As Willie would say "We're on the road again"...

Drove in drizzle and light spitting snow most of the day, but the sun came out as we went to dinner in New Stanton, PA. Tomorrow we we stop at some stores and stay about 10 miles or so from Sandy Hook and Navesink..


[This message has been edited by engbrady (edited 04-03-2002).]

Day 2

The captions are under each picturer...


Our first lighthouse of the trip, right on the Pennsylvania turnpike....



The signs of Spring were everywhere... but the beautiful sunny day was cold going through the mountains, high of 34 .



This guy was welcoming us to the great little cafe for lunch...



Sue was in Heaven as we drove in to Hershey PA, to do retired at retail at a store selling Harbour Lights the whole town smelled like a chocolate bar..



Now that's some BIG KISS....


[This message has been edited by engbrady (edited 04-06-2002).]

Day 3



You know you stayed at the right place when you see this on the side of their garage.....



Heading into the Sandy Hook Park you get this great view of Navesink overlooking the town of Highlands and the harbor.....



As I climbed back down from getting this different angle of Sandy Hook, Sue pointed out the hazardous/keep out of the area sign...really I didn't see it on the way to climbing up on top of the bunker..



Dennis Whelan meet the Hannums and us for a personal guided tour of the tower and the keepers house..



We stopped at a store in South Amboy and while there asked them to recommend a place for lunch.... the name said this had to be the right place (just wrong spelling)



Once inside we knew we were in the right place and the food was Great too!



JJ insisted that I shoot this shot of Ron, since I put him and Dave on the Internet eating...



[This message has been edited by engbrady (edited 04-06-2002).]

Great pics, as usual...I see some familiar faces of some really nice people too. So Ron, is that pie & ice cream I see you eating? Sure looks good. Oh Sue, hope you can find some of those new beanies that just came out. That "Pop" bear looks cute. Sure wish Terry and I were meeting all you guys too. Have a great time and looking forward to more pics from you Paul.

Ruthie

[This message has been edited by MrsTLC (edited 04-06-2002).]

The person in the tower with the Fresnel is Dennis Whelan. He was the host guide at Sandy Hook. Not sure who took the tour but I know he was meeting the Bradys and Hannums -- they were meeting too early in the day for Jim & Mike to get there.

Mike called me last night from the restaurant (that's him sitting across from Ron -- I'd know that head anywhere!) and I talked to Bill. Sounds like they had a nice crowd and were having a good time, but Bill thought that I should be there and Mike should be home watching the dogs!

Patty

We should keep Sue & Paul on the road all the time (lol). Their road trips are always interesting and it's so nice to be able to see the pics and know what the rest of us are missing.

Lorna & I could not attend the regional in NJ but I'm hoping Paul's pics will bring the regional to us.

Keep those photos coming, Paul!

Bob

[This message has been edited by Bob M (edited 04-06-2002).]

Hmmmm! I'm getting concerned! It's 1715 hours and there hasn't been one post about how the regional meeting went in New Jersey.

I'm hoping the "connected collectors" scored big time in the prize columns!

Bob

Bob... they must be having a great time. It's now 18:38 and nothing yet.

Paul... thanks for the shots. I'm really enjoying all the details about your road trip. Remember... you can purchase bags of cocoa bean shells around Hershey and use them in place of mulch around your planted beds. They keep bugs away, and everytime it rains, it smells like chocolate! I have a friend who goes up that way every year and purchases several bags. Have a great trip!

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

Okay guys, here's a little of the news as Mike & JJ just called to check in.

They didn't know anyone who won a gold. I'm sure Paul will post pictures later.

One wacko won our club's AP Hudson Athens -- Donna Martell.

Paul, Thanks for the pics and the details. That flower shot has some awesome color. :-)
Congrats Donna, way to go!!!


terry
[This message has been edited by TERRY BARFIELD (edited 04-06-2002).]

I thought there was a rule that at least two of the "Golden Ones" had to go to CF Wackos?

Whatsup with that? Did somebody forget to get the bag to Bill?

Great pictures Paul!

Congratulations Donna! WOW! An AP! Great piece!

John, we're saving them for all of us at Rosemont!

Just received a call from a Gold Winner from the Regional...Congratulations New Jersey and Vermont lighthouse collectors!

Congratulations!

Nice going there Donna!

It will be tomorrow night when we stop for the evening before I will be able to get some pictures posted in this thread of todays regional... I am working on getting images of the Regional to El Cajon (via the Internet) for the next Legacy first since they are under a deadline to get it published..

BTW there was a connected collector amongst the winners of the Gold-plated Ft Tompkins lighthouses... Wacko Bruce Ganas (Lightseeker)

Hey Congratulations Bruce. You've got that Midas touch!

Paul we are enjoying your reports and appreciate the time you can give us while traveling.

Thanks Paul and Sue for taking us with.
Pam

Thanks, John. I'm still in shock over my good fortune. I was having a fine time BEFORE the drawings!

It was nice seeing people again whom I'd met at previous events, plus meeting some Connected Collectors I'd not met before. Seeing some new HL's was also a treat - this year's Collector's Club piece is, IMO, spectacular. Dave Hannum did a great job with the Wacko badges, and Digger's painting was auctioned off for a tidy sum. BTW, for those who haven't seen one of his paintings in person: the internet doesn't do them justice.

Then the drawings . . .

Four of the five who won the gold were present. Since this year's rules allow up to two absentee winners, the one who was not there will have his shipped to him. A gold Hannibal, MO was also given out. Sue Brady took the names of all the winners, and I'm sure Paul will post them along with his next set of pictures.

Bruce

Congrats Bruce...it always makes us WACKO's happy to see one of our own winning.
Ruthie

It was great to see all the Connected Collectors and of course to go home with the AP of Hudson-Athens! Thanks to Mike & Dave for offering the chance to win it & all the work they do for their club.

Chatted with Ron & MJ, Dennis & Esther, Shirin, Paul & Sue, Mike& Dave, Bob Scroope and I believe it's Bob (cclighthousebuff).

I felt this Regional was better run than the last one in CT. only in that the drawings were held at the end which gave several hours to chat & visit the booths. At CT it seemed as if the raffles were held all afternoon which precluded going to the bathroom, chatting etc. because you were afraid you'd miss your number being called

There were many more clubs & lighthouse groups represented yesterday which made for a very interesting afternoon. There was plenty of easily accessible parking & the site wasn't too difficult to find esp. important for us out-of-staters.

Took a very few photos but others (Paul) were shooting away. No group picture that I was aware of like the last Regional.

Donna

Congratulations Bruce! What a great piece and one of the rarest!

Just talked to Paul who has switched their route home and needed to know if there were any HL dealers in the cities along the way. (Only one dealer along the route was an LE dealer; Paul sounded disappointed.)

Paul said Digger's painting went for $750!! Great going Steve! The funds are going to Michigan City Historical Society for the lighthouse.

Paul also said quite a number of the drawing entries came from collectors not in attendance.

Paul estimated about 300 were at the Regional.

We are in Fairmont, WV for the night.. when we get back from dinner I will post a couple of pictures from the regional...

The winner of the auction of Digger's painting was Judy Hall... Ron Foster was right in there until the end.

The the $750 will be a great start to one of the next projects at the lighthouse, which if it can happen will effect every vistor to the lighthouse. The Michigan City Society is hoping to be able to do a safe passage and new stairs to the lantern room so all who want to can climb up to it. It isn't safe for the general public at this time.

Paul

I wasn't at any of the Regionals last year, but I was told by many people there yesterday how much they enjoyed this one.

They mentioned the same thing Donna mentioned- a number of different groups and Lighthouses represented, time to sit and chat with people (although I don't recall too much sitting ) and the drawings being held all at the same time probably was better.

There was only one number drawn that nobeody answered too for the door prize. the other non answer was for the 4th Gold piece. That made at least one slightly unhappy/ happy person and one additional happy person- since they were only able to get 4 of the golds to the Regional they had a gold Signing Piece- Mark Twain Lighthouse as a substitute. If all of the winners were present the 5th one pulled would get the Mark Twain to keep and would have the Ft Tompkins gold shipped to them.

That did not happen since winner #4 was not there (as the rules allowed up to 2 not to be present). There was no 2 in 1 gold winner, but they did pull another name for the Mark Twain so there were 6 gold winners at the Spring Regional.

Of course, most of the people who were at the Regional left as happy camper- if they did not win a door prize or a Gold they still left with their memories of the Spring Regional. I can truthfully say that I did not see any unhappy people there.

Jim Johnson won one of the LE as a door prize.

I had a great time starting Friday morning when my wife Esther and I met Paul and Sue Brady along with Dave, Susan and Heather Hannum at Sandy Hook and gave them a tour of the Keeper's house and the Lighthouse.

It was great to meet some new people face to face and to talk in person to many that I had only conversed with online or on the phone.

We got to spend some quality time before and after the Regional at the hotel and the restaurants some of us went to.

I won't be able to get to Rosemont, but I;m hoping to get to the winter Regional somewhere in the south.

Great weekwnd- good times, good people.

Dennis

[This message has been edited by wheland (edited 04-08-2002).]

It was a great Regional in NJ yesterday. MJ and I really enjoyed seeing all of our Connected Collector family as well as meet new lighthouse lovers from various organizations.

As you can tell from the picture above, I didn't go hungry!! Actually, I must say that I haven't had a dessert like that for some time. I have been following a Weight Watchers diet and have lost 23 pounds (so that was a real treat). I'm glad that Paul caught this image, that way I can look at it whenever I get the urge to pig out again.

Digger's painting of Fort Tompkins raised $750 for lighthouse preservation. Nice painting Steve. Congratulations - it was a super hit. I actually gave it a good run but let it go after realizing the other person bidding was going to stop at "nothing" to get it (just what I didn't want to end up with, "nothing", and a bump on the head from MJ).

It was nice to meet Leslie from Harbour Lights. She has a much better understanding now of what a "wacko" really is, I'm sure.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures here Paul. I hope to get some pictures posted here in the very near future.

Ron
(CT Keeper)

I keep getting dumped off line by AOL here tonight so I will add some regional pics when I get home tomorrow night... below, if I can stay online long enough are two photos from today.


Of course today's lighthouse picture....


Today's flowering tree image...

Tomorrow Indy and home....

[This message has been edited by engbrady (edited 04-07-2002).]

Here's a photo from Ron Foster who asked I post it:


Bill and Shirin Pagels (with her "Ms. NELL" crown), along side Digger's painting of Fort Tompkins.





[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 04-07-2002).]

Thanks for what you've shown us so far Paul. Sure hope you didn't have one of those big trucks behind you as you pulled over for that "highway lighthouse"!

Thanks also to all the others who have given reports. Sounds like you had a great time. Missed being there and seeing those I've met and those I haven't. Wasn't in the cards this year as I'm planning a trip to see my daughter in Boston and hopefully some lights, possibly Martha's Vineyard, leaving Friday.

Great photo Ron of a couple of very nice looking people and one great painting! Nice to see Bill with a different tie! Looks like Shirin didn't want to be ID'd with that crown on her head as her badge is flipped!
(Thanks John)
[This message has been edited by mombo (edited 04-07-2002).]

The Regional was a great time! I was fortunate to win one of the gold Fort Thompkins. Also, my friend Rhonda also won a gold Fort Thompkins. Her husband John said he was shaking because we had both won. It was also great to renew old acquantances at the Regional.

Congratulation to all the winners! I really enjoyed catching up with all our harbour lights friends. Quite a turnout. Lots of Lighthouse Preservation info. Now look at Bill's tie. Is that a "Restore Cedar Island Lighthouse pin"? Why, yes it is! First a Congressman then a President! LOL

94 - 2 in college

Ron Foster sends along this image of some of the gathered WACKOs at the NE Regional.

Had a great time at the regional. Enjoyed meeting all the other members from the forums and getting my wacko badge. Along the way I also became a member of the Maurice River historical society which is working to restore East Point Light house and ended up helping out at their table for most of the afternoon. I wonder if Bill realized I came through the siging line twice and only had East Point pieces.

Great job every body.

Hank

Ron,

I see you (unlike Paul Brady) got my best side in the picture.

And you even spelled my name right.

Great weekend .

Dennis

Don't worry Ron, you still have 3 more chances to get one!

Digger, I sure would like to win one of the remaining chances. The only problem would be the cost of getting to the other Regionals around the country.

Ron
(CT Keeper)

As Ron Foster said, "It was a great Regional in NJ..."! The Courtyard that Dennis Whelan located was very nice, as were the two restaurants that we gathered in as groups. It was super to see some many wacko friends including, but not limited to, Paul and Sue Brady, Bob Scroope, Donna Martell, Dave, Susan and Heather (both on the way down, and in NJ), Hal and Betty Dean, Ron and MJ, Frank Carbone and his wife, Shirin Pagels and Lightseeker Bruce. It was a pleasure also, to meet Dennis and Esther, and Carol Z in person for the first time.
The New Jersey group did a great job setting up the club and helping with all those assorted jobs and all the groups that were present were super too.
Most of all, thanks to Bill Younger and HL for giving so much to us as collectors, both in donated gifts, and in time and effort. Good luck to Leslie, who is taking over some of Maureen's duties and is recovering, I am sure, from her first overdose of Wackos.
Last but not least, Thanks to all that supported our club's efforts to raise funds for Fort Niagara by buying tickets or prints.
Jim
Johnson

Finally looked at the few digital photos I took at th Regional. This one is early afternoon as Jim & Mike were selling the raffle tickets for the AP Hudson Athens which is sitting in the foreground (and now in my collection!)

I had mentioned in an earier post that Dave had drawn my winning ticket, it was in fact Jim. I was so excited didn't know who made me the lucky winner.

I believe the fellow on the left is Jim Reese, don't remember his Forum name.

Donna


Oh well, tried to post the photo, I never have any trouble adding extra photos on Ebay

[This message has been edited by DeDo (edited 04-09-2002).]

[This message has been edited by DeDo (edited 04-09-2002).]

Agree with what Ron and Jim mentioned and also add thanks to Paul for those great pictures he took and to Dennis Wheland for a great job of helping organizing the event getting the hotel and dinner get together after the regional and helping us get to the hotel after the dinner get together.
A good time was had by all.
Hal

Donna, even though your photo didn't show up I'd hazzard a guess that the "fellow on the left" was Ken Reese?

Great photos Paul. I realy like the one of the Truck!

Looks like everyone had a realy great time, wish I could have been there!

Stephanie

Thanks for the pic's they are great and it's nice to put some face's to the names. We are talking about the winter regional. If grovel enough my wife might even consider CA where we could visit some friends at the same time. It's all in the timing.

Chuck


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bigdragon