by George Buehler

I didn't think I would see something like I saw on Sept. 18 at Jumbo's restaurant. If my count was correct, we had over 50 people in attendance for the Dave Bogan demo. But, I get ahead of myself.

When my wife and I arrived at Jumbo's, there were quite a few people milling around the meeting room. My first thought was that some of these people had to be patrons of Jumbo's who were having an early dinner. But as I looked closer, and overcame my surprise at the number of people in the room, I recognized some faces of members who haven’t been at meetings for a while. It appeared we were going to have a full room.

I think the GLBS set a new record! We haven't had as many people at a meeting since I have been involved, as we had at the Sept. 19 Dave Bogan demo. We had 50 plus people at the demo, and I think most everybody came away with some different ideas. In thinking about the meeting and the attendance, I’m not certain the crowd was due to the time of the meeting, the place of the meeting, or the fact that we had a new demonstrator. Whatever the reason, we had a record number of people.

Dave styled two trees for his program – a seju elm, and a shimpaku. Unlike some demos we have had, Dave explained how he viewed the trees, what he thought the tree should look like after he styled it, and why he was going to cut branches as he worked on the tree.

Dave had a handout for everyone attending, giving a lot of tips, techniques and ideas on bonsai that he routinely uses. A lot of information Dave gave doesn’t go along with the classical Japanese "rules" or ideas. However, when you see some of Dave’s trees, it is obvious that you possibly don’t have to follow those rules.

I hope that everyone came away from the demo with a few "new" ideas. I know I did.

BEGINNER WORKSHOP

Don't forget the beginner workshop (Oct. 3) that Midge Goeth set up – See details on page 1. Also, why not call Earl and volunteer to help out (222-7419). This will save Earl time trying to get volunteers. You don’t have to be an expert to help out!

FUTURE MEETINGS

It won’t be long before the GLBS board members meet to plan on next year's meetings. If you would like to have a certain topic covered, let Lee Squires know (895-9997).

A FINAL NOTE

I continue to look for ideas on articles. If you have some subject you would like to see, let me know. Our two resident experts on trees - Randy Davis and Ross Clark - have “promised” me that they would get back to writing when the weather turned cold. However, they also need ideas. Randy is an expert on plant species, but as he tells me, you can only write about elms and maples so many times. So if you have a species you would like to know more about, let me know and I will pass it on. Ross is an expert on plant identification and botany - having studied and taught it for so many years. I have 'convinced' him to write a book for ABS, but in his spare time, he would be happy (I know) to pen some more "botanical perspectives". Send me an e-mail or call and give us some ideas

NOW A REAL FINAL NOTE

For the 2011 symposium to be a success, we need raffle items. Unused pots, stands, books, magazines are all items that are very much needed. Other bonsai things (and some non bonsai) are needed. All donations of items are tax deductible.