Hello to all from Alexandria, VA.  I was just introduced to this site and it looks like a really great resource.  I have been sourdough baking for almost 40 years.  When I returned home from Viet Nam in 1971 I received my sourdough starter and instructions from my father who in 1969 had received his from a close friend who had just returned from a hunting trip northwest of Fairbanks.  He (dad's friend) had come across an old homesteader who shared his sourdough starter and tought him the basics. At the time the homesteader said the starter had been in his family 70 years.  I did not believe it at the time but since is has been in my family for 42 years since then, I am now a believer.  Son and one Daughter (of three) are also hooked on sourdough. Glad to be a member.