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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Dear Shire Members,</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2>I can't begin to count the number of people
that I want to thank for making Cour d'amore such a "blast" for my dear lord, HL
Thorgard. I haven't seen him enjoy himself like this in over a year.
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2>As many of you are aware, Thorgard is the
sole caretaker of his dying father. He has so many burdens to bear. Getting away
for a weekend to relax and forget about his cares for a few minutes or hours is
very rare right now. Each and every one of you helped him do just that, to put
down the burden for just a bit. This morning he went on and on about how nice
everyone was to him; how good the site looked; how well everything went; how
much fun he had; how well people looked after him when I couldn't be with him;
how much he enjoyed the fighting and playing to the favor of the Ladies in the
gallery; how fun court was; what marvelous prizes were given; and (several
times) how incredibly delicious feast was. He even asked me about the "Bella
Luchi" award and what that was all about. When I explained it to him, he said he
has never heard of a branch below a barony giving out their own awards. I
reminded him that we've done this since we were a canton, starting with the
Guardian award. His response was that we are a very unique group of folks and I
certainly cannot disagree with him about that!!!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you each and every one of my dear
friends of the best Shire in the Known World. It was a magical weekend in
Gwenever's Court for both of us. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you
to make such magic happen. As we all know, such things just don't happen
by themselves but are the result of a lot of work from a number of people. I ,
for one, am very thankful that we have so many capable, artistic and
caring people. Thank you for everything.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2>Annes</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>Dear God, Help me to be the person<BR>my dog thinks I am.
Amen</DIV></BODY></HTML>