- Tom Myers did the pledge
- Bill Maston did the thought for the day.
- Mike Kasperzak was our only guest.
- The club shared a moment of silence as Steve Nichols informed the club that his mother Jackie had passed away. She was a energetic person and will be sorely missed.
- The club handed out yellow ducks with ribbons tied onto them to emphasize that all Rotarians are ducks – “if you walk like a duck, talk like a duck, then you’re a duck”. If you walk like a Rotarian and talk like a Rotarian then you’re a Rotarian. I guess it is good that we can keep an important issue simple.
- We got an update on RYLA. Apparently it was quite successful with wonderful thank letters from those who attended. Those young high schoolers are amazing.
- Next week's social event is Tuesday, July 26th at 5:30 pm at La Lemon. It is located at the corner of Castro and California Streets and has just recently opened. Word has it that it is excellent food and excellent ambiance within the restaurant itself. This is a great time to not only socialize but welcome a new business in town.
- A reminder that this Thursday is the Rotary board meeting and all members are welcome.
- Our presentation for the day was given by none other than Tom and his husband Hartono. They provided a spectacular photo presentation of their recent trip to Swalvard Island which is in the middle of Scandinavia. It is approximately 807 miles above the artic circle and 600 miles to the north pole. The photos were amazing. Definitely looked cold with a very stark landscape with frozen ice floating on the ocean and amazing animals to be seen. They included polar bears, birds, sea lions, walrus’ to name a few. One interesting aspect about being among polar bears besides them being very dangerous is that there is a law that requires all people to either be accommodated by someone who has a gun or must carry a gun in self defense of the polar bears. In addition, it is against the law to lock your doors. That way if there is an emergency where a polar bear is chasing you, you can enter anyone’s home. Not only is it for safety, but for being good neighbors as well. This adventure took place primarily by boat. There was 107 passengers and 80 crew members. And the passengers came from all walks of life from around the world. Some of the amazing photographs also included their rides in kayaks and zodiacs which added to the adventure. Hartono mentioned how being on the water or hiking on the snow bank brought you much closer to the dynamics of this frozen world than just staying on the boat. Interestingly there was lots of relics visible in the photographs. They included old wheels, old mining areas, shacks for hunters and workers left abandoned, and other historic artifacts. This is possible due to the artic heritage treaty which protects all of its natural and manmade history.
Unfortunately global warming is an issue and is having an impact. The ice is disappearing and threatening the habitat for polar bears.
I am sure it is threatening other native species as well. Tom also showed us pictures and a short video of Hartono doing a cold water plunge off the side of the boat. Looked like a crazy plunge to me and I am sure you can imagine how quickly he got out of the water. Apparently the water temperature is only 30 degrees. Overall the trip was intended to be and was a great outdoor adventure. Apparently it was made more special due to the great weather conditions. Not only was it sunny 24 hours a day but blue skies to accompany it.
If you have interest in a similar trip you can contact Tom for some additional information. In the meantime as a reference point, the first leg of your trip will be to Helsinki. Then from Helsinki to Sdalvard Island. Thank you Tom and Hartono for sharing this amazing trip.