President Elect John called the meeting to order on behalf of President Rick who is traveling.
James Nevers, VP led us in the salute to the flag.
There being no guests or visiting Rotarians, we had a series of Ernie Norehad stories orchestrated by Joanne Primavera's thumbs up or down signs.
Moving quickly along, the program tonight was an entertaining report of fellow members Bill Taylor and Mike Hunter doing a local version of a Rick Steves report on an Italy wine country tour obtained by Mike Hunter at a Woodinville auction which Mike and Sharon had shared (no pun intended) the trip with Bill and Sandy Taylor.
While the town and region names were hard to follow, much less remember, the mental image of a "Tom Tom" GPS device that never seemed to find the place directed to but gave "turn here" signals forcefully whether directionally successful or not. Memories are made of this trip with words like a "Nest" where they rested in comfort and with beautiful scenery at a region that sounded like a pizza. Wine shops with $2.00 per bottle wines were relished and how many sober nights there were, was soberly not mentioned. A little down town market of everything to purchase in your imagination and somehow 200 vans entered the confusing picture. In one of these charming places, Bill and Sandy did not sleep well because the local town men gathered under their window smoking and talking Italian until the wee wee hours. From beautiful and majestic old walled cities, walls no longer needed for protection, the Kirklanders walk among local folk was transformed by toll roads they finally figured how to use, joined the locals at unimaginable speeds as they moved on the Cinque Terre (fixed by editor). There apparently they found a familiar restaurant that sounded like MacDonald's and at another place they dined at Dino's which they enjoyed very much. From there it was on to Milan where they stayed in a hotel called a"Moxi" (either a type or a name, possibly from the Marriott system?) They found another "Moxi" in a place that sounded like Nashville. After arriving in Milan they turned in the rental car and used taxis like every body else. There was a beautiful and huge Cathedral they enjoyed. Apparently you had to check your weapons with an attendant at the gate so Mike dutifully handed over his pocket knife. Whether he got it back or not was not made clear in the account. From Milan, they took high speed trains to Rome on which they had reserved seats but somehow an Italian lady of about age 85 had one of them but the ride was shared with her without incident. From Rome they flew home, Mike and Sharon via London and back to Seattle. Bill and Sharon took another route and with coach class seats were uncomfortable enduring the long flight back home. Pictures of the tour were passed out for the audience to enjoy the beauty of the places they visited.
President Elect Woodbery handed each a fine bottle of Italian wine in appreciation for a great program
At the end of things, President Elect Woodbery displayed a poster of the Palouse plain created by a former speaker as photographer of nature Bruce Heinemann , using a line underneath it from a poem John and his sister had written together and shared at his program that read: " A palette of brushless light, as used by the maker of all life, as in a dance as the imagination takes flight." One of the posters was sent to John's sister in Texas and the other displayed at the meeting tonight. In a thank you letter to Bruce, John wrote: "May your pursuit of the capture of art God created and provides us in nature; continue to bless those of us who can only appreciate beauty by observation"
The meeting concluded at about 7:30.
John Woodbery
Scribe