Rotary Meeting of January 10, 2013 - "There is something Fishy Here", by Gary Wilson, Bulletin Editor.
The Meeting
The Roundhouse at the end of the Manhattan Beach pier was the destination point of our first meeting in 2013. This was the 3rd field trip in a row for or Rotary members and Elyse is in charge of our meeting programs for the month. Most of us met at the Hacienda and Joe provided a bus to shuttle us to and from the event. It was nice to see our fellow Rotarians after so many weeks without a meeting. Nothing like a little "Fellowship" to warm the sole. "Femaleship" is even better.
The “Roundhouse” has to be one of the most photographed and recognized spots in Southern California. As a Realtor I see it on just about every South Bay Realtor’s web site; in most “Photographers” storefronts; and artist collections. Most visitors to the beach catch it from all angles. If you have never been inside, you should. We went as a group. Thanks Elyse.
It’s an Aquarium with some very interesting creatures. We Rotarian creatures joined them for lunch. They must have found us interesting as well. We are. Some more so than others. Speaking of creatures, Elyse had bought lots of sandwiches for our enjoyment. There was turkey, salami, ham, etc. No tuna however; or crab. No seafood out of courtesy to our Pisces hosts
We had a long table for dining set up between the large aquarium tanks. I sat next to my fellow Realtor Shiela and we sat in front of a Very Large Eel. It could have been two eels, maybe 3. I didn't want to stare or intrude. It' not polite to ogle eels. They can get pissed off. It went up and down…up and down…up and down….and on and on and on. Kinda like a life in general. It’s a metaphor. It’s an eel. While I was eating my turkey sandwich I wondered what Eels eat. (I think I need more of a life. I need a complication. But that’s another story for another time). I know you are all wondering now .. “what do eels eat”. I looked it up, and I am glad I did so now rather than before we had the meeting. Here is what I found.
“Eel prey on fish and small crustaceans. Some eel have mouths consisting of a sucker surrounded with small teeth. The teeth pierce the scales and skin of fish and the eel sucks the blood for nourishment. Other species of eel have many sharp teeth and are able to bite and tear their prey into pieces to eat”.
I noticed Julia came in a bit late with her “Navy Seal -- Bill”. She immediately noticed the shallow tank with a Sting Ray, which went up and down…up and down….up and down…and on and on and on. This sting ray (and most sting rays) had a perpetual smile on his “face”. Julia stooped down low and took his picture. He smiled, Julia smiled back, I smiled. A very nice Sting Ray he was. He got his picture taken. Not the first time I would guess. I wonder what his name might be? Must be Ed, or perhaps Ernie. No, Earl. (Boy do I need a life)
What do sting ray’s eat you might ask? I am also glad I just looked that up now rather than before. Here is what they eat.
“They are carnivore animals, more precisely predators, feeding on other smaller fish and other sea creature that they catch at the bottom of the sea. Their diet consists of mollusks, clams, shrimps, snails and other species of fish. They don’t have a hard time catching their victim and due to their sandy color, they can hardly be detected. They can trap their prey without the smallest of problem, using their instincts, sometimes waiting for it to just swim by. They don’t have a strong eyesight and they must rely on their sense of smell when detecting their prey. Being closely related to sharks, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to know what a meal looks like for stingrays. Once the prey is close, they will instantly attack it and crush it with their mouth”
Well, so much for the smiling ray being a friendly ray. There could be a lawyer joke in here. They will turn on you if you have food. “Another metaphor for life”.
“Never trust a smiling ray if you have food and they are hungry and don’t”.
Next MeetingFish are just like people.
Next Weeks Meeting is(was) going to be about Etiquette. There may be a change to that.
I am sure there is a proper etiquette when dining among fish with hungry Rotarians, eels, rays and rascals. Perhaps our Etiquette Instructor that Tom talked about in his recent email will cover these situations. He singled out a few of us in his Email as needing some special training in this area. I will bet Tennesee Etiquette is a bit different than most. Guess what. I just googled “Etiquette in Tennessee” and there is a whole school for that purpose!. This is not a Joke. How many states have their very own school for Etiquette. Go here…it is no joke: http://www.theetiquetteschooloftn.org/
Of course Tennessee would have such a school. Tom is from there. See you Thursday.