To the Ladies and Gentlemen of X Marks the Scot,

As the first recipient of the XMTSAS Saltire, I believe I have some entitlement to profer my feelings in public. I beg your indulgence and thank you for your time.

On August 27, 2008, my wife and I arrived in San Jose, California to spend some time with people we had met over the internet. We had spoken a time or two on the phone prior to our departure but the majority of our contact was through this forum.

Our desire to meet these people was greatly due to the show of hospitality, fun and friendship that was evident in the stories and pictures that were posted on this forum.

My wife and I were welcomed into their home as members of the family not the total strangers that we were. In a matter of hours it was like we had been there all the time. At the conclusion of our first night together, I was presented with the Saltire and instructed to carry it home. It was to spend some time with me and then be sent off to another member of the forum, promoting the friendship that begins on the forum and grows from there.

Over the next four days we had a great time, some spent with our new friends and some exploring on our own. The Saltire visited some funky eateries and saw great sites. It attended its' first kilt night at my local.

I sent it on its' way knowing that the journey it was beginning would be most wonderous indeed. And it most surely has been.

But like any journey, it would eventually end and so it seems that time has come. It is only fitting that the saga will end whence it began.

The Saltire was crafted and intended to be used as a rallying tool, something that Xmarkers could gather around and call their own, a "reason" to hold a kilt night, a barbecue or any gathering where people would get together and enjoy the fellowship and good times that wearing a kilt and being a forum member embodied.

But in reality, it is still only a piece of painted wood. The joy I have experienced in making new friends and reading of the friendships that others have made is invaluable. That is the Saltires' legacy. I am certain that no member that has hosted the Saltire will forget their time with the good ship but it is time to move on.

As others have posted, perhaps a new "mascot" will come about, perhaps multiples. If they are created and forwarded in the same spirit of "clan" that the Saltire was, we are in good shape.

Jamie, thank you for whatever prompted you to begin this project, this uniting of the Xmarks clan. May the wee ship now rest at ease, her journey ended and her mission accomplished.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your passion for the Saltire and what she represents is truly admirable and I hope that you will welcome as warmly whatever the next item is that unites us and gives us cause to join together and share a pint, a laugh, a good meal and anything that makes life just a bit more enjoyable.