By Paul Rodriguez-Obrien, PM—Master Brethren and Families, This past month brought plenty of hot August nights, and things were just as hot around the Lodge. We enjoyed our Annual Lodge Picnic at the Golden Gate Live Steamers in Tilden Park, officer practices for our August 27th Third Degree for Brother Ildjer Baron, the Strawberry Feed at the Masonic Home, and our First Annual OES/Mason BBQ. There certainly has been no shortage of opportunities for fellowship and Masonic act

By Alex Von Stadt, PM — Sr. Warden Brethren: Welcome to the month of September, the beginning of Fall. The name September can be attributed to the Latin word "Septem" meaning the number seven. In the old Roman calendar, September was originally the seventh month of the year; but it changed positions when the calendar was revised to a twelve-month format. In general, September marks the beginning of Fall and the start of crop harvesting. September in Old England was called "H

By Andrew Hawes, PM — Jr. Warden Brethren, I am writing this to you from Portland, OR. Just came up for a day trip, no time to visit local Brethren (Hi, Ron!) and I thought I would share a thought with you about weirdness. Portland where we are visiting is a bit weird. It is a city that embraces its weirdness, and celebrates it, or so it seems to me. As it should. We should all celebrate the weird, the unusual, the different, the divergent, the oddities and the peculi

By Denise Jow—Past Grand Guardian Hello from Job’s Daughters Bethel No. 1, Dublin September marks time for us to head BACK to BETHEL! Bethel meetings will resume and plans for our Grand Guardian’s Official Visit for 2026 on September 20th are underway. Eleven Bethels from the Northern California Guardian Council Committee will be participating. Bethel One has many fun activities planned this term & encourage the Bethel Daughters to invite their friends. Some fun activities

On Saturday, August 22, the annual Strawberry Feed was held at the Masonic Home at Union City, bringing together residents, staff, and volunteers for an afternoon of fellowship, service, and fresh seasonal treats. The event was very well attended, with more than 100 residents and staff enjoying the gathering. Food preparation took place at the home of Perry Klahr, where a dedicated group of volunteers helped make the event possible. Special thanks go to Pat and Donna Jo Quinn

By Paul Rodriguez-Obrien, PM—Master Brethren and Families, By long standing tradition, our lodge respectfully "goes dark" following our July Stated Meeting. This gives our Officers and Brethren an opportunity to enjoy some well-deserved downtime with their families, take vacations, cheer on the World Cup, and simply recharge before we begin another busy season. I did try to sneak in a Third-Degree during July, but it quickly became apparent that many of our younger officers a

By Alex Von Stadt, PM — Sr. Warden Brethren: Welcome to the month of August, traditionally the warmest month of the year. The month of August is named after the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar. It was originally called Sextilis as it was the sixth month in the old Roman calendar. When that calendar was expanded from a length of ten months to twelve, August then became the eighth month. August marks the beginning of the harvest season for many commercial crops including wheat

By Andrew Hawes, PM — Jr. Warden Happiness is always a possibility. You can find it in you to be happy at the littlest thing. I woke up well rested today! I enjoyed my breakfast! I got a cheerful hello from someone in the office! . ..or perhaps you need to set your bar even lower- I didnt fall down and hurt myself for the first whole hour of the day! Whatever it is, whatever state your life, your finances, your health or your relationships are in, you can -- and SHOULD

By Denise Jow—Past Grand Guardian Hope everyone is enjoying your summer. July was busy volunteering at the Alameda County Fair and working at the DeMolay parking lot. Thank goodness the weather was nice but not too hot! On July 2nd our Marshal participated in a Flag Ceremony at Crow Canyon Lodge with DeMolay, Rainbow & Boy Scouts. Upcoming activities Bethel One is planning: Saturday, August 8th - NCGCA Picnic in San Jose Friday, August 21st - Our Honored Queen’s Fundraiser

By Paul Rodriguez-Obrien, PM—Master Brethren and Families, I would like to share highlights of our celebration of the Feast of Saint John (FOSJ), held on Saturday, June 20th, at our Lodge. This year’s celebration became a joint event and was well attended by 13 Masons from CC-551 and 10 Masons from Mosaic Lodge No. 218 of Livermore. It was a wonderful evening filled with Masonic education, fellowship, toasts, camaraderie, and a fine seven-course meal honoring our brethren, ou

By Alex Von Stadt, PM — Sr. Warden Welcome to the month of July, traditionally the warmest month of the year. The month of July was originally known as Quintilus after Aurelius Claudius Quintilius, a Roman emperor. It was later renamed to July in 44 BC by the Roman Senate in honor of Gaius Julius Caesar, a Roman general. The month of July is known for warm temperatures, clear skies, sunshine, and outdoor activities such as outdoor barbeques, picnics, and gardening. As such, I

By Andrew Hawes, PM — Jr. Warden I still remember a line that someone at my college had on their logout terminal screen in the computer lab. It was quoting lyrics from a song, and said:“Well, son, a funny thing about regret is that it’s better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven’t done.” While this sentiment is being expressed in somewhat negative terms (clearly it’s better not to regret at all…) the message contained within it is at its c

By Denise Jow—Past Grand Guardian Happy Summer! The Bethel Daughters & Chaperones all had a great time attending Grand Bethel in Visalia. Their mascots were strawberry plushies & they wore Strawberry Shortcake T-shirts with denim skirts. WOW we are so proud of all our Bethel Daughters who competed in Librarian’s Report, Arts & Crafts, Sew & Show, Performing Arts, Ritual, Friendship Bethel & Membership. Our winners were Librarian’s Report: Mimi 3rd place and Scarlett 1st pl

By Paul Rodriguez-Obrien, PM—Master Brethren and Families, May has been an outstanding month for Crow Canyon Lodge, filled with fellowship, service, and growth within our Craft. On May 23rd, we partnered with the Red Cross to host a Blood Drive at the lodge. The event was a tremendous success, resulting in 25 units of blood collected, including donations from seven CC-551 Masons, along with many members of our local community. It was encouraging to speak with several of the d

By Alex Von Stadt, PM — Sr. Warden Welcome to June, the sixth month of the year. We are now at the halfway point in 2026! The month of June is named after the Roman Goddess Juno, the wife of Jupiter. June is also the official start of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. On June 29th, we will experience the "Strawberry Moon. It is the traditional indicator of the ripening season for wild strawberries. Although the Moon will not actually appear red or pink like strawberries, the

By Andrew Hawes, PM — Jr. Warden Sometimes you just try to say something meaningful and nothing comes out. Sometimes you just can't. You want to, you try to, but... things don't always work. When I have these times, I fall back on poetry- and write some haiku. Haiku doesn't judge. It's form is always the same- It's five, seven, five. We should try at times to be more like haiku are: Simple and honest. Sincerity and plain dealing distinguish us- Sometimes... that is enough.

By Denise Jow—Past Grand Guardian Bethel No. 1, Dublin Job’s Daughters Receives Proclamation from the City of Dublin On May 5th Bethel No. 1 was invited to attend the City of Dublin Council Meeting where they were presented a Proclamation for Job’s Daughter Day. Our Chaplain, Mimi read her Librarian’s Report about our founder Mother Mick & Job’s Daughter International and Scarlett read her Librarian’s Report about when a member turns 20 years old & reaches her Majority. It

By Paul Rodriguez-Obrien, PM—Master Brethren and Families, I recently had the pleasure of attending the April DeMolay stated meeting, and I was truly moved by the exceptional work demonstrated by these young men. Their memory work and floor performance were outstanding, and I hold great hope that we may one day welcome many of them as Officers in our Lodge. That would have been enough for a great night, but there’s more! Just two days prior, my wife Diana and I attended Acaci