Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste.

-- Arthur Helps

You did it!

For the 15th summer in a row, summer vacation readers have managed to share a postcard from all 50 states -- and the District of Columbia.

Utah was the last holdout, but when I mentioned that in a late July column, the cards began to come in.

Dick Drisko said he wanted to make sure we got a Utah card. "Park City is beautiful," he wrote.

Pete and Annette Crawford, of North Augusta, were in Salt Lake City and dropped in a postcard.

And both Alexandra Sionina and Jim and Kelly Richards added cards as well. The latter wanted to say hello to James and Edith Richards, of Belvedere.

Thanks again to everyone for another successful summer.

-

SPEAKING OF THANKS: Let me express some familial gratitude to Gail at the Delta Air Lines office here in Augusta.

My younger sister flew to Norfolk, Va., last Friday from Atlanta, but her luggage did not seem to be around. She called several Delta phone numbers and offices before ending up with a woman named Gail, who said she was working here in the Augusta office.

Gail got someone in Norfolk to look again, and the missing suitcase was quickly located and sent to my sister's hotel, much to her delight.

She now knows that people in Augusta are naturally helpful problem solvers.

On the other hand, two days later my 20-year-old nephew spent more than 24 hours in the Norfolk airport trying to make a connecting flight to Charlotte.

His opinion of airlines is not so positive.

-

MORE BASEBALL CARDS: Sean, Stephanie and Hudson Crites send a summer postcard showing Boston's famous Fenway Park. And Jason Miller, a lifelong Yankees fan from Aiken, sends a card showing Yankee Stadium. He was there July 23 -- the same day I was.

Elsewhere, Norman and Margaret Taylor send a card from Martha's Vineyard. Dewey and Pam Kitchens, of Grovetown, say Mount Rainier is "wonderful." Pat and Wayne Fuller, of North Augusta, brag on Atlantic City, N.J.'s saltwater taffy.

Susan and Charles, also from North Augusta, send a card from Cherokee, N.C., to report that Jackson Davis, of Richmond, Va., enjoyed going to Santa Land.

And Carol Sayers, of Augusta, went all the way to Pennsylvania for her 50th high school reunion.

-

TODAY'S TRAVEL JOKE: Sally phoned her husband, Bill, at work for a chat.

"I'm sorry, dear," said Bill, "but I'm up to my neck in work today. I don't have time to chat."

Sally replied, "But I've got some good news and some bad news for you, dear."

"OK, darling," said Bill, "but as I've got no time right now, just give me the good news."

"OK," agreed Sally. "Well, the air bag works!"