The article on Shimpaku history on the WBFF website is stunning. Revealing
such history raises the bar of bonsai appreciation and creates a standard
against which speculation about the past can be tested. The real story is
far more interesting than musings about the source of such trees-- unless
your speculation has been much wilder than mine.

The story of D.T. Iwasaki (Japan) & Felix Laughlin (USA) using their
resources to bring the article to bonsai web browsers is perhaps a future
story. Iwasaki & Laughlin are promoting the 5th World Bonsai Convention in
Washington DC in 2005 through the website www.bonsai-wbff.org. Such
collaboration signals the generosity of those with access to information to
an internet bonsai community anxious to receive it. I hope we'll see more.

BCI & ABS are also supporting the 5th World Bonsai Convention. The Greater
Bonsai Society of St. Louis is sponsoring the BCI 2004 Convention with the
American Bonsai Society as its special guest www.stlbonsai.org/BCI/bci.htm.
Shared functions will hopefully bring more of us together.

The North American Bonsai Federation's latest newsletter
http://www.bonsai-wbff.org/nabf/news...etter5main.htm on "Bonsai
in the Northwest U.S." has been another highlight of this season. That it
was edited by Jerry Meislik including articles by him & by Lynn Boyd made it
special for this IBCer. Other outstanding articles on this area's bonsai
achievements by Dave De Groot, Sharon Muth, Jane Nelson, Diane Robinson and
John Carleton , Jr. Jerry impresses me as being in extraordinarily close
touch with a vast number of widely separated clubs. I've familiarity with
his generous articles over the years in ABS Journals, but only in the past
year did I have the pleasure of meeting the man-- our visit was too short!
The NW United States includes such stalwart organizations as the Puget Sound
Bonsai Assn.. I learned allot about its history & about leaders in the
community. Not unexpectedly, Lynn's description of a vendor's experience
is heartwarming.

I'm glad we have shared entry to something personally important to us
through bonsai. It obviously takes many forms. C.S. Lewis recounts
responding to a dish garden in his autobiography _Surprised by Joy_. The
experience of viewing a dish garden as a child hinted at a perfect, surreal
order which could never be fully realized. C.S. Lewis was momentarily
transfixed. He describes the yearning for that moment as intense "joy."
It is a highlight of his life. I hope my bonsai friends experience joy this
season.

Best Holiday Wishes,
Chris... C. Cochrane, , Richmond VA USA

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Jarbas Godoy ++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++