The sun finally showed its face after two days of torrential rain, giving the Ojai Valley a much-needed rinse. With spirits high and shoes mostly dry, Rotarians gathered at St. Thomas Aquinas fellowship hall for another round of good deeds, camaraderie and comedic confessions.

Welcomes & Warm-Ups
Fern Barishman greeted us with her signature mega-watt smile as we schmoozed and found our seats.

• Flag Salute: Leslie Bouche
• Inspirational Moment: Christine Golden, featuring wisdom from Jim Palmer, a former evangelical preacher turned spiritual counselor.
• Visiting Rotarians: None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
• Guests: A few, identities revealed later.

Announcements & Happenings
President Wendy Barker, our fearless leader, gaveled us to order while a slideshow of our crowd-sourced phone photos scrolled behind her (more on that later). Jayne Cruise kept us well-fed with hearty minestrone and Caesar salad. Wendy also gave a special shout-out to Bill “The Indefatigable” Prather for his stellar room setup.

• Feb. 21st: Service Above Self Award – a sweet and sentimental celebration of students making a difference.
• Feb. 21st Program: Bill Wagner, Nordhoff’s longtime music maestro and bona fide Living Treasure.
• Feb. 28th: Game Night at the Art Center – Board games, Texas Hold ‘Em, and a test of your poker face (or wallet).
• Feb. 20th: Rotary board meeting, 8 a.m. at the Museum.
• Group Photo Alert: Stick around post-meeting in your Rotary shirts – President-Elect Sue Gilbreth is taking our picture to PETS training to show us off in all our be-shirted glory.

Paul Harris Awards
Wendy called up Tony Thacher and DeWayne Boccali, both heavily decorated in Paul Harris oak-leaf clusters, with Tony also receiving the prestigious Benefactor Award.

Dave Watson introduced his guests Brian Aikens and Trevor Ashton, whom he named as Paul Harris winners for their outstanding community service. Brian has long been a force on the Historic Preservation Committee and Museum, while Trevor, a hometown hero, has supported the town through his trophy business. Brian’s better half, Connie, was also present to join in the moment.

Museum Moment – “Lovely Ojai”

Wendy dug into the archives for a Valentine’s Day-themed history nuggets, uncovering vintage brochures celebrating “Lovely Ojai,” mostly featuring happy folks on horseback.

Picture Quiz – “Name That Photographer”
Wendy’s minions distributed score sheets for a fun guessing game: match the mystery photos to their senders. Betsy Watson and Sue Gilbreth emerged victorious, correctly identifying three out of eight. The highlight? A tattooed, naked dancing man, originally sent to Bob Davis, then passed through several hands before landing with Kathy Lee, who sent it to Wendy. Mystery solved!

Fining – Love & Other Disclosures
Ren Adam came armed with Valentine’s Day trivia but was quickly derailed by a flood of confessions:

• Jack Jacobs admitted to hiding in the back to avoid a fine last week.
• Don Reed boasted about his grandson running a 4:04 mile at Boston University, chasing the elusive sub-four-minute mark.
• Catherine Lee pitched the idea of a Rotary-run restaurant, citing our collective skills and opportunities to mentor local youth, plus score cheap meals.
• Liz Sampson celebrated her fourth wedding anniversary — corrected by Bob Eisler to “three years and eleven months.”
• DeWayne Boccali reminisced about past president Jock Van Dyke’s legendary move of inviting a divorce attorney to present on Valentine’s Day.
• Christine Golden shared the unfortunate news that her eustachian tube surgery failed, but cataract surgery should restore her eyesight to 20/20.

Ren squeezed in some trivia:

• Who receives the most Valentine’s cards? Teachers.
• Which holiday gets the most cards overall? Christmas.

Program – “The Power of Love” with Saral Burdette
Deirdre Daly introduced Saral Burdette, an all-faith celebrant who has officiated over 1,500 weddings. Saral traced the holiday’s origins back to pagan Roman festival Lupercalia, and shared the tale of the three St. Valentines vying for credit as the holiday’s namesake.

She regaled us with love stories, including a couple so besotted that they later divorced only a year later (ah, irony) and a more heartwarming tale of a woman who found love in an unexpected place — her neighbor’s backyard. Saral performed their wedding, and, as she put it, “So far, so good!”

She introduced the “Water Wheel” metaphor: when your love bucket overflows, it spills into another, and another. “It all starts with you,” she said.

To cap it off, she had us rank our five love languages (Quality Time, Acts of Service, Gifts, Touch, Words of Affirmation), sparking some self-reflection and lively chatter.

Sweet Endings & Recommendations
As a final treat, Saral’s team distributed Valentine’s cards and chocolates to all. Wendy presented her with Friends Ranch citrus swag before sharing a couple of recommendations:

• Patricia Gates: Hulu’s Regime, starring Kate Winslet – “visually beautiful, bitingly facetious, clever.”
• Janet Campbell: Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water – Oprah-approved and worth the read.

With that, Wendy adjourned the meeting and rounded us up for a family photo.

Until next week — keep the love flowing!