August was a good month, both personally and masonically.  I took some vacation time, as I am sure all of you did as well.  It is good to get away from this area now and then.  It always surprises me how much slower life passes the farther you get from the Beltway.

Escaping the weather here does not hurt, either.  I am pretty sure our Founding Fathers had the right idea when they built the nation’s capital here; the weather for much of the year is too intolerable for the government to stay in session (until the advent of air conditioning, that is; no way they could have seen that coming).

I often wonder if lodges in Virginia used to go dark for the summer due to this condition.  I know the temperature in lodge in July and August underneath that hat, regardless of air conditioning, often makes me want to tell the brethren to “gather about the altar” much earlier than the agenda will allow.  I cheated in August, though.  I brought a little hand held battery operated fan. 

We were treated in August with the annual visits and programs of our illustrious DIW and DEO, who delivered us both entertaining and challenging programs. We also voted on petitions for three new candidates and welcomed two new affiliated brethren into our midst.  As I said, it was a good month all around.

So let us celebrate a little.  September will be the second of our “Fellowship Nights.”  It is also “Bring a Friend” night (not for lodge business, of course, unless the friend is also a brother).

We will attempt to surpass previous land speed records for the swift conducting of lodge business and retire to the Vienna Inn for chili cheese dogs and libations.  I have reservations for 2030.  I would like, with y’all’s kind assistance, to get there early!

Same rules apply as last time: no ties!  Casual dress, please.  You don’t want to spill chili or cheese on a nice suit or sport jacket, do you?  I will try to drag a couple of brothers and one or two candidates to the VI as well.  I say we take over the place, but that will depend on how many numbers we can generate.

For the rest of the year, we have Past Master’s Night in October, with a Grand Lodge-dictated program about the Masonic Home of Virginia.  In November we will have a recap of the Grand Annual Communication and some parting words, thoughts and committee / team reports for the year.

December, as always, is our lodge elections.  Check this space and your mail / email inbox for invitations to the Concord Lodge 2011 Installation of Officers (date and time to be announced, but probably the second Saturday in December).

After that…well, brothers, you will have another loyal monthly scribe to correspond with.  J