Ashlar Lodge # 29 Quarterly Trestle Board Summer 2013

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1 Ashlar Lodge # 29 Quarterly Trestle Board Summer 2013 Robert Bouy, Worshipful Master and Trestle Board Editor Secretary: Mathew Vyse Meetings: Our Stated meetings are at 7:30 pm on the First Wednesday of every month. This meeting will usually open on the 3 rd Degree. The called meeting (third Wednesday of each month) will be used to prepare for degree work or education, and will open on the lowest degree necessary for the planned work that evening. Practices: held on the Saturday s following the stated and called meetings if needed. We start with breakfast at La Baron s Café at 8:00 AM, then up to the Lodge for degree work, usually by 9:15 AM. All are welcome for breakfast, practice or both! ** 2012 Lodge Officers ** WM Robert Bouy SW Dee McAlister JW Jim Duffy TR Bruce Wethered SY Mathew Vyse SD Ron Daniels JD Phil Hoesing ML Bud Wethered SS Bob Nelson JS Joe Kowalczyk CH Don Johnson TL Joe Grover Words From The East: This has been a good year for Masonry, with many new men joining our Fraternity. I would like to thank all the Brothers who have taken the time to help all the Lodges in our District and the area with the degrees being conferred. I also want to thank all the Brothers of our Lodge who have stepped up to chair committees and other groups. Brother Jim headed the Scholarship committee, Brother Bud ran the Open House, and Brother Bob will be putting together another Hiram award for the year. We still have much work in Lodge this year. We have one new Entered Apprentice and two new Fellowcrafts to make Master Masons. Our coaches have done a good job this past year, and I hope we can continue with those results. WM John Blake and the Brothers of Weiser Lodge #23 want to convey a special thanks to all those Brothers who travelled to Weiser and took part in their Degree work. They really appreciated the support from the Brothers of the 8 th Masonic District in helping with their conferrals, and have now helped us with our degrees. Be sure to get a Masonic Passport and join several of the Brothers visiting Lodges in Idaho. A good time and good fellowship will be the reward for your effort! Let s all enjoy Masonary this year with our Brothers in the 8 th Masonic District. Try to make the District bean feed picnic being held at Brother Sherman s home on June 28 th at 6:00 PM. Brother Bob Nelson will be doing the tri-tip and it should be very good as usual. Bring your chairs, drinks and a pot luck dish, and enjoy the evening with the Brothers of the 8 th Masonic District and their wives. By Worshipful Master Bob Bouy

2 And From The West *** Brother John Do Svidaniya Ransdell has been raised and is our newest Master Mason: Ashlar Lodge # 29 is still busy. We had an Entered Apprentice Degree on May 15, a Master Masons Degree on May 29 and two Fellowcraft Degrees on June 12. With some hard work one of the new Fellowcraft Masons will have passed his proficiency and be a candidate for the Master Masons Degree in Silver City on July 13. The way this year has been going, I'm quite sure there will be more work as time goes by. I'll leave with a thought that I heard somewhere: WHEN WEALTH IS LOST, NOTHING IS LOST; WHEN HEALTH IS LOST, SOMETHING IS LOST; WHEN CHARACTER IS LOST, ALL IS LOST. By Brother Dee McAlister *** Brothers Roger Gamble and Jake DeBerg have been passed to the degree of Fellowcraft Mason. We look forward to raising them as Master Masons in July: Congratulations! *** Brother Ron Daniels has been offered a new position with Red Robin in Reno, and will be moving very soon. We will really miss his smiling face and wish him the best of luck with the new job.

3 Upcoming Events *** June 22 Idaho #1 annual MM degree and lunch; start at 10:00 AM *** June 28 District 8 Masonic picnic at Brother Sherman s home 6:00 PM *** July 3 Ashlar 29 Stated meeting; 7:30 PM if we have enough for a quorum. *** July 13 Silver City Homecoming, MM Degree for Brother Jake. *** August 17 Lodge on the Lake at Cascade; Ionic Lodge # 82 *** August 24 Mt. Baldy degree in Sun Valley; Hailey Lodge # 16 *** Sept Grand Lodge 146th Communication in Boise 8th District Deputy s Message The 8th District Update according to Deputy Dog (Steve Zimmerman, DDGM#8) But one more time, be sure and mark your calendar: The next DISTRICT event will be the Steak Fry at Brother Sherm Burger's home. Date: Friday June 28th starting at 6pm. Brother Bob Nelson knows how to cook Tri-Tip. (Guaranteed Good!) RSVP to me at or Sherm at Stated Meetings: Ashlar #29 had the unusual honor of beating out #39 for the 1st meeting of the month (5/1/13). Of note, a committee was formed to plan a cornerstone laying ceremony at the new Nampa Library to be help in August Mt Moriah #39 (5/7/13) is working on ordering name badges. Anyone from #39 that wants one should contact me. WM Lovell reported on the Day of the Child event where 200 'CHIP' packets were distributed to interested parents in a matter of a couple hours. We will need to plan for more next year. Silver City #13 (5/11/13) reported on their Bikes for Books program at the grade school. The librarian reported an 800% increase in books read during the first 8 weeks of the program. Kids were checking them out 5 at a time (the max allowed) as the deadline approached. 4 bikes will be presented to winners at the last day of school. This program is really getting the Lodge noticed in the community! The same day, Homedale bethel #31 received their charter. They became the first bethel in Idaho history to be successfully reconstituted! Congrats! Meridian #47 (5/14/13) unanimously elected their Mason of the Year - Wish I could mention his name, but that's not to be announced until June. The lodge is awarding four $500 scholarships this year. One of them is going to a 'Masonic' youth. Well done! The degree work: Ashlar #29 had an EA on 5/15/13. He is the potential candidate for the Silver City Master Mason Degree July 13th. Meridian #47 had a FC on 5/21/13. This was performed by the Shrine's Black Light Patrol. I hear it is really something to see the black light on Meridian's floor. This one I had to miss, but Grandson Tye's graduation took priority. Events during the month: Our Grand Master's Unity Banquet was held May 11th at the Owyhee Plaza in Boise. The turnout was in the 80s (that's count not average age). The meal was truly excellent. I thought it was the best banquet meal I've had. After 10 rounds of rousing toasts, dancing ensued to the Dorsey Band with Double Image. It was a lot of fun pretending we were still young enough to dance like we did back in the 60s and 70s. In fact my wife was teaching the Grand Guardian how to do the 'shimmy' toward the end of the evening. (Glad no pictures have surfaced on Facebook---yet!) Mt Moriah's 3rd Annual Poker Tournament was held May 18th. We had our best turnout todate. The chicken parmesan dinner by Cindy Tolman was enjoyed by all. The homemade strawberry shortcake wasn't bad either. A fierce battle broke out with April Burger and Chris Duke fighting it out to the end. Chris ended up with the trophy, winning by a narrow margin. Our Senior Grand Warden, Art Shoemaker and Sandi, joined us this month at Caldwell Shrine

4 Club Ladies' night (5/22/13). Art gave the group his presentation on the Masonic CHIP (Child ID Program). It was suggested the Canyon County Fair and the Meridian Cornfield Maze would be good ones for CHIP packet distributions. We will need lots of volunteers, so these might be district events. Let me know what you think??? Last reminder: Don't forget the Lodge of Excellence and Lodge Mason of the Year reports are due to me by the 1st of June. I'm happy to report the 8th District is still keeping it going. We continue to show an increase over last year and the last four years. As the Grand Master says: "Live Masonry!" Fraternally yours, Steve Zimmerman, Dist Deputy Grand Master 8 th Masonic District Masons of ID Ashlar 29 Mason of the Year Brother Joe Kowalczyk was selected as the 2013 Mason of the Year for our Lodge. He has helped spread friendship and Brotherly love with his positive attitude, travels, and lending a helping hand when needed. Have you noticed how many Brothers now wear Masonic ties to Lodge? And pins? Brother Howie s summer Educational article: Editor s note: This is the story of the Ironworker which Brother Harry Black loves to talk about in the MM Lecture: And it came to pass when Solomon, the son of David, had finished the Temple of Jerusalem, that he called unto him the chief architects, the head artificers, and cunning men working in silver and gold, and in wood, and in ivory and stone, yea, all who aided in working on the Temple of the Lord. And he said to them, Sit ye down at my table, for I have prepared a feast for all my chief workers and artificers. Stretch forth your hands, therefore, and eat and drink and be merry. Is not the laborer worthy of his hire? Is not the skillful artificer deserving of honor? Muzzle not the ox that treadeth out the corn. And when Solomon and the chief workmen were seated, and the fatness of the land and the oil thereof were upon the table, there came one who knocked loudly upon the door, and forced himself even into the festal chamber. Then Solomon the King was wroth, and said, What manner of man art thou? And the man answered and said, When men wish to honor me, they call me Son of the Forge, but when they desire to mock me, they call me Blacksmith; and seeing that the toil of working in fire covers me with sweat, the latter name, O King, is not inapt, and in truth I desire no better. But, said Solomon, why comest thou thus rudely and unbidden to the feast, where none save the chief workmen of the Temple are invited? And the man replied, Please ye, I came rudely because the servant obliged me to force my way; but I came not unbidden. Was it not proclaimed that

5 the chief workmen of the Temple are invited to dine with the King of Israel? Then he who carved the cherubim said, This fellow is no sculptor. And he who inlaid the roof with pure gold said, Neither is he a worker in fine metals. And he answered, The Blacksmith. Enough, enough, my good fellow, said Solomon. Thou hast proved that I invited thee, and that thou art all men s father in art. Go wash the sweat of the forge from thy face, and come and sit at my right hand. The chiefs of my workmen are but men. Thou art more. And he who raised the walls said, He is not a cutter of stone. And he who made the roof cried out, He is not cunning in cedar wood, neither knoweth he the mystery of uniting strange pieces of timber together. Then said Solomon, What hast thou to say, Son of the Forge? Why should I not order thee to be plucked by the beard, scourged with a scourge, and stoned to death with stones? When the Son of the Forge heard this, he was in no sort dismayed, but advancing to the table, snatched up and swallowed a cup of wine, and said, O King, live forever! The chief men of the workers in wood and gold and stone have said that I am not of them, and they have said truly. I am their superior. Before they lived, I was created. I am their master, and they are all my servants. And he turned himself round and said to the chief of the carvers in stone, Who made the tools with which you carve? And he answered, The Blacksmith. And he said to the chief of the workers in wood, Who made the tools with which you hewed the trees of Lebanon, and formed them into pillars and roof for the Temple? And he answered, The Blacksmith. Then he said to the artificer in gold and ivory, Who makes your instruments by which you work beautiful things for my Lord, the King? And finally, the South! Hello from the South! Brother Jim is dealing with some medical issues at this time and did not turn in an article for the Trestle board this quarter. We look forward to his views next time. From Brother Joe Summer Lodge Visitation With summer comes time for traveling, whether on vacation, or just simply a weekend get a away. Let each of us set some time aside to visit at least one lodge during this summer, especially a lodge that you re not a member of. Share some brotherly love and affection, along with showing Masonic support, I suggest you plan your visit to a lodge with an upcoming scheduled degree. Notice of most degree work in Idaho is ed from the Grand Lodge via their weekly newsletter; therefore finding scheduled degree work around our state should be rather easy. Normally, with so many brothers traveling on vacation, lodge sidelines during the summer do become rather thin. One could go further and state, without your support and assistance, there is the possibility the lodge couldn t put on that degree.

6 I m sure you would enjoy a strong turnout for any degree you were going to go through. Please, put yourself in the shoes of that brother who is scheduled for a degree of Masonry, by showing your support and becoming a part of his fond memories of that special event. Plus, your memory of that event, especially if you actually participated, can give you many years of enjoyable and pleasant thoughts. One can go further and state, your support could possibly encourage brothers from the lodge you visit to do the same thing. This small effort could really help Masonry prosper and grow; no matter what state or country you visit that lodge in. I have scheduled visits to attend lodge in Placerville, Idaho City, Silver City, Emmett, Twin Falls, Ontario Oregon, Vale Oregon, Cascade, and my list goes on. This is one of the reasons I joined Freemasonry, so I could travel, visit lodges and meet new brothers. You are all welcome to join in the fun of visiting these lodges and more with me as I travel around the area. In September I will be traveling to Indiana to visit my mother and family that live there. I contacted the Grand Lodge of Indiana and found a lodge that is just about three miles from my mother s house. I was able to get the lodge Secretary s phone number, meeting date, and time; one quick call and the brothers are excited that I plan to attend lodge with them. It s that simple, and contacting someone is a lot easier than you may think. The Grand Lodge in most states has contact information available on the Internet, or you can even contact the Grand Lodge of Idaho for assistance, or perhaps a brother within your lodge that is computer savvy. Have fun, visit often, you only have one life, so live it to the fullest and always spread the cement of brother love and affection. Fraternally, Joe Kowalczyk JS Ashlar #29 Words to ponder on; By Brother Howie COMPASSES-COMPASS. From the standpoint of the dictionary, these are two words with totally different meanings. A COMPASS is a suspended magnet so balanced that it may turn upon its pivot and orient itself with the North magnetic pole and (with the aid of tables and mathematics), point out the true North. COMPASSES is the word used to describe that instrument which draws circles and/or measures small distances; sometimes COMPASSES are called dividers. Like trousers and scissors, COMPASSES is always plural when meaning the instrument-except in six Grand Lodges of the United States, which use the word COMPASS in the same way as their neighbors use COMPASSES. COMPASS is form the Latin Com (with) and passus (a step) an instrument which is used with a step in other words, dividers. Masonically, it appears to be more a measuring than a circledrawing instrument, although reference to its Masonic use includes circumscribe desires. But its position, open sixty degrees upon a quadrant, as in the symbol of a Past Master, would seem to indicate that it is more as dividers than as an instrument to draw arcs of circles, and that it is of Masonic importance. With the square it forms two of the three Great Lights of Masonry, and has become so universally recognized as a symbol of Freemasonry that courts have forbidden its unauthorized use or its being copyrighted or trademarked for commercial purposes. As Brother John would say: All good things must come to an end, so we bid you Do Svidaniya