Official Visits and Elvis

This week was filled with Official Visits, yard work, oh, and Elvis!

As Master of Everett Lodge #137 and past District Deputy of District 8, I was looking forward to my OV of the Deputy of the Grand Master in District 8, VWB Larry Foley.  Was I going to make it a pain in the butt for him, was I going to give him a hard time, was I going to make his first OV memorable, or was I simply going to respect him, his office, and the Administrative side of Masonry?  Of course I made what I believe is the right choice and provided him all the support and assistance that a Worshipful Master should provide to the Deputy in this situation.  We had a great meeting and had some fantastic discussion about membership.

Then I had the opportunity to be a side liner at the next OV at Damascus Lodge and of course I chose the path of giving him a hard time at that meeting!  As he would (and did) graciously do to me in previous years.  I was not disruptive of his visit, but I did give him some barbs when he was finished and at other time during the evening.

The next couple of evenings were spent power washing the wood on my deck and prepping it for refinishing.  We spent some time at the Jurisdictional Representative retreat for the Rainbow girls.  As the Assistant Director, Robin got to spend some quality time with the JReps and with the Director all while putting on a great retreat.

Saturday I picked Robin up from the retreat, after spending all morning power washing the deck, and we drove up to Lynden-Ferndale International Lodge for the Hands Across the Border celebration.  We enjoyed and excellent prime rib dinner and then got to watch Elvis for the next couple of hours.  Very nice meeting and socializing with the Brethren from that area and the Brethren from British Columbia and Yukon.

After all the travels I again get time to reflect on the days and ponder about the state of things.  Not just in Masonry, but in society in general.  One of the things I have heard a lot about, and I am very much a fan of, is civility dialogues.  We need to be able to talk about the issues facing us, we need to be able to have a conversation and not turn it into a yelling match.  I do not watch Political analyst programs because it always ends up in yelling matches and people talking over each other.  Same is true for "Sports" news programs.  I do not watch those either, and for the same reason.  The Stephen A. Smiths and Max Kellermans of the world ruin good conversation with their holier than thou attitudes that almost always turn into "I am right, you are wrong".  With all of that being said, I think we need to take civility dialogue one step further.  Not only do you have to be able to have a conversation about issues, you MUST be willing to listen, and about all, compromise.  Until we can bring back the art of compromise, we will not move forward and grow as a nation.  Without civility and compromise, our divide will continue to grow.

Food for thought, Be All In

Fraternally,
VWB Steve Martin
Grand Lecturer

Corner Stones and Storms

Kind of a quiet week for travel, but exciting storms that provided plenty of noise!

The weekend started pretty early on Saturday with a trip to Edmonds at 6am to pick up Grand Orator,  VWB Jimmy and then head on down to Mossy Rock for a Corner Stone ceremony at the local Fire Station.  I did not have my camera so I did not get any photos from the event, but I would like to thank RW Ed for capturing a great photo of my ear.  For some reason the theme from Looney Tunes was going through my head the entire rest of the day!  Those that were there will know why.

After the Corner Stone was a very unique installation for me, and I think for many others.  Centralia Lodge held its installation of officers at the Centralia fair grounds outdoors.  It was an open installation and situated right next the a major road with all kinds of signs and banners promoting the event.  It was an opportunity to invite the public and be very visible to let people know we are still here and we are not a secret society.

This is where the storms come in...on the drive from Centralia to Edmonds we kept hearing the buzz over the radio that usually signifies lightning strikes.  We never saw the lightning or heard the thunder, but it was pretty clear there was lightning somewhere close by.  By the time we got to Edmonds we were starting to see the lightning as we dropped off VWB Jimmy.  Then the drive home to Monroe was pretty eventful and once we got home, wow!  We watched and listened to one of the most spectacular and loud storms we have ever experienced.  There were several strikes that were very close to the house and shook windows and loose items.

I was very glad the storm happened on Saturday evening, because Sunday was the 4th annual Rainbow Color Walk.  This year the charity is Feeding America and they raised almost $11,000 and added over 500 items of food to donate.  The event is co-sponsored by Sultan-Monroe Lodge and raises money not only for the Rainbow Girls annual service project, but also the lodges education and charitable fund.  The numbers are not final yet, but the lodge should receive around $3000 for its funds.  Once again MW Jim came out to help add some color to the event, and he did not disappoint!  If you want to avoid getting doused with color, avoid Jim, LOL.

Sunday afternoon was a drive down to Lacey to spend some time with my Mother in Law, who is living in a memory care facility and had a bit of a struggle the last few days.

Then Monday off to Everett Lodge #137 where we had the Official Visit of the Deputy of the Grand Master, VWB Larry.  I felt like the meeting went very well and I led a discussion on membership numbers.  What are the issues and how do we fix them?  We all know the numbers are going down, but how do we change that, and as was brought up during the discussion, do we need to?  One of the primary goals of Masonry is to make good men better, do you need a lodge room or 30 or 40 masons to make you a better man?  With more people involved, you have more opportunity to receive and share those things that make you a better man, but there is also more distractions taking away from making you a better man.  One of the major benefits of membership is financial, but the basic foundation of education and fraternalism may not be directly related to the number of people involved.  Many hands make the work easier, but how much of the work is truly part of the Masonic institution?  We talk about making our members wiser, better and consequently happier.  Where do we mention cook dinners, have events, and give away stuff?  Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy those as much as the next guy, but are they truly a requirement to make a good man better?

Food for thought, until next time Be All In.

Fraternally,

VWB Steve Martin

Grand Lecturer

From Bellingham, WA to Albany, OR and all points between

Another week gone by and another week of amazing travel!

The new week started out on Tuesday with a Entered Apprentice Degree at my home Lodge, Sultan-Monroe #160.  An excellent degree was performed with the presiding Master VWB Larry Foley.  We had the pleasure of listening to VWB Cary Cope deliver the Master's Lecture, who knows when I will hear that again from him.  I had the distinct honor and privilege of conducting the new candidate as the Senior Deacon.  Welcome Brother Nathan Davis!

Wednesday was another photo shoot for a spectacular young lady and Senior at Sammamish High School.  Chloe was a fantastic model and we had a great time at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.  Kind of an odd flashback as the garden is located right next door to an Elementary school that I attended many years ago.

We then traveled over to a good brother's house on Thursday to surprise him with a birthday party that he knew nothing about.  Congratulations Hassib, we had a great time at your party, and the food?  OMG, THE FOOD!  It just kept coming and I just could not stop!  😆

Then in was Anna's turn for Senior portraits on Friday afternoon.  She wanted golden hour, nature, and photos to make people take notice!  Well...as luck would have it, oddly it was overcast in Seattle, who would have thought?  We had a beautiful location at the North Creek Park, and an amazing model, so all I needed was a little sun to complete her request.  I didn't get any, so I made my own!

Saturday it was off to Bellingham, well actually Demming, to shoot a wedding of some very good friends.  Renae and Dave were gettin hitched and we were there to capture it for them.  The wedding was held at a beautiful location in the woods that is a horse ranch and a wedding venue.  The Misty River Ranch was an amazing location, and highly recommended.  Before the wedding we had the pleasure of getting caught up with and old friend, Annie Saunderson.  Robin had the pleasure of driving from Monroe to Demming twice, because I forgot some things at home that we needed.

After a long drive home after the wedding we got up early Sunday morning and headed for the Amtrak station to go to Albany, OR and see Alex and Emma!  We got to spend Sunday night, all day Monday and then Tuesday morning with them.  We drove from Albany to Newport and spent the day at the beach enjoying the scenery and the weather as it was mid 70's and sunny all day.  We started at the Yaquina Bay lighthouse and while getting the camera all setup, I dropped it...yup, dropped it.  Luckily(?) I had the circular polarizer attached and it took the brunt of the fall.  Sadly, that meant no polarizing filter for the day of photos.  I still think they came out nice.

As I work hard on perfecting the installation parts of our ritual, I am looking forward to travelling around the state to the different Masonic events where I can promote the ritual competition.  Now that the filing date has passed, I can say that I have made myself available for the position of Junior Grand Warden for the Grand Lodge of Washington.  I look forward to meeting many brothers and sharing my thoughts on the future of the Fraternity and hearing their thoughts as well.  

On the Horizon is a trip to Mossy Rock and Centralia for a Cornerstone ceremony and an installation of officers.