Past Reno-Tahoe Club
August 14 – 21, 2018
Julia Cooper, Ambassador Coordinator
Thanks
to all our friends in Reno-Tahoe Friendship Force for giving Dallas
Friendship Force a week we will always remember. It was a relaxing,
but at the same time, a learning experience. I had been under the
impression Reno was like a mini Las Vegas – goodness, was I wrong!
Much of it is very walkable, with 74 parks and the river Truckee
(fed by snow melt from the Sierra Madre Mountains) running through
the city from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake.
Our hosts were very knowledgeable about the area and drove us many,
many miles to Lake Tahoe and Virginia City, to name just two
locations. Thank you, again.
These are photos of this trip posted by
Mary Latham on our Facebook page. Thank you, Mary.
 Emerald
Bay, Lake Tahoe |
Lake Tahoe view
|
Paddle wheeler to Emeral Bay
|
Lake Tahoe Teahouse |
Vikingsholm
|
Art Cooper, Ruth Barrow, Sharri McIntosh,
Felicity Sentance, Kathy Jacobs, Julia Cooper, Pat Andeweg,
Elizabeth Umana
|
Reno casino |
Reno river walk
|
 Truckee
River |
Taylor Bridge |
| |
|
The river Truckee ran by the house of my home hosts. We
walked along it each morning. - Mary Latham
Reno club members plus Dallas members: Elizabeth
Umana, Roger Kaiser, Julia Cooper, Mary Latham, Lee Latham, Sandy
Kaiser, Sharri McIntosh, Felicity Sentance, Pat Andeweg, Art Cooper,
Ruth Barrow, Martha Marin
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International Outbound
Israel
Twenty-one
Friendship Force members depart soon for Tel Aviv, Israel with some
of us continuing on extensions around Israel and into Jordan.
For further information contact Michael Wald
mwald999@gmail.com and Haiya
Feder-Naftali
hnaftali@juno.com
who are Ambassador Co-coordinators for this Journey.
See the Tourist Israel website:
https://www.touristisrael.com/ for tour options, interesting
pictures, events and articles about Israel.
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Discover Costa Rica - October 10 - 20
edward perez, Journey Coordinator
This Journey has, unfortunately, been cancelled.
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Cape
of Good Hope Outbound
March 21-27, 2019
by Mary Williams
How big is Africa? Bigger than you thought, I bet. What kind of terrain
does Africa have? More diverse than you thought, I bet.
Our 2019 outbound Journey has been posted in the FFI Catalog and we hope
to attract a few more people to go with the Dallas club to Cape of Good
Hope, South Africa next March. If you know someone who would like to
join us, please give them this information or refer them to the Catalog
or me. We want to fill this soon! Limited to16 people
Journey #15039
Dallas to Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
March 21, 2019 – March 27, 2019 (Depart on March 19 for overnight flight
to London; then a second overnight flight to Cape Town, SA)
Cost: $480 USD - which includes FFI and host fees. Does not include
transportation to get there and back, most lunches, gift and one dinner
for your host, travel insurance and an optional trip to Robben Island
for $25.
Application and deposit of $100 for homestay due now.
Balance due by Dec 13.
Contact Mary Williams, FF Dallas -
mwilliamstxtravel@yahoo.com
There will be an optional extension after the Homestay – probably a
safari in Botswana that includes six nights in camps in the Okavango
Delta region of Northern Botswana, plus one night in a hotel in Victoria
Falls – ending April 3. If you are interested, let me know your wishes
for an optional trip. (Cost for this plan is approximately $3950/person
sharing a double room depending on participant numbers) See:
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/cape-of-good-hope-south-africa/
See Botswana Safari Flyer for safari details for a
safari similar to this one:
http://wetu.com/Itinerary/Landing/3f102108-12d5-4698-83f7-adc3676fd479
As we were not able to secure places for our Botswana safari with large
non-refundable deposits, we had to cancel reservations for those spaces.
But we will book another similar safari later in the year. Or, if you
choose to go on the Homestay but not the safari – you may go somewhere
else in Africa to supplement this wonderful Journey. But we do need your
commitment now if you want to go to Cape of Good Hope so that we will
have an assured minimum to go.
Ambassador and Agreement Application
Cape of Good Hope Homestay Schedule: (All Friendship
Force Itineraries are subject to change.)
DAY 1 - mid-day arrival
Meet the mayor
Visit Cape Town, seeing Houses of Parliament, the Grand Parade, and City
Hall from where Nelson Mandela first addressed South Africans after his
release in February 1990
Visit the Castle of Good Hope
Attend a welcome party
DAY 2 - Visit Cape Point and see the native penguin colony
See Boulder Beach
Walk around Kalkbay
DAY 3 - Visit Table Mountain:
take a cable car ride to the top, overlooking Cape Town and the coast
Visit the Slave Lodge
Walk around the colorful Bo-Kaap region, settled by Malay slaves
DAY 4 - Explore world-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Visit the tea bag factory to learn about this local industry
Attend a potluck dinner with the members of the FF Cape of Good Hope
DAY 5 - Day with your hosts
Take an optional excursion to Robben Island – additional fee of $25 per
person
DAY 6 - Visit the Stellenbosch Wine Estate and beautiful hill country
for a wine tasting event
Visit a home for disabled children
Farewell dinner
DAY 7 (March 27) - Departure of the ambassadors for home, a safari
(March 27 - April 2, departing April 3 from Johannesburg) or other
destinations
Applications and deposit of $100 for homestay due now. We now have
spaces open to other members of other clubs.
Balance due Dec 15, 2018. Make checks to
Friendship Force of Dallas.
Ambassador and Agreement Application
See pdf flyer for
href="../Images/Exchanges/SouthAfrica-out-2019/Cape-of-Good-Hope-flyer6.pdf">Cape of Good Hope Journey.
See pdf file of
Cape of Good Hope Information.
Capetown, South Africa region
Northern Botswana: Okavango Delta, Linyanti Concessions,
Victoria Falls Zimbabwe
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Taichung, Taiwan Inbound
Mary Latham has appointed Host Coordinator for this June incoming
Journey. Dates TBD. Contact Mary at
Mary_M_Latham@yahoo.com
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2019 Festival at Sea
ALL ABOARD FOR FRIENDSHIP AND FJORDS!
2019 Festival at Sea
15-Day South American Passage from Argentina to Chile aboard the Zandaam
February 21 to March 8, 2019
ALL ABOARD FOR FRIENDSHIP AND FJORDS!
Join us on the second installment of Friendship Force's Festival at Sea
cruises! This fifteen-day Voyage aboard the Zaandam will be one of the
greatest cruising experiences anywhere, with spectacular scenery and
wildlife: fjords, glaciers, waterfalls, volcanoes, penguins, eagles, and
whales. Whether you come alone or with friends, you will be right at
home with your fellow Friendship Force travelers during this two-week
voyage of workshops, team-building activities, and of course, plenty of
sightseeing in each of our ports-of-call!
We will visit the following locations:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Montevideo, Uruguay
Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Stanley/Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas
Strait Of Magellan
Punta Arenas, Chile
Cockburn Channel
Beagle Channel
Daylight Cruising Glacier Alley
Ushuaia, Argentina
Scenic Cruising Cape Horn
Canal Sarmiento
Chilean Fjords
Puerto Montt, Chile
San Antonio (Santiago), Chile
View a day-by-day itinerary in the Friendship Force catalog! Prices
start at $2,684 USD
Interior cabins from $2,684 for double; $4,033 for single
Ocean view cabins from $2,884 for double; $4,383 for single
Vista Suite Verandah cabins from $4,434 for double; $7,983 for single
Mid-ship Vista Suites from $4,854 for double; $8,823 for single
*All above prices include FFI Fee.
Flyer:
https://friendshipforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FAS-2019-Flyer.pdf
Online registration form has not been working. Call Sherry Riggs at
1-502-420-4615. While there are plenty of spaces left, the Ocean view
cabins are most popular and are filling up quickly.
* Note: Several Dallas members are signed up to go *
Contact Mary Latham
for more info.
mary_m_latham@yahoo.com
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Journey Coordinators
From Ray Enstam, International Journey Coordinator:
I would like to remind our members that we offer a little incentive. The
coordinator of an outbound journey will receive reimbursement of his/her
travel expenses up to an amount not to exceed $100 per traveler, plus a
waiver of part or all the Friendship Force International fee of $165.
The coordinator of the inbound receives a $300 credit that can be
applied against the cost of an outbound journey by the Dallas Club
during the following two years.
If you would like to apply to act as a Journey Coordinator, or simply
ask some questions, contact Ray Enstam, International Journey
Coordinator, at
enstam@sbcglobal.net.
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Opportunities with Other Clubs
Want to travel elsewhere with another club? When you travel with another
club you help fill their seats and make new friends in another club as
well as your destination club. Go to the FFI website:
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/
If you are interested in any of these journeys, contact the Coordinator
ASAP. The decision for a journey to go or to cancel occurs at least 90
days preceding a scheduled date. Notice of remaining seats can be out of
date as journeys fill and there are cancellations. Contact the
coordinator concerned for the most current information.
Your FFD website also lists Journeys from
Other Clubs.
There is a link on the Home page and Journey page.
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Friendship
Force of Dallas "Taming Tech Event"
September 22 @ 10am
Chimneyhill Clubhouse – 9223 Emberglow, Dallas 75243
* Having communication problems with your computer, table, and/or
smartphone?
* Running out of storage on your computer, tablet, or phone?
* Having problems finding or managing files on your computer or tablet?
* Getting too many emails in your inbox?
* Wondering how to get photos from your phone to your computer and/or
friends?
* Ready to just "toss out that hunk of junk"?
Well, fret not! Just come to the Friendship Force of Dallas Taming Tech
Event.
We won’t claim that we can solve ALL your tech problems, but we will
sure give it our best shot! And even if we don’t solve them, there'll be
plenty of time for friendship and commiseration!
If it's a laptop, tablet or smartphone problem/issue, bring it along!
If it's just a question or usage problem/issue, bring it on! We'll have
limited Wi Fi access.
COST: FREE
WHO: You and your pesky computing device
WHEN: Sat Sept 22 from 10am-3pm (or longer if we can’t solve it)
WHERE: Chimney Hill Clubhouse @ 9223 Emberglow, Dallas TX
75243 (off Abrams, n. of LBJ/I-635)
WHY: Make friends with your pesky computing device as well as fellow FFD
members
We'll
have coffee & tea and snacks in the morning.
Lunch - bring your own or we'll order out
LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL BE THERE!
edward perez
erperez@acm.org
Have super-duper tech skills and want to help out? Let me know!!!
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Mail
When you get mail from our FFD e-mail address, please do not hit REPLY;
that address is not monitored every day. Reply to the person organizing
the meeting or exchange. Our address and email:
Friendship Force of Dallas
P. O. Box 551151
Dallas, TX 75355
friendshipforcedallas@yahoo.com
Business Cards
Remember - you can order your own FFD business cards from Mary Williams.
Give them to people who ask about Friendship Force. This service is
free.
Facebook
You can also let your friends and family know about Friendship Force by
sharing yours experiences on your social media account(s). Invite them
to attend an upcoming monthly meeting, an event or an inbound or
outbound
journey. FF of Dallas has a Facebook page that you can like
and follow as well as share with your other FB friends.
https://www.facebook.com/FriendshipForceDallas/
Thanks to Mary Latham for posting photos of our Journey to Reno/Lake
Taho on this
page. Look at it for lots of memories.
However, remember Facebook rules: Anyone may post comments or photos on
our page, but only posts about FF are acceptable. The club can get in
trouble with the IRS for posts that advertise or endorse commercial
products or businesses, so please do not do that.
Board Meeting
The next Board meeting will be Monday, September, 10th at 1:30 pm at
Julia Cooper’s house. All members are welcome to attend.
Changes
Send any changes of address or email to edward perez
who manages our database -
erperez@acm.org. When you receive changes,
please update your yearbook and email list.
Remember - you can order your own FFD business cards
from Mary Williams. Give them to people who ask about Friendship Force.
This service is free.
Sunshine
Report
By Cathy Ignatin, Sunshine Chair
Galen King is home after recent hospitalization for evaluation of weight
loss. He is home to stabilize and then be readmitted for surgery.
Marlisa Bosworth reported that her husband, Diana Bosworth’s son, died
earlier this year. She said that Diana, who is one of our emeritus
members, is stable.
If you know of anyone who needs anything from Sunshine, please give me a
call: sometimes I don’t hear of a need until they are well. Thanks.
cignatin@hotmail.com
Photography
Cluster
We have had a member of this photo club drop out – presently the members
are Mary Latham, Mary Williams and Al Currie. Please contact Roz Worrall, FFIPhotoCC Coordinator at
ffiphotocc@gmail.com and
cc our members, if you’re interested in joining.
Shuttle Service
The shuttle service is available to any FF of Dallas
member who needs transportation from their home to either airport or
from the airport to your home. You can also use this service to
destinations other than airports. After your ride, you make a donation
to FF of Dallas.
If you need a ride, send an email to
ffDallas-shuttle@googleGroups.com [or call 214-699-7574] and all
club members who are shuttle drivers will receive your request.
If you would like to be a shuttle driver, contact edward perez
and he'll add you to the list. Take this opportunity to help out your
club while meeting and learning about your fellow club members. You are
not obligated to handle every request, but please do what you can.
If you would like to manage the shuttle driver list, contact
edward perez and he'll help you learn how to manage the list. It's very
easy - you just need access to email and the internet.
In friendship,
edward perez
Shuttle Service Manager
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Member News
Membership News and Updates
edward perez, Vice President, Membership erperez@acm.org
Fall
is almost here!! Time flies when we are having FUN!!
With the following new members, we are currently at 92 members - 81 in
the Dallas-area, 5 out of state, 3 emeritus, and 3 associates. THANKS TO
ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE INVITED YOUR FRIENDS TO MEETINGS AND SMALL GROUP
DINNERS. Word of mouth is one of our best ways to attract new members!!
* New members since June:
+ Murray & Roberta Berger - they live in the Atlanta area and are going
on the Israel Journey in October
+ Anne Neal - she is a friend of Charlene Clements
+ Jacqueline & Victor Powell - edward & Paula met them at Chocolate
Secrets one afternoon
+ Inge Sickfeld-Stevens - rejoined, she is a friend of Gerda Kreyer
Contact info updates since June:
+ Charlene Clements has changed her email - drccRealtor@gmail.com
If you move or change your contact information (phone number, email
address(es) or need a replacement badge ($14), let edward know via email
to erperez@acm.org. He will update
the records and let others know (telephone tree, email list manager,
etc). He publishes a list of updates every few months that you can use
to update your yearbook and email address book. (all info except for the
Bergers was mailed on Aug 4; let me know if you need a copy).
Our telephone tree, led by Doris Rodriguez, contacts members prior to
monthly events. If you haven't been receiving calls, contact edward so
he can make sure you are on the calling list. Also, if you know a member
who has not be attending recently, please give them a call and invite
them, perhaps offering to carpool with them. Pages 23 & 24 of your
yearbook lists members by zip code.
Wine Tastings
for you oenophiles (a crossword word for
you)!
Coordinator – edward perez -
erperez54@acm.org
Based on an idea from Katy Goodwin (one of the Arts & Architecture
ambassadors from FF of Sarasota, Florida), we will begin holding "Wine
Tastings with Friends" several times throughout the year. Members sign
up and pay a fee to the host. The host buys the wine and holds the
tasting at their home. Members bring hors d'oeuvres, snacks, desserts,
etc. Everyone enjoys the wine & snacks, catches up, shares stories, etc.
If you'd like to be a wine tasting coordinator or a host, let me know.
If you'd like to attend a wine tasting, be on the lookout for tastings
in October and November, then sign up.
Friendship Gatherings
In 2019 (are we almost there, yet?!?!), edward perez
will restart the "Friendship Gatherings" at restaurants. We'll start in
eastern Dallas County on a weekend. These are casual events either at
lunch or dinner time on weekdays or weekends. If you know of a
restaurant than can accommodate 10-20 in a separate space, please let
edward know. And if you know about wine tastings, arts performances, or
other events, let me know and I'll share to the club.
Experience different views
Discover common
ground!
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Save the Date - 2019 International Conference
New location and dates for the International Conference in 2019
Due to the lasting impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico, the
Conference location has been changed to Boulder, Colorado July 23 – 27,
2019.
FFI - New US website
FFI has a new website specifically for this country where you’ll find
helpful information and some of the following training and which some of
our club have attended. At the time of publication, this site is
unavailable; if you try it later, it will be back up and running
https://sites.google.com/thefriendshipforce.org/usclubs/home
Training
Thinking about being a Journey Coordinator but not really sure what that
entails? Want to know how to organize one? Our Field Reps have put
together a webinar program - you take it online. Kay Binder, our Field
Rep, conducted these two this summer and will present more as requests
for future trainings keep coming in.
Journey Coordinator Training webinars
- We've had approximately 130
people take advantage of the trainings that have been offered so far.
Kay also presented
Everything Google Training webinar about how to use
Google products to coordinate Club and Journey Events. We will let you
know when more will be offered.
Allison Lindsey -
allison@friendshipforce.org
e-checks
FFI has introduced e-checks as a form of payment for travel insurance,
Journeys and club dues. This will be a form of payment directly from
your bank to theirs. Unlike credit card payment, which are immediate,
the process will take up to 7 days to process but, like credit card
payments, are secure. For more information look for the ‘Payments’ tab
under the member resources section of their website here
https://www.thefriendshipforce.org/resources/
Stories of Friendship
Want to read about other ambassadors' experiences? Then head over to
http://friendshipforce.org/stories or click on the "Tell Your Story"
button there to share your own experiences. "Experience Different Views.
Discover Common Ground." Send stories of your FF experiences that have
helped eliminate barriers that separate us and bring us closer together.
Send to:
http://storiesoffriendship.org/
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Travel Insurance web sites worth checking
Felicity Sentance
I have ideas from Michael Wald, Isabella Iverson and myself below. As
always, read the fine print – these insurance companies love collecting
premiums but can be a little slow when paying claims; understandably so
since there are many fraudulent claims:
RoamRightt - www.roamright.com
Trawick International -
www.Trawickinternational.com
A travel insurance comparison site -
https://www.squaremouth.com/
Trip Insurance Store -
https://tripinsurancestore.com/frequent-flyer-and-free-travel-award-coverage/
Adventures on your own
Food Tours of America - Dallas
https://foodtoursofamerica.com/dallas/
These tours last 2.5 - 4.5 hours, involve 3-4 restaurants, walking or
DART trolley in Downtown, Uptown, West Village, or Deep Ellum and cost
about $60-75/person.
Thanks to Kathy Jacobs for passing this along.
New
Jersey Garden
You might be interested in visiting this link – it’s the
wonderful sculpture garden in New Jersey our club visited last year:
https://www.facebook.com/NJ.com/videos/10155938950956234/
Friendship
Force of Dallas Sponsorship of Brasov School for the Blind
Leyla Akgerman was recently in Romania on a journey where they
visited the Brasov School for the Blind. Notice Ed Edgren's and our name
listed as one of the sponsors (about 2/3rds of the way down). Ed was
instrumental in helping folks in Brasov and Sibiu form a Friendship
Force club there. Their first outbound in 2007 was to our club and the
Oklahoma City club.
Travel
as a Political Act – Rick Steves
To follow up on the requests for information to put in Rick
Steves’ 3rd edition of his book ‘Travel as a Political Act’; Steves has
cited Friendship Force in a section called ‘Take an Educational Tour’ by
saying – ‘A non-profit organization, FF focuses on person-to-person
exchange, with locals welcoming travelers into their homes. Each one to
three week programme includes cultural experiences such as making lavash
bread in Armenia, visiting historic Brazilian Fishing villages or
tobogganing on sand hills in Australia’s Hunter Valley.
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Hi
FFD members,
September
When: Saturday 13th 4 - 6 pm
Felicity attended the picnic: We had a good showing along
with a great array of foods.