Thank you to our hosts, Jamie Jessel and his lovely wife Kirsten, for inviting us all to a French wine tasting at Total Wine & More in Lake Forest on September 1st. Are Somalier, Amanda shared about French wines which are celebrated worldwide for their unparalleled elegance, deep complexity, and the unique way the express the distinct soil and traditions of regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.

We had a great turnout for our exclusive wine tasting where we explored these legendary flavors first hand! Thank you Jamie for your French pronunciation, it would be a faux pas to mispronounce anything either before or after we had a sip!

Now that we have had our master class in balance and flavor, we can turn any meal into an unforgettable occasion!

The Doheny State Beach Foundation (DSBF) is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the beauty and history of Doheny State Beach. Through fundraising, educational programs, and environmental conservation, DSBF works to protect this cherished California park. MBSR proudly welcomed left to right, KC, Kip, Retired Ranger Jim Serpa from Doheny State Beach, (Co-President Anita Houston center) Margie and Co- President Hayden Macurda to the right.

Ranger Jim gave us a fascinating history of the Doheny family and shared all about the Interpretive Center at Doheny State Beach which features walking paths, aquariums and a tide pool.
The Visitor Center is a vibrant hub for education, exploration and environmental awareness. The centerpiece of the center is now the largest public aquarium in the entire California State Park system.

Balanced and Leadership Focused
Protecting our coast means finding the perfect balance between human enjoyment and preserving our unique wildlife. 🌊🐀We are incredibly proud to highlight attorney Hydee Riggs, who has been reporting on the critical need to safeguard the endangered Pacific Pocket Mouse. As one of only three places left in the wild where this tiny creature survives, the Dana Point Headlands Preserve is a treasure worthy of our highest protection.

Hydee’s dedication to our community shines through as she prepares to step into her new role. Running unopposed for the Dana Point City Council (District 3), she brings both legal expertise and a deep love for our coastal spaces to local government.

True conservation means being a voice for our environment while maintaining a safe, beautiful, and accessible coastline for everyone. Thank you, Hydee, for championing the future of Dana Point! 🦅🌊

July 29th, Co-President Hayden Macurda introduced new club member Karen Johns and her dog Finley. Karen presented an extremely interesting craft talk.

Karen grew up in Maine and her varied life work experiences including teaching grades K-8 , politics, lobbying, residential and commercial real estate, the oil industry, and Formula One racing. These varied careers have enabled her to live in many places, including Maine, New Hampshire, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Monaco and California.

Highlights of Karen's career accomplishments included having been elected to her Town Council at age 27, and having been a candidate for the New Hampshire House of Representatives at age 30 (when she lost by a mere 41 votes); having been in the Army Reserve (Military Police) and having been Chief of Staff for the North Carolina Senate majority whip.

More recently, Karen has earned a BA degree in Business Administration (magna cum laude) from Texas A+M and has established Karen Johns LLC, working in the environmental energy industry.

Karen has three sons, two of whom are combat veterans and one an Air Force Academy graduate. She describes herself as a persistent woman who always wants to take the reins and "talk to the manager" when people are speaking the same language but not hearing the same meaning. She strives to fill her life with adventure, service, patriotism, conservation and preserving the environment.

Although a Rotarian for just a short time, Karen is already a Paul Harris Foundation member and is a valuable addition to MBSR.

Wednesday August 5th, our speaker was Diana Leyva from CR&R Disposal Company, where she is the Sustainability Specialist. She shared the importance to our environment to comply with important recycling efforts.

The rules of recycling are always evolving:
Styrofoam now goes to a landfill - it is no longer recyclable
Flexible packaging like Amazon pop bubbles are also now not recyclable and go to the landfills
Old fabrics are NOT picked up by CR&R, but Target recycles fabrics/clothing
Food scraps (even spoiled food) is still organic, but palm fronds, pet waste and plastic bags go to landfills

So, in summary, be good customers and place items properly in your blue, green and brown CR&R receptacles