I like the change of seasons -- I really do -- but DO THEY HAVE TO CHANGE SO QUICKLY? Yikes, two weeks ago I went to Drums wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and now I'm already thinking that my windbreaker is too light for the arctic winds howling off Lake Michigan. What happened to summer? What happened to a nice normal autumn? Now, I'm going to really have to scuffle to get everything ready for winter quarters and my painting schedule.

Still, I can't complain too much about the summer. While it could have been a tad bit warmer for most of it, the season was fine and fun. I had a blast at all of the conventions I went to this year, starting with Spartacon and I'm sure I'll have fun again at Pro or Con and U-Con, as well. I love going to these events and seeing all of my gaming buddies, again. It is also a time to make great buys and have a load of fun, which I did.

Advance the Colors was a blast, again (as usual). I'd like to congratulate our resident worry-wart, Steve Smith, who was so afraid he was going to screw up the con. The job you did was more than medium rare -- it was very well done. Seriously, Steve worried quite a bit about this convention, but I think he and Brian O'Leary and Joe Cairo did a wonderful job pulling things together. All deserve a great deal of thanks. That also goes for all of the folks that volunteered to help out at the con and who ran some of the most awesome games I've ever seen. Great job, guys. You make this chapter what it is -- not those of us on the board. We may try to provide a sense of direction, but that would be pointless without you.

Now comes the big question, where do we go from here?

Well, for starters onward and upward. With any luck, we should have a new membership directory out by the end of the year. If you haven't already done so, please send us updated membership information as to your interests, periods, scales, and rules you game in, to help us flesh out our membership list. David van Hoose is heading up this little project and he needs all of our help (his contact info is in this issue). I've also got a little project I'm working on, as well, to hopefully help get more big name dealers to attend (or at least support) some of our shows in the future. More about that in this issue, as well. We also need your help. Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to volunteer for anything except maybe to lend us some ideas as to how to make things better. We need and like to hear input from you guys, so bring it on! Also, if you give one or all of us on the board an idea, and don't hear anything about it for a while, ask us about it. We may have forgotten it and need reminding. We can always use the help and we are glad to get input from you.

As this issue of the Herald will be active during Veteran's Day, I'd like to leave you with this one last suggestion and thought. Thank a veteran for their sacrifices, big or small, on November 11. For better or worse, they are a large part of the reason we are as blessed as we are in this nation. To those of you who have served our country, I would like to offer my thanks. Finally, for those currently on active duty in or out of harm's way, our thoughts and prayers are with you. May your tour of duty be dull, boring and uneventful, and may you return home safely to your loved ones. Good Luck and Good Gaming.