Newsletter- January 2023

Santa Anita Bonsai Society
A community dedicated to the study and appreciation of the ancient art of Bonsai.



Bonsai Notebook

Next SABS Meeting
January 14, 2023
7pm
LA Arboretum– Ayres Hall

Welcome to a new year of bonsai! Our January 14 meeting will be held at 7:00pm at the Arboretum. We will meet in Ayres Hall, and you will enter the Arboretum through the Ayres Hall gate (the temporary main entrance). Once through the gate, follow the perimeter of the building around the corners to the south side doors.


This meeting will be our annual potluck dinner and will include a brief ceremony for the installation of club officers. The club will be providing the main dish for dinner. Bring your favorite side, salad or dessert for the potluck. The meeting will also be the time for annual membership renewal, so please come prepared to help sustain our club by renewing (or joining for the first time). Memberships can be paid for with cash or check.


Along with all the great food and social time, our program will consist of games of Bonsai Bingo that we are confident you will all enjoy. The bingo card squares are bonsai-related words rather than numbers and letters, making the game both informative and entertaining. We will play multiple games with winners getting a prize from the prize/raffle table, so please bring something for the prize table you would like to win.

Thanks to Mike Kelly & www.daiichibonsaikai.com

Every member in attendance will receive a game card and additional cards will be available for purchase (cash only). The cards will be reused for each new game. There are often multiple winners in each game, making each game exciting for everyone.
We are planning a new year full of interesting bonsai programs, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to provide a worthwhile learning experience as we celebrate the art of bonsai.

President’s Corner

Happy New Year to all of you.
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and that you are ready for a new year of bonsai events. We start off with our annual holiday potluck dinner and membership drive (see Members Corner for details). Then Baikoen will host their Annual Winter Silhouettes Show Jan 21-22. It is the most unique show of its kind and should not be missed.
The California Shohin Society will have the Shohin Seminar in Santa Nella Feb.3-5, and the GSBF Bonsai-A-Thon will be held Feb.25-26 at the Huntington. These events are a great beginning to the year and a wonderful way to explore the art of bonsai.


We will be back at the Arboretum for at least six meetings this year while the main entrance area is still under construction. Our newsletter/ website www.sabonsai.org will keep you up to date when we schedule a meeting at an alternate site. The meetings will all be held in Ayres Hall, but the Hall will not be available to us for our annual show this year. Other options for a show location are being considered, and if anyone has a suggestion, please let me know.


As president, I want to thank all the members of the SABS Board of Directors for their help in continuing to keep our club viable. We could not operate a club without them. There will be an installation ceremony at the January meeting for the Board officers, so you can see who they are. We will also recognize the other Board members who handle the different tasks to make our meetings possible. We welcome anyone in the club willing to help us and volunteer needs will be shared at the meeting.

~Dave

Members Corner

  • 2023 Officers Installation and Board members introductions will happen at the Jan 2023 meeting.
    It is time to refill many of our board positions. Post covid, there are multiple vacancies and we could truly use your help and ideas. We are an entirely volunteer board and try to divide up responsibilities and keep the new ideas flowing.
    If you are interested in helping please contact Dave & Lorraine at [email protected], or call Dave at 909 519 5391 before the Jan 14 meeting to find out more about the following positions:
    Vice President/Program Chairman: arranging for demonstrators and workshops for the monthly meetings
    Secretary: record minutes at board mtgs
    Social Media Director/ Liaison: all things media related
    Hospitality Chairman and committee of 2-3: manage the monthly meeting refreshment table
    Members at large: varying assignments including badges, raffle table assistant, photographer, historian, and more
  • 2023 Membership to Santa Anita Bonsai Society for the calendar year Jan-Dec 2023 will be available beginning at the Jan meeting.
    Annual Dues are $20 for Individuals and $25 for family memberships. Dues may be paid by cash or check. We are still working on electronic payment but not quite ready to launch.
    New members who joined in Oct-Dec 2022 will be carried over into 2023.
  • We are trying something new–
    As discussed at the Nov meeting, to save on printing & mailing expenses beginning Jan 2023 the newsletter will be available primarily online at the www.sabonsai.org website and via email.
    Those of you who previously received it by US mail will now be able to access more photos and current club & area updates.
    An email will be sent monthly to let you know that the newsletter has been posted and available to download.
    Your email changes and corrections should be sent to Lorraine at [email protected].
    For members without computer access US mailing can continue, just let Lorraine know your status.

Nov 2022 Event Highlights

Al Rivera was our guest demonstrator in November, and he brought his associate Takuma Lenaga along to assist him. Al had three trees for members to chose from for the demo, and their choice was a nice Kishu Shimpaku.
He began his styling by removing undergrowth and cleaning up the inside of branches to make room for wire.
Al jinned several branches for his design and then wrapped the trunk and remaining branches with rubberized electrical tape. He said this type of tape stretched well and provided a tight wrap to protect the tree against severe bending once the wire was applied. Al used heavy wiring and, with the help of Takuma, made tight bends in the trunk and branches to achieve his intended design.
The completed styling produced a beautiful informal upright tree that was drastically different from the material Al started with.

Steve Anthony was the lucky raffle winner of Al’s tree; a great gift for the holidays.

Thank You
To our November Raffle Table Donors

Bob Alderette
Steve & Judy Anthony
Jim & Helen Barrett
Jerry Banuelos
Dave Miles
Al Rivera
YS Farn

And to all who so generously purchased tickets

Welcome New Members

Tom Poplin
David Clark

Upcoming Events

Jan 21-22, 2023
59th Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai Winter Silhouette Show and Sale
Temple City Live Oak Park Community Center, Live Oak Room
10144 Bogue St. Temple City, CA 91780
10a– 4:30p
Sales and demonstration at 1pm on both days
www.baikoenbonsai.com

Feb 3-5, 2023
California Shohin Society 18th Biennial Shohin Seminar 2023
Hotel Mission de Oro Conference Center, Santa Nella, CA
Registration must be postmarked by Dec 15, 2022 to be part of the workshop lottery
www.calshohin.org

Feb 25-26,2023
GSBF Bonsai-A-Thon
The Huntington Botanical Gardens, 1151Oxford Rd. San Marino
10a-5p,
watch for link on reservation portal (available after Jan 10)

2023 Monthly Meeting Dates

Jan 14 -– Location: LA Arboretum– Ayres Hall
Annual Meeting
Potluck, Membership Drive, Bonsai Bingo
Bonsai Bingo will be an evening of fun & learning for all
Bring something for the prize/raffle table that you would like to win–
…plants, pots, tools, books, accessories, a bag of dirt… Multiple games will be played

Feb 11 — Location: LA Arboretum—Ayres Hall
Demo: TBA

Mar 11— Location: LA Arboretum—Ayres Hall
Demo: TBA

Come Join Us

Date: January 14, 2023
Time: 7pm
Location: LA Arboretum– Ayres Hall
301 N. Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007

Refreshment Schedule

Jan 14– Annual Potluck
Club will provide main dish & water
Bring your favorite side, salad or dessert

Refreshment Sign ups for 2023 will be available at the Jan meeting