President’s Message
August 2024
Looks like summer is here with a vengeance, with temperatures in and around the 100s. I hope everyone is protecting their trees by relocating them to more protected areas of the yard, or giving them more frequent watering throughout the day. Sometimes both is required, since overexposure to the sun can set a tree back for a full year or even lead to death that shows up weeks later. Trees that have been repotted this past year are especially prone to sun damage, especially if the pot is allowed to overheat, which can cook the roots internally. Sun damage doesn't always show up immediately, so please, do whatever you can within your personal means to be proactive, and don't wait until it's too late!
After the month of August, our club and members will see meetings that will help everyone prepare for our upcoming bonsai show at the Quinlan Center in Cupertino. For our first meeting in September, Juan Cruz will be handling a program designed to help many in our club who are new, to prepare their trees, pots, and display ideas, so you can be ready and confident! We are here for you, so everyone can share at least one tree to be displayed at our upcoming show!
I wanted to take this time to thank everyone in the club that helped to make our Silent Auction a complete success. The amount of bonsai materials and trees that showed up was amazing. JT is handing out checks to everyone that sold an item, who will receive a percentage of the sale back at this time, but only at our meetings. So make a point of catching up with him at the meetings so you can be reimbursed. Our Silent Auction is only one way the club receives funds that cover the cost of running the club from year to year, so thanks to everyone for your support and participation!
A Simple Request!
On a short but important note, for the past few months now, our beginning meeting times have been pushed back at least 10 minutes due to club members coming in late. I know that traffic and sometimes weather can be a big problem, but why haven't we seen this same issue in past years? Please, club members, everyone is short-changed by this, which can get out of control. We all love to see everyone attend meetings together and share in our programs, but when they are interrupted by latecomers, it's not fair!
For Our First Thursday Meeting in August
We are privileged to have our own Mehrdad Chavosh, a fellow club member for many years, to share his special carving talents with our club this first Thursday meeting. Mehrdad's talents have spanned the Bay Area clubs locally, which have invited him to do his wizardry with his motor tools and hand implements that transforms a normal-looking bonsai tree into a carved piece of aged artwork. Mehrdad has trained his hands and implements to utilize his gifted ways he sees things, and his trees take on a more aged and gnarly appearance, gutted by weather and wind influences that he grinds and chisels away from the bark and wood of the subject. He knows how to carve away certain areas of the tree, leaving other areas untouched, allowing the tree to still maintain its living structure.
Mehrdad says he plans to bring some of his trees he's done in the past for you to see how time has enhanced his personal work. Along with working on a tree that evening he needs to finish, and recreate a new style or look for the tree. And we will be right there with him, watching him carve away wood that goes flying in all directions. This is a meeting you won't want to miss, as Mehrdad will go over the various motor tools and hand implements he uses, along with the type of bits you need for certain applications. This program will help everyone who wants to take their trees to another creative level they never imagined.
Our Third Thursday Meeting
Now is the time to consider what trees you have that you would like to display at our upcoming show in October. If you're not sure, bring them in for our senior members' consideration at our monthly workshop. From now on, our meetings will be directed into helping everyone with their trees they want to show! Even some trees in late October can be repotted into a show-type pot. All things show related will be discussed by Juan Cruz in our next month's program. So let's get started now for our trees to be ready and beautiful! 🌳