TTSBE BOARD Chairman: Joseph McCoy: jvmccoy@gmail.com Vice-Chairman: Donna Dobberfuhl: two2views@yahoo.com Treasurer: Ryan Odegaard bonsaiode@gmail.com Secretary: Alisan Clarke alisanclarke@yahoo.com Director: Nan Jenkins: Lodenana@fastmail.fm Director: Quoc Hoang qhoang1@yahoo.com Director: May Lau maychanlau@gmail.com Director: Simon Tse simontse@gmail.com Director: Elaine White ewbonsai@austin.rr.com Director: Jonathan Wood jonathan.wood@gmail.com

www.ttsbe.org

The Texas state Bonsai Exhibit, Inc V o l u m e 9 I s s u e 2 F A L L 2 0 1 6

COME WITH ME INTO THE EXHIBIT

Photo by May Lau

"Hope is like a road in the country; there was no road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence." - Lin Yutang

SHARE, CARE & WALK WITH ME

Building the Garden BRIEF REPORT ON SITE DEVELOPMENT The latest work on our developing proposals for building TTSBE in the Austin Botanical Gardens is GAINING MOMENTUM! The Conservancy ( organized to raise funds to supplement our meager recourses) is organized and one of their members has volunteered to assist us in developing plans for the greenhouse. The TTSBE Site Plans and Development Committee is meeting to fine tune our design for the building. This plan will then go to Evan Taniguchi, Architect, and his assistant for any changes needed before it makes its way to the city Parks and Recreation Department. for final approval. This will be ongoing ,as the City builds an extension of the ADA path to our proposed front gate.

Exciting Developments! Elaine White, board member

TTSBE BLOG YES THERE IS A BLOG! Have you visited the Exhibit's Blog ? It is filled with photographs and stories of the work that our volunteers have completed. See the trees progress and change, displays being set up and the care and upkeep necessary as we work for the permanent space. It is the best way to keep up with what is happening with the Exhibit, and to check out a "behind the scenes". Our incredi-ble board member May Lau takes the photos, writes the stories and manages the site, big thanks to her! Go to: www.ttsbe.org and click "blog" for the sto-ries.

ANDY GRAHAM IN HIS BONSAI GARDEN

ANDY GRAHAM WITH A RATHER LARGE FICUS NERIFOLIA

New Tropical Bonsai donation Two functions of the Bonsai Exhibit

by Joey McCoy One of the important missions we have as The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit is to both function as the museum of some of the best bonsai in the state, and at the same time act as a rescue resource when bonsai need a home. In the case this year of TTSBE co-founder Audrey Lanier of Austin, we had to do an emergency rescue when she sadly passed away. In the case of Tropical bonsai artist and friend Andy Gra-ham, we were contacted about accepting a large donation of trees from his home in Harlingen, Texas.

Andy was looking to downsize his collection drastically and wanted the donation to benefit TTSBE. On April 30th, 2016 four volunteers (Simon Tse, Quoc Hoang, John Richie and myself) drove the 11 hour round trip path from Austin, stopping briefly in San Antonio and traveling on down to the Rio Grande Valley. It was a beautiful day, lots of windshield bugs, and was sweltering hot when we arrived. We rented a large U-Haul truck and began loading up all the trees which had been selected for us. All sizes were repre-sented from small nearly Shohin to huge Dai 4-man imperial size bonsai: 42 trees in all. It was wonderful to catch up with Andy and see his beautiful bonsai. After a few stories and some laughs, we hit the road for the long way back. The next day they were all unloaded, numbered, photographed and labeled. In the months since the donation, volunteers have repotted and worked on most of them, either prepping them for life as part of the Exhibit or as a fundraiser intending them to go to a new home. From Andy's generous donation, we have further built our TTSBE Tropicals collection and also have some outstanding bonsai to offer soon to help the funding of this beautiful bonsai garden in the heart of Texas. The Exhibit is still coming together at the Zilker Botanical Garden here in Austin, but there are many steps remaining before us. Through generous donors like Andy and others we feel confident about the support of our Bonsai community! Please consider making a donation to TTSBE, both with the goal of helping us cover the expense of our bonsai today and to create the Exhibit for all our tomorrows.

HOW FAR IS IT

TO THE TROPICS OF TEXAS?

WELL..

ABOUT 5+ HOURS, A 11 HOUR

ROUND TRIP TO

VISIT WITH ANDY AND ACCEPT HIS

CONTRIBUTION OF 42 BONSAI.

A BIG THANKS TO ANDY

AND THE 4 BRAVE SOULS,

SIMON, QUOC, JOHN AND JOEY

Summer Maintenance This year’s spring rains and summer sun and heat caused many, if not all, of TTSBE’s trees to explode with new growth this summer. TTSBE’s trees are currently held and maintained at three separate locations leading to challenging coordination efforts to take care of them all. In addition, TTSBE graciously received donated trees from Audrey Lanier’s estate and a huge donation from Andy Graham increasing our workload and holding areas. Our collection includes bonsai exhibit material, trees to be planted within the exhibit, and trees to sell to fund the exhibit, equating to nearly 200 trees total. With this many trees, TTSBE’s President, Joey McCoy, has done an amaz-ing job coordinating the TTSBE Board and numerous volunteers from all over Texas to assist in the care of these trees. In June, TTSBE Board Members and volunteers were present to work on various exhibit trees and to construct a fence shielding our newly acquired trees from deer. A simple task you ask… Well, working on the trees themselves was easy, but constructing a fence is another story. Despite 100+ degree weather and the inability to drive steel fence posts into the rock solid ground, Board Members and volunteers used various available resources (i.e. large containers of soil, bonsai wire, recycled construction debris, and the presence of two large oak trees) to construct a fence, costing little money, that has proved effective in preventing the deer from eating the foliage off the trees. TTSBE’s growth is determined by the many past, present, and future volunteers that donate time, resources, and money to help establish Texas’ first bonsai exhibit. It is you who keeps the dream alive, and the TTSBE Board truly appreciates and thanks you. If you would like to make a mone-tary donation, please send your donation to Ryan Odegaard, Treasurer at 25515 Stormy Rock, San Antonio, TX 78255.

WHO KNEW THAT DEER WOULD LIKE THE LEAVES OF FICUS WITH ALL THAT MILKY SAP!!

SO BUILD A FENCE WITH WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE, THE GROUND WAS ROCK SOLID SO THE ONLY OTHER MEANS AT HAND??

BONSAI SOIL CONTAINERS, TWO LARGE TREES AND TALL FENCING, DONE!!

WIRE!! BRING YOUR USED BONSAI WIRE TO CONVENTION. COPPER AND ALUMINUM, SEPARATED. JUST HAND IT OVER, DONNA WILL TAKE IT OFF YOUR HANDS.

THE BEST WAY YOU CAN HELP!!

By Nan Jenkins, TTSBE board member The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit board of directors are extremely grateful for the wonderful donations made by every Bonsai club in Texas AND Louisiana. I cannot fully express the joy that gave us nor the encouragement that the donations have brought to us. As you know from reading other articles in the newsletter, things have really changed since last year, and just maybe the donations brought about the movement in energy that has led to the level of completion at this point. We are now asking you to continue your generosity, either by your club participation and/or your personal giving monthly. I’ve done that for several years now, and I’m amazed how much money it has been. It is called being a sustaining member, and even public radio and TV stations have found out how substantial regular giving can mean in the annual budget plan-ning. There is one more huge benefit of both clubs and individual giving. We are on the verge of being able to apply for grants. We now have a permanent address and If we can say that we are financially supported by all the Bonsai clubs and their members in the Lone Star Bonsai Federation, that will bring more attention to our application, and show that we have great support, worthy of the grant!! You can send your donations to: Ryan Odegaard, TTSBE treasurer 25515 Stormy Rock San Antonio, TX 78255 OR Use the form on the back of the newsletter AND/OR Go to: www.ttsbe.org donate page THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT

TThhee TTeexxaass SSttaattee BBoonnssaaii EExxhhiibbiitt,, IInncc..

Make checks payable to:/Send donation to: The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit, Inc., /TTSBE Treasurer, Ryan Odegaard, 25515 Stormy Rock, San Antonio, TX 78255 Or visit the website donation page:

www.ttsbe.org

Name_______________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________ City ____________________________State _________Zip___________ Phone or Mobil#_____________________________________________ E-mail______________________________________________________ [ ] I wish to pledge TO THE BUILDING THE EXHIBIT FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE REGION THE FUTURE IS NOW!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

[ ] $25 ANNUAL membership: access to special events (Supporter & voting member) [ ] $10 A MONTH sustaining member [ ] $5001 Patron [ ] $1001 Benefactor [ ] $500 Contributor NAME ON CARD______________________________________________________ CARD TYPE:____________#_____________________________________________ EXP: Month_____________Year___________ Signature __________________________________________Date______________ The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, your donations may be tax-deductible.

WALK THE PATH... ...WITH ME!!!