IRGIN IEWS by

VIRGINIA

EAST IS EAST

AND

WEST IS WEST!

That seems a very appropriate title for this piece and not only shall they never meet geographically, I expect they will never meet philo- sophically either. You don't know what I'm talking about? Good, I shall explain. I am referring to the DREAM get-togethers on the West Coast and the Fantasia Fair on the East Coast. Having been to both I felt that some sort of appraisal was in order to help you decide where to go in '78. I hope you will be able to make one or the other.

The trouble with undertaking a comparison like this is that it is like comparing oranges and bananas. Obviously they are both fruit and they both taste good and they both provide nutrition, but beyond those similarities they are very different and it would only be a state- ment of personal preference to say that oranges are better than bananas-or vice versa. So I can't say, and have no intention of try- ing to say which one of these two fabulous experiences is "better." So let's lay the ground work first.

I'll start with DREAM because it is the oldest both in regard to the first date and in the number of times it has been held. Also I have been to it twice, and to the Fair only once, so seniority gets first play.

DREAM was, and is the brain child of Marilyn of Seattle, one of my oldest friends in the FP world, dating back to 1962 at the famous Catskill Conference of about 60 FPs and about 15 wives and several psychologists. Marilyn was there and we became good friends. She headed up the Seattle-Tacoma area for FPE in its early days and I have spent several interesting visits to the area and with the girls that made up the group there. I think Marilyn named it DREAM because it was her dream personally, as well as a dream for anyone who came to

it.

85