Perfect Timing

CCCALIFORNIAALIFORNIAALIFORNIA A A AISEKIISEKIISEKI K K KAIAIAI Volume 27, Issue 8 August 2009

Yasuo Mitsuya, of Toyohashi, Japan, will be discussing his philosophy of stones. Perhaps he will comment on our “stone of the month” as well ... expect him to be polite…. Frank Goya will translate for us. We are extremely fortunate to have these two wonderful men at our August 26th meeting. Come and enjoy yourself.

Wil’s article in this issue, “A Glimpse at the Summer Show Season (Part 1)”, offers us a chance to view one of the finest viewing stone shows in Japan, Hamamatsu, and in general, learn about their public shows and examples of display and some facts about clubs in Japan - and this is only Part 1!

While we often see photos of individual stones, Wil included some wide angle views of 2 styles of display, sekikazari – table top and tokokazari – 2 or 3 pieces that includes a scroll. Please note the second photograph, page 7, shows table top displays, 1or 2 pieces, a stone and an accent, for example. Although this is only a photograph, a sense of elegance prevails. I’m sure that every guest, even the least experienced visitor to their show, senses that each stone is special. We can attempt this at the Huntington.

Jim and I have always wanted more sekikazari style displays around the perimeter of the room. Some have been shy to try sekikazari, but now that we are about to embark on our 20th exhibition, let’s think about how we might make it special. We will discuss our show and this type of display at the September meeting.

I believe we are motivated in a similar manner as the members of Hamamatsu’s club, a club that was founded the same year as Aiseki Kai, to continually improve our displays. I can’t imagine anyone, in any walk of life – work, sports or hobbies – not constantly striving to improve whatever task they take on. Prime example: every time we go on a rock hunt aren’t we looking for that masterpiece, that perfect stone? One that is better than any we have. What else?

Since Aiseki Kai’s outer tables for display are similar to clubs like Hamamatsu and our primary purpose is to exhibit stones in a traditional Japanese manner, let’s strive to evoke that sense of elegance but with stones we find in North America.

By exhibiting stones from North America, displays like ours are within reach and inspire our audience when they realize, “This is found art! This is some-thing I can do.” Or, how many times have you heard a visitor say, “I collect stones but I never imagined displaying my rocks like this.” We awaken the imagination of many of our visitors when they see that this is something they can do, too. Larry Ragle

Stone of the Month

August Program

In honor of Mr. Mitsuya, let’s bring in traditional Japanese style landscape shaped stones. Suiseki at their best! Your stone should be in an appropriate suiban or daiza. Joseph Gaytan hoped for a colorful stone this month so if your traditional Japanese style landscape stone also happens to be colorful, bring it along.

Yasuo Mitsuya in Japan, 2005

Eel River stone, daiza display

Kern River stone, suiban display

ANNOUNCEMENTS: New member, George Newbauer, brought a huge stone with its own base for us to enjoy.

Larry and Jim talked about our participation in the GSBF Convention viewing stone exhibit. There will be 12 large pedestals for the stones so that will eliminate the need for shoku, accent plants and a expert curator. If you are interested in showing a stone, contact Larry not later than Sept 15.

Cliff and Jean are still fine tuning the details for the China trip set for Sept. 2010.

Nina said that Richard Stiles emailed that the Suiseki Interest Group of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association went on a collecting trip recently. They went to the North Fork of the Teanaway River on the Eastern slope of the Cascade Range. The Teanaway drains the Western edge of a belt of metamorphic rock just south of the Mt. Stuart batholith, so it has good potential. It is full of colorful stones including serpentinite, jasper, quartz and basalt. They are planning future trips in August and September and we are invited to join them. Contact Richard at 425-373-9226 if you are interested.

July Meeting Notes by Barry Josephson

The 1 inch wide inner m

argins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Stone of the Month (Stones that evoke coolness ): Joseph Gaytan - waterfall on a cliff and a black, aged patina stone with mountain springs, on a bean bag; Jim Greaves - hydrated snow on a mountain stone in a suiban, wave breaking stone over rock and wave breaking thru broken ice; Cliff Johnson - overhang stone with a “cool” story; Don Kruger - Frank English stone; Bruce McGinnis - granite wave over rock and seal on surf; Richard Turner - hunk of molten clear glass; Don Mullally - cut long thin stone with aerial view of terrain; Brent Wilson - sea lion stone, some jade; YS Farn - Chinese mountain with layers of snow; Phil Chang - winter storm on a Chinese mountain; Ann Horton - puddle stone with swimming hole on a slab; Al Nelson - waterpool stone from the Yuha; Larry Ragle - cascading waterfall from the Eel River; Nina Ragle - gift stone from Luciana Queirolo from the Ligurian Alps; Harry Hirao - 2 large smooth black stones from the Eel River and Tom Culton - waterfall stone also from the Eel River.

All the stones were “way cool”, either with a feeling of lowered temperatures, aesthetic appeal or the fun story behind the stone.

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Jim’s snowy mountain Ann’s puddle stone on a slab

Brent’s sea lion stone Jim’s wave breaking through the ice continued on page 11

Al Nelson gave an excellent program on the construction of shoku and jiita for displaying stones. Shoku, a table, is preferable for the more massive stones, whereas jiita, a flat board, for the smaller and lighter ones. The size of each should harmonize with the stone and daiza to be displayed allowing ample room on all sides of the daiza without it being lost on the surface. Al said he is not aware of a rule for determining the size of the table’s surface based on the dimensions of the stone and daiza. Al started out with the concept of the Golden Triangle in nature for man’s creations.

Al starts with a piece of 9 ply plywood with particle board in between and a very thin layer of walnut veneer

on each surface. As he cuts across the grain to get the correct measurements, colored tape is used to protect the edges from splintering (left). When the wood is subsequently ripped, no

protection is necessary. The rough edges are then trimmed by sanding and then routed. The legs and sides

are then laid out using solid walnut to conform with the plywood surfaces and their opposing ends are mitered at 45 degrees to frame the plywood (left).

Legs with an inside curve are cut out (below) with a band saw and edges are sanded starting with 80 grit and

finishing with 220. Sanding is completed with jitterbug and spindle sanders or drum sanders (below). Edges are routed.

Surfaces to be joined are lined up and using a biscuit maker, biscuits are glued in place for reinforcement (top next column).

Depending on whether one wishes the upper surface to be level or slightly dropped, the biscuits are placed accordingly. After gluing, a Pony rapid

acting band clamp is placed around the parts to hold everything tightly together until the glue sets (2nd fig., next column). Triangular gussets are placed in extreme

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

corners for added strength. Chalk is used to identify high spots on the bottom of each leg; these are sanded so the shoku rests evenly on a flat surface (3rd fig, below). Prior to staining, the surfaces are wiped down with thinner to show imperfections and glue spots; these are sanded. A dark stain (e.g., charcoal or Moor-ish teak) is brushed on and wiped off (4th fig., below). After drying, the surfaces are wiped with polyurethane 3 times, smoothing with 0000 steel wool 2 times between each coat (last fig., below).

A ¼” tempered Ma-sonite is used for making jiban. A 4’x8’ costs $20. Edges are sanded, then routed, after cutting to desired sizes. Surfaces are first sprayed with primer then black paint. Inexpensive jiban can also be made from slats of special wood cut to appropriate lengths, avoiding blemishes and warps, and lined up. Side pieces can be used as legs. SUMMARY OF BASIC EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE SHOKU

Band saw Jitterbug sander, spindle sander, drum sanders, hand sanders Biscuit maker and 3 sizes biscuits Tightbond III glue Plastic wood (walnut) to fill in defects Pony band clamp Zar stains (sold locally at Ganahl Lumber) Wipe on polyurethane, 0000steel wool Veneer plywood and woods from Austin Lumber, Santa Ana.

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July Program Notes by Barry Josephson

continued on page 10, bottom

PAGE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8

Ask GuyJim Dear GuyJim, At our July meeting the ‘stone of the month’ was to provide a sense of cooling relief from the heat of summer. In passing you mentioned that perhaps a stone with a glacier would have been appropriate as one might visit or contemplate a glacier on the hottest of days. As I recall, at your Mingei Museum Exhibition of American Viewing Stones you and Alice displayed the Bob Watson glacier stone illustrated by Covello and Yoshimura [The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation, fig.145, pg.140]. That image is not too clear and in black & white. How about a ‘fresh’ photo of his stone and your thoughts on stones representing glaciers? Nina R., Laguna Beach

Dear Nina, In this issue I had planned to continue with responses related to the miniature aspects of viewing stones, but frankly, your topic is cooler! It will allow me to diverge from the theoretical to pull out and simply enjoy not only Bob Watson’s stone, but also a few others seldom or never shown. [I did have a formal table presentation of glacier stones prepared for an Aiseki Kai Huntington show a few years ago, but abandoned it to fulfill some balancing act by providing representation of basic classifications needed at the time.]

Covello and Yoshimura (C&Y) identified Bob Watson’s stone as a “distant mountain stone suggesting a mountain glacier.” (fig. 1 below) When Bob

published the stone in International Bonsai Digest (1976, pg.86) he used the Japanese term toyama hyoga-ishi for a distant mountain with a glacier which comports with Jack and Sachiko Dennis’ usage of the term hyoga-seki for a stone where a glacier is the dominant feature. Watson’s glacier stone is very dramatic, especially when viewed from some distance. A closer look reveals that the material quality is rather poor, apparently a relatively soft shale. As an amusing and slightly irreverent aside, although Bob often fumed at the lack of understanding and purity of the newer

American collectors, we found that this stone had been very heavily coated with linseed oil – to the point that it had a pronounced, translucent yellow surface. (You can observe the high gloss surface in both the IBD and C & Y photo. Note also, that his familiar tora-ishi (C &Y fig. 61, pg. 63) was similarly coated.) Once the coating was removed, the stone surface was a more muted slate gray. In the early 1990’s, after an internal debate that is still unresolved, I reapplied some oil to the surface so that the stone would better approximate its ‘historical’ image. I find the stark black and white contrast to be a striking crowd-pleaser, but to have an essentially abstract quality. The natural, softer gray surface is more to my personal taste as it evokes a mountain with some sense of atmosphere and place.

Before presenting stones with more natural feeling ‘glaciers’, let me note the very term glacier, is generally considered to refer to three broad subgroups: (1) Ice Caps consisting of continuous sheets such as continental glaciers, glacier caps and highland glaciers that cover the highest and central portion of a mountain area. These are on too grand a scale to be applicable to viewing stones. (2) Ice Stream Glaciers with relatively confined courses of directional movement. Primary types include Alpine or valley glaciers, transection glaciers that fill whole valley systems, and cirque glaciers that occupy mountain niches that may in turn flow outward from more stationary ice caps. These are the forms of interest to us. (3) Piedmont or Transitional glaciers are low level, thinner spreading glaciers that form from the above types and spread out over more or less level ground – this type also has little meaning for viewing stones. When addressing a viewing stone our major concern is to recognize the characteristics that distinguish an ice stream glacier, from say, lingering patches or pockets of snow. First, while in this day of retreating glacial fields one may encounter patches that have the ice composition that marks them as technically glaciers, we must accept that visually there is no longer anything glacial about them. The exception might be the

Distant Mountain with Glacier (toyama hyoga-seki) 10 ¾”W x 5 H” x 3 ¾” D (27.3 x 12.7 x9.5 cm) cut British Columbia, Bob Watson

relatively small remains of an ice shield in a high glacial cirque. Cirques are amphitheatre shaped bowls at the base of steep peaks from which glaciers often form and move down hill. Unfortunately, I have no good example among our stones, but if you look just below the peak of ‘Mountain with Glacier – Summer’, (fig.2 above) you will see the suggestion of such a curved bowl. Glaciers should suggest mass and preferably a sense of gravitational, directional flow. So, in general, patches and streaks of white that just happen to be proportionally too large to be called waterfalls, do not automatically become acceptable glaciers. Snow lingering in valleys and crevices is commonly encountered in nature and in viewing stones; glaciers are rare and must conform to the geomorphological lay of the land. Figure 2 might be interpreted either as snow remaining in a protected valley or, more substantially, as a glacier. As the stone is a definite a summer green, the interpretation as a glacier would seem the better fit.

A more successful representation is presented by the little hyoga-seki (fig.3 below) where the glacier is well proportioned, sits within the surrounding landscape

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forms, and has a pronounced down-hill movement. The broad swath of white in the depression of ‘Awaiting Renewal’ (fig.4 above) more logically presents a glacier with a permanent presence rather than snow ‘over’-lingering into the autumn. The stone, ‘Snow and Ice’, (fig.5 below) suggesting remaining snow on the peak

and a glacier below, reprises Watson’s black-and-white starkness, but adds a bit more dimension in depth. The ‘Mountain with Glacier – Summer’ (fig.2) is problematic and might be labeled as a ‘mountain with remaining snow’– on the plus side the quartz area has a feeling of density and depth and can be seen to be filling a valley, but negatively, it lacks a strong sense of directional flow. ‘High Glacial Field’ (fig.6 below) is

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‘Snow and Ice” 8 ¾” W x 4 11/16” H x 6 ¼” D (22.2 x 11.9 x 15.9 cm) Thomes Creek, Jim Greaves

Mountain with Glacier (hyoga-seki) 6” W x 2 1/8” H x 2 ¾” D (15.2 x 5.4 x 7cm), cut Oregon, Jim Greaves

‘Awaiting Renewal’ 8 ½”W x 2” H x 5 ¼” W (21.6 x 5.1 x 13.3cm), cut Eel River, Jim Greaves

‘Mountain with Glacier – Summer’ 11” W x 4 ½” H x 6 ½” D (27.9 x 11.4 x 16.5 cm), cut Vancouver Island, BC, Jim Greaves

‘High Glacial Field’ 11 ¾” W x 3 ¾” H x 4 1/8” D (29.8 x 9.5 x 10.5 cm) Mad River, Ken McLeod

GuyJim The views expressed in this column are personal, perhaps irreverent, irrelevant or just plain wrong and do not reflect the consensual view of California Aiseki Kai. Send your viewing stone questions (or comments) for GuyJim to jimgreaves@roadrunner.com or 1018 Pacific Street, Unit D, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 452-3680

also a bit ambiguous with contradictory suggestions of a tangible, touchable nearness competing with a more massive distant view. Although about half the viewers ‘read’ this as a glacier, the view may be better considered as ‘snow pack’ or small ‘ice cap’. ‘Hanging Glacier’(fig.7 above) represents the natural phenomena of a high glacier that was cut off abruptly and left ‘hanging’ at the edge of a precipitous cliff that is, itself, a canyon wall possibly carved by a previous glacier. The ‘Calving Glacier’ (fig.8 below) evokes classic Alaskan glaciers and the inevitable grind toward a final confrontation with the sea where slabs of ice break free, leaving the sharp, exposed edge.

Finally, in Alice’s ‘Land of Mists and Snow’, (fig.9 top, next column) we introduce considerable ambiguity: Is there really a glacier beneath the low-lying clouds or just a high mountain valley? Tipping the stone forward (fig.10 middle, next column) or setting the stone to create a strong diagonal (fig.11 bottom, next column) leaves less doubt that a glacier is present! Not unexpectedly, this stone ultimately is a more successful, more compelling viewing stone because it

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

leaves room for uncertainty and personal interpretation/re-interpretation – way cool!

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‘Hanging Glacier’ (kinzan hyoga-seki) 8” H x 8 ¾” H x 5 ¾ (20.3 x 22.2 x14.6 cm) Eel River, Jim Greaves

‘Calving Glacier’ 10” W x 4” H x 6 ½” D (25.4 x 10.2 x 16.5 cm) Oregon, Jim Greaves

‘Land of Mist and Snow’ 9” W x 8 ½” H x 6” D (22.9 x21.6 x15.2 cm) Eel River, Alice Greaves

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While suiseki shows happen throughout the year in Japan, it is during the summer months that the exhibition schedule becomes busiest, and picking and choosing between the many options would be much easier if pesky things like time and money didn’t limit the traveling that could be done. Aiseki magazine puts the current number of clubs at approximately 415 nationwide, and it may come as a surprise to some that in fact the majority of suiseki enthusiasts in Japan are not members of the Nippon Suiseki Association, which is seen by many not as the main national club for hobbyists but rather as an expensive Tokyo-based group of suiseki professionals and elites. Some clubs have broader social networks and attract members and participants to their organizations and exhibitions from various parts of the country, but most are smaller scale operations with very localized membership that put on shows at community centers, museums, or the occasional temple. Some attempt formal display, while others remain very informal, and though some may display stones of great age and value, others focus exclusively on stones that their members have collected themselves from nearby rivers or mountainsides. The number of ways that suiseki is “done” in Japan are great and varied, and hopefully a look at three very different exhibitions from this summer’s show season will shed a little light on the nature of suiseki practice in the country where the word was born and to which so many people look for answers.

One of the larger and more widely known groups is the Hamamatsu Suiseki Association, which is based in the mid-sized city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka prefecture. Originally dubbed the Hamamatsu Aiseki Association, the group was founded in 1983 by the renowned collector Sakae Ohashi, who was also a member of Tei’ichi Katayama’s Ichiu-kai, and through

his efforts the club quickly rose in status and attracted high quality exhibitors from around the country such as the late Reiji Takagi of the former Takagi Bonsai Museum, Choseki-kai founder and keido instructor Iwao Yokoyama, Uchiku-en bonsai garden proprietor Seiji Morimae, and others. With many of the founding members also being followers of Mr. Katayama’s teachings, it is not surprising that the influence of keido can be seen in many of their displays, though the club was never officially meant to be an extension of the Ichiu-kai or a strictly keido-based club as such. Unfortunately, since the passing of Mr. Ohashi in 2002, the club has lost some of its original drive, though it continues to produce excellent shows every year, and this year’s 27th annual exhibition was no exception.

The show, entitled every year since its inception “Sansui no shijō” (literally, “The Poetic Sentiments of Landscape Scenery”), is basically split into three sections: semi-formal displays in the keido spirit with scrolls and accessories, mid-sized stones displayed independently, and shohin, or small stones. Held at a local community center without the tokonoma required for purely formal display, a certain degree of improvisation is required on the part of the organizers in attempting to recreate the experience of a formal viewing. Firstly, as viewers will be standing rather than sitting as they would in a tatami room with stones on display in tokonoma, the objects in question need to be raised closer to the eye level of the spectator, hence tables must be brought in. Typical and obvious though this may seem for a suiseki show, it is unusual for formal displays involving scrolls and certainly unheard of in keido, so these displays are perhaps best thought of

A Glimpse at the Summer Show Season (Part 1) Wil, checking in from Japan

Part of the keido inspired display area

A corner with some of the 23 independently displayed stones. Note the use of light blue felt covering the tables, consistent with the Nippon Suiseki Association’s Meihinten and other shows. A good idea for clubs in the West, too?

as being influenced and inspired by keido rather than actual expressions of its principles, which would be difficult if not impossible to apply in such a setting. Partitions are erected to create an enclosed display space, scrolls are hung by cables suspended from the high ceiling, and a final touch is added by draping deep purple velvet from the top of one partition to the next,

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

defining the space and completing the visual frame for the snapshot-like moment contained within.

Many of these displays could be subjected to a great deal of criticism by anyone reasonably versed in the basics, but it must be kept in mind that rules for formal display, if it can truly be said there are any, have next to nothing to do with the creation of displays for

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Combined with the image of waterfowl, this airy Ibigawai-shi would have also displayed quite nicely in a suiban, adding emphasis to the water themed display.

Though the seal and weight of the painting should really be on the opposite side in order to balance the display, the painting’s wet execution truly evokes the humidity of the Japanese summer as a fisherman returns home under the rising moon. For shows like this, the rules are often broken and enthusiasts are given the chance to be creative rather than inhibited by a lack of appropriate materials at their disposal.

The moon may be limited in the haiku world to only autumnal references, but in this kind of display, as in nature, it can be seen year-round [close up on page 10].

The use of imagery containing seasonal insects, however, is much more limited, though this combination with a Kamogawa shimagata -ishi fits the season of the show perfectly [close up on page 10].

PAGE 9 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8

shows such as this. These are not professionals with hundreds of scrolls on hand to match the directional flow of every stone or the season of every show, nor are they gardeners with an infinite range of accent plants to suit each occasion. Rather, they are simply enthusiasts and collectors who do their best, but at the end of the day must make do with what they have. They come together to exchange ideas and share, and even in the face of the most glaringly off combination of elements, the dialogue is kept constructive so that everyone may come away having learned something. Accent plants are often the most challenging, and in clubs like this they all tend to be provided by a single source who distributes them around the displays as best they can. Room for improvement? Always. Opportunity to criticize? Never.

In order to make a strong impact towards the entrance, the show opens with the semi-formal displays, which lead to the independently displayed mid-sized stones and smaller stones deeper in the exhibition space. The display technique in the second

section is very much like that of the Meihinten, and plants are used sparingly here as the focus is purely on the stones, while the shohin section has more of a playful, hobbyist feel. Despite all being part of a single club’s exhibition, these three sections demonstrate a great range of approaches, and individual members often exhibit stones in more than one, if not all three.

The Hamamatsu Suiseki Association is one of the few large-scale clubs that has exhibitions open to the public and displays stones in this semi-formal fashion, and its leadership continues to actively pursue the ideals espoused by Mr. Katayama through his teachings in keido, even if they must be adopted to compensate for shortcomings in the exhibition venue. Not limiting themselves to this standard, however, they also encourage creativity in many of their displays, and this flexibility adds not only to the enjoyment members can have in conceiving their displays, but also to the pleasure had by viewers, many of whom may have chanced by the show accidentally, never having heard of suiseki before. Surely such an open attitude has the potential to spark an interest in newcomers, and in the hopes of promoting suiseki to a broader public as well as providing its own members with an opportunity to share their collections, the Hamamatsu Suiseki Association consistently succeeds in its mission.

Calligraphy was also occasionally used, as in this powerful display of a seigaku-ishi from Shizuoka prefecture by the 17th head of the Tokugawa family in Tokyo.

This seemingly unconventional display combines treated deadwood, a makeshift oar of sorts, and a rarely seen enbetsu-ishi from Hokkaido, which combined with a painting of a coastal village, creates an image that speaks for itself. This demonstrates the liberties allowed to exhibitors, even by clubs that aspire toward more formal display techniques.

The nine shohin displays were considered somewhat separate from the rest of the show and not listed in the main register of exhibits, but gave members an opportunity to do something a little more light-hearted.

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PAGE 10

Jean Horton (L) and Don Kruger (R) discuss the fine points with Al (M)

Close up from page 8 Close up from page 8

Seigaku-ishi display close up.

Al’s finished shoku under Pavel Vasina’s Eel River stone

Program Notes continued from page 3

Thank you, Al. Wish to contact Al? See page 12.

This independently displayed shimagata-ishi is coupled with a contemporary plant hanger made of bamboo, a commonly chosen material for summer displays.

Programs: Larry Ragle 949.497.5626 cfsmail@cox.net Treasury/Membership: Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net Annual Exhibit: Jim Greaves 310.452.3680 jimgreaves@roadrunner.com Exhibit Set Up: Marge Blasingame 626.579.0420 margeblasingame@att.net Refreshments: Lois Hutchinson 714.964.6973 wlhutch@verizon.net Historian: Ray Yeager 760.365.7897 ryeager890@aol.com Webmail: Bill Hutchinson 714.964.6973 hutch@aisekikai.com Newsletter: Larry and Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net

August Contributors: Barry Josephson, Wil, Jim Greaves, and Larry Ragle. Mailing: Flash Partch Editor: Nina Ragle

Contact People

PAGE 11 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 27, ISSUE 8

Newsletter Committee

We hope you will participate. Please send any submissions to ragle@cox.net no more than 10 days following our monthly meeting. Thank you!

Thanks to Barry & Sandy Josephson, Yau-Suen Farn, Harry Hirao, Maria Barbosa, Joseph Gaytan, Emma Janza, Cary & Steve Valentine and Warren & Kyra Haussler for the July break table. It was excellent.

The August treats will be provided by Nina & Larry Ragle, Ann & Jean Horton and Bill & Lois Hutchinson.

Refreshments

California Aiseki Kai meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Nakaoka Community Center located at 1670 W. 162nd St, Gardena, CA. Second floor. We do not meet in Nov-Dec.

Stone of the Month continued from page 2

Cliff ’s cool stone ~ two views

Don’s stone from Frank English ~ two views

Phil ’s snow capped stone, left

Larry’s waterfall,

right

Nina’s Liguria Alps from Luciana

Ragle P.O. Box 4975 Laguna Beach CA 92652

NANPU KAI Bonsai Exhibition, August 22-23, JACCC, 244 South San Pedro St., Little Tokyo, LA. 10-5 both days.

REDWOOD EMPIRE SOCIETY 26th Annual Bonsai Show, August 29-30, Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Bldg., 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. Sat 10-5 Sun 10-4. Demos 1:30 both days. Yasuo Mitsuya and Kathy Shaner. 200+ trees, sales, raffle. For more info: Bob Shimon 707.884.4126 or email shimon@mcn.org. Website: rebsbonsai.org

SAN DIEGO BONSAI CLUB 44th Annual Fall Show, Sept 19-20, Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Rm 101, San Diego. 10-5 Demos. Sales area. For more info: Joanie Berkowitz 760.431.1014

HAWAIIAN BONSAI ASSOCIATION Bonsai Ohana II Convention, September 25-27, Pacific Beach Hotel, Waikiki. Demos Tohru Suzuki and Mel Ikeda For more info: hawaiibonsaiassoc.org

Coming Events

Leaves no stone unturned

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

aisekikai.com

CONEJO VALLEY BONSAI SOCIETY 6th Annual Bonsai Exhibition, October 3-4, Resource Center, Gardens of the World, 2001 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 9-4 both days. Demos in the Bandstand 11 & 2,. Free. Info: Ken Fuentes 805.495.7480. Website: cvbs-bonsai.org

DAI ICHI BONSAI KAI Annual Bonsai Auction, October 16, Ken Nakaoka Comm. Center, downstairs. Preview 6PM, auction 7PM. Bonsai and tables, accent plants and more. More info: 310.539.9365

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI FEDERATION “A Southwest Bonsai Journey”, Convention XXXII, November 5-8, Riverside. Marriott Hotel. Suiseki convention within a convention. www.gsbfconvention.com

Always check Golden Statements Magazine Calendar section for additional coming events

Custom Made Jiita and Shoku are available finished or unfinished

Call or email Al Nelson for prices 949-854-2681

papasan@cox.net