November 2024

Congratulations must go out to everyone who had a hand in making this year's Midori Bonsai Club show a complete success. Everyone pulled together to present a beautiful selection of bonsai trees that I know we were all proud to display for the large crowd that attended. There are so many people to thank: JT for his wonderful bonsai demonstration on stage, Ray Stagner for his enduring help with facilities, all the club members who assisted with the school, and the ladies who helped out all day at our entry desk. It all made for a wonderful day that we truly enjoyed.

A few highlights surprised us all. What about the school’s attendance this year? We had 18 participants in all; in fact, we had to purchase additional trees from the vendors outside to handle the crowd that went home with a bonsai, thanks to everyone's pitching in and helping. Also, our Trees in Training bonsai display in the back was outstanding—I can't remember a better display in past years. And the selection of vendors we had offered just about everything bonsai you could imagine.

Congratulations are also in order for our four Members' Choice Award winners who took first place with our club's judging this year. Your trees truly represented the finest bonsai our club has to offer! And what a great job of judging everyone!

Yes, everyone pulled together, both in building and tearing down our show this year on time. I can't thank you all enough for your support and willingness to help out. Thanks, Midori Club Members, you're the best!

November's Program

We are privileged to have with us this month's first Thursday meeting a young man from the San Francisco Bonsai Society named Sam Tan. I first learned about this young bonsai practitioner from a YouTube video I watched as he presented programs for other clubs in the Bay Area in recent years. I know that everyone in the club will be impressed with his unique bonsai style.

Sam is a past president of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco. He is a passionate enthusiast who enjoys creating bonsai from native North American species. Sam studied bonsai under Ryan Neil at Bonsai Mirai in 2019. He has exhibited his work at the 2022 Pacific Bonsai Expo and again recently at the 2024 event, where he also served as a demonstrator. He regularly posts his work on Instagram at @samtanbonsai.

Our meeting that evening will start with a few comments from the audience regarding our club's show, highlighting what we enjoyed most and possible ways we can improve next year. Sam's presentation will follow immediately.

For Our Third Thursday's Workshop

Please bring in those bonsai trees you need help with or have questions about for our senior members. This will be a normal workshop for everyone.

A Holiday Reminder!

Keep in mind that December is just around the corner, and with that, our Christmas Holiday Party and Live Auction is on the 5th of December. There's much ahead for us to celebrate and enjoy together, especially sharing some delicious food we all love. So plan now for some coming holiday cheer!

A Word For The Season

Now that our yearly show is behind us, we can take fuller advantage of the holiday season ahead. I can't think of a better time of year, with the weather cooling down and possibly some rain on the horizon, to set new goals for ourselves regarding our bonsai future. Ask yourself: Are you taking full advantage of what the club is offering you, or are you missing opportunities to extend your bonsai knowledge and tree collection? To keep our bonsai passion alive and well, we must keep moving forward, adding new and exciting challenges to our collection.

Yes, this sometimes involves spending that extra money you didn't expect, but you may find it was the best thing you could do for your total bonsai enjoyment. This has certainly been true and motivating for me, especially for you younger members in our club. You have so many years ahead to start a wonderful bonsai collection and develop the knowledge that will help our club grow.

A Word From The Wise!

If you haven't noticed, many of our senior members in the club are getting up in age. Sharing our bonsai knowledge over the years has always been a joy for us, but we now see the need for others to take the reins and help with a growing club like ours.

The question is, how can we achieve this with the many newer members we have today? Obviously, all of us are volunteers, and many clubs in the Bay Area are struggling because few want to reach out and help share the responsibilities that come with running a club. However, I feel much more positive about our group of club members today, and I hope that many of you with greater talents will come forward. Yes, we need you, especially with the growing computer age we face.

The truth is, our senior members are dwindling in numbers, and the same responsibilities are falling solely on us. Many in our club have given greatly of themselves over the years and continue to do so. I have now been the club's president for six straight years this December. Our club's bylaws allow for only two consecutive years before passing the leadership to the next deserving person. However, since COVID and even before, everything changed, and I felt the need to extend my term for the good of the club and to keep it strong. I hope we have succeeded to date with our board of directors and monthly newsletters, especially with a growing and exciting club that needs good positive bonsai support and interesting meetings to keep everyone engaged.

But please, everyone, the baton needs to be changed and passed on to others who will feel the joy I have felt being your president over these past years. I'm sorry to say that this coming year will be my last year as your president.

But who will grab that baton and be our next president? 🌳