Sue and I drove to Port Washington after getting off work on Friday night. The following are some images as we work our way towards Door County, and then some Door County Walk Images, then a few images from the Door County Wacko Event..


We start with Sue's breakfast in Port Washington.. Raspberry Oatmeal Sundae!!


Next, wild flower image for Mom!


We then stop for a quick return visit to the Old Port Washinton Light Station..


A look down at the Port Washington Lighthouse and the harbor from in front of the Light Station.


The dark cloud-like smoke above the Manitowoc Lighthouse is smoke from the Badger Ship that had just left the port before we arrived..


Onward North to Rawley Point Lighthouse near Two Rivers, WI.. It is a must do lighthouse for Harbour Lights, soon.. A huge beautiful house and and really nice skeletal tower..

The Rawley Point Lantern Room..


I found the seagulls who must be practicing for the remake of Hitchcock's Birds!!


Their traing grounds were at Kewaunee Lighthouse!


Finally we are in Door County and we stopped by Sherwood Point Lighthouse which is only open to the public during this one time of the year..


The onward to Bailey's Harbor and the Range Lights there..

They did a wonderful job on the boardwalk between the range light and the residence, both open for climbing..

The reverse view from the residence back towards the other range light..

The Door County volunteers welcome the walkers to the Range Light and provide them with information..


Fred is welcomed by Kim and Becky to the Sandpiper Restaurant for the fish boil and the event..

The the big moment of the boil (I saved the best image for an upcoming legacy, Rachel).

Kim assists in the serving of the fish and chicken, also..

It looks like Roger is enjoying the chicken..

Sue presents Dan with the #24 Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse that the Hoosier Lighthousing Club raffled off to raise funds for the Old Michigan City Lighthouse...


The winners of the painting created by Audrey of the AMO Gallery & Framery were Fred and his daughter-in-law.. It was raffled off by the WILD Club to raise funds for lighthouse restoration.


Wacko Ken Gebhardt (Charlotte, NC) won the exclusive Gold Plated pewter version of the HL Bailey's Harbor Range Lights!

Most of the Wacko's then gathered back at the Birchwood Lodge for the group picture and some lighthouse stories sharing..

Fantastic! I miss you all. Looks like you had/have great weather and the lighthouses all look great.

Love to see all those WACKO badges!

Can't wait for the captions. Thanks for sharing, Paul, as usual.

P.S. Is that the Ancient Mariner with a goatee??

There's the captions, John, and yes he is sporting a goatee! You were missed, John!!

Thanks Paul!

Hey GebbyK -- congratulations you've got a one-of-a-kind gold plated piece!

Great pictures Paul, thanks for sharing.
Congratulations to the winners! And in my mind that includes all the folks lucky enough to be able to attend

Paul you sure have a way with your great pictures. That very first one wet my appetite to go right down the list. Fantastic all around. Thanks for sharing them.

Bert

Great images. I just walked in the door. Us Wackos that were on the Ludington Car Ferry home had a nice voyage. LOTS of digital shots to sort through but I will have some postings up in the next day or so.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself this weekend! It was so nice to put faces with names.

Great pictures Paul. As Usual, we had a great time, although never enough time to see everyone. I gotta say though, that bald guy in the green shirt sitting at Roger's table should be wearing a hat don'cha think?

Mike
(bald guy in the green shirt)

Especially in front of the big window with the sunshine pouring onto the head!!

Great pictures as usual, Paul. They really tell the story of the event, and make me a little envious of those who were able to attend.

However, they also whet my appetite for Oakland in July.

Congrats to the winners!

Bruce

It is wonderful to see the pics Paul. Everyone looks like they are having another great time. Congratulations to you all, sure wish we could have been in two places at the same time.

Ron
(CT Keeper)

As much as I wish I could have been there (pending work issue with my employer prevented it) I would recommend that anyone who takes responsibility for taking care of my wife (ahem, Suzanne) that you please remind her that she needs sunscreen and sleep. Letting her come home at 1am on a work night is definately beyond her norm, and she is a little "crabby" today and just a little lobsterish (as noted in the group picture) as well

Larry,

We ALL took REAL good care of Lucinda...

We missed you!

Yes Larry, while we sure missed you, we had a great time with Lucinda. Sorry you got the cranky version, we sure didn't!

I finally got in to Syracuse tonight around 10:30. We sat on the runway in Green Bay for an hour and 45 minutes, due to storms in Detroit. Almost long enough to turn into a real cheese head! Missed my connection by 30 seconds or so.

There were many of us, including me, on the upper deck of the boat that were rather red faced from wind burn that none of us realized was happening. You could really tell later in the day, who had been on the boat!

Sleep, whats that? I had about 4 hours of sleep each night. I even lost my voice.

We were very concerned about Lucinda driving home, that is why we asked her to call us when she got there.

Larry, give her a break, she went to the event alone and we included her in everything. We enjoyed her company. She really felt bad for you that you couldn't go.

Didn't even think about the sunshine Paul, that must come from years of hat wearing experience eh?

Mike

Well Hello All
OK Folks this is my very first Post, and I wanted to say that I had a wonderful weekend at Door County. I got to see friends I have not seen in too long of a time and made a whole lighthouse full of new ones. The lighthouses were great and the company even better. And I want to thank Susanne and Pam for their hard work and many hours of planning for this event. You both deserve a pat on the back. So anyway I hope to see most of you again in Sept for the Manitowac Lighthouse Walk.

I'd add the big guy from Kokomo to the list of those deserving a pat on the back. Thanks Dave, Pam and Susanne and any others involved for putting it all together. An event like this kinda helps re-kindle the lighthouse flame, at least in the few of us that need a little re-kindling now and then. Now I just want to know how you're going to top yourselves!

Mike

Don't forget to thank Becky and Kim for their part!

Harbour Lights really went that extra mile so the Mid-West would have an event this year...

I hope I didn't give anyone stomach flu...I have been flat in bed all day...thatnk goodness I didn't get it last weekend!!

We want to thank everyone for the GREAT event. We had a lot of fun and we want to thank everyone for making us feel so welcome and a part of the group at our first Wacko gathering. We can't wait to attend the next one.

Mindy and Adam


PS Hopefully we will get to post some of our pictures soon, it's crazy trying to get packed to move to our new house next week.

My school friends still can't understand why I would have gone all the way to Wisconsin for the weekend. Well, they just don't know the power of the Wacko group. Thanks to everyone who helped organize, represented HLs, and came from all over the US for a really splendid weekend. A special thank you to Ruthie and Terry for putting up with me all weekend.

See a lot of you in San Francisco in July.
Derith

I had a bit of trouble Friday finding the correct streets to get me to the Manitowoc lighthouse but eventually found it....just at the right time!

Very nice photos, Paul! It looks like you had nice weather on your drive to Door County.

This was my first Door County lighthouse walk and my first wacko gathering. Although we didn't spend as much time with the group as we would have liked, we enjoyed the time we spent with the Wackos. Suzanne and Judy made me feel welcome from the first moment I met them on the boat on Friday afternoon! My husband Randy was so excited to win the Fresnel lens! I'm glad I got to meet Sue (Mombo), Adam & Mindy from Minnesota, and the rest of you...

Tammy

I was merely poking a little fun at her, nothing bad meant by it towards anyone. She had a blast, and yet 2 days later is still in "recovery mode". I think she made the transition this weekend, from sitting on the sidelines for HL to full enjoyment. I've said this before, we belong to a number of collectors groups, but this is truly a collectors family, and I more than anyone, appreciate you guys taking her in.

I too wish that I could have went, but if the news that I am getting from work is to be believed, I think I am going to be going "on vacation", perhaps as early as tomorrow. Hopefully calmer heads will prevail and the two sides can come to an agreement, but right now its far from looking good.

I am still in recovery mode myself. I think I could sleep for several days if I had the chance! I still don't have my voice back.

Nice photo Mombo!

It indeed was very nice to meet many people for the first time!

Mindy and Adam - good luck with the move to your house. The pictures of it looked great.

Thanks so much for sharing the photos and your Door County trip. We are going up in the fall with the USLHS but probably won't have half as much fun as being with all you Wackos!!

Judy and Bill

It was great to meet all of the WACKOS and WILD members this past weekend. Thank you for such a warm welcome, It was great to put faces with names.
I was very disappointed that I could not join in the caravan on Sunday. My better half was feeling pretty under the weather so I had to move a his pace.
The pictures that were going around Satruday night of one of the WACKOS collection was just amazing!! I don't think I could fill one of those cabnits!! I was able to pick up six Harbour Lights pieces while I was in Door County, so my collection of Harbour Lights is growing slowly.
I am looking forward to attend more events and get more involed with the WILD group.
Thanks so much!!
Jessie
(CanaLover)

I want to thank Twiggy not only for driving the van, but for donating the HL156 Point Arena, CA piece for the raffle. I know the couple who won it truly appreciate the value and beauty of the piece!

I had a bit of trouble Friday finding the correct streets to get me to the Manitowoc lighthouse but eventually found it....just at the right time!

?????????

Sue, come on, you should have been able to find it with your eyes closed. The Budweiser brewery is just to your right from where that picture was taken (on the south side of the canal)

This is a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of the very special people who made this past weekend GREAT. Suzanne, Dave, Pam did a fantastic job in getting this off the ground when snow was covering the ground. It is an amazing group of people who come together to enjoy each others company and both talk about and go see one of their favorite structures in the world. LIGHTHOUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HERE IS A BIG THANK YOU AND HUG!!!!!!!!

Can't wait till we meet again.

Mary and Jeff

Mark, some time ago Jakers gave me a photo of that big sign with the beer bottles on it. As I was driving around looking for the right streets to the lighthouse I looked up and WOW, there was that sign! I had forgotten just where it was so sure was surprised to see it.

Great photos as usual Paul. Thanks, it's always nice to be able to come home and re-live the experience with your posts.

Many thanks are in order to all who worked so hard to make this a wonderful event. Pam and Suzanne for all of the advance leg work, Dave for the organization (and let's not forget all of Rachaels effort - including giving up her hard to get Island Cruise ticket), and of course Kim, Becky and the whole H/L gang.

AK and I had a great time again - seeing old friends and once again making new friends. How do you top: The dedication at Potowattomie, climbing the tower at Cana, and having a picnic lunch on the grounds of Sherwood?

Our trip home was long and wet, we made a stop at Suel Choix, and when we got home there was a message from Door Co Maritime Museum saying that AK had won the Macquarie in their raffle.

Thanks to all for a memorable weekend.

Roger & AK

Was looking for some coverage of the Walk, especially the ceremony at Pottawatomie. This is all I found but Suzanne got a quote.

http://www.wbay.com/global/story.asp?s=342490&ClientType=Printable

thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures of Door County. Wish I could have been there to see the lighthouses myself but since I couldn't, thanks for sharing, Paul.

Eskilady

John and I want to add our big THANKS to Suzanne, Pam, Dave, Kim, and Becky. I'm sure there are more people to thank that were also behind the scenes helpers.

We couldn't have had a nicer time for our first visit to Wisconsin. The weekend weather was beautiful and we were able to meet up with lots of old and new friends.

We stayed after the Door County weekend and worked our way down Lake Michigan seeing all the lights to Grosse Point. We spent Monday with Suzanne, Pam, Twiggy, Judy, and Ken (the gold Bailey's Harbor winner). We started the day at Algoma and saw every light down to Sheboygan. At the end of the day, Suzanne, Pam, and Twiggy left for home. Judy headed for Michigan for a graduation.

Tuesday morning, John, Ken Gebhardt, and I finished the rest of the lower Lake Michigan lights ending at Kenosha. Ken left early Wed. morning to try and get in as many light as he could going as far as Michigan City. John and I saw Waukegan and Grosse Point before flying out of O'Hare last night.

Overall, we saw 32 lights in 5 days!

Wow Mombo! You found my "on camera" TV interview I did at Sherwood Point a few years ago! I am glad they used a good quote!

Hey I can't let The Lighthog out DO me, I too got a call from Trudy of the Door Co. Maritime Museum. It seems I have won the Open Edition of Cape Neddick (Nubble) Me. It was nice to see another one of our group win something plus we helped OUR Lighthouses.

Thanks for the photos Paul! They look great. I had a wonderful time and really appreciate all the organizational work that went on by all involved, especially Pam, Suzanne, Dave, Kim, Rachel and everyone from the WILD club.

I arrived home late yesterday and have wonderful memories of the Wacko Gathering and the trip to Pottawatomie. The boat trip on Friday was a bit cold and damp but Saturday and Sunday were fantastic. After leaving the caravan on Sunday I spent the night in Escanaba just as the rain made another appearance. By morning it was all gone leaving behind blue skies. My trip across the UP was excellent though a bit lonely without any Wackos along. The lighthouse tower that remains at Peninsula Point was an experience in itself but that is another story.

Graduation was great at Interlochen with only intermitten light rain. Brian was so happy to see that me that he let his Mom and I take several of his friends and him to dinner. (They kept telling us not to eat on campus it seems they serve mystery meat on Wednesdays.)

P.S. Twiggy, I found my lost items while on the ferry to Mackinaw Island.

Hey Sunshine
So Glad to hear the rest of you trip was good. I really did enjoy Door County,and getting to know you Better . Was very Happy to hear you found your lost items I know you were worried about never having them again. :rolleyes:
See you soon

Well after a week I finally made it home. What an absolutly great time I had in Wisconsin. This was the first time I actually got involved with the Wacko group and what a great time I had.

Many thanks to all of the hard work and dedication that was put into this great event.

Special thanks to Kim & Becky and Suzanne & Pam.

Also thanks to John & Lorie Roe for letting me hang out with them for 4 days. What a great couple.

Also Twiggy for leading, Roy & Carolyn for the laughs, C-Brian and Ken R , Mombo & Mrs TLC for the smiles, Dereth for the drive and of course I cannot leave out Dave H for that long drawn out reading of my winning number to win the Bailey's Harbor Gold pieces.

I have now found the meaning of hanging out with all of you great Wacko people. You will definatly see me more often. Like it or not!!!!!!!!

Thanks again for the great time.

Ken

A great big THANK YOU goes out to Suzzane, Pam, Dave, Kim and Becky. The weekend was a huge success filled with fun and laughter. It was great to see everyone again and have a chance to make some new friends. We know when we get together with other lighthouse lovers (WACKO's)that we are in for a fun time.

When we left on Monday we made it to the airport in plenty of time. After several delays we finally made it out of Green Bay only to arrive in Chicago to find our St. Louis bound flight had been cancelled. Thankfully they had created another flight in its place but it was delayed leaving for about 90 minutes. We finally made it home Monday night only to find that our luggage was probably still in Green Bay. We stood in a line of about 30 people to file a "lost luggage claim". The baggage gods must have been watching over us because just as we were leaving the claims office they showed up with our suitcase.

Ken, glad to have you join us. Don't forget to let us know when you will be back in St. Louis again.

Mindy and Adam, good luck with the new house.

Hey Twiggy, we also had a phone message from the museum informing us that we had won Fisqard in the raffle. What a great way to raise funds for such a worthwhile cause. Way to go WACKO's.

Hey Sunshine, I have some great photos of your items in case they ever come up missing again.

I looked this thread up for some information for the book so I thought I would bring it back to the top for WACKO's to reminisce a little...

Once again I looked up this thread for information, this time to answer a question, so I thought I would bring it back to the top again for WACKO's to reminisce a little...

Another area I must get to!

Yes you must, you guys and the Pixie need to come to the Midwest. Sue and I would gladly tag along and re-visit Door County any time... We have probably been to some of the lights 6 to 8 times..

Thanks for the trip down memory lane Paul. Sure do miss those days! It would be fun to have another one some time.....

Mike

Paul, Derith was at this event but had to leave a day early I think. (See her post above as Nana). It's hard to believe it was so long ago and nearly 6 years since I've seen my Wacko friends....

You are correct, she is in the middle of the group picture, she still has plenty of Great Lakes Lighthouses to visit, though.. She is Bob's personal guide though..