Thanks to Charles and Judy DeRose, we had a great time at Camp Chautauqua before going to the FMCA National Convention at the Erie County Fairgrounds at Hamburg, NY, last month.  They did a great job at arranging the site, the food and the extra-curricular activities that we all enjoyed.  For those of you who weren't able to attend, you missed a great time visiting with all our friends and visiting the beautiful surroundings and sights in western New York.

      We held our usual business meeting at the FMCA National Convention and a lot of new and old business was taken up.  First, the 2003-2005 slate of officers was elected.  I am honored by the trust you have placed in me and hope that I live up to your expectations and the standards of office that have been established by our earlier Presidents, Jim Campbell and Ron Hyslop.  I know that I can count o their help whenever I need or ask for it.  I know, too, that I can count on the help and assistance of the other officers who were elected at Hamburg:  Vice President Steve Kokinos, Secretary Pat Walkup, Treasurer Laverne Foerster, National Director Ed Walkup, and Alternate National Director Harry Condrey.  Janet Livingston has agreed to remain as our appointed Membership Secretary.

      Next, the membership decided that an amendment to the Bylaws should be presented to the membership for consideration.  The proposed amendment would allow members who buy another motor home, regardless of manufacturer, to remain members of the Discovery International Chapter.  The membership will be formally notified of this proposed amendment in time to consider it at the next business meeting which will be held at the FMCA National Convention in Albuquerque, NM, next March.  (An affirmative vote of two thirds of those present and voting is required to amend the Bylaws.)  I welcome your input on this or any other matter related to the Chapter.

      Coincidentally, the FMCA Bylaws were revised in March 2003.  Therefore, I have asked Steve Kokinos to chair a committee to review our current Bylaws to make sure that they comply with the FMCA requirements.  In addition to Steve the committee will include Ed Walkup and Pete Palasota.  While conducting this review, I've asked them to see if there are other amendments that should be considered.  Their review will be completed in time to include these in the formal notification of the membership mentioned earlier. I'm sure that the committee will welcome your thoughts and ideas on the subject.

      During the next two years I would like to refresh the Chapter's relationship with Fleetwood.  I've already had conversations with Dawn Fann, Fleetwood club/chapter liaison, who, while not making a firm commitment, expressed a willingness to continue to support us with some funding.  I will pursue this further during the fall and winter and hope to have a firm commitment from her in time to support our next pre-rally in Santa Fe, NM, in March.

      I would also like to continue to try to increase the participation at the pre-rallies held before the National Conventions and at the other, sometimes impromptu, rallies which our members put together.  There are a lot of benefits of belonging to FMCA but the most valuable from a personal enjoyment standpoint are the pleasures experienced at the Chapter level at the rallies.  This is definitely an area where I need your help by sending me your thoughts and ideas on what we can do to get folks out who have never attended a Discovery International rally

      Although many people shy away from sponsoring or hosting a rally, this can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of rallies.  Marlene and I are among those who were very hesitant to try to put a rally together, but when we did we found that we had more fun than ever.  (In fact, we've volunteered to host the next pre-rally in March at Santa Fe, NM, in preparation for the FMCA National Convention at Albuquerque. Mark your calendars for March 9th, 2004.  More information can be found elsewhere in this newsletter and even more will be provided later in the year as plans become firmed up.)  But the point here is that if you want to really have a good time, think about hosting a rally in your neighborhood.  Maybe you have another member in your area who will help you and share the fun.

      Let me hear from you about any aspect of the Chapter or Discovery'ing in general.  'Til next time, may you enjoy fair winds and following seas...

Neil Elkins

Hello to all my Discovery friends.

      As the newly elected VP of the group, I've also been elected to do a newsletter column.  In both respects I've got some pretty big shoes to fill from my predecessors in this position.  First of all, for those of you that do not know me, a little background.

      On to group business...  Neil has asked that I chair a By-laws committee along with Pete Palasota and Ed Walkup, to examine our By-laws for any changes that may be necessary to bring them in line with FMCA/International Area, or correct obvious errors.  As you may know, during the Buffalo, NY FMCA rally it was discussed at the Discovery meeting about the possibility of changing the membership guidelines to allow non-Discovery members to join or stay in the group.  To that end, I am open to hear all discussion you may have on the subject.

      Directions of the group...  I think we would all agree that this Discovery group is unique to other groups in many ways, but mostly in the camaraderie of its members.  So much so, that many in the group  would buy only a Discovery coach rather than lose the special bond of this group.  In part, what seems to keep this bond going are the many rallies held by the members.  Each rally has been a special occasion with the host rally masters going above and beyond what would normally be required, because they really care about their fellow members of the group.  I would hope to see this spirit continue on and expand in the upcoming year, with more of our group members opening up and giving all the rest of us the opportunity to enjoy and learn about that special area you call home or that wonderful spot you have found and would like to share with us.

      On the horizon we have a few get-togethers, Albuquerque, NM, Calgary and Banff, Canada.  Please watch the newsletters and website for more details.

      Hope you are all enjoying the balance of the summer months and your travels.  Look forward to seeing you down the road.

Steve Kokinos

• A little oil of courtesy would eliminate a lot of friction..

• Remove mud tracks from a rug by sprinkling cornstarch on the tracks.  Wait 15 minutes and vacuum..

• In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

• The nice thing about teamwork is you always have others on your side.

• A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

• Put a little lemon in the water when you are cooking cauliflower to keep it white...or add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the water.

• A snail can sleep for three years.

• Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing

• Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes.

• A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

      The Governing Board meeting was held on July 16-17 in Hamburg just before the FMCA National Convention.  The most significant business taken was the election of officer, the adoption of Policies and Procedures, and the conditional approval of the FMCA budget for 2004.  A summary of these actions and other items of interest is provided here.  If you have nay specific questions about these or other items of interest to you, please let me know and I'll try to get an answer back to you.

      Policies and Procedures:  When the FMCA Bylaws were reviewed and revised in March 2003, the policies and procedures which had been included in them were extracted, reviewed/revised, and published separately.  The Policies are statements of guiding principles for FMCA and the Procedures are how the Bylaws of FMCA will be implemented.  The Governing Board approved the Policies and Procedures; they are available for viewing at the FMCA website.

      Elections:  The following officers were elected:  President, R. G. Wilson; Senior Vice President, Don Moore; Secretary, Ginger Painter; Treasurer, Connie Pool.

      Budget:  The budget for 2004 was conditionally passed.  That is, the budget presented for approval by the National Treasurer/Finance Committee is in deficit by $270,652.  However, the Committee also recommended a $10.00 annual dues increase, a convention early bird registration fee of $99, and a 10% increase in subscription rates from $27.00 to $29.95.  If the Governing Board approves these increases, the budget will be in surplus by $123,428.  The deficit budget was approved on the condition that if the Governing Board does not approve these increases, the budget will be returned to the Finance Committee to be brought into balance and resubmitted.  These increases could not be considered at this meeting because the Governing Board voting delegates had not received the required 90 days prior notification.  Voting by mail will be conducted after the 90 days have elapsed.

      The National Treasurer/Finance Committee recommendation included a recom-mendation that if the $10.00 per year increase in dues is approved, current FMCA members will be provided the opportunity at the first of next year (204) to extend their membership for up to five years at the current multi-year rate no matter when their current membership renewal is due.

      The budget shortfall was primarily the result of both realized and unrealized loss on investments, a significant decrease in magazine advertising revenue, significant increases in insurance costs, and significant increases in costs of both employee and membership benefits.

      It was noted that membership dues have not increased since 1980 and that membership benefits have been valued at $360 per year.

Neil Elkins

      In addition to the Discovery International rallies, you should keep the 5^th International Area "An American Legend" rally in mind.  This annual INTO rally will be held in Claremore, OK on April 15-18, 2004.  Claremore, OK is the birthplace of the celebrated Will Rogers who will be the theme of the rally.  Your $100 rally registration fee will get you four nights camping (with free electric if you're one of the first 1,000 to register), full breakfast for three mornings, ice cream social, Bingo, vendors, parade, two $5 coupons good for meal purchase at one-site food vendors, and four nights of entertainment including opening night Bingo.  you can register on-line at www.fmca.com or check the Family Motor Coaching magazine for registration forms.

      If enough people want to attend the INTO Rally, we can be parked together at the Will Rogers Downs rally site.  let me know if you're interested---Neil Elkins (913-259-2909).

Recipe for "A Happy Marriage"

      Take two happy people and separate them from their parents.  Add the following ingredients in generous proportions:

• Love

• Acceptance

• Respect

• Communication

• Patience

• Kindness

• Gentleness

• Self-Control

• Commitment

• Faith

• Hope

• Truth

      Mix together, then thoroughly sift in daily life.  Strain out jealousy, arrogance, selfishness, provocation, and accounting of wrongs.  Bake in the trials and tribulations of life for 50 years, then celebrate when golden.

      The best laid plans...often go astray.  My apologies for not getting this issue out last month as I had originally planned.  As some of you know, we are moving to Utah and events have been happening much sooner than we expected.  Consequently, getting ready to move out of our current home and become temporary "full timers" (until our new home is built) have displaced most of our earlier planned activities.

      Please send any newsletter items, pictures, comments, etc., that you would like to see in future editions.  At the last business meeting, we voted to buy a color printer, so we can print future newsletters in color.  Thanks to Jim Campbell, who has volunteered to buy the color printer and to publish the newsletter.

Hope to see you all down the road sometime!

Marlene

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