Summer time and the living is easy

Best wishes for a fun-filled summer to our members, family and friends. Please let us know about your travels and other news.

Annual Meeting “live” again

After three years, our Annual Meeting went live again this month. A group of about 30 attended the meeting at the Penn Club in New York with the historic whale tooth gavel tapping in the event for the 122 time. All of the required business was conducted and approved. Importantly, the financial health of the Club and the Foundation are in excellent shape and our membership level has remained constant despite the challenges of the pandemic. The meeting was followed up by an absorbing presentation by President and CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution, Scott Stephenson. Dr. Stephenson highlighted the global nature of the war of independence. 

Esteemed former executive director over the horizon

Helen Jost, who served the club for many years passed away recently. She served as executive director for several decades and is acknowledged as the backbone of our historic club. Her daughter, Tracy Sancilio, succeeded her in the leadership post. Helen will be greatly missed and the sympathy from the Circumnavigators goes out to Helen’s family and friends. Here is a link to Helen’s Obituary.

New York Metro Party

The NY Metro branch of the Circumnavigators Club held a five-course dinner at a Manhattan Italian bistro with 18 participants, where Circumnavigator Marilu Ramirez provide a presentation on her new book “Travels with Marilu, A Spiritual Journey”. Besides a brief slide show about the seven continents, the presentation & book provided wonderful photographs of the world and famous sayings from important people in the past and present, concerning life and their life experiences. A wonderful time was had by all.

Planning for The LOG

Our publication is in the works and we need your help. Do you have a good travel story? If so, please contact David Mink or Tracy Sancilio with your idea. We will work with you to develop the story since we do not want completed stores to be submitted. Importantly, send us photos and short write ups about recent trips for All Over the Map.

Collectors Corner

Do you collect Christmas tree or holiday ornaments from your travels? Please send us photos of two or three or your favorites for this upcoming LOG Column.

Circumnavigators in Costa Rica…

Circumnavigators Paul and Pat Buescher (Pacific Northwest Chapter) report, “We are traveling again!  What better way, at least in Paul’s opinion, to go wandering around the world than a birding photography trip.  In March, we joined our friend and favorite bird photographer, Ralph Paonessa, for a trip to the highlands of Costa Rica.  We visited three birding-oriented lodges where we were able to see and photograph more hummingbirds than we could count.  We also were treated to sightings of Quetzals, Tanagers, Chachalacas, Owls, Montezuma’s Oropendola, Oriels, Woodpeckers, and a few snakes, rats, and other native creatures. While the weather was cool, it was great fun to travel again and be out with the birds and bees.

Circumnavigator in Algeria…

Circumnavigator Suzanne Frye (New York Metro) is always on the move. This time she visited Algeria to experience the culture. In Ghardaia, she photographed the women of the Ibadite Muslim sect who cover up in white and only show one eye. She also visited the historic city of Bob Saada.

Circumnavigators in Malta…

First Vice President Dan Peterson reported from Malta, “Several Circumnavigators Club members who also belong to the Travelers Century Club (TCC) attended TCC’s bi-annual international conference, held in Malta May.  Circumnavigator Jerry Allen (Naples) spoke about his recent trip to Iguazu Falls, while Steve Fuller (at-large) presided as incoming TCC president. Other Circumnavigators in attendance included Nan Allen, Bill Girtman & Donna Suddeth (Naples) and Virginia Mullin and Melanie & Dan Peterson (Chicago). In all 120 TCC members and guests gathered at the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa for the event. The group toured three cities of Malta’s historic harbor area, as well as the adjacent island of Gozo.  The group even met one of only 37 remaining Knights of the Hospitalier Order of St John (a.k.a. the Sovereign Military Order of Malta), which ruled the islands for 270 years before Napoleon arrived then the British took over.  On the conference day, the attendees heard of many adventurous destinations, including Antarctica, Pitcairn island, Somaliland, Azeri-Karabakh, Tbilisi, Bolivia, and the Balkans. Weather was great, and the food and camaraderie superior. Discussions are underway for the site of the next such TCC International Conference, for 2024. 

Not an easy trip..

Circumnavigators Bill and Pam Girtman (Naples Chapter) spent four lovely days in Sicily before heading to Malta for the above-mentioned trip. Upon arriving in Malta, Pam tested positive for Covid and was quarantined for eight days. The Girtmans were forced to cancel their plans to finish their journey to Israel.

More from Malta and Italy…

Circumnavigators Sally and Larry Cole (Palm Beach Chapter) visited Malta and Italy where they enjoyed the spectacular sights and hiked on the Amalfi Coast.

The Last Shot

Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.

Luck to you!

David A. Mink
International President
davidamink@me.com

“We roamed the fields and river sides,
When we are young and gay;
We chased the bees and plucked the flowers,
In the merry, merry month of May.”
―Stephen Foster

Marvelous May has arrived

Everyone loves May with wonderful memories and anticipation for good times to come. We wish all our members, family and friends a great month. As Circumnavigators hit the road, please send us info and photos on your trips.

Reminder – join us for the Annual Meeting

The meeting will be held on Friday, June 3 at the Penn Club in New York City, featuring a presentation by R. Scott Stephenson, CEO & President of the Museum of the American Revolution. Link to invitation here 

Chapter News

The Circumnavigators Club may be getting a new chapter in Jacksonville, FL. Circumnavigator Fred Seely has initiated the process and more than 20 people have shown interest. Recently a Zoom meeting was organized to introduce the Club to prospective members.

UK Chapter

Chapter President Helen Jenkins reports that the chapter had a lovely lunch at the Savile Club in London and welcomed new member Alan Soper. The event was supposed to be at the Oriental Club but Lord Richard Inchcape was taken ill with pneumonia so John Constable rearranged at his Club. We hope Lord Inchcape is on the mend now.

Singapore Chapter

President of the Singapore Chapter, Ang Hao Yao and First Vice President Graham Bell hosted Stefan Krasowski and his wife Tess, members of the Pacific-Northwest Chapter, to a welcome lunch on the occasion of their visit to Singapore.

Scuttlebutt

Circumnavigators David, Fred and Ken Mink gathered in Clearwater Beach, FL to reunite with an old friend, World War II veteran Cewin Johnson who lost his arm in the war when he was just 19 years old. Now 98, Cewin regaled the Mink brothers with stories of the war and, with good spirit and humor, talked about his life as a disabled war hero.

Circumnavigator and Governor Ann Swinford (Michigan Chapter) sends a photo from her trip to Africa which she describes, “Very pale Ann Swinford with two beautiful Himba women in Namibia.  The Himba were dismayed that Ann has no children! After they did a dance for us I tried to inspire my group to do a dance for them.  I danced the hokey pokey alone.  Everyone laughed when I ‘put my whole self in and shook it all about’!  The hokey pokey is an ice breaker all over the world!”

Circumnavigators Norm and Susan Dailey (Washington DC Chapter) report from their ongoing Spring trip to Europe. They started in the tulip fields of Holland. Then on to visit the Aland Islands, shown here with a 92- year-old herring fisherman.Then to Andalusia, visiting Mijas, Malaga, Ronda, Seville, Granada and Cordova. Finally a visit to Northwest Spain for a wine-tasting pilgrimage.

The Last Shot

Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.

Luck to you!

David A. Mink
International President
davidamink@me.com