December 2003 Meeting
December 13th, 2003
After-Bash Report
Kudos to the turkey-frying, cabinet-building, discus-breeding host!
Tell me where else you can sit down and talk with a fish breeder from Chicago, pet an exquisite Doberman Pinscher, eat deep-fried turkey, chill your sodas on the front porch and thumb through the most recent copy of ‘Biotope’? On top of all that, you can sit down (public ally in the dining room or privately in the basement) face to face with a dozen or so exquisite discus that will enchant, perhaps even mesmerize you with their flirty fins and seductive eyes. No wonder he calls them “Enchanted Discus”.
The “he” of whom we speak is, of course, Joe Szelesi, who supports all the local aquarium associations in his myriad activities. Since Joe counts every member a friend, he invited everyone to his Temple Hills, MD, facility for his annual Christmas bash. Joe, as past-president of the Capitol Cichlid Association (CCA), invited the current president, Francine Bethea, who actively recruited several new members and distributed the new edition the club newsletter “Biotope”. Joe also extended the invitation to the Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association (GWAPA) and the Potomac Valley Aquarium Society (PVAS) after their presidents (Ghazanfar Ghori, GWAPA, and Andrew Blumhagen, PVAS) “conspired” to get invitations.
With around 100 people in attendance, it was apparent they all came united in their passion about the enchanting discus. Everyone discussed discus, and fish breeding, and counted the number of tanks (Just how many are there, Joe?) as they shuttled the potluck goodies from tank to tank, room to room. One guest commented, “Where else can you find such a group of calm and laid back folks so enjoying their hobby?” For Joe, breeding discus is a hobby turned business, a home turned office, and a business turned festive for one definitive Christmas-party.
We who partook of Joe’s hospitality wish him success in the new year that exceeds his generosity, and joy in his life that surpasses our delight in his discus. Thanks, Joe.
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Marsha Finley