) ( ) Good Morning Family! .-.,--^--. ( Come on in. . . \\|`----'| - The coffee pot's on. . . \| |// ...and we even have decaf, | |/ tea, and hot chocolate! \ / ------ Today's topics include: 1. Welcome to new cousins 2. Please vote 3. The Retreat 4. Cousins helping cousins 5. Happy Father's Day! 6. Kuzin's Korner If you've been with the family [the BOWER-L list] for at least three weeks, you'll probably want to skip the following paragraphÂ… TO OUR NEWEST COUSINS ~~ On behalf of the entire family, I'd like to extend a most hearty welcome to those cousins who came into the family fold this past week. We are very glad to have you with us and hope you'll stay and remain a part of our online family. As soon as you're comfortable with us and the list, please send in your Bower[s]/Bauer/Baur lines so we can all see how we're related to you. We do not have a fancy format for sending in records or queries to the list. Post as many as you wish! If the data has anything to do with Bower[s]/Bauer/Baur lines or any of the variant spellings that might help someone, please feel free to post it. Every scrap of information is appreciated. If you haven't visited the homesite of this list yet, you are encouraged to do so. The Bower Family Homestead [a.k.a., the Homestead] is our homesite and the gathering place for much of our information. It waits to join us all in welcoming you into the family at <http://www.crosswinds.net/~bowerhomestead>, or you can use or shortcut URL of <http://embark.to/Homestead>. We also have a newly opened sister site, the Bower Cottage, that we're currently preparing to fill. At present only the frameworks are there -- NO names or data are there yet. This coming week we should begin to enter information. The Cottage is at <http://www.crosswinds.net/~bowercottage>, or you can use the shortcut URL of <http://embark.to/bowercottage>. PLEASE VOTE Our name has fallen off at the World Wide Top 100 site. Where we used to be on the first two pages and received a great deal of traffic, we are now submerged somewhere in the back 20. I need your help here. When you go to the front page at the Homestead please click on the logo in the top right corner; at the Cottage it's a link on the second page near the bottom. To keep our sites in view of the public we need to click on each one every day. You can return to the Homestead or Cottage simply by hitting the 'Back' button on your browser twice. It only takes a few seconds to do this simple vote, but it makes such a difference toward our data being seen. THE RETREAT Participation at the Retreat is almost next to nothing. Only one or two people are showing up for the bi-weekly chats. Are the scheduled times for these visits not good for you? Would you participate if the chats were held on different days? Please let Vicky Bowers-Gielau <[email protected]> or me <[email protected]> know what days and hours would be best for you. The Retreat is for everyone, though only several of us are enjoying its amenities and comaraderie. COUSINS HELPING COUSINS I'm sure you've all noticed Brenda Moore's multitude of messages filled with data and helpful information for all of us. What you may not realize is that she is checking for all four basic names - Bauer, Baur, Bower and Bowers - everytime she digs through a reference. What a wonderful extra measure this is! We have over 80 variant spellings we need to watch for when we're checking sources, but if you'll do even our four basic surnames the extra time takes only a few seconds more and can make such a difference to our homebound cousins or those who don't have ready access to research facilities. We all need help and we can all provide a lot of assistance to each other with that one extra step. The next time you pick up a reference looking for your surname, won't you please also look for variant spellings? HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! The following poem is dedicated to each of the fathers in our family: A Dad is a person who is loving and kind, And often he knows what you have on your mind. He's someone who listens, suggests, and defends. A dad can be one of your very best friends! He's proud of your triumphs, but when things go wrong, A dad can be patient and helpful and strong In all that you do, a dad's love plays a part. There's always a place for him deep in your heart. And each year that passes, you're even more glad, More grateful and proud just to call him your dad! ~~Author Unknown.~~ Happy Father's Day, guys! You are loved! :) KUZIN'S KORNER In just one week one of our own will be heading for Sydney, Australia to take part in this year's summer Olympics. Jacquie "Jak" Daniels <[email protected]> is a Bower cousin on the English archery team. Can anyone be more of a 'Bower' than her? :) She'll be in Australia until the end of September. So, family, when you're watching this year's Olympics and you happen to spot Jak, you can yell out, "there's my cousin!" I know I will! :) Jak, we wish you well on your trip and look forward to seeing you at the Olympics. We know you'll do well ... after all, what else could a 'Bower' do? :) Family ... it's what we're all about. My coffee cup is empty once again. I really enjoyed this time with you. It was so nice. I hope you all have a fantastic upcoming week. I wish you all a week filled with health, fun, productivity, and above all, filled with love. ) ( ) _.-~~-. (@\'--'/. Colleen ('``.__.'`) `..____.'