Branch 32 Website: http://branch32.sirinc2.org/State Sir Website: http://www.sirinc.org/

Sir Happenings Newsletter: http://sirinc.org/sirhappenings/

From Big Sir

Happy Holidays to all ofyou. Here we are onceagain and it’s December.How does the time fly byso fast? That means thatmy year as your Big Sir iscoming to a close. Thishas been a fun filled yearworking with everyone tohelp make Branch 32 abetter and strongerbranch.

Overall this year was oneof the strongest for good speakers. I would like to thankPat for all his hard work. He was able to provide us witha group of very interesting speakers with topics that weall could enjoy and learn from. I even think that for themost part the food was better than in the past.

We at Branch 32 are blessed to have such a dedicatedgroup of leaders that work together to make our Branchfun and interesting. Leaders help guide a branch tosuccess but it is the members (like you) that really makeit all worthwhile. Thank you! Each year we have a goal to grow the membership.This past year was hard on Branch 32 as we had quite afew illness and relocation's of members. Although wedid not grow we were able to induct enough newmembers to keep the same total of members as westarted out with at the beginning of the year. Believe itor not that was good as many of the other Branches lostmore members than they could replace. Next year wealready have four new members to induct in January.

Interest in our Branch is growing and I want to thankevery one of you for letting the word get out. We growbecause of you.

Next year you have selected two great leaders - (BobGrandey) as your Big Sir and Jim Claitor as your LittleSir. Both members have a lot to offer us and I lookforward their ideas. I can see them making Branch 32even more fun and interesting.

December is the month of our Christmas lunch and thechance to share it with our wive’s, girlfriends and friends.I always look forward to enjoying all this event has tooffer. I hope you all have had a chance to purchase yourtickets. Jim Sleigh and his committee always make thisevent one of the highlights of the year. We look forwardto seeing you there.

SIR’s! All of you have a Merry Christmas and a greatholiday.

Wes Howard, Big Sir

Membership Report

The holiday season has begun and our attention will befamily, friends, love, and joy for the next few weeks. Ourbranch has had a “neutral” year membership wise and Ilook forward to 2017 and a renewed effort to increaseour numbers with new members with great ideas andambitions to our branch. This year we have had 10 newmembers join Branch 32. In November, we received 4new member applications and these men will beinducted in January 2017.

It is very important to welcome all our new members andget them involved in the activities of the branch. Please

-1-

Non-Responsibility Clause: All Tours and other activities arranged for or by Sons in Retirement, Inc. and its branches are for theconvenience and pleasure of the members and their guests wishing to participate. Sons in Retirement, Inc. and its branches do notassume any responsibility for the well being or safety of the participants or passengers, or their property, in any matters pertaining tosaid tours, trips or other activities.

December 2016 Volume 48 No. 12

take a few minutes and search out the new members of2016 and make sure they feel the welcome and goodfellowship of Branch 32.

To be inducted at the January 2017 luncheon:

GARDNER Paul T. Paul #501211 Olive Branch Lane CharmainSan Jose 95120-4746 (408) 268-5328paulgardner1757@yahoo.com (408) 505-1757Police Officer – San Jose 5/17Golf/Wine CollectingSPONSOR: Fred Gardner #47

KRAUSE Douglas R. Doug #57 1077 Sherman Oak Drive RebecaSan Jose 95128-3656 (408) 821-3263diamondtub@sbcglobal.netConstruction/Property Management 3/31Politics/Economy/Golf/Travel/Eating outSPONSOR: Don Erickson #132

ESPINOSA Gary H. Gary #5314510 Oak Street DiannaSaratoga 95070-6087 (408) 867-1835gdespinosa@comcast.net (408) 708-6132V.P. Fine Arts Appraiser, Bonhams of London 4/02German Toy TrainsSPONSOR: Dick Priest #9

BROODING Richard D. Dick #6014680 Fieldstone Drive ConnieSaratoga 95070-5737 (408) 867-4505no emailSales Management, Owens Illinois 1/13Bridge/Bocce/Dominoes/WalkingSPONSOR: Phil Smith #19

Membership changes:

None

Our current membership status, as of December 1,2016 is: 109 active members, 4 Inactive members, and4 pending Inductees. Remember, bring a guest to lunch and when they join,you win a free lunch.

Respectfully Submitted:

Bruce Henry Membership Chairman

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays

Name Birthday

Aare Onton 12/10

Earl Thygeson 12/14

Arthur C. Saunders III 12/16

Jim Caratozzolo 12/17

Rene' Padilla 12/18

Robb Walker 12/21

David Reiser 12/25

Rudy Griffin 12/28

Stan Dake 12/31

Anniversaries

Couple Anniversary Years

Married

Al and Anne Delfino 12/01 54

Mac and Devonne MacLaren 12/07 53

Carlos and Carole Gonsalves 12/11 45

Ralph and Janice Pfirrman 12/22 60

Charlie and Alice Perry 12/27 64

Ray and Nancy Hall 12/27 59

Skip and Sue Saunders 12/30 43

Jim and Laynn Sleigh 12/31 39

Guest Speaker

January 2017

Speaker: Richard Ferman

Topic: “Santa Clara County In The Civil War”

-2-

Ladies Day Christmas Party

Three Flames Restaurant. 1547 Meridian Ave, San JoseCA 95125. Wednesday December 21 at 10:30am.

December Longevity Report

Because we have the Ladies Christmas party no members are inducted in December.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Awards

Travel

May 20-25, 2017: “100th Birthdayof JFK on Cape Cod”. Includes rtair, home pick up and airporttransfers, 1 night at Holiday Inn inBoston and 4 nights at CapeCodder Resort & Spa, Hyannis

MA, deluxe motor coach and 8 meals. Tour highlightsinclude Presidential Library, tour of Hyannis, JFKMuseum, Hyannis Harbor cruise, whale watching cruiseand tour of Nantucket. Cost $2395 ($2760 single). Deposit including optional travel insurance $495 or$350 without ins. Check or credit card payable to TalbotTours Trust Acct and mail to John Pletsch, 2697 SuisunAve, San Jose, CA 95121. For more info: John Pletsch(408) 274-2992 or Mike Console (408) 246-1080

July 3-15, 2017: “Alaska Yukon Land And Sea”. Escorted by Mike Console (408) 246-1080 and JohnPletsch (408) 274-2992. This is a 7 night land tour ofUpper Alaska and the Yukon Territory, followed by 4night Cruise through the Inside Passage on the HollandAmerica M/S New Amsterdam. Tour features includes:Anchorage, Domed Rail Cars (McKinley Explorer toDenali), Tundra Tour in Denali, Fairbanks, Klondike Spiritpaddle-wheeler Cruise, A short (one hour) Flight to Dawson City, Yukon, Pan for Gold and if you are lucky--strike it rich at the Dawson Historic Gold Dredge, VisitWhitehorse and "All aboard" the White Pass Train and

-3-

Rene Padilla presents Big Sir Award to Wes Howard

Wes Howard Certificate

follow the 49ers Trail down to Skagway, Over night inSkagway where we board the Holland America CruiseShip for 4 nights. Ports of call are: Glacier Bay,Ketchikan, day at sea and end our adventure inVancouver, Canada. 16 land meals are included alongwith 3 meals per day on board Ship.

Costs range from: $5150 to $5895 per person dbl/occdepending on Cabin selected. Insurance is optional, buthighly recommended, at a cost of $395 to $450 perperson, again depending on cabin selected. Insurancemust be purchased at time of Deposit which is $800 perperson.

** Note: (A discount of $125 per person will be given onfinal payment IF you make all your payments byCHECK).

Make Checks Payable to: ALAMO WORLD TRAVEL

Mail Checks to: Mike Console 3527 Parkland Ave. San Jose, Ca 95117

Sept 28-Oct 6, 2017: “Norman Rockwells NewEngland” $3385 (double occupancy) $4240 (singleoccupancy). Trip highlights: City tour of Boston (OldNorth Church, USS Constitution, Boston Commons &free time), Lexington & Concord, Stockbridge MA(Rockwell Museum & Home), Bennington VT (GrandmaMoses Museum) Arlington VT (Rockwell's former homeand studio), Rutland VT (Saturday Evening PostMuseum), Lake Placid NY (1932 & 1980 WinterOlympics) Cruise across Lake Champlain to BurlingtonVT (Ben & Jerry's), Stowe Village (home of the VonTrapp family) Montpelier VT (Morse Maple Syrup farm),and scenic drives through Vermont, Maine and NewHampshire. Trip includes Home Pick-Up Airporttransfers, round -trip air fare, eight nightsaccommodations, deluxe motor coach, 14 meals,admissions to museums. For information and brochurecontact John Pletsch (408) 274-2992 or (408) 504-1255(Cell) or Mike Console (408) 246-1080

November 9-20, 2017: “Florida’s Sunshine Trail”. Escorted by Mike Console (408) 246-1080 and JohnPletsch (408) 274-2992. 12 days and 11 nights of 1stclass Accommodations such as the Gaylord PalmsResort in Orlando. The High Lights Of this trip featuresFlorida's top attractions, such as: A free day in Orlandoto take advantage of the numerous attractions There(the Hotel, Disney World, Epcot, Universal Studios, andmore). Other stops include: St Augustine, CocoaBeach, The Kennedy Space Center, West Palm Beach,Key West (2 nights), Miami (2 nights), Air Boatexperience through the Everglades, Naples, Fort Myers(2 nights), Visit the Edison and Ford's winter Estates. Costs: $4250 per person dbl/occ. Single Supplement;$1375. Deposit of: $500 per person. OptionalInsurance: $325 p/p dbl occ., Single= $375.

Make Checks Payable to: ALAMO WORLD TRAVELMail Checks to: Mike Console 3527 Parkland Ave.

San Jose, Ca. 95117

See brochures for more information.

A Representative from Alamo World Travel will conduct apresentation for two Sir trips. (1) " Alaska- Yukon-Landand Sea." Scheduled for July, 2017 and (2) " Florida'sSunshine Trail." Scheduled for Nov. 2017.

Hear more about the Alaska Yukon Sea and Land ANDthe Florida Sunshine Trail Trips at a presentationmeeting Tues Jan 17, 2017- 1:30 PM. Mama Mia'sRestaurant, 200 E. Hamilton Ave, Campbell. SpecialDiscounts will be offered for those attending. RSVP toMike Console (408) 246-1080 if you plan to attend.

Refreshments will be served, discounts, and surprises,bring friends.

Activities

Camera Club

There will be no activities in December,Happy Holidays and see you at theChristmas Party meeting.

Club MeetingWednesday January 25, 20171:30 pm Don Pedrotti’s home

The meeting will be to critique the pictures taken at lastfield trip, and pick the three winners from each site wetoured. Everyone should bring their Two (2) best shots ofGamble Gardens and the Heritage Museum for judging.Since both sites are very different we will judge eachseparately. Everyone should also bring ideas for field trips theywould like to have the next year.

All Branch 32 Members and their Wives are invited toparticipate in the camera club activities. You do nothave to have a fancy camera and some of our winningphotos were made with small compacts or smartphones.

See your roster for phone and e-mail.

Don Pedrotti, Camera Club Chairman

-4-

Golf

Four members of Branch 32participated in the annual turkeyshoot tournament at Spring Valleyin Milpitas. To date, no one hasreported who was the lucky

recipient of the steak sandwich. As reported in lastmonth’s newsletter the person with the low score was tobe the one receiving the steak sandwich and while theother three in the foursome had the choice of ahamburger of a chicken sandwich for lunch.

No Area 5/20 tournaments are scheduled for the monthsof December or January. Usually the tournamentseason starts with the first tournament in February at theLas Positas Golf Course in Livermore. Stay tuned forwhen the Area 5/20 schedule for 2017 is released.

Listed below are the best scores for November:

Los Lagos 11-1

Low Gross – Al Mau 92 Low Net – Al Mau 67Least Putts – Al Mau 35 CTP #7 – Aare Onton 13’ 5”

Los Lagos 11-8

Low Gross – Jim Caratozzolo 87 Low Net - Al Mau 65 Least Putts – Jim Caratozzolo 32 CTP #3 – Bob Grandey 33’ 6” Chip –Ins - Jim Caratozzolo #9 Bruce Henry #14 Wes Howard #4

Santa Teresa 11-15

Low Gross – Jim Caratozzolo 86 Low Net – Rick Hausman 65 Least Putts – Bruce Henry 32 CTP #5 – Al Mau 22’ 10”CTP #16 – Wes Howard 33’ 6”

Los Lagos 11-22

Low Gross – Bob Grandey 89 Low Net – Bob Grandey 60 Low Putts – Garry Sellers 32 CTP – Dave Bowman 13’ 2”

Spring Valley 11-29

Low Gross – Jim Claitor 94Low Net – Bob Coffee 69 Low Putts – Jim Claitor 34 CTP #4 – Jim Caratozzolo 61’ 1” Chip-Ins - Wes Howard #8

The upcoming Branch 32 tournaments hosted by Al Mauare as follows:

Tuesday, December 13 Los Lagos G.C. 9:30 A.M.

Tuesday, December 20 San Jose Muni G.C. TBA

Tuesday, December 27 Los Lagos G.C. 9:30 A.M.

Tuesday, January 3 Los Lagos G.C. 9:30 A.M.

Please notify Al Mau in advance if you plan to play in thetournament scheduled for the San Jose Municipal GolfCourse.

REMINDER and LAST CALL - The annual fee for your2017 NCGA dues renewal is $36 and the cost forreinstatement or new membership is $46. Pleasesubmit your payment to Al Mau or Paul Vogel no laterthan December 20. Checks or cash are bothacceptable. Make Checks payable to: Sirs Branch 32Golf.

Golf Co-Chairmen Al Mau and Paul Vogel

Bocce

Sixteen gentlemen showed onNovember 1st to play Bocce. Asidefrom the regulars, first timers RickHausman and Tom Chatfield showedplus Fred Gardner’s son, Paul,

accompanied his father and played. With that manyplayers there were some good rolls and some not sogood rolls (we call them good blocking shots). Itappeared that all had a good time and the winning teamconsisted of Bernie Coullahan, Bob Grandey, RobbWalker and myself.

We met again on November 22 and eight guys cameout. With this being two days before Thanksgiving andholiday traveling, the turnout wasn’t bad. Ray Hall hadsome great shots as did a few others. We had twoteams, played two games and each team won a game.That made us all a winner!! On December 6th nine members showed for a cold,windy afternoon of Bocce. There were some very goodrolls by Hersh Booth, Bob Grandey, Wes Howard andGary Pelton but Galen Gipson had the shot of the day.There were two teams and each won a game so onceagain all were winners although the games seemed totake forever – one point at a time!

In the interest of democracy, a vote was taken whetheror not to play December 27th, right after Christmas withfamily in town or members traveling. The vote was tosuspend play for that day. The next Bocce day will beJanuary 3rd at 1:00 o’clock.

Hope to see you all at the Branch Christmas Luncheon

-5-

and if I don’t, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Bocce Club Chairman, Larry St. Denis

Gardening

Our garden club is part of the SIRAreas 5 and 20 Garden Club.Members meet on a monthlyschedule to enjoy guestpresentations on gardening topicsand to exchange information on

gardening. Wives are encouraged to attend.

We meet on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at11:00 AM at the Denny’s Restaurant at 1140 HillsdaleAve. (near Almaden Expy) in San Jose, CA.

Contact our Club Chairman, Bill Allman who will answerany questions and insure you have badges.

Bowling

The Sir’s Winter league is going strong.We start at 10:30AM on Mondays withpractice at 10:20AM at 4th St Bowl, locatedat 1441 North 4th Street, San Jose, Ca95112. The Sir’s bowling league is havingthe same problem of losing bowlers due toage and illness just like all of Sirs brancheshere in the valley. The Sirs league will now

be bowling in the Dons 4-Some League. Since we arestill badly in NEED of bowlers of all skill levels. This yearthe league will be open to both senior men and women.Weekly bowling fees are $15.00 per person per week.In addition you will have to purchase a USBC bowlingcard $20.00 for one year for league sanction. So comeout and join us. It’s a great exercise and a lot of fun.Looking forward to seeing you there. With your helphopefully we will be able to keep the Sirs bowling leaguegoing for another year. PLEASE come early and visitwith some of the BEST people in the world. For info youmay contact me Victor Miller at 1-408-718-5379 if busy,leave a message or email VICGJAN@ATT.NET.

Bowling Club Chairman, Victor Miller

Bridge Club

Be our Guest! Join us for an enjoyableGame of Bridge. If interested, callHarry Wenberg (408) 257 9969 or LeeMcLaughlin (408) 356 6043. Our bridgegames are played on Thursdays at10:15 AM to 12:30 PM at the SaratogaSenior Center, Coffee is on us.

Bridge Club Chairman, Harry Wenberg

Pool Club

Pool/Billiards We will be playing poolat Cuetopia Cafe 4700 AlmadenExpressway between Cherry Avenue& Branham Lane Monday December12, 2016 at 1:00pm All SIRs andguests are welcome, please call meto let me know you are coming Galen

Gipson 408 313-9833

Pool Club Chairman, Galen Gipson

Lunch Ticket Sales Policy

We are extremely encouraged by the number ofguests/potential new members we have had recentlyand we encourage you to keep your recruiting hats on.

I would like to take a minute and clarify the policy orconfusion over who pays for the lunch of a guest. TheBranch does not pay for the lunch. Either the guest orthe Branch member must buy a lunch ticket. It would benice, but not required, for the member to treat theprospective new member as a guest and pay for hislunch. If the guest joins the Branch, the sponsoringmember will receive a white ticket for a free lunch. Thisfree lunch ticket is basically a reimbursement for buyingthe initial lunch of the member. One other item, thewhite free lunch ticket must be exchanged for thestandard yellow ticket that the restaurant staff collectswhen serving the meal. The restaurant does not honorthese white tickets.

The restaurant charges by a head count of the people inthe room and not by the number of the actual tickets thatare purchased. An example of this is if you are fastingfor a medical test and you attend the luncheon to hearthe speaker but you don’t eat, the restaurant will chargethe Branch for you so you will have to purchase a mealticket and ask the staff to package your lunch “to go.”I hope this clarifies the policy and answers the questionssome of you have had.

Larry St. Denis, Lunch Ticket Sales

From Newsletter Editor

For those of you that do not receive the newsletter by E-Mail, there are two other ways that you can receive it.You can pick up your copy at the Luncheon, or you canarrange to have it mailed to you. If you want thenewsletter mailed to you, please contact Bruce Henry,who handles mail subscriptions.

Newsletter Editor, Dwight Buzick

-6-

Ladies Day Christmas Party

WHEN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016 10:30 AM TO 2:30 PM

$37.50 per Person

You can obtain tickets until Mon. December12th by mail. Send a stamped self

addressed envelope and your check madeout to SIR Branch 32 and mail to: Jim

Sleigh, 1525 San Gabriel Way, San Jose, CA95125.

MENU

Combination steak and chicken, With Annapotatoes and vegetables,

Served with complimentary Wine, Salad,and Dessert.

PLACE

Three Flames Restaurant1547 Meridian Avenue, San Jose

DOOR PRIZES

Christmas Poinsettias and other surprises.All ladies present will receive a box of See’s

Candy.

ENTERTAINMENT

Happy Days Accordion Group

The final count must be given to ThreeFlames by December 12th. Cancellationsafter that date will not be refunded unless

the tickets can be resold.

-7-