The Sunrise Spirit

The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise

Volume VII, Issue 5 — August 8, 2007

Club President 2007-2008: Lori Breyer

Editor: Dick Johnson

editor@arcatasunrise.org

 

Business Spotlight

Murphy's Market is the firm in the Business Spotlight this week. When Donnie Rosebrook was offered the floor for his one-minute "infomercial", he noted that "It's a grocery store ... it's pretty exciting."  Well, the network of Murphy's stores - in Trinidad, on Glendale Avenue in Blue Lake, in Sunny Brae, in Cutten, and Westwood Market - are some of the last locally-owned supermarkets in the area.

Donnie says that the Official Clipboard with the Treasured Trivia Questions will be stationed at the Sunny Brae market. Ask for Candy at Checkstand One!

 

 

 

 

 
 
Notes From Our Last Meeting
Craig Newman reported on the recent Youth Exchange Committee Meeting, saying that the committee has begun setting up the schedule for the year. The new big thing this year is the focus on preventing sexual harassment. Many of the new Rotary-wide policies are things our District already had in place. However, many of the folks who work closely with our Exchangers will need to have their fingerprints run through the Live Scan process. Craig also noted that our Outbound Exchange Student, Jamie Towson, was planning to fly out this week for Switzerland.

Scholarship Committee Chair Leslie Lawson reported that we have received thank you letters from two recent Sunrise Scholarships. The first was from Brittany, who attended Camp RYLA this summer. We also heard from Ben Batini, who told us how much he appreciates the Renewable Scholarship, and how he plans to repay the honor by being the best teacher he can be for his students

 

Special Daze
Dan Johnson said that he was once the youngest member of our Club - but then Travis Schneider joined. Time marches on, and another July 27th came and went, leaving Dan's odometer at 43. Dan and the fam spent the days before his birthday on a houseboat on Lake Shasta. However, on his natal day, Dan drove the crew through the heat - up to 106°!

A few days later, on August 4th, Romi Hitchcock Tinseth and her husband Glenn celebrated 19 years of wedded bliss in the midst of a camping trip. But this was not just camping, no, no! They decided (at least on their anniversary) to camp in style. Glenn wore a shirt and tie, they sipped cocktails, they indulged. Romi called it "glamping", for glamour camping (John Wesa later told us that the term is a portmanteau word, one made up of two or more words or word parts).

Going To The Matt
Last Friday was Matt Babich's turn to play Finemaster, and he turned the tables on the "Master of Fines" - Head Rat Bob Johnson. "Bring it on," said Bob. Matt passed on the definition of the word nepotism - it seems yet another denizen of the Johnson Gene Pool has been working at Arcata Color Center. "It's a family business," Bob said. " I've worked with my mother, my wife, my dad, my two sons, and now my niece."

Terri Clark was on Rotary Business during a recent trip to Vietnam, so she received something of a pass for that. (There was also the fact that the trip occurred in March, so the news wasn't exactly new.) However, Matt found out that Terri's husband Marty Lay was recently named Civil Engineer of the Year by the North Coast branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. That was worth exploring. Terri said that Marty had prepared her for the moment by saying, "You're probably busy Thursday night, right?" She wasn't, and it took some questioning before he revealed that he had been nominated for the honor. Fortunately, Terri was able to attend, and Marty took home the well-deserved award. Click here to see the article from the Eureka Reporter.

Brandi Easter was recognized for a recent show at the Eureka Co-op. "The Faces Behind Your Food" was a collaboration with Joseph Wilhelm, with photography featuring local food producers. Brandi said that it was the first time in years that she had put together a series of photos just for their artistic value, not for a client. That show has ended, but Brandi's work is now on display at Libation, at 761 Eighth Street in Arcata.

John Wesa was recognized for donating another of his originals for a raffle.

Steve Bohner of Alchemy Construction was recently in the news, for installing a radiant heating system in an HSU building. Naturally, that drew a fine for his spouse, Sunriser Amy.

Matt had overheard part of a story that Rob McBeth had been telling that morning, so he asked for details. Rob was supposed to fly his private plane to Sacramento to pick someone up. He was having battery problems, so he needed a jump start to get going. When he arrived, he asked himself, "Should I let it run?" After several minutes idling, he decided to turn off the engine. Of course, the passenger called a few moments later. Rob tried to jump start the plane again, but nothing was working. Finally, a call to Humboldt County led to the delivery of a new battery by one of our favorite Visiting Rotarians - Al Castaldi. Rob concluded, "And that's the story of my $1,500 battery."

Matt stepped down, but our Chief Finemaster, Bob Johnson, stood to castigate the club for becoming a "bastion of conservatism". His case in point? Sunriser Robert Goodman, barely recognizable sans his previously long locks. Instead, Robert is now sporting a (dare I say it?) respectably short coif.

 
More Meeting Information
Last week's Business Spotlight was on North Soles Footwear, and President Lori asked Kathy Fraser, "Did anybody buy as many shoes as I did?" "No," Kathy responded, "you were the best." Kathy said that she and her staff enjoyed being in the Spotlight. The winner of the box o' goodies was Scott Heller, who also correctly answered the Trivia Question - "What happens when you sneeze." Scott said that all of your body functions stop for an instant.
 

John Wesa ... A Non-Linear Program
We heard from Sunriser John Wesa last week. John started by explaining that since "I used to pull green chain, I figured I could do anything." So he turned his considerable energies to art. He explained that his presentation might be a bit disjointed, noting that "I'm a non-linear speaker".

John earned his Master's Degree in 1976, and did some "poking around". He said that he woke up one day at the age of 34 and asked himself, "You're going to do what with your life?" He showed us as well as telling us, using slides of his art and of the work required to create that art. John has a 1,400 square foot studio with windows above eye level. At that height, they provide a great deal of natural light, with a minimum of distraction.

In 1984, John was named one of the top ten graphic artists in the United States, and he learned a few skills, "like licensing my work". He found that when he created posters for an agency, many were stolen, so he determined that there was a market for them and similar works.

The print that is being raffled off (for which John was fined) is a print worth about $2,400. The proceeds will benefit the Common Grounds Community Center, which is next door to Westwood Market. The group operates the Mosgo's Coffeehouse, and it will soon be offering classes to the community. To enter the raffle online click here.