I saved this posting number to honour and humour two specifics.
Both events fall on July 4th: Willy's Birthday now, and in a few hours, America's Independence day.
First off, Happy Birthday Willy.
Although I can not be sure you being the oldest member, I can safely assume that you are the oldest contributing member.
Many of our forum members might not know this, but eventhough Willy is old enough to have been upset at not being invited to the Boston Tea Party, he is in fact much older then this historic event. You see before he was known as "Willy the Londoner" he use to live avon another river. It was there in his wild youth, celebrating his Birthday, that he use to make maidens blush crimson red. With his over consumption of alcohol and his frisky nature, he would be soon seen running amok causing the ladies to say, "did you see William shaking his spear in his Birthday suite?
Soon the town council had enough of his antics, and if you asked him, it was not much to do about nothing, but as they did not like it, he was barred from ever again entering the the town of Stratford. Thus his name "The Barred from Avon"
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I would also say it is a safe bet that the majority of our members here are from down South of the Border. No not Mexico, but I being Canadian, it would be our American cousins. I have always being proud to have the Good Ole USA as my neighbour. So I wish all you Yanks and Johnny Rebs the happiest Barbecuing and fire works display. Being well versed in American History and the significance of this day to you Americans, I wish to quote your founding President
President Thomas J. Whitmore: a bit from his famous Declaration of Independence:
Perhaps, it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom--not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live--to exist. And, should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish, without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!" Thus ends my 1000th post, my gift to you my fellow reader and Asian lands traveller.