YOUR BIG SIR - Kevin Andel

August, can you believe it, is h e r e ! O u r

summer is quickly slipping away. A year ago at this time we were conducting monthly Zoom

meetings so the fact that we’ve held two outdoor meetings at Pinebrook these past two months has been more than a welcome change. If you missed the July BBQ you missed a delicious brisket meal served by the folks from Snow Flake Lodge.

The Mountain Messenger

Volume 32 No. 8August 2021 Branch 152 Arnold, CA

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER To be diligent about our commitment to holding safe SIR events we have decided to move our planned indoor luncheon to Pinebrook picnic grounds again. So plan on a picnic for our August

luncheon and we’ll keep you posted on future loca@ons as well. We are living in an ever changing world so flexibility is important.

For August we will again use our past prac@ce of advising our AEendance Chairman, Dave Baugher, if you do not plan on a-ending the Luncheon.

This is cri@cal as we need an accurate headcount to have enough food for all of us. If you can’t aEend be sure to advise Dave of your inten@ons as soon as possible (see contact informa@on

below).

Thanks and looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible August 17th!

Your Arnold SIR Branch Board

Dave’s contact info:

Home phone - 209-795-0462

Email - dhbmallard@comcast.net

This last meeting was more than special. You all know the phrase “Carpe Diem! aka Seize the Day! Well we did it right at the annual July BBQ. We honored long time SIR, Richard “Dick” Watson, with a Honorary Lifetime Member (HLM) award. Dick is more than a worthy recipient. A member for more than 25 years, he served as Big Sir two years along with multiple other positions on both the Board and Committees. To add to how special this day was, we had four distinguished guests from the State SIR. They included Rick Kindle, State Vice President; Derek Southern, Past State President (and HLM presenter); Dale Decker, Regional Director; and Paul Squeri, Area Governor. Congratulations again, Dick!!

We were also very lucky that we missed the extreme heat wave by a few days. No 100+ degree day for us, the weather was perfect with over 60 Sir’s in attendance. Honoring Mr. Watson was not the only business conducted that day. Rick Kindle also awarded a certificate recognizing Dale Decker for his work as our Area Governor in 2020. And last, but certainly not least, we voted on your 2022 SIR Branch 152 Board. Voted in unanimously are: Big Sir–Bernie Tillotson; Little Sir–position open; Secretary-Bob Kruger; Assistant Secretary-Mike McAtee; Treasurer- Doug Weir and Assistant Treasurer-Brian Raley. Congratulations to all and thank you for being leaders of our Branch.

To cap off two days with our State SIR friends, Jim Walton organized and hosted a morning of golf and an evening dinner, along with his wife Syl, at their home for Rick, Dale and Derek. It gave us a nice opportunity to get to know these gentlemen better. And after spending quality time with them I can assure you that SIR is in good hands at the top of the organization.

Hey, don’t forget to check out our website for recent photos and an opportunity to share your thoughts or suggestions and maybe a little game to play. Go to: sirinc2.org/branch152

At this point in t ime we have approximately 75% of our members that p r o v i d e d a s i g n e d w a i v e r a n d vaccination card. At the time of this writing it is still required to attend any SIR event. I’ll continue to mention the documentation requirements for any SIR sponsored event until we have the required documentation from everyone that wishes to participate or the documentation is no longer required. We’ll need your signed waiver form and a copy of your vaccination card. There is a copy of the waiver form at the end of this newsletter and on our Arnold SIR website. To make things as easy as possible for those that haven’t submitted the documents, we will have waivers available at the August 17th luncheon. You can sign at that time, but, to be admitted to the luncheon, we’ll also need to photograph your vaccination card.

As the summer winds down we are now looking at holding our Holiday party in December at Snow Flake Lodge. Soon we will begin planning the meal as well as preparing to set up a beautiful venue. What this also brings to mind again is ANYONE attending a SIR event must sign the waiver and show proof of vaccination. This means our spouses/significant others must also provide this documentation (we do have some spouse documentation on file). I’m mentioning this now because it’s not too soon to start preparing for our year end event.

As always we’d love to see an even bigger turnout for our picnic in August, again at Pinebrook. We will continue with our past practice for attendance. Please contact Dave Baugher IF YOU DO NOT PLAN ON ATTENDING. We really need your cooperation with this to get the food count accurate. Thanks!

Kevin Andel, Big Sir

PS- It’s a five minute walk from my house to the Pub. It’s a 35 minute walk from the Pub to my house. The difference is staggering.

LITTLE SIR - Bernie Tillotson

We have h a d

a great couple of months at SIR. We had our first live in-

person meeting in June at the Pine Brook Picnic area with over 60 members attending. And then in July we had our annual BBQ again at the Pine Brook Picnic area, again with good attendance. These were both special events and I know that each of you are as excited as I am to be back together in-person. This next month of August we will again be meeting outdoors at the Pine Brook Picnic area. Out of an abundance of caution we thought it would be good to continue to meet outdoors until further notice. We have scheduled a speaker for this meeting and we think we have a great topic for discussion.

Mike Lee (with assistance from his wife Janet) who own Acorn Physical Therapy in Arnold will be talking to us about how we can stay healthy and fit as we get older. Mike and Janet have operated Acorn Physical Therapy for over 30 years and are living examples of fitness. This is a very timely presentation especially considering the past 16 months of inactivity.

Our menu for the August meeting will be Santa Maria Style Pork Loin, with garlic lime glaze; roasted sweet potatoes with peppers and onions, sweet corn and black bean salad, and cornbread.

I have lined up some great speakers for the rest of the year, but again, if anyone has a particular topic they would like addressed, please let me know. We are starting to gain new members as we recover from the pandemic and the ZOOM meetings we were forced into having. So now is a great time to

introduce any of your friends who might want to be part of a great group of guys. Let anyone of your Board members know if you would like an application.

All-in-all it is some very exciting time for our SIR Branch #152. I am very optimistic about the future of our Branch and I really look forward to our Year End Christmas Dinner Dance when we will be together with our spouses. Until then stay well!

Bernie Tillotson, Little SIR

FELLOWSHIP CHAIRMAN - Steve Andrews

July has been a busy month for members of our SIR group. First,

J im Harrington is recovering from his back surgery . I had dinner with jim and his wife Ginny the other night and he said that his back no longer hurts, however he has to keep his head straight and the back of his neck now hurts where they made the insert. Ginny made some comment about both of those maladies, but I can't repeat her words. Mike McAtee also is recovering from back surgery. I talked to him and he said he is recovering fairly well. He has no pain and is doing some walking and just letting his body heal. Both stated emphatically that they need some serious adjustment in their handicaps.

Our future Big SIR, Bernie Tillotson, had some serious oral surgery on July 22nd. They replaced several of his teeth and as of now, talking is hard for him, as well as eating. For the time being, he is on a liquid diet, I assume that Scotch is included in that. Telephone calls would not be a good idea, however an email or a card would be. Patty seems to be enjoying the quiet in the house.

In a more serious vein Don Shawver has had a setback and is at the Avalon Nursing home in San Andreas. He is experiencing some pain and Joan, his wife, is trying to get him some relief. Joan also said that he is VERY appreciative of the emails she has been able to read to him, so keep them coming. Just use the email in our roster.

A final note, many of you know that David Johns suffered a heart attack and a couple of days later, a stroke. He was also diagnosed with Covid, even though he has had both of his shots. Harriet, his wife, is getting him into a rehabilitation center in Sacramento, and said that she would forward all emails sent to him. Dave is also battling cancer, so his situation is serious. Let's all keep him in our prayers.

A final thought, let's all be thankful for the good health we have, and support those that need our help.

Steve Andrews

Fellowship Chair

T H I S M O N T H I N B R A N C H 1 5 2 HISTORY - Brian Raley

2 0 y e a r s a g o : R i c h a r d a n d M i l d r e d Z y s k i presented a program on organ donation. SIR Larry Larson gave a tour of the north Grove of Big Trees State Park.

10 years ago: This month in 2011 our own life time member Doug Weir stepped into the Little SIR role as Jerry Mercer announced he was moving to Indiana. Ken Marich spoke this month on coin collecting and offered opinions of value of presented coins.

5 years ago: Maureen Dinnocenzo spoke on travel opportunities and methods of travel. Sadly, this month we lost two members, Frank Hengel and Russ Phillips.

TRAVELS WITH DAVE - Dave Baugher

Stiff? Yeah, my trip through half the S t a t e o f

Washington on the Pacific Crest Trail was a great walk in the woods. We got to see unique places off the beaten path: Goats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, endless fields of berries in Indian Heaven, and glacial-swollen river crossings below

glaciers on Mount Adams. Want some more material about these places? Here is a little information…

Goat Rocks Wilderness? Yes, mountain goats frequent this area, and we saw a herd of about 30 when we came through on the PCT. The Goat Rocks are remnants of a large volcano, extinct for some two million years. Glaciation and erosion have worn away at the terrain here, leaving moderate summits on both sides of the crest of the Cascades. The elevation in the Goat Rocks ranges from 3,000 feet to 8,201 feet at Gilbert Peak. The deep east-west drainages below the ridges open into park-like alpine meadows dotted with small lakes and even smaller ponds. This is one of those beautiful places that almost hurts to look at when standing there.

Another thought-provoking place the PCT traversed is the Indian Heaven Wilderness area. This is a high forested plateau, dominated by verdant green forests, open meadows, and more than 150 lakes. Originally known as "Sahalee Tyee," the area is culturally significant to Native Americans. Periodically over the past 9,000 years, the Yakima, Klickitat, Cascades , Wasco, Wishram, and Umatilla tribes gathered here for berry picking, fishing, and hunting. One large meadow known as "The Racetrack" is historically an annual gathering place for Native Americans during the berry season until the early 1900s. Thousands of people from the Yakama, Klickitat, and Columbia River tribes would gather here each year from eyewitness reports.

The track was used for pony races and is about 10-feet-wide and more than 2,000 feet long. It can still be seen today in a large meadow near the base of Red Mountain.

"Glaciers? Here on the west coast?" you might ask. Yep, at an elevation of 12,276 feet, Mt. Adams is the second highest peak in Washington; however, with an 18-mile wide diameter, it is the largest volcano by bulk in the state. It supports over 12 active glaciers that provide water to the forests, streams, and meadows below.

Mount Adams has 209 perennial snow and ice features and 12 officially named glaciers. The total ice-covered area makes up nearly 17 square miles. Most of the largest remaining glaciers (including the Adams, Klickitat, Lyman, and White Salmon) originate from Adams' summit ice cap. The PCT crosses the western flank of Mount Adams, and there were numerous river crossings to ford along the route.

August is my transitionary period. The folks from the lower elevations begin their plans to return. The locals look forward to relief from the crowds, and Luann and I start to get ready for another road trip. Tell you about our travel plans to Montana next month…

A WORD FROM THE WEBMASTER - Alan Court

As w e s t a r t t o return to normal a n d a c t i v i t i e s

increase, we would like to encourage the use of our w e b s i t e ; s i r i n c 2 . o r g /branch152/. Anyone who finds a small picture of a yellow baseball which is hidden within the website, although not too deeply hidden, will be entered into a drawing for a free lunch at the next meeting. You have until the day before the next m e e t i n g b y 5 p m t o e m a i l alanjcourt@comcast.net with the page and area of the page where you find the symbol.

Good Luck!

BE PREPARED - Malcolm Gaissert

Fire season again. We are not living as u s u a l i n t h e s e

mountains.

Ever since the Butte fire Heidi and I have kept a packed suit case ready in case we needed to evacuate in a hurry. We have a closet near the garage door dedicated to those suit cases and other things that we would want to pack in our cars. We have previously inspected our house and yard to clean up as much as possible and we keep being vigilant. Then, we

have a list of the things that we need to do before we leave the house.

The list contains lots of things that we would not think of in the heat of the moment: Turn off the Attic Fan, remove everything from the porch that would burn, including the broom, etc. In addition, we have been driving off the top half of our car’s gas tank. Bumper to bumper driving down the mountain uses gas….

People who have a plan, can get out of their house fast and get to be the first in line on the highway. But you need to have completed a close down of your house so that the fire fighters and Sheriff deputies do not have to check to see if you are still home. To this aim, we picked up a red sign from the fire s t a t i o n : “ C a l a v e r a s C o u n t y – Evacuated”, to be attached to the reflective house number sign. If you do not do this, emergency personnel will waste time by making sure you are no longer in your residence. Safety of lives comes first, securing property is secondary.

Here is a URL from Cal Fire that will prepare you more thoroughly: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/go-evacuation-guide/.

So, we have a plan, I hope you will make one, too. You may never need to execute it, but if you need to, you will be ready. Since the fire season seems to be most of the year, we change the clothes in the suit cases according to the season.

Last but not least. Setup your cell phone to receive Emergency Alerts: iPhones are setup by default. AndroidOS 10.0, go to Settings > Notifications > Uncheck “Do not Disturb”. (Each phone is different. O n e i s S e t t i n g s > A p p s a n d Notifications > Advanced > Emergency Alerts.) Do not put you phone on silent or night mode and keep location settings on.

If you have not yet done it, sign up for emergency notifications from the county by going to https://oes.calaverasgov.us/Notifications.

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

Edward Carr 8/2/1945

John Croll 8/7/1950

Jim Evans 8/8/1937

Norm Rector 8/18/1944

Philip Sherwood 8/19/1949

Paul Forrest 8/27/1944

Bruce Utter 8/28/1949

Alan Court 8/31/1950

Israel Kushnir 8/31/1951

AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES

Jim & Joan Allday 8/1/1970

Michael & Cheryl Welch 8/2/1986

Jon & Laura Dashner 8/3/1994

Doug & Dana Weir 8/3/1985

Don & Beverly Fry 8/9/1975

Jon & Melanie Vattuone 8/15/1998

Norm & Carolyn Rector 8/22/1992

Joe & Maureen Dinnocenzo 8/22/1992

Fred & Shirley Soderer 8/23/1952

Doug & Pat Hjelmhaug 8/25/1979

ARNOLD SIR OFFICERS FOR 2021

BIG SIR Kevin Andel 795-9119

LITTLE SIR Bernie Tillotson 795-1549

SECRETARY Bob Kruger (650)996-5408

ASST. SEC Mike McAtee 795-0960

TREASURER Doug Weir 795-6018

ASST. TREASURER Brian Raley 795-2876

DIRECTORS:

MEMBERSHIP Jim Walton (415)699–9396

ATTENDANCE Dave Baugher

795-0462

REFRESHMENT Jay Brethauer 795-0314

NEWSLETTER Bruce Utter 890-7643

HISTORIAN Brian Raley 795-2876

PUBLICITY Paul Forrest 795-4767

FELLOWSHIP Steve Andrews

(408)205-3971

CHAPLAIN Bob Greenberg

795-1480

TRAVEL Paul Penney 795-0514

SPECIAL EVENTS

Norm Milsner

795-3615

DIRECTOR AT LARGE

Malcolm Gaissert

795-2216

WEBMASTER Alan Court (916)768-1615

PAST BIG SIR Brian Raley 795-2876

STATE OFFICERS:

PRESIDENT Stuart Williams

510-865-5000

VICE PRESIDENT

Rick Kindle 209-652-8608

AREA GOVERNOR

Paul Squeri 209-586-4083

SECRETARY Ron Flagel 209-338-8109

TREASURER Roy Hodgkinson

925-408-2210

DIRECTOR, REGION 2

Dale Decker 209-533-0455

PAST AND PRESENT BIG SIRS

Kevin Andel 2020

Brian Raley 2019

Jim Walton 2018

Tom Gosswiller 2017

Joe Fontana 2016

Doug Nunes 2015

Ed Boll 2014

James Evans 2013

Doug Weir 2012

Tom Jones 2011

Harry Tittle 2008

Joe Schmitt 2007

Tom Jones 2006

Dick Watson 2004, 2005

NEED NEW MEMBER APPLICATIONS?Call Jim Walton at 795-8144

For an application form, please visit our branch 152 website: https://sirinc2.org/branch152

BOB KRUGER, ALAN COURT, PAUL FORREST, AND GUY POLLAK AT THE BBQ

GUESTS DEREK SOUTHERN, RICK KINDLE, DALE DECKER, AND PAUL

SQUERI

DEREK SOUTHERN PRESENTS DICK WATSON WITH HIS HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP

AWARD

RICK KINDLE PRESENTS DALE DECKER WITH A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION

RICK KINDLE ADDRESSES THE GROUP

Scenes from our July BBQ

For more great pictures of the BBQ, visit https://sirinc2.org/branch152/ and go to the Gallery tab.

ARNOLD SIR ANNUAL 9-HOLE GOLF TOURNAMENT

August 24, 2021 SEQUOIA WOODS COUNTRY CLUB

2:00 PM Shotgun Start 12:30 PM Check-In and Ball Park Lunch on the Patio

Nine Hole – 4 Man Teams (ABCD Pairings) – Fun Format Field Limited to 44 Players – Only A Few Spots Left!

Cost: (Includes Green Fee – Cart – Lunch – Sweeps)

SWCC Member w/ Cart Lease or Trail Fee $15.00 SWCC Member w/o Cart Lease or Trail Fee $25.00 Non-SWCC Member $40.00

To Sign-up Call or e-mail:

Brian Raley – bplaguna1999@yahoo.com – 209-795-2876 or Jim Walton – jwalton2176@comcast.net – 415-699-9396

Reminder: SIR Waivers and a Copy of Vaccination Card on file is Required for Participation

Cigar Conclave 2021 Same Location as July for August

We had a great gathering for our July Cigar Conclave. Great Conversations, Great Company, Great Cigars. Our next gathering will be on August 10th at 3PM, at the same location as in July.

We will gather in August at Brian Raley’s home in Dorrington.

The address is: 2868 Ute Place. Take the Big Trees Village exit off Hwy 4 (before you hit Dorrington). Make a left at the first “T” and make a right onto Ute Place. The house will be on your left. Park in front of the house and along the roadside. RSVP is required to: bplaguna1999@yahoo.com

Note the current protocol: (Until State SIR changes policy)

* If you have not already done so, Send your Waivers and Copy of your Vaccination Card to Brian Raley bplaguna1999@yahoo.com or PO Box 4514 Camp Connell, CA 95223

SIR EVENT WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY FOR EXPOSURE TO COVID-19

Branch Name: Arnold SIR Branch #152

Branch Number: 152

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the general unavailability of insurance to cover liability related to that maEer, the SIR branch listed above (“Branch”) is requiring members, visi@ng SIR members from other branches, guest speakers, guests, and spouses/significant others aEending events sponsored by the Branch or by Sons in Re@rement, Incorporated (“State Sir”) to agree to the following:

1. In aEending ac@vi@es sponsored by the Branch or State SIR, the undersigned agrees to comply with mask, social distancing, and other Covid-19 protocols required by applicable government bodies, the Branch, State SIR, and the applicable venue. Failure to do so will result in the aEendee being asked to leave the event.

2. Regardless of adherence to mandated protocols, requirements, recommenda@ons, and vaccina@ons, the undersigned acknowledges that there is a risk of Covid-19 exposure whenever an individual enters a public space, a building with other people, or a group of other individuals.

3. Knowing the foregoing risk, the undersigned assumes the risk of Covid-19 exposure and accepts sole responsibility for any exposure to Covid-19 and resul@ng health condi@ons that may occur due to aEendance at a Branch or State SIR event.

4. The undersigned hereby releases and holds harmless the Branch, State SIR, and their respec@ve officers, directors, and members from any and all responsibility for illness, death, or other losses arising from exposure to Covid-19 at a Branch or State SIR event.

THE UNDERSIGNED HAS READ AND UNDERSTANDS THE ABOVE WAIVER AND RELEASE, UNDERSTANDS THE RISKS POSED BY COVID-19, AND SIGNS THE WAIVER AND RELEASE VOLUNTARILY.

AEendee’s Name (print): ______________________________________________________

AEendee’s Signature: ______________________________________ Date:_____________

Once you sign this document, it is valid for all future Branch and or State ac@vi@es.

Sir Member Shirt Order Form orm

Arnold Sir Branch 152CC/Kevin Andel

Port Authority K100 Polo

$30 $30 $30 $32 $32 $32 $32 Size Small Medium Large Extra Large 2X Large 3X Large Custom

Colors w/Sir Color Logo

White

Rich Red

Bright Kelly Green

Carolina Blue

River Blue Navy

Custom Color

Shirts Ordered___________

E-Mail Kevin Andel kncbear@aol.com Phone: 209 795-9119

PO Box 2038Arnold, CA 95223-2038

Name_______________________________

Address___________________________________

Phone_________________________

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SIR Shirt Order Process Change!!

As mentioned at our October & November meetings we have ordered a dozen shirts with the SIR logo on them. This will allow us to get you a shirt quicker and at a lower cost…if the shirt you are ordering is in our inventory (we have a dozen on hand at this time). This change has allowed us to get the cost down to $25 which includes embroidery, shipping and tax. If ordering a one-off, e.g., shirt not in inventory or adding a pocket, the cost will be around $30.

Shirt color choices are Navy, Red, Kelly Green and White and sizes are XXXL, XXL, XL, L, Med and Small.

If you are interested in a new shirt contact Kevin Andel at kncbear@aol.com or 795-9119.