Next Meeting is on Thursday, June 14^th, 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Contra Costa Water District Building Board Room
 1331 Concord Ave. Concord, CA

Dave Sorokowsky - Albino Paphiopedilums

      My favorite tidbit about Dave Sorokowsky is that he used to love playing baseball. I’m not sure at what level he stopped playing, whether it was high school or college but we’d talk about recognizing the different pitches as the ball came at him going umpteen miles an hour. Look into his eyes sometime and you’ll see there’s something vaguely hawklike in their intensity. Baseball’s loss is our gain. Dave brings that same devotion to growing orchids or more specifically Paphiopedilums, the slipper orchids.

     This month Dave will be speaking on albino (taxonomically “album”) Paphiopedilums. He has received many AOS awards for his album paphs and I believe he is using them in a breeding program. I hold great hopes for them if he is for he has some choice stock. Dave is a vintner for Gallo wines, producing some tasty zinfandels if I recall correctly. Unfortunately he cannot sell us any wine but he will be providing the raffle table plants and have a few tasty plants for sale, too.

      Newcomers should realize that slipper orchids aficionados are very passionate about their hobby, seeking the best in color, shapes, and balance in these very unusual plants. This is an opportunity to see and learn about a completely different sort of orchid. They’re not often seen at a box-store because they can’t be cloned by the millions yet. So each plant is an individual or a piece of the original plant. Paphs are usually smaller plants that can be grown indoors and under lights and kept evenly moist in plastic pots. They like household temperatures but maybe want a bit more humidity than is found in the usual Contra Costa home. Come see if they become your passion too.

Speaker’s Dinner with Dave Sorokowsky is on Thursday, June14th at 5:30 p.m. at the Sichuan Fortune House, 41 Woodsworth Lane, Pleasant Hill. Everyone is welcome to attend and meet our speaker before the meeting. If you can join us, please call George McRae at (510) 233-7374 to be included in the reservation.

The Opportunity Table  will be provided by Dave Sorokowsky

2011 
DVOS Club Pins 
are still available 
$8

C. Circle of Life AM/AOS 
Rth. David Tomassini  
Ctt. Gregory Tyrome 
Darden AM/AOS

Visit our Zazzle Store at http://www.zazzle.com/diablovieworchids/gifts