March 2016 Newsletter
We had a busy night at our February meeting. It was a workshop and we were all working on our trees. The Bonsai-A-Thon at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens was a successful weekend. The weather was perfect for a comfortable time taking in all of the activities. The fine weather was especially nice for Gardens Director Jim Folsom’s guided tour (see photo this page and story, page 5).
A special attraction at this year’s Bonsai-A-Thon was 900 stones from the Harry Hirao estate being sold along with many pots, trees, etc. Many bonsai enthusiasts were pleased to get a memory piece of Harry Hirao’s bonsai material.
The Bonsai-A-Thon exhibition was handled a little differently this year. The demonstrators on Saturday and Sunday also brought a tree to put in the exhibition. It was good to see a representation of the demonstrator’s work. Our own Ken Fuentes was one of the Saturday demonstrators – congratulations Ken!
Don’t forget to take in the spring club bonsai shows coming up. There is a list on page 8 of this newsletter. For our March meeting we will be having Bob Pressler as our demonstrator. He is inviting our members to bring in one tree each for a critique and styling suggestions.
Bob will bring his tools and plans to offer to do work on some of the trees, if you agree and as time permits, so it should prove to be an interesting meeting. So bring the tree that has been giving you the most frustration deciding what to do with it!
Our Conejo Valley Bonsai Society annual exhibition has been confirmed at the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks for the first weekend of October the 1st and 2nd. Please mark the dates on your calendars now and plan to show at least one tree—and set aside some time to help as a volunteer during the show!
We have had some warm weather and a bit of rain so keep an eye on your trees. You should be well on your way with your repotting projects and check your wires! See you Thursday, March 17th.
