Until Saturday when the Regional happens you will have to settle for what I have available to shoot pictures of... today it was mostly flowers after we arrived and had lunch...

Fine looking flowers Paul! I really like that bottom one. Can you tell me what flower that is? Sure would like to have one of those somewhere around the house. Hope everyone has a great time and please get some pictures on here for those of us who can only wish we were there!!!

Bert

I'll second that Bert. Dito for me!

Shortcake

The flower on the bottom right is a Solid Gold St Clair Thumbnail. It is one of a kind!!

The flower on the left is the Gold Plated Pewter St Clair lighthouse that is waiting to have diamonds mounted in the lantern room windows... All of the Bill/Nancy event winner's names are going in the hat at the end of the event signings and one name will be drawn out to see who will win the Diamond Encrusted Gold Plated St Clair Lighthouse!!

We had a very special Wacko gathering for supper tonight...

from left to right:
My wife, Sue, Fred, Mo, St. John, JJ & John the owner of the restaurant, who was sitting in for me and fit right in with the rest of the Wackos present!

Sure looks like an "A" table to me Paul! Is that really JJ? He looks about 30 years younger than the last time I saw him!

It must be the California air, Mombo!!

adding a couple of more flower shots...


One man's weed's are another man's flowers!



As Sue was saying as we arrived back at our hotel, "I could live out here if it wasn't for the high cost of living and the fact that it's going to fall into the ocean some day!"

A few pictures from this afternoon's Open House at Harbour Lights..
I will add captions later..

Ooooo - excellent photos Paulie! Especially the indoor shots. Keep 'em coming.

T

Great Photos wish I was there!

I see that J.C. is also using his back for advertising too....

Wow good pictures Paul.
The couple in that last photo, who are looking at the computer, well I kinda feel sorry for them. You see that is Joe and Sue, Joe was the bus driver for our tour of the west coast and by the end of the tour we had turned both of them into certified Lighthouse lovers. Not to mention we signed them up for the HL collectors Club. It would seem that the Wacko infection has claimed 2 more victims.

Great photos Paul. Seeing all the pictures makes me feel as if I am there enjoying all the fun. I'm looking forward to the pictures from New Point Loma and the Regional this afternoon. Have fun.
Judy

Paul...thanks for the photos...will be anxiously watching for more!

Thanks for taking those of us that couldn't get to San Diego along for a bit of a "virtual tour".

Judy

Actually it also claimed the couple talking to Bill in the lobby, also... they are friends of another couple of Wackos that came to the open house...

I wondered how long it would take before someone recognized Joe & Sue from the lighthouse pixie's west coast trip..

Great pictures Paul. Thanks for sharing them with those of us that couldn't make the regional. It does make it all the more urgent that I save my nickels and dimes & some vacations days from work so I can go to one!

And what kind of goodies were in those polka dot bags??

Thanks for the great pictures Paul. I am looking forward to the New Point Loma pictures too. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am to not be there. I was realy looking forward to seeing you all. I couldn't leave Diana here to do all of the packing for our move by herself. Besides I needed to be sure the Harbour Lights got packed right .Your pictures help a lot but its just not the same as being there .

Dale

It was an overcast day which didn't help the pictures any, but it did keep the temperature just about perfect!


There were several games including ring toss...


What you had to ring and what you won...


There were caricatures being done like at the San Diego Reunion for the collectors... The Abbott's enjoyed having theirs done!


There was another artist doing body painting... Lighthouses were very popular!


Everybody got the chance to paint their own lighthouse.. the St Clair Lighthouse, some of them were very well done!


Bill of course had his signing area and spent time with everyone who stopped by his tent!

Fred was enjoying the day and the lunch that was provided, he is choosing the very best cooked hot dog (cooked by Blair, Kim's husband)...


I told you lighthouses were very popular!


Betty and John visit Charlie at his club's table.. sort Southeast and Southwest meets the West!


The artist enjoyed having this much canvas to work with!!


The hit of the day was the pie eating contest...


The crowd was all pulling for their favorite..

Blair was really getting into his pie!


There was a Harbour Lights fashion show, showing the new line of shirts, hats and jackets... employees and their families were the models!


The Mc Bee's presented Bill back the couple off of his 50th anniversary cake that won at last year's Rosemont Regional.. Carolyn included pictures and touches from St Louis (their home town) in the display for Bill and Nancy to keep!


Kim is with a couple of the drawing winners... their prizes were a couple of #10 HL's out of Bill's collection.. they were the Grand Traverse and the set of Morris Island lighthouses!

Speaking of Grand Traverse when Kim yelled out what the lighthouse about to be given out was, she said something like, "Great Lakes light,how would you all like to have the next reunion there" probably doesn't mean a thing, but I just thought I would mention it


The Gold Southeast Block on the Move winners are from left to right:
Dave Dutcher, Lake Forest, CA; Justin Marsh, Ridgecrest, CA; D. Dutcher, Lake Forest, CA..
Winners not present are:
Cathy Plansky, Bradenton, FL and David Martin, Sturgeon Bay, WI where Bill has a signing next Sunday!

No Roy or Dave in the pie eating contest? or was it for amateurs only?

That's my email address, Mark. In case any 'hot collector babes' wanted to get in touch with me...

As you might expect, HL came up with 'goodie bags' for those who came to the open house -- about 30 in all.

Some had a GLOW, some a Little Light, all had a coffee cup, and a Spyglass piece.

Nancy was out of town for the weekend at a Balloon event. Bill had returned from Chile on Thursday afternoon -- can we expect a Chilean light a year or so down the road?

Harry leaves for China today -- first China trip for any HLers since SARS.

Great set of event pictures. You really captured the fun we had. The San Diego weather cooperated for an very enjoyable day, from registration, through the games, meeting old and new friends, to the lunch (and of course the desserts), the various drawings, and on to the final drawings. The two Mark Sherman pictures were fantastic! I would have loved to win one, but was happy with what I did get (I'm sitting in the last picture--you figure out which one I am).

Harbour Lights outdid themselves with this Regional. I hope future regional events are as good.

Paul,

Thanks again for the great pictures of the San Diego Regional. Made me feel like I was right there with the group. Great pictures of what appears to have been a great regional.

Bert

Are those identical twins that won the gold?

Even the bottons and pins on the shirt are in identical places and twisted in the same direction.

I assume at least one of them is Beacon...I just don't know which one!

John, I've got to tell you - there have been a lot of rough days as of late, but your comment about the "hot collector babes" gave me a much needed chuckle. Thank you.

"hot collector babes" Yea I got a chuckle too, after all, isn't that why Dave made up the Wacko badges for the rest of us?

LOL Good point Mark. Just don't let on to the wife...I got her one too

Larry -- you appear to be the first to notice the similarity of two winners of Gold Regional Exclusives -- That's "Dave Dutcher" and his evil twin "D. Dutcher". Dave won TWO-count-em TWO gold plated pieces. His name was drawn on two consecutive pulls from the big box 'o entries.

Congratulatiosn Dave! (And 'D')

It's Magic!!

Hey Paul, if you stand in the bright sun I bet that lighthouse on your head would reflect a pretty powerful beacon! LOL

This is the Bus Driver and his wife of the West Coast Marathon Tour checking in. Yes, Eric you are right! I think we are certified light house lovers. Besides the beautiful light houses and magnificent scenery we have met such WONDERFUL people on the tour and at the San Diego Regional. We look forward to more tours and parties! Sue

Great pics, Paul! Thank you for sharing them!

Lorna & I are looking forward to attending the Regional on Long Island. Is there any further info on that Regional as far as exact location, times, hotels, etc.? I've been away and haven't been checking CF as much as I usually do.

Bob