(Please note: Placing the cursor over a picture gives you some info on it....)
On July 17, about 45 PSST members and guests gathered in the tropical jungle setting at the home of Thad and Alice
Magyar in Santa Rosa. The recent hurricane Alex, followed by a tropical wave, did very little damage other than
major floods in the Valley. People were amazed at the hosts’ property with almost every type of palms, fruit trees,
and other tropical plants. Thad divided the group in to smaller groups of 8 to 10 people for a complete tour of the
extensive property of 2.5 acres. At the same time other members wandered along the winding paths, interspersed with
cages filled with colorful macaws, admiring the variety of plants and trees. It is truly a palm oasis paradise.
Fortunately, even with all the earlier rain, there were few mosquitoes.
At 12:30 everyone enjoyed a cold buffet luncheon of ham and all types of salads and desserts brought by the members.
The hams were provided to our hosts through the generosity of Mary Kroll of HEB grocery stores as a part of the firm’s
community service program. The desserts were spectacular, to say the least.
After lunch and as soon as Thad’s tours were finished, the usual business meeting was held. Regarding the memorial
palm for Ruth Merrill, her son Richard has agreed to allow PSST to remove a large palm from Ruth’s yard to be
replanted at the Brownsville Botanical gardens. Jim Sommerfrucht and Romeo Montalvo are working to achieve this project.
We also added two new members to PSST during the meeting.
As the afternoon drew to a close and members were satisfied that they had seen everything on this remarkable property,
the journeys home were begun. The next meeting will be on August 14—a very special one that will be held at the Quinta
Mazatlan in McAllen.
Our next meeting will be in McAllen on 14 Aug 10. Look forward to seeing you at one of the up coming meetings.
Photos by ED Ladd. Meeting summary by John Dillard. Web page by John Volk.
