November 30, 2007 Meeting

Pledge, Song & Invocation

To bring the warmth to a frigid morning Joan Johnson pinch hit for Marie with a brief rendition of You are my Sunshine.. Reverend Cal would be proud to hear young protege Len Wilson turn a short but sweet invocation.

Vistors

Speaker, veterinarian and Wakefield Rotarian Doc Turner Lewis came on behalf of canines everywhere. Perennials Nancy Broekhoff and Dick Harrington came for the hot breakfast. North Andover founder Carl Melander came back as Andover's prodigal son. Rotarians in the making included junior heart throbs Caroline and Katherine Buck and potential suitor Cole Spencer.

Make-ups

Donna Lee Rubin was the lone make-up having done so up the coast in Lynn.

Announcements

Jim Greeley thanked the 15 Rotarians who helped distribute turkey and fixings to Merrimack Valley residents in need. With the $2500 donated by our club the volunteers had enough left over after taking care of customers on the Housing Authority list to help others at Lazarus House.

These families' needs don't end after the holidays. In fact the lines at the Lazarus House soup kitchen are twice as long than in previous years. A sign-up sheet for serving lunch made its way around tables.

Maestro Marie will be orchestrating the holiday part at her house at 7 Upton Street, North Reading on December 13. The party will take the place of the Friday meeting so eat that Thursday and sleep it off on Friday. The Friday between Christmas and New Years (12/28) has also been closed for the expected gluttony.

Helene announced that $7000 was raised for Rotaplast and presented a check to Donna Lee. Charity Navigator, America's largest independent charity evaluator rated Rotaplast with its highest four star rating. This amount was dwarfed by the $100 Million donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fight Polio via Rotary's Polio Plus program.

Raffle

Jamie Lyman's draw of the nine was edged out by Steve Ventre's ace of diamonds.

Fines and Happy Dollars

Sargent-at-arms Henry Broekhoff first punished those who had not singed up for soup kitchen duty or the Salvation Army. I have declined to identify the guilty. Bob Troiano experienced Black Friday in a mall up close and personal with adopted son Fellipe. There he ran into the only other insane Rotarian to brave the crowds — Steven Druth.

Jim Sutton just celebrated 39 years of marital bliss. Family get togethers in exotic (i.e. warm) locales provided the basis for other happy dollars: Gail Ross flew south to Florida to be with her Mom. Richard Brenner joined up with his Dad and sister in Atlanta. Matt Gold traded warmth for greenery when he traveled to Oregon to be with his son. And Joan Johnson thawed out with her son in Florida.

Carl Melander wouldn't be truly at home without mixing in the unfortunate with the happy. He asks that prayers and wishes be offered to fellow North Andover Rotarian Christine Feinberg who is fighting an uphill battle against cancer. On a cheerier note, Carl reports that wife of founding President Scott Emerson is on the downhill side of her battle. On a another happy note, daughter Pam is gainfully employed at a Checkers restaurant.

Dave Lindsay's daughter, Sarah, is following in Dad's footsteps, but with two legged humans, as a first year medical student at Michigan State. Paul Brown—the only real incarnation of Santa—just has a "Ho Ho Ho" to proclaim. Lady the vociferous four-legged member of the Michels household has gone on to the backyard in the sky. On a happier note the Michels will celebrate their 31'st anniversary with visiting in-laws from the land of the midnight sun.

Bill Buck contributed for the sunny morning song. Dave Sollars felt blessed to live in the sports capital of the country. Paul Mercandetti was glad to have Doc Turner amongst us. General Snowbird, Phil Mason is back for the start of winter though he did not commit to a specific length of stay. Steve Druth obviously felt that the GPS he purchased was worth the wait (not to mention the company of Bob). Donna Lee's parents are still kicking at 85 though Dad just made it through a frightful collapse. Susan Big celebrates the gainful employment of daughter Alicia.

Our esteemed visitor Turner piped in with a couple of dollars for grandkids and Thanksgiving. Jim-I'll-be-brief-Greeley considers it an honor and a privilege to be amongst such esteemed company as us but a greater honor yet that the rest of us can bask in his aura. President Helene capped off the festivities with 5 for her 31 years with Alan and for David's successful stewardship of the auction.

The Main Event - Doc Turner Lewis

Most of us dream of a sandy beach and tropical breezes when winter makes itself at home. For veterinarian Turner Lewis nirvana is heading out to the Klondike to care for man's best friend as teams of sled dogs and humans traverse 1150 miles in the most grueling winter event on the planet — the Iditarod. The strange sounding name is Inuit for—get this—"sled dogs" and the race was inspired by the 1925 diptheria epidemic in Gnome that could only be treated by a sled dog transport of serum from Anchorage. In 1973 the trail became the race we know today as one of the ultimate endurance events in the world.

Doc Turner spent the rest of his allotted time (and then some) showing a video of the sled dogs in Alaska. Before the advent of snowmobiles a dog sled team was a member of virtually every household in the frozen North. Though the snowmobile long ago usurped the need for dog sled transport for many activities, when an Alaskan is traveling in a snowstorm there isn't one alive who would not want to be travelling with dogs.

The huskies that comprise dog sled teams are born to run and want nothing more than to be harnessed up. Unlike Hollywood's skewed portrayal of dog sledding in Sargent Preston of the Yukon mushers do NOT whip their dogs but do care for them as they would any member of their family. Their care extends to making sure the dogs' feet are kept free of ice with doggie booties.

Huskies are more closely related to wolves than to the pooches we live with in the lower 48. The dogs form packs with definite hierarchies. Once underway they will settle into a natural, energy-efficient trot. Woe to the musher who falls off his sled; man's best friend is unlikely to realize he's gone and will keep on going—and going.

In the early days of the Iditarod, sleds were pulled by 20 dogs. Today 16 dog teams are the norm and, ironically, they finish the course faster. Each team is required to carry with it essential provisions. The total weight of the sled is somewhere south of 150 pounds. After a day on the course the average dog will have burned 10,000 to 12,000 calories. To keep up with the demand its food has to be two-thirds fat and as watery as the gruel dished out in Oliver Twist. So, if you've tried dieting and not lost the weight why not try fitting yourself with a harness? All you need to know is that "gee" is right and "haw" means left. You can enjoy breathtaking scenery and lick yourself at will.