October 20, 2016 Meeting of West Bay Rotary

Jim Robbins, of Searsmont, retired from Robbins Lumber, spoke to the club about his recent trip to Cuba. He has been to the island nation three times. He went twice in 2005 as part of an agricultural trade mission. They met with Fidel Castro during his second trip. He took a People to People trip with his wife and brother in law, as a cultural exchange, earlier this year for his third trip. Much is made of the US embargo’s impact on the country, and he found the people extremely friendly toward him as an American. The average monthly income is $25 per month, but doctors earn $70. They toured schools, enjoyed music, and toured much of the city of Havana. They also visited Hemingway’s home outside Havana, bodegas (grocery stores) farms growing sugar cane and rice. He talked about the departure of Russian support, the average weight loss of 20 pounds per Cuban, and now there are more and more privately owned restaurants, which they frequented. Cabs are mostly horse driven, pedaled, motorcycle driven, and some private older cars. There is not a lot of public transportation. Baseball is the national sport and a frequent topic of conversation. They also visited Santa Clara, the heart of the Revolution. He feels strongly that the resumption of relations with Cuba is a very good thing, and that the embargo should be ended and presents an enormous opportunity for the US and, of course, Cuba.

The Polio Walk is this Saturday, and there’s a pledge and sign-up sheet being circulated. They walk will be starting at noon at the Camden public landing ending with a gathering at the Seadog. Rockland and Camden Club members, along with Interact members, will join us. Checks should be payable to the West Bay Rotary Charitable Foundation with Polio Plus in the memo.

On November 17 we’ll have a workshop on the Rotary website complete with laptops and demonstrations at the club meeting.

The Road Rally scheduled for this Sunday but weather is not predicted to be great. It will start at 1p at the Congregational Church and end at Flatbread later around 3 – 3:30p. Let Mark Masterson know if you want to go and haven’t already registered.

Heidi Karod shared that November 5 there will be a Thanksgiving Dinner prepared by the Exchange Students at the Hospitality House. On the following weekend the Interactors and Youth Exchange students will go to the United Nations in New York, she and Karen Hansen will be chaperones.

Next week’s speaker, Bill Macomber, President of the Maine Old Cemetery Association, will talk about maintenance and preservation of Maine’s historic cemeteries.