Every year as I'm going totally bonkers fighting brush fires, contacting I-dunnohowmany-people, and fretting about whether this year's program will be well received or will be held up as a standard for future program chairs of how NOT to do it, I ask myself whether all this is worth it, etc etc. Of course it's a rhetorical question ... but next year if I'm involved in this madness I'll have the memory of these lovely thank-yous to help remind me WHY it's worth it.

I'm often amazed when I think about the Getaway. It's a small gathering, really, put on by FSGW and carried on by a few hardy and determined folks each year who ain't got the good sense to say No.

It's home grown, grass roots, done for the people by the people. It seems unique to me and it's wonderful satisfying when so many people say they feel the same way.

As the cast of characters has changed over the years, we've been reaching to continually re-define it, in a way that can include both old and new members of the Getaway "family." Sounds as if we're succeeding pretty well. Let's keep it going and let's keep up this trend of melding into one group, just "The people who go to the Getaway." It feels good.