August Meeting Update

Santa Anita Bonsai Society August 2020 meeting is cancelled

Santa Anita Bonsai Society Members,

The county has not yet approved the reopening of meeting rooms at the Arboretum, so our August meeting has been cancelled.  I hope all of you have been able to stay safe and healthy during this long period of ups and downs with covid-19.

The heat of summer is here, and watching our trees during the heat is important.  Watering in the morning before heat builds up allows our trees more time to use the moisture before evaporation.  When the temperatures exceed 100 degrees, a second, lighter application of water in the late afternoon can help trees recover from the excessive heat.  You can always do a basic moisture check by sticking your finger into the soil about an inch.  If it is dry, you should probably water.  Watch for wilting leaves that are otherwise healthy.  Your trees will tell you when they need water.

The third installment of Peter Macasieb’s twisted Itoigawa demonstration should be up on our website soon, so be sure to check it out.  It is a great lesson and worth trying out.

While you are on the computer, Google “bonsai” and you will find lots of bonsai related info and videos.  You can search “Tom Lau” and find his bonsai videos that are well done.  There is much to watch to help keep our enjoyment of bonsai satisfied.  The GSBF magazine “Golden Statements” is available at www.gsbfbonsai.org/Articles.asp?ID=291.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lorraine & I at [email protected] or via our website at www.sabonsai.org

Stay well, and I will keep you informed about any upcoming chances to safely meet.

Dave

July Meeting Update

Santa Anita Bonsai Society July 2020 meeting is cancelled

Santa Anita Bonsai Society Members,

Hello to all of you. I continue to miss seeing you all in person and sharing the art of bonsai. I had hoped that a July club meeting might be possible, but the decision to cancel has been made.

The July meeting was scheduled to be held at the home of Peter and Marissa Macasieb. I spoke with Peter, and we agreed it was still too soon to be able to guarantee a safe space for our members to meet. We always enjoy getting together at Peter’s, but the backyard space would not allow for safe distancing and food would be an issue.

Meeting at the Arboretum was a possibility with the cancellation of concerts, however, they have not decided yet to allow it. So, unfortunately, a decision to cancel our meeting was necessary. I hope you have had a chance to view our May Virtual Show. It is still available for viewing on our website. For those of you who did not get the email link to part 1 of Peter’s twisted Itoigawa demonstration, you can see it by going to our website, www.sabonsai.org. Part 2 of Peter’s demo will be posted for viewing within days. Thanks again to everyone who entered trees for our Virtual Show, and thanks to Peter for the demonstration.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lorraine & I at [email protected] or via our website at www.sabonsai.org.

I look forward to the day we can meet again as a club. Until then, stay safe and healthy.

~Dave

June Meeting Update

Santa Anita Bonsai Society June 2020 meeting is cancelled

Santa Anita Bonsai Society Members,

Greetings to all of you once again. It has been hard to communicate with the Santa Anita Bonsai Society members in writing only. I miss our opportunities to meet in person and hope we can get back to regular meetings soon. Unfortunately, our June 13 meeting has been cancelled. I have asked the Arboretum to remember our club if the facility becomes available in July, and I will keep you posted.

We will obviously have to make adjustments for future meetings, but we will do whatever is necessary to keep our members safe and well.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Virtual Show. I appreciate the time you spent to set up for your photos and then send them to Robert. Thanks also to Robert Sencer for arranging all the photos and producing the show on the website. We had a beautiful variety of trees, so I hope everyone has been able to view the show. It will remain available for viewing for the immediate future at www.sabonsai.com.

Recently we arranged for a recording of Peter Macasieb doing a tree demonstration at his home. The recording was done by member Matt Mahaffey. Matt edited the demo tape into specific segments for easy viewing. I will notify everyone when the demo is posted and available to see. Thanks to Peter, Matt, Sung, Robert and Gabriel for the work done to provide this demonstration for our members.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lorraine & I at [email protected] or via our website at www.sabonsai.org

Best wishes to all,
Dave

Santa Anita Bonsai Society May Show Update

Santa Anita Bonsai Society Members,

Hello, and best wishes to all of you as we continue to wait out this virus situation. I truly hope you are all safe and well.

As expected, our Memorial Day weekend show has been cancelled by the Arboretum, based on L.A. County orders. Given that, we will move forward with a “virtual” show as I outlined in my previous letter. It is important that we work together and continue to share our love of the art of bonsai.

The plan is to have our Virtual Show posted on the club website at www.sabonsai.org on May 30. All members are invited to take a digital picture of their tree or trees with a smart phone or digital camera and email them to our webmaster Robert Sencer at [email protected]. Robert will put the pictures together in a format viewable on our website for all of us to enjoy.

The show will not be judged. I hope we will use the opportunity to share our favorite trees with each other without some of the stresses that go along with a judged, live show. Our theme this year is “conifer trees”, so show them if you have them. However, as always, share any variety of trees you wish.

Here are some guidelines:

  1. Try and set up a neutral colored background behind your tree.
  2. Use a display stand if possible, but not required.
  3. No accent plant necessary; we want to see the tree.
  4. Avoid photographing in direct sunlight; the sun can wash out the photo.
  5. Just take a picture on your phone or camera and send it to Robert and he will work his magic.
  6. Email your picture(s) along with your name and tree variety to [email protected].
  7. Send pictures of as many trees as you wish.
  8. Deadline for email submissions is Thursday, May 28.

If you want to enter a tree but need help with taking the photo and/or sending the email, contact me at 909-519-5391 (Dave’s mobile) and we will arrange help.

This will be a new and different way to present our show, but also a new opportunity for everyone to participate. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lorraine & I via my mobile phone or email address at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing your trees.

~Dave

May Meeting Update

Santa Anita Bonsai Society May 2020 meeting is cancelled

Santa Anita Bonsai Society Members,

Greetings to all of you during this difficult time. I hope all of you are well and navigating safely through each day of the stay-at-home order. It has been a good time for spending quality time with our trees.

Our May 9 club meeting has been cancelled by the Arboretum in keeping with the L.A. County order to stay at home through May 15. I contacted the Arboretum and asked about our Memorial Day Weekend show dates May 23-25. They would not commit one way or the other until the County gives direction beyond May 15.

I have been in contact with Board members with an idea to have our annual show in one of two ways. If the Arboretum allows us to use Ayres Hall for our show, I will contact members to arrange for show set-up. I would anticipate some restrictions, for instance, maybe no demonstrations.

However, if the show is cancelled, I am proposing a “virtual show”. We would have members post pictures of their show trees to a site to be arranged. Our webmaster, Robert Sencer, has offered to create a “storybook” on-line where member can view all the show trees. Details are being worked out, but would include assisting members with posting pictures if needed.

I am hopeful our members will participate in either option, and that you will plan to prepare your trees for our show. It is important for our club to continue our interaction through our common love of bonsai. I will keep you all informed about the show as I get updates from the Arboretum.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lorraine & I at [email protected] or via our website at www.sabonsai.org.

Best wishes to all,
Dave

April Meeting Update

Santa Anita Bonsai Society April 2020 meeting is cancelled

Due to ongoing L.A. County Health Department Guidelines our April 2020 club meeting has been cancelled.  No decision has been made regarding the month of May and future meetings.

I hope everyone is well and managing as best you can with our current corona virus situation.    It is a great time to work on bonsai.

I am optimistic and looking forward to having our Annual Show over the Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-25. The theme for this year is conifers.  Plan to have your trees ready for the show and also all of your sale items.  I will keep you updated on the show status as I hear from the Arboretum.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lorraine & I at [email protected] or via our website at www.sabonsai.org

Best wishes to all,
Dave

March Meeting Cancellation

Well, we are sorry to report that the Los Angeles Arboretum has decided to close after all. Unfortunately, we will have to cancel our March 14th meeting at 7:00 PM in the Palm Room at the Arboretum. As of this posting, the Los Angeles Arboretum is closed until further notice. Please refer to the Arboretum web page at www.arboretum.org/visit/staying-safe-at-the-arboretum/ for updates. You may also contact Dave at (909) 519-5391 if you would like any additional information. Have a good weekend and take care of yourselves. We look forward to seeing everyone next month. Please check back for further updates on future schedules. Thank you.

March Meeting Update

We are still planning to have our March 14th meeting at 7:00 PM in the Palm Room at the Arboretum. As of this posting, the Los Angeles Arboretum is planning to remain open this weekend, only their tours have been suspended. Please refer to the Arboretum web page at www.arboretum.org/visit/staying-safe-at-the-arboretum/ for updates. You may also contact Dave at (909) 519-5391.

If you are feeling unwell please stay home and get better soon. Otherwise, please join us for a great demo by Jaime & Jason.