The Diogenes Club of Dallas 2007 Annual Picnic
By Don Hobbs

The Monsoon Gods smiled on The Diogenes Club of Dallas Sunday afternoon. The normal rainfall for this time of the year is about three inches but we have already seen more the thirteen inches of rain in the past month. Sunday was no different than the past several week as it rained like the devil but only after all of the burgers and dogs were cooked. Yes, the Monsoon Gods definitely is a fan of Sherlock Holmes.

Nearly thirty Sherlockians descended on the Hobbs compound to a feast of food and conversations. The entertainment was provided by Mr. Mike Miller and his faithful guitar. He played and sang Sherlockian and non-Sherlockian song with equal gusto. We were joined by Herr Jan Kipping, from Hamburg, Germany. He had attended his senior year of high school locally and was in town to attend his twentieth reunion. The hamburgers, he was told, were in honor of his visit but I don't think he bought it.

Jan Kipping and Don Hobbs

Special thanks to Bruce McCall, who provided me with a case of glasses from the now defunct Sherlock Holmes Outpost form Fort Davis, Texas. These were given to each guest as part favors. The original plan was to fill each glass with a slip of paper containing the name of one of the four long stories written on it. Everyone would pick their glass and according to the name of the story inside, they would be part of a team. Each team in turn, was suppose to compose a limerick based on their story. Well, too much excitement can ruin a good thing and Sunday was no different.

Just as everyone was finished eating, the skies opened up and poured. This forced a mass migration from the outside to the indoors. Soon there were little pockets of conversations throughout the house. There were many first time visitors and a tour of my library was in order while others were still grazing in the kitchen. At one point, the rain ceased to fall and several guests took this as a sign for them to leave. The Sherlockian Limerick contest never happened but it was never missed.

The afternoon was a lovely affaire. It is one thing to collect but it quite another to show off the treasures that spend most of their time hidden on the shelves, rarely getting handled. The annual picnic is always a coming out party for my books. I enjoy sharing special items and telling the stories behind them. What I was not prepared for was the surprises that Dean Clark of Tulsa had in store for me. First, he presented me an original manuscript, "The Adventure of the Determined Dactyloscopers" by William Paige. The manuscript came the estate of  Hamish Hudson, the great grandson of Martha Hudson. A full review it will be forthcoming.

The other surprise was a framed copy of the sheet music, The Old Gray Fox published by Chappell and Company, London, England. The music was composed by Maude Valérie White and it is also signed by her. The lyrics are by A. Conan Doyle! For once in my life, I was completely speechless. This the only piece of sheet music in my collection, a nice addition indeed.

Special thanks should go out to my lovely wife Joyce for all of her hard work. It is always her special attention to details that make these picnic so successful. LLKK*.
She makes the difference from us eating artichoke heart dip instead of bean dip out of a can. She puts the "Event" into our Sherlockian events. I hope everyone has the opportunity to join us for one of these picnic but until you do.....

Happy Collecting!!

* Love, love, kiss, kiss.