Our executive committee made a trip to Joosemin to celebrate it coming under one TDG. It was a good party—and we were formally introduced to the large crowd.

Rich was humbly basking in glory. It was five years, many meetings, and his efforts that kept things in motion. His wife Emily was at his side all evening.

Strange, Rich let others do most of the work. Mostly he was just there. He and Holger really understood how the TDG was going to be built. The rest of us just absorbed their innate knowledge.

"How's my travel account, Thelma?" he asked me.

"I think your funds are down to two more trips." I replied. Contributions had been slowing down.

"It might be time to give up that part of my TDG life," he said. "Maybe I need to do more camping with Len."  

"Maybe, let's wait and see." I would make a suggestion at our next executive committee meeting to send Rich some more travel money.

One evening, I was unlocking my bicycle outside my apartment. I was planning for a little ride on the trails of Battenor River. A rugged white man called at me: "Hey miss!"

He was middle-aged. A bit overweight. Jeans, t-shirt and baseball cap. He looked rumpled, but clean. By this time, my bike was unlocked, and I positioned it between him and myself.

"Have you ever thought about how we are governed?"

Now that was a surprise! "Not really."

He stopped about ten feet away from me. I calmed down a little. "So you don't pay much attention to politics?"

"Well, my parents think about that all the time. They're active in the Democratic Party."

"Really? I used to be quite active in the Republican Party."  

"So now you're a Democrat?"

"Nope. Neither the Democrats or the Republicans know how to move this country forward."

"So you're helping to start a new political party?"

"Not really. I am helping to build a new democracy. One without political parties."

"How's it possible to have a government without political parties?"

"The inventor of this system has it all figured out. We have to learn a few new things to make it work."

"Tell me more."

"Well, I could be here all night explaining this to you. And I don't fully understand it yet. Next Thursday, I"m hosting a meeting at my place to get started. Are you interested?"

"Maybe...Can I bring a friend?"

"The more, the merrier."

"I'm Thelma Delgers."

"Sorry about not introducing myself. I'm Rich Ridell. I live about four blocks from here. Your father's the lawyer in town?"

Two weeks later, Stacey and I were helping to draft a new local TDG constitution for Northwest Riverbend.