A gathering of friends from the Association of Swine occurred on the weekend of August 20-21, 2004 at the Lost Meadow Land Coop in West Corinth, Vermont. Ms. Judith Tharinger and Mr. Daniel Breslaw hosted the weekend event, attended by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Greenspan of Reston, Virginia, Mr. Tony Hill & Ms. Sheila Cain of Berkeley, California, Mr. & Mrs. Edward Greenblat of Princeton, New Jersey, Mr. & Mrs. Mark Bloom of New York City, Ms. Polly Hill of Miami Beach, Florida, Mr. & Mrs. Mitchel Craner of New York City, and Mr. Michael Waltuch of New York City. A number of excellent meals were prepared and served, with the assistance of younger members of the Breslaw/Tharinger family, Mr. Alexander Breslaw, Ms. Cassie Tharinger, and Mr. Sam Breslaw, as well as some of the guests. Meals were marked by much lively conversation, by recitation and song, and by general amusement. Mr. Donald Rosenthal, an old acquaintance of many of the guests, took time from his business activities to visit the gathering on Saturday evening. The weather on Friday and Saturday being somewhat unfavorable, most of the guests divided their time between indoor gatherings and excursions to some of the tourist attractions in nearby towns. Bathing in the pond was unfortunately kept to a minimum by the coolness of the air. During breaks in the inclemency, some games of badminton were organized, in which impromptu pairings of couples slaughtered other impromptu pairings of couples, who were in turn slaughtered by other pairings, etc. Mrs. Constance (?) Greenspan was unanimously selected Most Valuable Player. Excitement was provided by the escape of one of Mr. and Mrs. Bloom's dogs, who was retrieved with the help of a neighbor, and prevented from further wandering during the weekend by Mr. Bloom's resolute vigilance. Sunday morning presenting something of an improvement in the weather, an excursion was mounted to some of the higher ridges surrounding the main farmhouse. Wide vistas were enjoyed by all, and a bit of excitement provided when Mr. Breslaw, mistaking his way in tall weeds, drove a pickup truck conveying the guests over a bank into a low-lying area. With good spirited help from some of the guests, he was able to extract the vehicle, which was then able to be used for the return journey, following a number of successful photographic opportunities supervised by Mr. Greenblat. A few guests elected to return on foot and were deemed missing for an extended period; however, just as a search party was setting out with food and medical supplies, they made a dramatic appearance. A very enjoyable time appears to be had by all, and future gatherings appear to be in the offing.

Respectfully submitted by Gazette reporter Derrick Dogge.