about plants, integrated Pest Management and other horticultural issues in which he is expert. Some areas of his expertise are Oak Root Fungus, vineyard pests and natural enemies. Check out the new garden space dedicated by Heather Farms Garden Manager Brian Larsen to SIR Branch 8 and Jim and Sandy Sowell as donators of 80 prize winning specimen type Hemero Callis (Day Lilys) at TGHF. Why not" feel the sun on your back", enjoy a good day in the garden enjoy camaraderie, knowledge and garden familiarity with us this Spring and summer. We are now in "open enrollment!" Contact any member or Tom and me! Tony de Losada, Chair- tonydelosada@gmail.com Tom Mohrman, Co-Chair SIRS IN THE KITCHEN A Crabby Day Once again our lovely weather held, and we were able to hold most of our crab fest outdoors. 29 Sirs and guests gathered for a meal that included clam chowder, spring mix salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing with a crab cake, half a cold cracked crab and for dessert, ice cream sandwiches. Everyone was happy, not crabby. Maybe the bloody marys, wine and beer had some influence along with the food? Special SitK Kudos go to Sirs Jack and Jim who sourced and purchased the crab off the boat in Davenport, those two supplemented by Ken on Monday to allocate the crab parts and pick seven crabs and Tony, Ekk, Tom and Gordon who did yeoman work preparing the Tuesday meal. As usual, the set up, clean up and take down crews left Casa Benson spic and span. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in putting on the meal. Next month's event will be held on April 10 as Executive Chef Ed and Ms Donna will be in Maui on the usual date. And, since they are going to Maui, the April menu will bring Maui to Walnut Creek. The featured items will be Hawaiian Pot Stickers, Fried Spam with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce, Mai Tais, Hawaiian Beer, Hawaiian Ribs, Hawaiian Baked Beans, Hawaiian Coleslaw, Hawaiian Mac Salad,Hawaiian Bread, and Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread with Hawaiian Grilled Pineapple. Sirs in the Kitchen is now at 50 members. If you want to join, drop Executive Chef Ed an (ebensonbwa@aol.com), call him ( ) or catch him at the monthly meeting. So far, we ve always had room for anyone who was able to attend, and our typical luncheon turns out 25 to 30, or so. You don t have to be an experienced cook (our members have all levels of cooking ability) or have a kitchen and dining area large enough to accommodate all of us. The usual shared cost for the luncheon and wine is $15, and that s the best deal in town. Should any Sirs want our recipes, Executive Chef Ed, and they ll be sent to you. Executive Chef: ebensonbwa@aol.com SUMS IN RETIREMENT The Area 2 $ums Investment Group will meet on Wednesday March 25, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. at the Legends restaurant at the Diablo Creek Golf Course, 4050 Port Chicago Highway, Concord. Our guest speaker in March will be Roland Chow, Director of Business Development for Bloodhound Research. The title of his presentation will be: Commonly Held Beliefs and Realities of Stock Market Investing. Roland will discuss software tools designed to simulate an investment idea prior to implementation to gain a better understanding of how its likely to work and under what conditions. He will discuss some of the lessons he s learned while using the tool, The Bloodhound System, to evaluate various investment strategies, including those of well-known gurus. In addition, he ll show examples of various approaches to stock market investing that have demonstrated superior returns over the long-term. Topics will include: How to validate any investment thesis prior to putting real money into the strategy. How to set up and run a simulation covering any investment approach. How to create and manage your own portfolio utilizing advanced analytics and cloud computing. Roland has been in the high-tech industry for over 16 years and in the financial industry for over 10 years. He was formerly a founding board member and investor of a regional business bank in the East Bay. He has experience with a number of different asset classes including real estate, alternatives, derivatives, and equities. Roland started his career at Ernst and Young LLP after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley. He is currently on the Board of Directors for Life Eldercare and the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors. The Legends restaurant opens at 7:00 a.m., so come early and have a leisurely breakfast with your colleagues prior to the meeting. Plan to attend this meeting and bring a prospective SIR. Co-Chairmen: Gary Moore (Br-174) David Sutton (Br-8) Leary Wong (Br-8) TABLE POOL Did you ever play pool in your younger years? Have you ever thought about playing again but didn't want to go to the pool hall by yourself? Just like Golf you only become good at putting the ball in the pocket if you practice. It improves eye and hand coordination. It might even improve your game of Golf. Because you're a SIR member you have the opportunity to get together to play some pool (just for the fun 12 of 20

13 of it). We play for approximately 2 hours. We meet and start at 11:30 on the first and third Mondays of each month at Masses, 2721 North Main Street, Walnut Creek. The cost is $5.00 for as long as you want to play. This is a special rate that Masses gives the SIR s members. You can also play during the day, at other times, for the same $5.00 fee. Just tell them you're a member of SIRs. We play mostly two man teams of eight ball, or a unique three-player game, called Crazy Eights, depending on the number of participants.there are plenty of tables, so come on down and join other pool players from Branch 8 and other branches in the area. If you have not played for awhile, don't be bashful. Come on down and join us and get some practice. We welcome new pool playing and potential pool playing members. Jerry White (jdwhite8062@yahoo.com) TRAVELING SIRS The Traveling SIRS activity will be replacing the TRAVEL and the TRAVEL CLUB activities. Watch this space for more information. Chair: Ed Cohn Gitano2@att.net (925) Assistant Chair: Jim Lunn jwlassociates@comcast.net WINE FINDERS 1,2 & 3 This is an informal wine tasting occurring every even numbered month. Although this is a group that encourages couples participation, single SIR are invited and can come stag or pair-up with a SIR whose spouse is unable to attend. A type of wine is selected by each Wine Finder sub-group, then we do a blind tasting and rank all wines. Each couple brings a bottle of their wine priced under $15. Each couple brings an appetizer to serve 6 or 8 that compliments the wine selection. We meet at 6:PM at rotating host's homes, usually on the second Thursday of even numbered months. Each attendee also brings his/her own glass. If any SIRs are interested in joining our group(s), please contact either of the co-chairmen, or Bob Price (925) Wine Finders #1 Our next meeting at Ron & Judy Smith s on April 9 th. Chair: Bob Price: sprice8126@yahoo.com Co- Chair: Tony de Lasada delosoda@ix.netcom.com Wine Finders #2. Our next tasting will be April 9 WF-#2 Chair: Ron Cassano roncassano@gmail.com WF-#3 Chair: Larry McEwen elmwoodeux@comcast,net CELLAR FILLERS April is a down month for the CFWA. The next meeting will be held at 11:30 AM on the second or third Wednesday in May, 2015 at Sir Jim Warner's home, 290 Twinview Dr., Pleasant Hill, CA. Confirmation and directions will be provided to the CFWA mailing list as soon as they are complete. Attendance is limited to about 14 members, applicants or guests. CFWA is a great activity to introduce a guest to SIR. The activity is open to members, applicants, and prospective member guests. Spouses and SO's are welcome at our other four wine activities, such as Wine Finders I, II, and III, or Bargain Wines. Volunteer hosts are welcome. We have a modest lunch and taste approximately ten selected wines. The cost of the activity varies with the number of attendees, but usually runs around $ Bring your glass(es). If you are not now on the mailing list and would like to be added, or for questions, please call or either Jim Sowell or Jim Warner with your contact info Jim Sowell, Chair, sowell4jim@aol.com, (925) or (925) cel Jim Warner, Ass't Chair, jdubew@hotmail.com, (925) BARGAIN WINES Wine Tasting and Dinner March 31 As of this writing, we have 36 sign ups for our wine tasting and dinner starting at 5:00 on March 31. The event will be held at Zio Fraedo s, 611 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill We will report on the festivities in the April Hotline. The tasting will include four white and five red wines. Any wine not tasted will be served with dinner. Fried calamari and zucchini will be served as appetizers along with crackers and cheese. Dinner will include a fresh garden salad with choice of dressing, choice of four entrees (New York steak, chicken Toscano, fresh grilled salmon and vegetarian pasta primavera), dessert and coffee. The cost will be $15 for the tasting and $30 per person for the meal, including tax and tip. If the wine isn t enough, there will be no host cocktail service Reservations can be made starting now. Ed Benson (ebensonbwa@aol.com) and specify if you will be attending the wine tasting, dinner or both and your choice of entrée. If you have any questions, call Ed ( ). We now have 58 Branch 8 Sirs on our roster, and although this is a couples activity, single Sirs (or those single for the evening) are certainly welcome. Meetings are scheduled on an ad hoc basis usually in conjunction with major sales from wine outlets. We usually taste ten wines priced from $10 and below. We aim for four or five meetings a year. The Head Wino is Ed Benson (ebensonbwa@aol.com), and he s ably assisted by Jim Warner (jdubew@hotmail.com). Please contact either of them to be included in the participant list. Now, let s go find those bargains! Chair: Ed Benson ( ) ebensonbwa@aol.com 13 of 20

14 WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY Writing Your Life Stories will meet on April 28 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 You will receive a syllabus to guide you in writing your own life stories.. Dick Brewer revrpb@aol.com Dick Schally rschally1@sbcglobal.nrt Membership Report as of: 3/9/2015 BEC Approval: 3/9/2015 Applicants to be Inducted: 4 Name Badge Sponsor Ed Musselwhite MD-324 Tom Mohrman MD-56 Zig Zeigler MD-325 Stan Johnson MD-39 Steve Moore MD-326 Rob Laaback MD-199 Alan Curtis MD-327 Rob Laaback MD-199 Members Requesting Active Status: 0 Name Badge Sponsor New Applicants: 5 Name Badge Sponsor Ed Musselwhite MD-324 Tom Mohrman MD-56 Zig Zeigler MD-325 Stan Johnson MD-39 Steve Moore MD-326 Rob Laaback MD-199 Alan Curtis MD-327 Rob Laaback MD-199 Harry Schadek MD-323 Hans Pable MD-184 Applicants for Orientation: 4 Name Badge Sponsor Ed Musselwhite MD-324 Tom Mohrman MD-56 Zig Zeigler MD-325 Stan Johnson MD-39 Steve Moore MD-326 Rob Laaback MD-199 Alan Curtis MD-327 Rob Laaback MD-199 Applicants On Hold: 1 Name Badge To Be Inducted Harry Schadek MD-323 April 13, 2015 State Membership Active 324 Applicants 1 Inactive 16 Number Membership CommentaryBruce Cogan withdrew his application due medical reasons SIR Birthday April 2015 Name Day Jerry Ward 1 Jim Warner 4 Mike Long 10 Ben Yeraka 11 Gene Rosinski 13 Jack Sagen 13 Darryl Skiles 14 Ken Powlesland 14 Terry Vinson 14 Monte Allen 15 Bill Muster 16 David Platter 18 Bob Laurence 19 Dick Brooks 19 Steve Schramm 19 Maurice Nelson 20 Bob Lewis 23 Steve Pierce 23 Ekk Keller 24 Greg Ryan 24 Les Hopkins 24 Mike Spink 24 Joe Dell'Orfano 27 Romano Gnusti 30 SIR Anniversary Jan., Feb., Mar Name Number Years Tom Hensley 25 John Stack 20 Dave Perkins 20 Bon Wadors 10 Bob Barnes Membership Secretary Members Requesting Inactive Status: 1 Name Reason Effective Steve Nelson His Schedule 2/23/2015 Active Members Resign: 0 Name Reason Effective Inactive Members Resign: 1 Name Reason Effective Derek Lofquist Deceased 3/2/2015 Dick Grube caught this 11 pound trout at San Pablo Reservoir 14 of 20

15 INDUCTEES FOR MARCH 2015 Name: Ed Musselwhite Partner: Linda Musselwhite Residence: Walnut Creek Phone: Occupation: CEO Company: Mandel Communications Interests: Computers, Hikers, Golf 9 Hole, Golf 18 Hole, SIRs In The Kitchen, Walkers, Lets Dine Out, Others Name: Zig Ziegler Partner: Carolyn Ziegler Residence: Alamo Phone: Occupation: Internet Tech Support Company: ATT Interests: Genealogy, Bowling, Walkers, Bocce Ball, Explore & Eat, Model Trains, others Name: Steve Moore Partner: Mary Williamson Residence: Walnut Creek Phone: Occupation: Portfolio Manager Company: WHV Investment Interests: Investments, Hikers, Digital Photography Name: Alan Curtis Partner: Joanna Curtis Residence: Walnut Creek Phone: Occupation: Engineer Company: Peacock Construction Interests: Book Exchange, Hikers, Book Group, Fitness, Mountain Biking 15 of 20 Obituaries for March 2015 Name: Derek Lofquist Partner: Suzanne Lofquist Inducted: 4/9/2007 Deceased: 3/2/2015 Interests: Astronomy, Bocce Ball, Bowling, Chess, Computers, Digital Photography, Horseshoes, Investments