Well, cripes! It's about time I said something over here, eh?

Since the great Anti-Steve Confab 2005 in Danbury, perhaps I should mention where other rendezvouse will be this year. (Thus notifying the local criminal element when they can feel free to loot our home. I'll just catalog the available pillage in a footnote.) Let's see:

Danbury's done. I think that was the only 'shooting event' we'd registered for.

The White Oak Rendezvous in Deer River, MN - 10 miles west of Grand Rapids - is in two weeks.

Grand Portage, which promises to be a much cooler event - it's up by the Canadian Border on Lake Superior (my favorite event, so far) - is one week after that.

And in September is Pine City's Fall Gathering. That one is actually about the same distance from Baraboo and Janesville as Forts Folle Avoine. It's even closer to most parts of Iowa.

If any of the Burri family show up in Voyageur gear (which is all the entry fee they require - $8.00 otherwise, though "Flatlanders" don't get to compete) to challenge me in the stone-throw, I'll have to unleash my full shot-putting form. I've seen that physique now. You'll get no mercy from me.

Jureks need to take notice as well. I don't know how those boys got so darned big. Their parents are tiny. I don't mind their girls winning all the skill contests, 'cause their all so darned cute, but what's up with all these super-jock guys springing from their...uh, progeny?

And for Portage, I need to start working on my fire-starting skills. And gunk-drinking. ...And bearded-gal-kissing. (The latter, I can work on in the mirror.)