Folks,

Stickman, Dux, MG!

What a delightful surprise to find you all convened here on this beautiful Saturday morning. I hardly know what to say or where to start. Hmmmmm. Being at a loss for words is new to me. Certainly I must greet our prodigal Stickman back into the fold and give a thankful nod to our new pal T_K for reminding him we are still kicking up clouds of dust over hear searching for him.

Stickman:

I wonder if MG could wave his magic wand and return your infamous pseudonym "Stickman" to you so it won't be any more confusing reading than it normally has to be around here? I simply cannot get used to calling you anything else. Thanks for posting a photo. I say, Dux, to my mind he resembles a young Hugh Laurie more than Marvin. I'm sure you remember Laurie from the series Jeeves and Wooster. He is now an Emmy winning star of his own TV medical series "House" here in the US. I haven't seen anything of his talented partner Fry of late. He did make an appearance at the Emmies rooting for Laurie.

Anyway such subjective likenesses aside, I'd have to say that the photo blends very nicely with the one already created in my mind by a long and delightful association with our Hawaiian branch. I might have expected an Indian Chief's headdress or a full wolf-skin robe but other than that, he is much as I'd imagined.

Note to Dux and C51: I think we should change that reunion venue from Canada to the Islands. I'm sure C51 wouldn't mind an extended stay on the big Island. I say extended because in addition to our planned visit we may as well include the 90 days in jail we are all quite certain to deserve before the rowdy celebration is over.

I do believe that even without the location of Hawaii plastered below his name, I would have instantly recognized that writing style and content as that of our talented, irreverent friend Stickman. You are unique my friend J. in both mind and deed. I am proud to know ye. I have not forgotten the kindness you did me on that Christmas 2 years ago. This forum has been poorer and much less colorful while you were away. Kindly do not stray again.

It was with great pleasure that I read your recent story. I did not even mind treading down those 3,000 slippery, crumbling steps into the dank and dark HWH archives to file your story away in its proper place of safety. I had several long scratches on my neck. I lost a good pint of my vintage hemoglobin and I still had two vampire bats clinging to my back when I arrived back up here an hour ago. But, Pal, it was more than worth it. It is always a pleasure to read your interesting e-mails and posts.

Dux:
I also think that changing his name to 'Bizarre' was a useless ploy to confuse Olga. Rather than confuse her, a name like that might very well attract her. Her own tastes, after all, must be considered by the sane to be even beyond that of bizarre.

MG:

Thanks for dropping in and allowing us to share your special celebration. There was, I believe, a tradition in your area of the world where royalty seemed to have a common touch...walking about freely amongst their subjects without fear and sans a phalanx of gun toting protectors.

We in the south have some slight inkling of what it might be like to live under the boot of an occupying force. In our case, this has been passed down to the present from our 19th century ancestors who endured the miseries of our un-Civil War and its reconstruction aftermath. We have an ancient spring on our property where it is said that the Union forces of Sherman paused to water their horses after burning our cotton mill. Mercifully they were not as destructive in North Carolina as they had been all along their blazing route south of us. They did rip up the railroad tracks but they did not burn everything. This being because Sherman said that NC had only seceded by a narrow margin. I think he was just tired of the destruction and bloodshed by the time he got here to fight the final battle of the war just down the road from here at Bentonville.

I was born just before the war ended...no Dux not the un-Civil War...WW2, so I know nothing first hand of the mild (by other's standards) privations suffered by my own family living in that period. One of the things that I have enjoyed about this forum has been and continues to be the contacts we've made with people from all over the world with such a rich international experience. Thank you MG for sharing your thoughts and your emotions on this special date. My life is richer for having had the privilege of reading about it.