By Paul Rodriguez-Obrien, PM—Master Brethren and Families, The month of September brought two very important milestones as we honored individuals who have proven themselves to be true Masonic cornerstones of our Lodge. On September 3, we had the honor of presenting the Grand Veterans Award to Wor. Kurt Allen, recognizing his 50 years of faithful service to Masonry. Kurt served as Worshipful Master of our Lodge in 1985 and, over the years, has continued his service as both a C

By Alex Von Stade, PM — Sr. Warden Brethren: We are now in the month of October, the tenth month of the year. October's name arises from the Latin word "Octo" meaning the number eight. In the old Roman calendar, October was the eighth month of the year but was moved to the tenth when the calendar was revised in 713 BC to add the months of January and February. There is one federal holiday observed in October (Columbus Day) and this year it is celebrated on October 12th. In a

By Andrew Hawes, PM — Jr. Warden The countdown has begun! Only three monthly trestleboard articles left from yours truly, since I am shifting out of the chairs that require it each month. Looking back, I will have written a total of 48 articles, which seems like a small number, but feels at times like a Herculean task. But I digress. The purpose of my article this month is to discuss “winning” versus “losing.” It’s always been my personal philosophy that there are many me

By Denise Jow—Past Grand Guardian HAPPY FALL FROM BETHEL NO.1, DUBLIN! October will be a very busy month for us! The Bethel had a great Grand Guardian’s Official Visit on September 20th. We read an application for membership and our Librarian received the perpetual trophy from Grand Bethel for her Librarian’s Report. We have 4 Halloween events to promote our Bethel. October 11th we will be setting up our SCARECROW at Alden Lane Nursery in Livermore. The scarecrows will be d

By Perry Klahr, Secretary with an assist from Copilot Brothers, we’re looking forward to a wonderful weekend of fellowship as Crow Canyon Lodge No. 551 travels to Pacific Grove for our fall visitation and Third Degree. Below is your friendly overview of what to expect throughout the trip. Friday, October 16 – Arrival & Fellowship Our home base for the weekend will be Mariposa Inn & Suites 1386 Munras Avenue, Monterey, CA 93940 Check in begins at 4:00 p.m. We’ll ease into the

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