Recap of General and Board Meetings and Our Newsletter
Stein Zeitung

Our year through June 2007 has begun with two board and two general meetings. Because we blur who can attend board meetings, many of our friends and members have attended all four meetings. We have traveled to Camarillo, Lake Elsinore, Springville and Porterville in the same weekend in May, and Monterey Park. Each meeting has been unique, each household visited has been extremely hospitable, and each gathering has been another opportunity to renew old acquaintances and spend quality time with friends.

Our group has been warmly described as more of a social organization by an esteemed member of the Northern California chapter of Stein Collectors International. It is that and much more. In every household visited, we have seen evidence of many years of careful collection of steins matching the unique taste of the homeowner. Thank you for opening your homes to your many guests.

From our February board meeting, we continued with the theme of obtaining new members for our chapter, creating new links to our web site, and obtaining photos of activity at our meeting to be included in our web site. We learned that Roy DeSelms is chairman of the committee to select a Master Steinologist. Frank Poppie was in charge of obtaining the location for our Christmas party. Congrats to our hosts, John and Lea.

From our April general meeting, we were again witness to the good life at the top of a mountain range. Located in an old oak tree grove, this meeting was held at the home of a collector whose passion is all things blue. Thank you to our hosts, Roy and Sue.

Our May board meeting was held in two households - one Saturday afternoon and evening, and another on Sunday morning. The locations were Springville and Porterville which are the portals to Sequoia National Park. Discussed at the board meeting was obtaining a concise directory of articles that have been printed in the various Prosit issues. We displayed concern of individual members that the annual convention of SCI occurs over the July 4th period - they would like to see alternate times of the year used. We discussed using our guest speakers stipend of $300/per year to bring in outside speakers for general chapter meetings - John Kelly posts a speakers bureau available on a SCI web site. Our executive director of SCI joined a conversation of means to obtain new chapter membership. Thanks to Bob and Colette for a beautiful evening. Thanks to Jim and Jean for a knock your socks off brunch.

Our June general meeting has been held at a site that the host suggested has been hospitality central for over thirty years. Amongst a very strong turnout for a backyard barbecue, we were able to pinch a fine presentation by Mark Durban. His subject was the artistic creations of stein designers outside of the areas that we are familiar with - specifically Franz Ringer and Heinrich Schlitt. Beautiful tile creations, art design for cook books and children's books, paintings, and water colorings that have the sequential look of a cartoon presentation were discussed. Thank you Frank, Lee, and Frank and to Mark.