March 2021 Bonsai Newsletter
The Conejo Valley Bonsai Society’s schedule of activities for 2021 is getting into full swing, as readers will see in several articles throughout this issue of the club’s newsletter.
- In a brand-new activity, Mike Blumenberg and David Whiteside met up online for a mini workshop (see page 4). If you, like me, have been missing the camaraderie and education of CVBS workshop meetings, now you can recreate those same experiences via an online software platform called Discord. As you will find in the article, the program allows video and audio so club members can show each other their collections, focus on particular bonsai, exchange ideas, and share projects—all live and in real time.
- In a related story, CVBS Field Trips and Activities Chair Damon DuBois explains how to download and install the Discord software (see page 5). Damon also shows how to access the CVBS-only space on the Discord server, complete with screen capture photos for illustration. I encourage all club members to follow Damon’s instructions and get online with other members right away. It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s available 24/7.
- If you have been missing the sage advice of your club mentor, Dis-cord is one option. But there are other platforms available such as Apple’s FaceTime software. Larry Kimmelman and his mentor, David Whiteside, used this program recently to work out a plan for one of Larry’s projects, air layering a maple he currently has growing in the ground. (See details in the story on page 6.) Again, I encourage all members to contact their mentors and arrange a time to meet up online using Zoom, Discord, FaceTime, or any of the Microsoft, Google, or Android apps.
- And coming next, CVBS members can get personal attention from club Advisor Ken Fuentes. In next month’s newsletter, David Whiteside will describe how he and Ken met up on Discord to study his shohin-size willow leaf ficus. Grown from a root cutting, this little pre-bonsai needs a plan for development. If you have situation on which you’d like Ken Fuentes’ advice, contact him and arrange a time to meet on Discord.
- Meanwhile, we have entered discussions with our sister bonsai club in Santa Barbara about cosponsoring online demonstrations via Zoom. Previously, such nationally known bonsai experts as William Valavanis have addressed the Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara, which has approached CVBS about working together for future demonstrations. Stay tuned for developments on this front. Please note that if we proceed with this sponsorship, it will cost substantial sums, so it’s even more urgent that members pay their 2021 dues (see box, page 1).
