Las Madres '80 East
OCTOBER 2009 NEWSLETTER


OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
7th    Kevin Corral
14th  Kindra Claverie
18th  Tom Gomez
19th  Melinda Gomez
23rd Marti Kranak
 
COMING EVENTS
Month of October
Saturday Coffees

9 am
LeBou at San Felipe/Yerba Buena
Contact: Robin
October 17
Coffee Field Trip
9 am
Willow Glen Roasting Company
Contact: Robin
October 22
The Wiz
7:00 pm
Pioneer Performing Arts Center
RSVP: Sue Ballard
December 5
Napa B&B Tour & Tasting
2 - 7 pm
Contact: Sue Butler


October Meeting
The October meeting is changed to Thursday, October 22nd.

    David and Randi are in the annual Glue Factory production of "The Wiz". "Ease on down the road" for our meeting on that night at Pioneer Performing Arts Center on Blossom Hill Road at 7PM. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for students/seniors 65+. Other performances are Friday and Saturday, Oct 23 and 24.
    Randi can purchase the tickets ahead of time so she can get seats together for everyone. Please RSVP to Sue Ballard  by e-mail no later than Friday, October 9th if you would like Randi to get tickets ahead of time. 
    Also, the thought was that if people wanted to carpool and stop somewhere to have dinner before hand, there is the Fresh Choice at the Almaden Shopping Center, or further down Blossom Hill Road there are other places to eat closer to Oakridge.
    Sue will be taking ticket orders and collecting money from anyone who shows up at coffee on Saturday, October 3rd. She wil also
be asking for people's feedback at coffee as well, as at what house carpoolers should go to and who will drive.
    If you want to purchase tickets on your own or would like to attend on a different night, click to download the form.


Beach Breakfast Update
    29 partook for the beach breakfast chowing down on some excellent homemade food as well as some yummy fruit and store bought goodies.  And of course to wash it down, we had plenty of Mimosa's. 
    Total number of 52 people and 2 dogs were at the campground over the course of the weekend that included friends and family of our group.  It was a fantastic time, and plenty of places to go visiting to see what cool camping gizmos some had acquired.  We had many interesting conversations on subjects such as home electrical issues, jumping vehicles and New Brighton campground rules.
    The weather could have cooperated better.  The Brown's had been there since Sept. 7 and it was sunny and warm all week.  We got there Friday afternoon to partly cloudy and wind and Saturday the fog rolled in and the temperatures were cooler than they had been since they had arrived (Chicago was even warmer than California, including in the evening for the Bears/Green Bay game), but it didn't dampen our spirits.
    We still had a great time and thank you to everyone for making it a success!
 
P.S. Mark your calendars.  Beach breakfast will be Saturday September 11, 2010 at 9 a.m. (those camping will need to order their New Brighton tickets on March 1, 2010.  We will get get a site for Sept. 10-13.  Site 59 seems to work well to accommodate all of us.  We'll see who can get that site next year.



Napa B&B Tour & Taste Event
When:  Saturday, December 5, 2009
Time: 2 PM to 7 PM
Cost:  $55 per person for tickets

    The Napa Holiday Tour is the first Saturday of December.  Sue Butler plans to attend and wants to know if anyone else is interested in joining her and Bud.  There are approximately 12 B&B's that you go to (some are walking distance from each other on the tour) and they also provide a shuttle to get you to each one.  The cost this year is $55.00 a ticket (unless you already ordered yours by September 30 for the reduced price of $45).  There is plenty of food and wine at each stop, and the holiday decorations and entertainment is well worth the trip.  Anyway, there is so much food, you don't even need dinner that night.
    The Butlers are thinking of staying at the Embassy Suites this year which is walking distance from the Napa Inn.  $119.00 plus tax per night includes a full breakfast and wine and cheese from 5:30 - 7:30. 
Any questions, please call or e-mail Sue Butler.

The web site to order tickets is:  napaholidaytour.com

 
Silicon Valley Reads
    Silicon Valley Reads has selected their book for 2010:  "In Defense of Food:  An Eater's Manifesto" written by Michael Pollan, nonfiction, 2008.  He is a journalism professor at UC Berkeley.  The kickoff event will be January 27, 2010

The San Jose Mercury says:  The book advocates for a return to natural foods and away from a trend of "nutritionism"--and obsession with vitamins and nutrients, that overlooks the fundamental joy of eating.



Saturday Coffee Clatches Continue
We meet every Saturday morning at 9 am at Le Boulanger at San Felipe and Yerba Buena.  There is a Starbucks across from it if you need something "special" to go with your bagel or pastry.  Our field trip this month will be October 17th to the Willow Glen Roasting Company at 1383 Lincoln Avenue.


e-Mail Tidbit

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow,
a week from now,

a month from now,
A year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son,
daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.
The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight
was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table.
But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands
and failing sight made eating difficult.
Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass,
milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became
irritated with the mess.
'We must do something about father,'
said the son.
'I've had enough of his spilled milk,
noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a
small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the
rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two,
his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's
direction, sometimes he had a tear in his
eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple had for him
were sharp admonitions when he dropped a
fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed
his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly,
'What are you making?'
Just as sweetly, the boy responded,
'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and
Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.'
The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they
were speechless.
Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.
Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.


That evening the husband took Grandfather's
hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal
with the family. And for some reason,
neither husband nor wife seemed to care any
longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled,
or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter
what happens, how bad it seems today, life
does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person
by the way he/she handles four things:
A rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage,
and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the
same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you
a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life
with a catcher's mitt on both hands.
You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness,
it will elude you.
But, if you focus on your family, your friends,
the needs of others,
your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with
an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains,
I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day,
you should reach out
and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug,
or just a friendly pat on the back.


I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.







OCTOBER WEBSITE
International Space Station Comes Together
http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm



CLUB OFFICERS
President - Janis Gerlinger
Treasurer - Vicki Rasmussen
Newsletter & Webmaster - Ginny Gomez
Coffee Coordinator - Robin Nevoli
Executive Committee - Randi Heinrichsen, Joan Wilson and Sally Brooks-Schulke