The Rev. Dr. Deni (Denise) Moss of the Episcopal Church of the Mediator has returned from a three-week trip to the Holy Land. There were 22 clergymen on the annual Pilgrimage sponsored by a benefactor in the Atlanta area. Rev. Moss was the only Episcopal priest on the trip. The other 21 were Baptists! Rev. Moss is a graduate of Mercer University and was selected to represent the Baptist University. She says there were Baptist pastors from large churches around the country who were selected for the pilgrimage.

Jenelle Poss Flynt, who grew up in Washington-Wilkes but now lives in Tennessee, included a note in sending her renewal for The News-Reporter. She has been away from Washington-Wilkes for many years, but says, "I still look forward to the arrival of The News-Reporter at my home each week. Through reading it I truly feel a part of today's Washington. Thank you for keeping it coming." Jenelle is the daughter of the late Luke and Gussie Poss.

A group of 50 senior members of the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta visited Washington Wilkes Tuesday. Jo Randall was the guide for them as they visited the First Baptist Church, the home of William and Ginna Pope, Callaway Plantation, and other sites. They had lunch at the Fitzpatrick Hotel.

Casie LeGette is in London for three weeks doing research for her PhD dissertation on British Literature. This week she presented a paper at the University of London on letters of political prisoners during the Romantic Period of literature. Casie is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan. She is the daughter of Sandy and Charles LeGette of Washington-Wilkes.

The Washington Little Theater Co. Board of Directors has approved the purchase of new Travelers and Wings (black stage curtains) for The Bolton Lunceford Playhouse. The curtains are being custom made and should be in the Playhouse in about two months.

Monday night's thunderstorm brought us .85 of an inch of welcome rain, according to Norris, who says there was some small hail in the rain as he drove to a gathering at the church.

Lawyer Michael Horgan likes to find Washington-Wilkes connections wherever he goes. He's an excellent writer, so I'll just quote his letter verbatim about his most recent encounter. "Under the heading of 'you never know when you will run into a person with Washington- Wilkes connections,' I relate the following: I am involved in a construction lawsuit in Gainesville, Hall County, representing subcontractors from a nearby county. The general contractor is represented by a goodsized Atlanta law firm and the lead counsel from that firm is Burke Johnson. I was speaking to him by telephone last week and he noticed that I live in Washington. It turns out that Burke is married to Libby and Jimmy Bowman's daughter Lannae. Libby and Jimmy live a few doors down from me on East Robert Toombs Avenue. Lannae and Burke married at the First United Methodist Church in 2002. They live on a farm in Madison County, a few miles outside Danielsville. Burke makes the long commute to his Atlanta law firm so the family can enjoy that good rural living. Lannae has her hands full too with two young sons and all three happen to be visiting in Washington this weekend at the home of Libby and Jimmy. It does seem to be a small world, especially when you are from Washington-Wilkes, whose connections spread far and wide."

Mary Cannon of Decatur visited Washington-Wilkes for three days last week to do some research on her family. I first met her as a friend of Chris Townsend, minister to students at the First Baptist Church, Washington, when she attended the Wednesday night services. Chris grew up in Clairmont Hills Baptist Church in Decatur where Mary has been a member for many years. She came to Washington-Wilkes on a pilgrimage to Resthaven Cemetery to the graves of the Robert Chapmans, their children, and some of their grandchildren. She visited

Betty Merritt, the one cousin who still lives in Washington. Mary was a classmate of Ruth Harris of Washington when both were students at Tift College in Forsyth. . . . Another Washington-Wilkes connection that extends westward is that Mary's niece is an accomplished violinist with the Jackson, Mississippi, Symphony Orchestra. The husband of

Ruth Shank Randelman is the first chair cello player in the orchestra. Ruth is the daughter of Dot Shank and the late Hal Shank of Washington. . . . You can read more about Mary's visit in a detailed account elsewhere in this paper.

Karen and Larry Wheeler brought me a newspaper clipping that they had found while going through some of the papers of his mother, and of his aunts, the late Louise David and Bessie Callaway, of Washington. All of the clipping was not intact, but the part referring to Washington was. It told about how Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern that started the Great Chicago Fire destroying many acres of homes and business buildings, killing 300 people, and doing upwards of $200 million damage. The conclusion of the article reads: "When news of the fire reached Washington, Ga., home of General Robert Toombs, the general was asked by his neighbors to make valid inquiry. Toombs, who never asked the Yankees to pardon him because, as he said, 'I haven't pardoned them,' went to the telegraph office. He studied the bulletins, and with a glum countenance, reported to his neighbors: 'Every known means is being made to combat the fire..' Then brightening perceptibly he added: 'But, gentlemen, the wind seems to be in our favor.' If that ancient spirit of malice has been ameliorated considerably, it has not departed this earth completely. And one strange circumstance survived the Great Fire: When Chicago was a charred wasteland Mrs. O'Leary's house, whole and unsinged, was one of the few standing. Unfortunately, no one, including Hollywood, knows what happened to the cow." . . . I had to look up "ameliorated." How many of you did, too?