October 2023 President’s Message

We are coming very close to our Annual Member Gathering, this year it is once again being held in the gorgeous redwood grove at Chenoweth Woods. The event is on October 14, and the venue is one not to be missed. Prior to the lunch we will be driving the wonderfully twisty Skaggs Springs Road out to the coast. Members choosing just to attend the gathering for lunch can drive directly to Chenoweth Woods at 12801 Green Valley Rd., Sebastopol. I hope to see you there. Candidates for next year’s club officers will be present to introduce themselves. This will be the last time to nominate additional candidates.

As I write this, (my) Sharon and I are putting the final touches on the Second Annual Lady Drivers Fun Run and Brunch. This is a joint event with the PCA Golden Gate. An email containing last minute instructions map links and info has just gone out to those PCA members who registered on the Redwood MSR page. Twenty-Seven folks signed up through our page, and another twenty-four through Golden Gate Region. With a few notable exceptions drivers for Redwood events have tended to be male. This event is a welcome turnabout. Men can attend, but only if they are in the passenger seat (that includes me). We are looking forward to a great drive out through West Marin to Drakes Beach with a return ending at the elegant Sheraton Sonoma Wine Country in Petaluma for a fantastic brunch.

Yesterday, we attended the Charity Circle Adventure which was masterfully planned by our most recent Past President, Ben Davoren. About 20 of us got treated to a great drive on some of the less frequently traveled Sonoma County roads. This was followed by three very fun hours of community service. We spent that time at the Redwood Empire Food Bank in very good natured work packing food boxes for seniors. Camaraderie of the group was wonderful. Afterwards we took our well exercised bodies to “Barley and Bine Pub/Restaurant” in Windsor for some well-deserved treats. Thank you, Ben!

On a completely different topic, our past Rally Director Jim Robison has asked me to include the following link below for a survey on rally interest. He has spent countless hours along with our current Rally Master, Jerry Wachtel, designing and implementing various types of rallies for our region and others. Please honor all of their hard work by clicking on the link and answering the questions on the survey.

Disclaimer: This survey link is being sent to several email lists. If you receive multiple requests, just respond once and ignore the other requests. Take Rally Survey.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Redwood Members Holger and Martina Seibert and their business, Pure Grain Bakery, for hosting the Oktoberfest in Vacaville once again. All those that attended had a great time! Also, thanks to Kurt and Rex for the route.

Last month I wrote about Transcendence Theater prior to our event there. Thank you so much Karen Sherman for your perseverance in making this atypical (for our club) event possible. All that attended had a great time. The socialization prior to the performance was fun for all. Getting writer/founder/director as well as several cast members to individually introduce themselves to the group was an added bonus! Thanks again Karen.

That’s all for now. Down the road… Vern