It was our second meeting at the Oakville Grille (Wildwood Shopping Center, across from Hamburger Hamlet). The food and room are excellent. Mikki Firor talked about the National Capital Area chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. One in 6 people 60 years old and 50% of 85 year olds have Alzheimer’s disease. It is a brain disorder with no current cure. Medications can suppress the symptoms, but can’t slow the disease progression. Five million Americans have the disease and require 15 million care takers. It starts with memory, language and hearing, progresses to the eyes, and in the end stops breathing. Mikki explained its differences from other forms of dementia, and talked about the 10 behavior signs to look for. She recommended to keep a log of the symptoms.

N. Bethesda Rotary moved to a new breakfast location across from Ham- burger Hamlet, which closed the Friday before Christmas, to the Oakville Grille in the Wildwood Shopping Center. The room we are in is in the back and can be reached by the side entrance. It was a good breakfast and the room was about the same size.

The speaker was Maggie Rhoades from Unity Woods Yoga in Bethesda. Their classes are taught using the Iyengar approach, focusing on correct alignment, attention to detail and a balance between strength and flexibility. She had us stretch our hands above our heads and breath deeply. Those people interested go to WWW.UNITYWOODS.com.

For the last two years Gonzo has orchestrated a Christmas / Hanukkah celebration. This year his focus was on ten things you might not know about Christmas. Here are a few he mentioned: Christmas was once against the law in America; Christmas trees were forbidden as a part of the celebrations until as late as 1640; Speaking of “Yule,” that word is believed to originate from the Anglo-Saxon for “wheel”; Christmas songs date back to the 4th century: St. Hilary of Poitiers composed Jesus refulsit omnium for a Christmas Mass and six more. Gonzo also asked club members to participate in sharing some of their family Holiday’s traditions . Gonzo’s tradition has to do with Christmas ornaments, he gives his wife 5 very unusual ornaments every year. Many members shared their traditions and we all had a joyous time.