deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

It is with great pleasure, I fly the flag of our namesake: Flanders. It is the Dutch speaking northern portion of Belgium. It is ‘Vlaandeeren’ in Dutch; ‘Flandre’ in French and ‘Flandern’ in German. The capital is The City of Brussels.

It is not the largest, in land area, of Belgium, but it does have the largest percentage of the population. From 862 Flanders was a country of great influence and power in Europe. The Count of Flanders was considered one of the ‘Twelve Peers’, or equals, of Europe for hundreds of years.

Through it’s location and wise, shrewd ‘management’ Flanders remains a major state in modern Europe.

The flag is known as the ‘Flemish Lion’ or ‘The Lion Flag’. It is a direct descendent of the coat of arms of The Counts of Flanders. It has been in existence for over 900 years.

And now for the personal connection. The ancient ‘urban’ myth says a baby orphan was found in a field and since no one knew whose it was, they named it Flanders.