2015 - February Meeting & Anniversary Party

The February meeting was held on 2-14-15, which also was a celebration of Neal and Marian John's 25th Anniversary. Bob Jaussaud gave a short toast in thier honor:

 Hello everybody. It's a pleasure to be here with you all to celebrate Neal & Marian's 25th Wedding Anniversary. Sue and I knew Neal and Marian before there WAS a Neal & Marian. In those early days, Richard Neal was roaming the desert alone. All he had was an old Land Cruiser, brown hair and "Hope". On a Backroad Explorers trip to the Providence Mountains, the Desert Gods finally smiled down on Neal. One of the participants, a lovely young lady named "Marian Estelle", broke the rear drive shaft on her well worn Jeep. Being the plucky lady she is, she continued on the trip, using only her front wheel drive. As Neal and I prepared to tow her up a very steep hill we were sure required rear wheel drive, Marian had another idea. She swung the Jeep around and floored it. She and the Jeep soared over the top of the hill in reverse and Neal's heart went with her. The Land Cruiser and the Jeep are long gone. So is Neal's hair, and other things we won't mention. But, there is a shiny new Corvette in the driveway. Rumor has it that, for their anniversary, Marian may actually give Neal his own set of keys. In our toast to Neal & Marian, it would be difficult to overstate all that they have done for the Desert Explorers. Many thanks to them both for their friendship and their support.