To my cousin Gregory Felando, whose interests and tenacity kept my work on course. Without Greg’s encouragement this book would never have been written.

To my cousins Sveto and Seka Felanda and their daughter, Kalina Lesica whose support, translations and stories added credit to all of the pieces of the puzzle, and whose hospitality made the trips to Komiza all that more worthwhile.

To my friends Mary and John Vidovich, who made the First Great Adventure possible, and the Second Great Adventure a trip of a lifetime.

To Nelda Stanojevich, Marina, Mane, and Dino Karakas, and most of all the great guide and translator Veljko Karakas, whose hospitality and concern were a true joy.

To my wife Carolyn, who went through the war zone and beyond to encourage me to finish this work.

To the following people whose technical assistance is greatly appreciated:

Tony Bucci, Phoenix, Arizona, for all his help in editing, composition and format.

Miryana Dragoyevich, San Pedro, California for extensive translations.

Kalina Lesica, Bellingham, Washington, for many translations.

Joanne Takai, Center Quick Print, Orange, California, for the layout, design and setup of the printing of this book.

Jim Carvin, Carvin-Wang International, Anaheim, California, web page design and hosting.