We got up at 5:30 this morning for our first convention of the 2009-10 Lions year. We didn’t have to leave the house until 8:00, but we had to do a few last minute things before we could go. Everything is going smoothly, as we carried on our SkyRoll and small blue suitcase for the flight to Dulles Airport for the District 24-A Fall Conference in Virginia.
Today is our 27th anniversary, so we’re hoping to have a good time at the social tonight. Next year, the plan will be to stay in bed all day.
Thursday, April 30
We met PIP Kay Fukushima along with PID Ross, PID Maynard & VDGE Eunice, CC Deborah & Lion Bob, PID Ben & Jan, and PID John & Bev at the Sheraton, Bloomington. Most of the DGs and partners were also there, and we had a good time chatting with many of them. We then carpooled to The Great Mandarin in Eden Prairie Center for dinner. Lion Linda also joined us there. PID Ross & Linda had made arrangements for a special dinner, and it was! It began with egg roll & chicken wings, then continued with Peking Duck, and many Chinese dishes, all very excellent. We especially liked the honey glazed shrimp and lemon glazed chicken.
Once back at the hotel, we hit the hospitality room for more “mingling”, and then ended up at the bar a drink with PIP Kay, PID Maynard & Eunice, and PID Ben & Jan. What had been a 9:00 target for leaving the hotel for the Holiday Inn Express quickly turned into 11:30. We wouldn’t have it any other way, though, it’s not often you get the chance to chew the fat with a PIP.
Friday, May 1, 2009
The 2:30am wake-up call jolted us from our fast sleeping at the Holiday Inn. Our flight was to leave at 5:15, so we needed to catch the 3:45 shuttle to the airport. We had never seen the airport so quiet. The ticket counters weren’t even open yet, so we stood in line with a few others at the Delta counter until they opened at 4:00. It was good we got there early, though, because by the time we had checked our bags, the line was halfway down the corridor.
Our flight ended up being delayed about 20 minutes, probably because people had to wait in the line at the ticket counter. We had gotten through security with no delays, and enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee waiting for the plane to board. It was a little over 2 hours to Atlanta, and it was a good thing our connecting flight was leaving from a nearby gate. They were boarding as we got to the gate, so we hopped right on, and took our seats (in row 2 – LCI flies first class if total flight time is over 5 hours).
We landed in San Juan at about 1:30 pm local time, and met up with ID Eugenio and DG José (Pappo) and Annie. They showed us some of the sights on our way to the hotel. Genio is working on a bid for the USA/Canada Forum, so they took us by the Convention Center and Hotels, all of which looked very much first class. They obviously have excellent facilities to host such an event.
We had a short rest at the hotel before José & Annie and Eugenio and Ibis came to pick us up for the Charter Night celebration for the Campus Club at the University in Aerecibo. They are chartering with about 35 members, and seemed very enthusiastic about serving as Lions. The celebration lasted until 11:30 pm, as they sang songs, ate dinner, inducted the new members, presented pins (Debra also presented each member with one of her “Service” hearts), installed the officers, and heard several speeches. Debra gave brief remarks congratulating them and welcoming them into Lionism. She also presented one of her bags as well as a Helen Keller pin and President Al pin to the Charter President. It was a very festive evening indeed, but we were kind of dragging, as the day got very long. We weren’t too tired to stop at Walgreens for some Hagen Daz though on the way back to the Hotel.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
We had a totally tourist day today. We started out visiting the Aerecibo Telescope, the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. The visitor center contained many interesting displays, and they showed a movie about “A Day In The Life” of the telescope, which was also interesting. The highlight, of course, was just being there and seeing the dish and antennae.
Our second stop was at the Caverns. They are a system of huge rooms and passages formed by the underground river flowing through the karst formations. We had a nice 1 hour walking tour through the caves and sink holes. The Aericebo telescope is actually formed in a sinkhole which facilitated support of the huge curved reflecting surface.
Our last stop of the day was at the lighthouse. It was a short climb up through the children’s park to the lighthouse, which afforded great views of the sand beaches to the east and west, and the surf pounding the rocks under the lighthouse.
There were a couple Lions clubs celebrating anniversaries, but Pappo elected to take us to his home. He showed us his many Bonsai trees that he is growing in his back yard, and we had a nice dip in the pool. Annie cooked us a wonderful traditional Puerto Rican meal consisting of seasoned pork, Pastel (plantain mash stuffed with meat and beans then fried), and a delicious rice and black bean dish. We topped it all off with flan and very strong Puerto Rican coffee. Pappo’s cabinet secretary Paulino and his wife Cynthia joined us for dinner, and some spirited games of billiards and dominos before and after. It was a wonderful evening, and we didn’t get back to the hotel until about 11:30.
Sunday, May 3
The main event, a cabinet meeting, was Sunday morning. There were about 160 Lions there for what was another very spirited meeting. PID Carlos and his wife Sara each did some interpreting for me as I sat with Ibis in the front row, and Carlos’ father PID Raphael (Pepin) interpreted for Debra at the head table. They had some reports about their main projects, presented some MJFs and Presidential Commendations, and had some brief speeches by PID Carlos and DG Jose, then Debra gave her remarks. She included a Spanish and Sign Language greeting (as they had members from their Deaf and Hard of Hearing Club. She also used Roberto Clemente as her sports hero reference. People picked up much of the humor (although there was a bit of a delayed reaction as they processed the language). She spoke slowly and clearly, and everyone seemed to understand her English quite well. Several people came up afterward to tell her how they appreciated both her message and her delivery.
Lunch was served buffet style (except for us at the head table) after the meeting, consisting of beans and rice, potato salad, and turkey seasoned as they do pork. They must eat almost as much rice in Puerto Rico as they do in Asia, but again, it was prepared a different way, and was delicious. We were planning to go back to the hotel for a rest before heading to San Juan for a dinner with PID Ed McCormick and others, there to visit the convention facilities, but we hung around chatting with people so long after lunch, that we decided to just go to Pappo’s, as it was not so far as the hotel.
We left for the meeting in San Juan at 4:30, but on the way, Pappo discovered that his car was missing two lugnuts, and another lug bolt had broken off. He thought it must have happened as a result of the auto shop tightening the bolts too tightly when he got the tires rotated. Pappo called Triple A, and we all made our way back to his place. As it turned out, PID Ed’s plane had been delayed, and he wouldn’t be getting in until at least 9:30, so they cancelled the dinner meeting anyway.
Once back at Pappo and Annie’s, Eugenio cooked us a delicious meal of pasta with shrimp in a white cheesy sauce. He is something of a Gourmet cook, fresh garlic, peppers & onions, swiss cheese, milk, and diet coke in the sauce. We had never heard of using soda in the sauce, but Genio said it was his “secret” ingredient. The dinner was topped off by flan (this time a la mode – with the Hagen Daz Pappo had gotten on Friday) and more coffee. Another great evening with great friends!
Monday, May 4
We slept in on Monday. Our flight wasn’t until 3:35, so everyone came to get us at 11:00. We drove to San Juan, and had time for lunch at Metropol before going to the airport. This time we shared a chicken breast stuffed with mashed yucca root, and of course, beans and rice. This time, black beans with white rice. A cup of espresso was the perfect finisher.
We got to the airport with plenty of time to say our good-byes and get through the long security line before our flight. There had been some severe weather across the southern states, but our flight took off right on time and we had a smooth ride all the way to Atlanta. We had a short layover in Atlanta, and another smooth flight to Minneapolis, arriving about 11:15 pm. A shuttle back to the Holiday Inn, and the drive home saw is in bed just a little before 1:00 am after another great weekend!
It’s back to the long distance traveling today. We got out of bed at about 3:40, and left the house at 5:00 for the drive to the EZ Air Park. We had plenty of time for breakfast at the McDonalds. We’ve gone there a couple of times, since there’s no longer a cinnabon at the airport. Since we are going to be gone the whole week, we packed the bigger bag along with the large skyroll, and checked both with American Airlines for our flights to Pittsburgh.
The flight to Chicago was very uneventful, and we made the connection to Pittsburgh with no problems. We did get a nice walk in at O’Hare though. When we got to the Pittsburgh airport, we were met by DG Barry & First Lady Cheryl and VDG Carl & Lion Zenaida. We hit it off immediately, and had a great time chatting on the way to the Westmoreland County Blind Association (by way of Mississippi, as VDG Carl would say).
When we got to the WCBA, we met Lion Dom, who is president of the board, and Larry, the CEO of the business. The WCBA was a very interesting place, and Larry is a real go-getter. They employ blind and visually impaired people to do production machine embroidery, shredding, and sewing. They have a contract with the federal government to put together “J-Bags” for the military. They start will the rolls of material, and do all the cutting and sewing to produce 5,000 large bags per month. It’s quite the operation, with over 60 steps all done in assembly line fashion. We saw workers doing several of the steps using computer controlled sewing machines and jigs that assisted them getting the material into the proper location before hitting the switch to do the sewing. Their shredding operation includes an 8 horsepower super shredder as well as six more normal heavy duty shredders all dumping the shredded paper onto a conveyer belt that drops the paper into a bin in the basement, where it is compacted into huge bales for shipping out. As Larry says, they get paid twice for doing the job – once for doing secure document shredding, and again for furnishing paper to be recycled. The Lions have done great things in support of the center, including purchasing machines, fixing the roof, and serving on the WCBA Board of Directors.
After the visit to the WCBA, we went to the Lamplighter Restaurant for a little lunch (and great coconut crème pie) with DG Barry & Cheryl, VDG Carl & Sunita, and PDG Dom. Debra and I split a fish sandwich and fries, which was huge and delicious. It was a short walk up a cobblestone path to the Holiday Inn hotel. We settled into our room for a brief rest before walking back down the path to the Lamplighter for a social time and then dinner. We had a very scary incident at dinner when Lion Zenaida collapsed in some kind of spell. We found out later that she has a history of aneurisms and has a metal plate in her head that they think may have shifted causing a seizure. I ended up supporting her on a chair while monitoring her pulse until the ambulance arrived. They kept her at the hospital over night, but she was doing much better by morning, and was able to come home that day. We were concerned for both her and VDG Carl at the convention, Saturday, but were relieved to hear that she was doing better.
It was the Zone 3 meeting in Webster tonight. We always like going to Webster. It is a very small town quite off the beaten path, but they have a great restaurant there called the Ranchero. The name doesn’t suggest it, but they specialize in German and Bohemian cuisine. The spatzl there is to die for! No spatzl tonight though, only pork roast with mashed potatoes and a medley of green and wax beans with carrots. PDG Mike was there, and we hadn’t seen him for quite a while, so it was nice to catch up. We also ran into Lion Kathy, who was there for a Rice County Republican meeting. We won some of the NEW Lions homemade sausage on the door prize drawing. They have been making it for over 30 years, and it’s a great money-maker for them. The just did about 1400 pounds, and had very little left after their sale.
We went to the Waterville club meeting tonight to give a presentation mostly about our trip to China and Thailand. They had a real nice turnout for their spring social meeting where they invite all the spouses. Lion Dee is the president this year, and she is really doing a great job – very organized and efficient. It’s always a blast going to Waterville, we know many of their club members, and have a good time teasing each other back and forth. At our last club meeting, when PDG Marlys presented a program on the Eyebank, some of their other members came along. I think it was Lion Kathy who christened them the “Watervillans”. I think that’s going to stick.
Debra started the program out by explaining a little about the board and the process of getting elected, and then we shifted into travelogue mode. We had planned to do a PowerPoint, but discovered earlier in the day that we didn’t have a projector, so I printed up a bunch of 8×10s to show and pass around. That worked very well, and everyone seemed to like the presentation, Lion Jack even said he would have liked to keep us there longer.
As usual, breakfast came early, we really had to sleep fast. The breakfast was to honor the Melvin Jones fellows in the district. After breakfast, they had a very nice memorial service and then a closing ceremony where DG Ellen presented many awards. Debra’s remarks again were that we were both very tired, but that was a good thing. We had done what we came to do: spend a lot of time talking with a lot of Lions, and having a great time!
The trip home was eventful, but everything turned out fine. We had checked our luggage with Air Canada in Sudbury, so went to the domestic baggage claim in Toronto thinking that was where our luggage would be – no luck. We heard an announcement over the intercom that people making connections to the US needed to pick up their luggage upstairs at the international baggage claim, so we went up there – again no luck. We talked to an agent, who told us that since we were flying NWA out of Toronto, our luggage would be over at Terminal 3, where NWA flights left. We got on the bus, and got to Terminal 3, found the baggage claim area, but again no luck! We talked to the attendant, who said sometimes it takes up to an hour or two for luggage to get there, so we went back to waiting. After about two hours, we asked her again. This time she said she would call to do some checking. We went to the deli at the airport and split a sandwich and chips. When we got back to the baggage are, we were very glad to hear that she had found our luggage. It had been delivered to the wrong place, but it was on its way! The two sky rolls soon arrived, and we were off! Good thing we had a nice long layover!
The Cabinet meeting was first thing in the morning. Debra had half a bagel with cream cheese, and I had a bran muffin and some scrambled eggs from the breakfast buffet. The cabinet meeting was brief, consisting of reports from the Region and Zone Chairs. Debra spoke briefly and then opened the floor for questions. This time there were a few, which Debra handled in her usual straightforward but tactful manner.
After the Cabinet meeting, we visited with some of the Lions at the breakfast buffet they had for the Lions who weren’t on the Cabinet. The Opening Ceremony followed, consisting of a “Parade of Banners”, speakers talking about the Lions Foundation of Canada and Canadian Dog Guides.
After the Opening Ceremony, they had seminars scheduled. Debra and I presented one on Disability Awareness. We went over some of the causes of visual impairment/blindness and then talked about implications as far as travel, literacy, and employment. Some good questions were asked, and the seminar seemed to go over well with the Lions. We hung around and chatted with several Lions after the seminar, and got many positive comments over the course of the weekend.
For lunch, we were led into the banquet hall by a bag-piper in full regalia. After the traditional marching-in music, the bagpiper left the banquet room to the tune of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. That had everyone in stitches. Lunch was served buffet style, we had the pasta salad, and split a piece of chicken. The highlight of the Luncheon was a speech given by a 15 year old girl, who was the winner in her age/language category of the district’s “Effective Speaking” contest. She really did a great job, making the case that kids in her generation shouldn’t be viewed as negative stereotypes, and that they were very interested in making a difference in the world. She really “called out” the adults, and challenged us to look beyond the eyebrow ring and red hair. Very gutsy, and very, very effective. After lunch, Debra conducted a World Wide Induction Day Ceremony. There were two Lions who had been members only a short while, so Debra had them come up along with two members who had been Lions over 50 years. She had everyone stand and reaffirm their oath. It made for a very nice ceremony.
After the extended lunch there was free time. We visited with some Lions, then went back to the room to rest a while and begin packing.
DG Ellen hosted a reception for the Cabinet and us before the banquet. After the reception, we marched into the banquet, again with bagpipes. This time he exited with “Old MacDonald”, he was great! Dinner started with a squash soup, then pork loin, vegetable medley (wax beans, green beans and carrots) and more of the roasted potatoes. For dessert we had a delicious layer cake with a nice light frosting, whipped cream, and garnish of strawberries.
After dinner, Debra & DG Ellen presented several Presidential Commendations and one Leadership Medal. Debra presented her bags to IPDG Myra & PDG Hillary, Convention Chair PDG Barry, and the two ladies who had come up during the World Wide Induction Day Ceremony. We then exchanged gifts with Ellen & Bob. We gave them the usual Faribault Blanket and Amableu Cheese. (We were very glad to hear from DG Ellen that she loved blue cheese). They gave us a clock, an Inukshuk, and a paper weight with the “Big Nickel” all made from nickel ore. It’s was very nice to exchange pieces of our home towns with them.
After the banquet, they held the finals of the “Idol” contest. Everyone was really having a great time, and the singing talent of the Lions who participated was amazing. There was actually a tie after the final round, so the judges had them perform one more song each, with the winner being decided by audience applause.
We went to the Schumaker Club’s hospitality room after the Idol contest, and stayed up till the wee hours (2:00 am) solving all the problems of the world of Lionism. That was a great time, just shooting the breeze with a half dozen Lions over some good scotch (Johnny Walker - Green Label).
Everything went very smoothly today, as we arose at 3:45 am in order to leave the house by 4:45 and catch a 6:05 flight. The first leg was a United flight to O’Hare, then another to Toronto. We had a short layover in Toronto, so we grabbed a quick sandwich and bottle of water. The weather got progressively worse as we progressed, and by the time we got to Sudbury a cold windy rain was coming down. We noticed that first-hand as we deplaned from our turbo-prop and walked across the tarmac to the Sudbury Airport. Once inside, we were greeted by DG Ellen, and IPDG Myra and her husband, PDG Hillary. We grabbed our two sky rolls off the luggage carousel (we had to check them because the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Sudbury had stricter carry-on rules that domestic US flights) and bolted across the street to the waiting limo. Once inside, we met the driver, Lion Steffan. It turned out that the “limo” was one used as the family car at funerals, but that only added to the experience.
It was a short drive into Sudbury and the Radisson Hotel. We got checked in to our very, very nice two room suite. We had two baths, a living room with Jacuzzi and a gas fireplace, and Sleep Number Beds!! There was a desk and office chair in each room, as well as two televisions. There were two bottles of Canadian wine and a huge basket of fruit and candy waiting for us. A person could get used to such nice treatment.
The Friday night activity was a dinner with the PDGs from the district. After unpacking and resting for a short while, we dressed in our formals, and headed down to the “Notre Dame” room. IPDG Myra introduced us around, and we sat down to an especially nice dinner of roast veal, roasted potatoes, and asparagus, delicious! Debra gave some brief remarks thanking them for the invitation, and expressing greetings from the LCI Officers and Board of Directors. She opened the floor for questions, and PDG Mike asked if she could influence LCI to increase the PDG Pension. Of course there is no such thing, but Debra shot right back that she thought maybe they could double it! Everyone had a good laugh, and we knew we would feel very much at home for the weekend.
After the PDG Dinner, we went to the ballroom where they were holding the Friday night social. What a great turnout of Lions, all having a great time renewing acquaintances and enjoying the “Idol” contest they were having. Friday night was just the preliminary rounds, and they had some very talented singers participating. They also had very nice silent auction with a good variety of items ranging from a recliner chair (that IPDG Myra bought) to sweatshirts, mugs and hats. We started to fade around 11:00 pm, and explained that we had been up since 3:45, so called it a night.
4:00 pm
As I finish describing our weekend, we are on our flight from Detroit back to Minneapolis. We had a little time yesterday to relax in the room and get changed for the evening events. We turned on the TV, and heard about the flooding in the Red River Valley area. The river receded a little, but they’re not at all sure it won’t rise some more before the danger is past. We also caught some scores from the NCAA Tournament, and watched the end of the Maryland – Vanderbuilt women’s game. Maryland had been down big (18 points I think) and came back to take their only lead of the game right at the end. We commented that Vanderbuilt was like the BA boys team in the Minnesota State Tournament. They had led Chisholm all the way until the very end, and then lost a heartbreaker.
They held a hospitality room for the director and district officers and PDGs before the banquet. Debra dressed in her “whites” and I wore my black tux, and we went there and enjoyed the great cashews and conversation. We marched in for the banquet, and sat down to a prime rib dinner with cheese-baked potato and green beans, and, of course, more of those warm garlic buns. Debra nailed her after-dinner remarks; you could have heard a pin drop. Again, it almost brought tears to my eyes to see and hear her speak from the heart. She makes it sound fresh, with the perfect combination or emotional appeal and humor. Many people came up later to say how much they appreciated her (and I) coming and how wonderful they thought her speech was. After the speech, Debra and ID Chuck(ie) presented two Presidential Commendations, and announced two others that would be going to club presidents who were not present. Debra also had a Certificate of Appreciation for the Lions Eyeglass Recycling program to the long-time district chair of that project. Unfortunately, he had become ill, and was in the hospital. Debra and I then presented her bags to Lion Jerry & Cheryl, Lion Dave (the Convention Chair), Lion Gert (who has been a Lion only one week), and Lion Cheryl (the district photographer). We also presented our gifts of a Faribault Blanket and a wedge of blue cheese to DG Chuck and First Ladybug Nancy. They gave us a clock in the shape of Michigan that Chuck had made, and a VERY nice quilt that Nancy had made. We were just overwhelmed that they would give us gifts with such a personal meaning.
After dinner; they drew the raffle prizes, and held a live auction. The proceeds of the raffle and auction are used to defray expenses of the convention. The Saturday Lunch had been free of charge, paid for by the proceeds of similar raffles they had held during the year. We had never heard of any district doing that, but it was obvious that it was very much appreciated by the membership, and they really supported both the raffles and the auction. The festivities did run pretty late, but many people held in there until the end. After the main events were over, we made our way to the hospitality rooms. They had a DJ and the drinks and snacks in one room, sponsored by the VDG Bob and the Berville Lions Club. That club is just amazing! They have 125 members, with a wide range of ages, and they do so much in their community. We chatted with some of the members, and were very impressed with their dedication and enthusiasm. The other hospitality room had the desserts. We had to have a couple, of course. We enjoyed all the opportunities to chat with Lions about their club activities, and shared ideas well in to the night. It was 1:00 before we finally made it up to our room.
The 6:30 wake-up call came way too early this morning, but we managed to make our way down to the continental breakfast. We sat down with a couple of guys, who said they were just about ready to leave. We got into a good conversation though, and they hung around for quite a while. Once again, we spoke about the Dictionary Project, and they seemed interested. After they left, an older couple came and sat with us. It turned out she was a former speech teacher. Debra thanked her for not telling her that last night, as she would have been very nervous. She complimented Debra on her speaking ability, and we chatted on and on about youth exchange experiences and the importance of service. The Governor had to come and drag us out of the restaurant, so they could start the election meetings.
They convened separate meetings consecutively in the same room for each region, to elect the region chairs, and then a district wide meeting to elect the DGE and First and Second Vice Governors. Another really unique thing about 11-D2, but it works for them. Suffice it to say that VDG Bob is now DGE Bob.
After the meetings, we went again to the restaurant for a light lunch with Chuck & Nancy and Jerry & Cheryl. Debra and I split a really good Baja Burger & Fries. (If you’re beginning to get the idea that Lions eat a lot, you’re right. Sometimes it seems all we do is eat and sit and eat and sit.). After lunch, we said out good-byes to Chuck & Nancy, and went to the airport with Jerry & Cheryl, where we bid them good bye as well.
So here we are, as Debra said in her comments at the meeting this morning, tired and hoarse, but that means we did what we came here to do. Spend a lot of time talking with a lot of Lions, and sharing a lot of great ideas about how Lions can better be of service in their communities. She said that she hoped that they were tired too, because that would mean that they had done what they came there to do as well. I’m pretty sure that most everyone was.
3:30 pm
We slept in a little this morning (7:15), then headed down for continental breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They had some really good mini cinnamon rolls, so we had one of them yoghurt and coffee. We sat down with a real nice couple from a small town near Port Huron, and talked with them about their town and their club. Like so many clubs here, he’s a Lion, and she’s not. She obviously did a lot of work on the Lions Club projects though. I told them about the Dictionary project, and they seemed very interested.
After breakfast, the business meeting was much like others we’ve been at. The usual reports by Region and Zone Chairs, then the Cabinet chairs. I was particularly impressed by a region chair who emphasized the need to provide service in the community. Nearly everyone who came to the mike, had a great time teasing “DG Chuckie” (with a French accent). After the reports, Debra spoke about the board actions at the last meeting, and some about LCI & LCIF in general. She opened up for questions, and got quite a few this time. She did an AMAZING great job giving thoughtful, honest answers to some VERY difficult (but also very pertinent) questions. I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed with her ability to frame what could be contentious issues objectively, and speak to the very heart of what Lionism is all about.
The Luncheon speaker was Lion Greg Grabowski, the new President of Leader Dogs for the Blind. He gave a VERY interesting, informative presentation from a very different perspective than that of the field reps (who also do a great job of telling their personal stories). Leader Dog is also now providing services to people in several foreign countries and is looking for way to improve their delivery model to better meet the needs of blind people in places like Latin America and Europe. We talked with him afterwards about possibly pursuing a CSFII grant, and also about connecting with Perkins School for the Blind, who are also deeply involved in providing services around the world.