Another Year Draws to a close.....
December 2016

 As this year began, our first meeting was held February 13th at the Gekkeikan Sake Factory in Folsom, our meeting spot of choice now that the Eastern Empire Restaurant has closed.  After we caught up on everyone's news, the primary topic of conversation was this year's haibun contest, setting its theme (media), as we made plans to get that information out to the larger haiku community.

The rest of the spring, and well into summer, our little group tended to be consumed by life events, so that the next time we met wasn't until August, when, on the 13th, we finally came together at the Sake factory, to share food and catch up with each others lives.  By that time our judges for the contest had been selected and Bob Lucky had agreed to publish the contest winners on the CHO website in the new year.

In October, on the 8th, we met again. This year we decided to take a hiatus from our annual Haiku Reading event.  So at this meeting we participated in a tan renga workshop, something we haven't done in a long time.  The happy results will be submitted to various publications over the next few months. 

Our last meeting of the year was held during a rainy Saturday, December 10th,  in Lodi at the Pietro's Restaurant.  We spent several hours dining and laughing,  gifting each other with personal updates and small presents.  Yvonne announced that this year's contest reached its deadline on December 1st, and the submissions are on their way to the judges.  By our next meeting, which will be on Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 12:00 at the Sake Factory, the awards and congratulations will have been sent out.
We wish everyone happy holidays, and a prosperous new year.
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