Here we are at Autumn again. Such a fun time to have trees with fall colors. We are all a little sad, of course, because once again we will not be having a Fall Show this year. But enough of us want it badly enough that there is hope we will figure it out for 2016. Meanwhile, look for Candace’s announcement of a smaller scale get together we are having that does not replace the Fall Show, but will somewhat soothe the part of our collective heart that longs for that event. All while we honor a cherished longstanding member of the club.
There is so much to report from the last two months, let us start with what is coming up instead. There are just two more workshops left for the year, November 3rd and December 1st, and no more meetings, due to the Holidays. We will be holding elections during the November workshop, so do not miss it. Also keep an eye out for the Holiday Party announcement. Last I heard, the party was being planned for the first weekend in December, but look to the announcement for the final details. Meanwhile, plans are beginning to take shape for our repotting season events. Stay tuned for details.
Our Bonsai Boot Camp program continues with the three remaining trees and the recruits training them under the supervision of their mentors. Originally, this was presented as an eight month competition that would culminate in an auction, which I had proposed for this month. However, based on the feedback from recruits, mentors, and spectators alike, it has been decided that the Boot Camp should be a year longer. Not only does that allow the recruits to work with the trees throughout all the seasons, but it also gives them more time to see the effects of their hard work, and supports the spirit of the event, which is to move away from destructive quick-chop styling competitions and toward long-term education. Since we most likely will kick off another set of recruits in the spring, that means we will have two overlapping sets of recruits until the first batch completes their program in the fall of 2016. If we keep it up, this will be the last year that we do not have a graduating set of recruits in every fall.
Looking back, the club enjoyed a couple more months of sound education, first in September with Peter Teas fifth installment, featuring illustrative trees, and then with Bob Shimon’s Redwood lecture and demonstration in October, where more was trained than just the demo tree.
Enjoy those fall colors and I will see you at an event soon!
– David Eichhorn
