The Pitch, April 4, 2102

Wine today (April 4) was courtesy of  Gordon and Ken. We enjoyed a couple Pinot Noirs (we should change our moniker to the Pinot Noir club), a Schug 2009 bottle from the Sonoma Coast and 2010 bottle of Irony Pinot Noir from Monterey. We also tasted a 2009 Sterling Central Coast Meritage and a 2010 Menage a Trois blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Merlot from Folie a deux. All four were remarkably drinkable.

We must set part of the record straight. It is emphatically not true that one of our part-time members prefers Pinot Noir from Manitoba to Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Unfortunately, he has also been accused of filling empty Glenfiddich bottles with Glen Curmudgeon. We can neither confirm nor deny that rumor.

Rotarians at Work day will be Saturday, April 28. Once again, we’ll be meeting for breakfast and then pitching in at Balboa Park for some healthy gardening and fresh air. As always, consult your doctor before beginning a program of exercise.

Our guest speaker was Barbara Bailey of San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine. Founded in 1977 with financial assistance from Joan Kroc, the non-profit hospice is the oldest and largest hospice in San Diego County. While the hospice itself maintains only 24 beds in its Hillcrest facility, most of its patients throughout the county receive services at home. It offers two types of services: hospice for patients with expected life-expectancies of 6 months or less and palliative care activities for preventing and relieving suffering. In addition, the hospice offers educational, research, and advocacy services for students and physicians nationally and internationally. San Diego Hospice works closely with the patient’s personal physician in an attempt to complement, not replace, the patient’s primary caregiver.