Okay, I guess it's time that I introduced myself. A fellow Lighthouse junkie pointed out to me last night that I haven't yet introduced myself. Sorry everyone, like usual - I just jumped right into the middle of things without a second look.

*Ahem* My name is BonnieJean Exum and I am a Lighthouse Junkie - otherwise known as a Lighthouse Peeper! I have always liked lighthouses, but never was able to visit any until 2½ years ago. I've lived in Florida my whole life and never even knew that Florida had any lighthouses - I'm from a small town and didn't get out much (plus the closest lighthouse is 2 hours away).

My first lighthouse was Ponce Inlet (a.k.a. Mosquito Inlet) during my honeymoon. We weren't even in the hotel room 2 minutes when I saw a lighthouse shining proudly from the cover of a tourist welcome book for Daytona Beach. I didn't care where the lighthouse was located; I just knew that we were going. I made a deal with my new husband – we'll go to Daytona Raceway today, but we go to the lighthouse tomorrow. The deal was struck and I've been hooked ever since.

I quickly learned that Florida had thirty lighthouses, so I joined the Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) shortly after. After being with the Association just one year, the president of the FLA asked me if I would be willing to become the Secretary of the FLA. It must have been my charming personality! Either that, or my uncanny ability of being in the right place at the wrong time. :p LOL Whatever the reasons were, I love my involvement with the FLA – we have over 600 members that love lighthouses as much as I do. Everyone is so wonderful & friendly and has dedicated so much to help save Lighthouses – not only the ones in Florida, but everywhere in the US. Some have even made saving lighthouses their life's work! I extend my respect and gratitude to each and every member of the Florida Lighthouse Association and all other Lighthouse Associations/Societies for their loyalty to the Lighthouses that have helped save so many lives throughout the years.

So far I have visited 25 of Florida's 30 Lighthouses, the missing 5 being Reef Lights. I have also visited Lighthouses in Georgia, S. Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Michigan. My husband has a job that sends him to many different states, so when he gets transferred to a state with Lighthouses, I'm not far behind – off visiting Lighthouses! {Of course no Lighthouse Junkie is complete without the Harbour Light collection of visited and “must visit soon” Lighthouses.}

Well, I could probably write a novel on all the things I'd like to say. I will be more than happy to write to everyone, or if you happen to be at a FLA meeting, don't be shy – come up and say Hi!

The new addition to your Lighthouse Junkie Family,
BonnieJean Exum
Secretary of the FLA

Welcome BonnieJean!

I can see you jumped in with both feet! Good for you! I like your idea with the post cards. I will have to send you my address! Put me down for the next round! Good luck with the up hill battle for getting a lighthouse license plate in Florida! We were at Ponce just two weeks ago for about the tenth time. It's one of my favorites. Looking forward to hearing from you in the future!

Thank you Randy! I have been getting a really good reponse with the Lighthouse Postcard Round Robin. I have been in several Round Robins, but none of them were specially made for Lighthouse Lovers only. I thoughted "what is the best way to exchange many different Lighthouse postcards with many different people without having to keep the ones you don't want or already have.?" The Round Robin came to mind. I hope everyone enjoys the robin as much as I have enjoyed them in the past.

Ponce is wonderful, isn't it!?! I'm still fond of it - being my first and all. :p I enjoy visting each and every Lighthouse. It's amazing all the different styles, colors, sizes, etc.

The License Plate project seems to be like trying to push a VERY big rock up a VERY steep hill. I really hope that we get it, it would mean a lot to a lot of Lighthouses - which would mean a lot to a lot of Lighthouse Junkies. We need all the luck we can get.

I will add you to the robin going out. I only need one more name for the third round robin. Of course I'm not at home right now to check my email, so I may already have all the names I need to send out the next robin.

Keep in touch!
BJ

WELCOME!!!! It's great to have another Floridian join the group. I'm not much on exchanging post cards but I would be interested in the FLA. I am a member of the US Lighthouse Society in San Francisco and just joined the American Lighthouse Assoc. in Wells Maine, but, I would really be interested in one closer to home. If you could email me some information, a phone number to call or call me at my home number (352)622-3239 I would appreciate it.

Rich

Welcome BonnieJean,

Great to have you come onboard and jump in with both feet planted firmly on the ground. From your description and your association with the FLA it appears that you will become a valueable asset to the forums. Glad to have yo here!

Bert

Hi BonnieJean, glad to see you`ve joined us. Sounds like you`ve got some stories to tell. I for one can`t wait to read your posts.

Thank you for the Warm Welcomes - Everyone! I really like that I am able to find a website that is strictly dedicated to Lighthouse Junkies, or as they seem to be called here - Lighthouse Wackos. LOL

The Florida Lighthouse Association has a great website - which we try to keep current. The website is: Florida Lighthouse Association Homepage
If you click on the Association button to the left and then click on the Officers button, also to the left, you will be able to see a picture of cute little me. :p I'm the one that looks about 15 - don't let looks fool you - I'm a bit older than that. It's kind of fun having people guess my age - I usually shock them. Though I hate when I get carded for Lottery tickets and spray paint - which happens A LOT! :rolleyes:

Anyways, if you click on the Join button on the left, it will give you all the benifits of being a member and a membership form to fill out and join. We have quarterly meetings - Jan, April, July, and October. This October we will be meeting at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse. We will be given a private tour of the tower and the keepers quarters - both not usually open to the public. Our Jan meeting will be at Jupiter, April will be a private tour of the Cape San Blas Light, July will be at the Cedar Keys/Seahorse Key Lighthouse, and October of next year we have been invited to the very inaccessible, all exculsive Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. A lighthouse that is seldom open at all. Crooked River Lighthouse has also notified us that they will extend a welcome to us in April to tour their tower (also usually not open to the public) after the meeting at Cape San Blas. We have a full plate planned - every one is invited!

Rich, this really is the perfect way to tour the Florida lighthouses. Plus, we have yearly trips that take us out to the Reef Lights or take us to visit Lighthouses of another state. Not to mention, you are surrounded by other Lighthouse Junkies - and everyone is dedicated to saving the beautiful, historical buildings they are visiting. If you decide to join the FLA, let me know - I'll make sure you get a meeting invitation. If you make it to the meeting, stop by and introduce yourself. I'm usually the one bouncing round the room talking to people and taking notes!

BJE

If anyone else here is going to be in Florida the weekend of October 12th & 13th and is interested in joining us at the Sanibel Lighthouse - let me know. We usually have spots open for guests of the FLA members, I would be more than happy to have any of you as my guests. The member meeting usually starts about 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.; we talk about the association's progress, etc. We then have a guest speaker - sometimes it's the Coast Guard talking about the Lighthouse or parts of the Lighthouse, sometimes it's a person that use to live in the lighthouse (at St. Augustine we had Ken Smith - the Lighthouse Architect - tell us about his Assessment Report to the State). We then have lunch, have the Auction (usually a bunch of Harbour Lights that have been donated - Oh Yeah!), and then get the tour of the lighthouse hosting us. I'll be honest with you - most of the meeting is a bit boring, but all in all it's for a good cause. {Don't tell the rest of the Board I said that though!}

Anyone interested can email me at: bjexum@floridalighthouses.org. I would love to see you there.

BJE

Hi BonnieJean,

Welcome! I've been to Florida at least 12 times, but I'm ashamed to say that I haven't visited any lights. I spent too much time at Disney World and swimming with the manatees. We're considering another family trip to Florida in a couple of years, and I hope to visit a few.

It was nice to hear from you.

Tammy -- probably still a Newbie. It's been a few months since I've logged in. It's been a busy summer. Thought I should reconnect with lighthouse lovers since my trip to the Michigan UP is coming up.

(p.s. This is my first visit to the new site. I like what I've seen so far.)

Tammy, it's a real shame to visit Florida and not visit any Lighthouses!!! Like Florida is only about Mickey Mouse! LOL :p Like I said before, I didn't even know we had any Lighthouses until 2½ years ago! But I've been to Disney about a dozen times! A shame isn't it!?!

Where did you swim with Manatees? Homosassa Springs? I only live about 20 minutes south of there. I've lived here my whole life, but never swam with a manatee. To be honest, I've never even seen one in the wild. I've been to the park and seen them, but it's not the same. I guess if I ever have a time when I'm not visiting lighthouses or talking, writing, reading, or dreaming about Lighthouses, I may be able to go and swim with the Manatees!

Good luck on your trip to Florida - if you need a tour guide let me know. Maybe you could schedule your visit during one of our meetings and meet everyone! Oh the possibilities!

BonnieJean

Hi BonnieJean,
You've certainly jumped in with two feet. Thanks for your info, it certainly gets us to know you much quicker. I look foward to your Round Robin PC exchange. Here's a coincidence, I just recently joined a fantasy football league called Brookville FL. You certainly are more than welcome to join our raffle that you asked about, and contact me about LHs when you visit LI. I also have swum with Manatee right off the beach in Ft Lauderdale but that was quite a few years ago.
Bob

BonnieJean

Welcome to the forum. I enjoy reading your posts and all of the information about Flordia lighthouses. Next time my wife and I come to Flordia I guess we will have to contact you on lighthouse visitations.

Keep up the good work,and keep the posts coming.

OH My!! What have I done!

Three days ago I sent BonnieJean an email with a link to my post about the Cedar Keys Pin that's for sale in the fundraising topic. Mainly because Cedar Keys is as she says "HER BABY". She immediately jumped in with both feet and already has 34 post!!!!

John, Has anyone ever made WACKO status in less than one week? Because I think SHE'S GONA DO IT!!

WAY TO GO GRIL! Keep posting!
But beware that means that you buy the next round of Krispy Kremes! :rolleyes:

Stephanie

Okay, how long do I have to be a member before some one let's me in on the Krispy Kreme joke??? Is it like an initiation thing or something? LOL!

It's all your fault Steph - now I'm going to have to enroll myself in Collector Forums Anonymous! "Hello, my name is BonnieJean and I have a problem - just yesterday I typed 10 posts and today I posted 12. At this rate I'll be up to 30 per day in less than a week. I can't eat, I can't sleep - all I can do is type!!! Please help me - make it stop!"

Heeeee! Heeeee! Heeeeeeee! Girl you always seem to amaze me with your wit! I love it!!

Somebody tell her about the Krispy Kremes.

BonnieJean,

I've been to Homosassa Springs a couple of times to see the manatees at the park. I swam with them in Crystal River -- which you've probably heard of since it's very close to Homossassa Springs. If you decide to do this, check out Birds Underwater. http://www.birdsunderwater.com/ They offer a nice tour. Buy the video. It's a nice keepsake. They had been offering tours year round. The last time I went was two years ago in October. It was great.

About the Krispy Kremes... I first heard about Krispy Kremes while reading posts on this website. If there's a joke about them, I guess I haven't heard it. I finally tried one for the first time a few months ago. When I saw them, I thought... oh they're just donuts. Although they were good, I hope I don't offend anyone when I say that I thought they were overrated. They weren't warm though, and I heard that they are better warm. Please don't get mad at me!

Tammy

Welcome BonnieJean,

You have some of the best lighhouses there in Florida. The first one we climbed was Jupiter Inlet. That is where We got hooked! I have been most of them now. Still need the reef lights and the pan handle New Mayport and Cape Canaveral.

Glad you jumped right in. Keep it up.

Dale

Hi BonnieJean. We are all certainly happy to have you onboard with us! We look forward to hearing more from you!

Tammy... no offense taken, however a Krispy Kreme glazed donut is best when eaten hot.

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

Well, I'm over here typing a post - like usual - *La De Da - type, type, type* When I look to the left of one of my posts and it said "WACKO"! My mind started racing, my heart pounding, my feet started to sweat. "OH MY GOODNESS!!! HOW DID THEY FIND OUT??? Who told them, was it you? Was it him? Who would have told? They're on to me!! I bet it was that head doctor I've been going to that told everyone! What ever happened to a patient's rights, you know - the doctor patient thing! He told them that I was CRAZY! . . ."

"Oh wait a minute, everyone else has WACKO by their name too." *whew*

But I think I have a bigger problem now. If I have to buy Krispy Kremes for everyone and I am member number 1315, that means I would have to buy One Thousand, Three Hundred and Fourteen donuts! {Well, actually 1313 since Tammy doesn't like them anyways! } I don't think my little Piggy Bank is going to live through this one! Poor guy - we've been such good friends! I sure am going to miss him. "Here take him, I just can't watch the end! Mommy'll miss you Piggy!"

BonnieJean

Dave, how do I go about getting a badge and for how much?

Hey Bonnie Jean, ...I think you may have set the record for advancement from "newbie" to "wacko". You are definitely utilizing the accellerated path.

Congrats and welcome aboard!

Bob

From Newbe (post 1) to WACKO in 6 days!!!!!

I think we need to all buy her a Krispy Kreme.

Hay BonnieJean you can use my pic of the pin if you want to use it as your Avatar. Just a thought.

Stephanie

Welcome Bonnie Jean
I am a member of FLA and hope to see you at the Sanibel meeting. My husband and I (both members) will be bringing two guests to the meeting and have already paid for their luncheons.
(Bob S. - Can you guess who one of our guests will be? Hint: She is from L.I.)
Congratulations, BJ, on your swift journey to join the world of WACKOS!

JoanieO

In honor of your meteoric achievement of "WACKO" status (I was probably one for reason of photographic insanity long before finding the CF's) it seems only fitting to post a photo for you here of one of the sites of an upcoming FLA meeting.



I haven't been to the Sanibel light in a few years but always enjoyed photographing it when it was quiet there around dawn when this photo was taken. Hope you enjoy it an CONGRATS!!!!

Gary

Congratulations Bonnie Jean,

Quick movement to Wacko- and not one five word or less post in the bunch.

Dennis

Gary, thank you for the beautiful picture of Sanibel. I love Sanibel - I've been there more than any other Lighthouse. Like I have mentioned, my Husband travels a lot and Fort Myers is one of the places he gets sent to a lot (Sanibel is right outside Ft Myers - for those that are not fimilar with the area). Of course it's only 2½ hours away (by my driving - I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying!), but when he's there I usually drive down and spend the weekends there. No matter how many times I've been there, I still make it a point to visit the Lighthouse. Even if I'm only there for a day and a half, I'll visit it once each day. The $3.00 toll fee is a minor charge to see the wonderful skeletal Lighthouse.

JoanieO have we met? I'm usually the young lady that is bouncing around from person to person. I sit in the front with the majority of the board, scibbling notes as the meeting is going on. I also walk around during the auction and take names and the money. If I have not met you, please stop by and say Hello - I love meeting fellow Lighthouse Junkies and now I'm going to have to add fellow Lighthouse Wackos to my list. I may not have a wacko badge though, since I haven't found out yet how to get one. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction!

Is that how most people get their Wacko status? Right a bunch of 5 word posts that add up to 50? Heck! Had I known that I wouldn't have typer's cramp right now! :p LOL! Just think, if I type this much online, can you imagine what I must be like in real life? :rolleyes: Stay Away - she's a talker!

Thank you everyone for your Congrats! Thank you for your wonderful posts in reference to my posts. Thank you also for joining my Round Robin and the information you have extended to me. I have enjoyed this past week meeting you all and I look forward to a great many more posts with all of you. I also look forward to meeting you and seeing all the lighthouses that you each have seen and are a part of saving.

BonnieJean

P.S. I have noticed that some of you correctly spell my name and some don't. My name is correctly BonnieJean (one word). I always tell people that my mom knew we would be moving south. But then again with all the Northerns here in Florida, it's the only state that you have to go North to get South!

Sorry about putting a space in your name, BonnieJean. Wasn't sure about that but nice to know the correct spelling.

As for five word posts to make wacko, who can only szy 5 words? I've never been accused of being terse!

Gary

That's okay Gary, everyone gets it wrong. It's even wrong on my driver's license. As I always say - the only state you have to go north to get south, well here in the Sunshine State of Florida you have to have a middle name to have a driver's license. If you don't have one and are married they use your maiden name; if you have a two name first name (which I fall under) they split your name and make the second name your middle name; if you have a one name first name, no middle name, and are not married they place NMN (No Middle Name) between your first name and last name until you get married. I fought and fought with them, and they finally stated - "If you want to drive than that's the way it has to be!" Well, I shut up, signed my name (correctly), and stormed out with my incorrect, but well-loved driver's license at the age of 18. Now almost all legal documents have my name incorrectly spelt because of my driver's license. Of course this doesn't stop me from having to pay those incorrectly spelt speeding tickets! :rolleyes:

BJE

BonnieJean,

Sorry for the misspelling of your name. I have to deal with that all the time- people want to spell my last name Whalen instead of Whelan, mostly because of the way it is pronounced.

And many people on this list and the other one I'm on believe my last name is Wheland (I picked that so I'd have no problem remmbering it, plus no inagination)

I was making a reference to one of our fellow Wackos who has been accussed of padding his numbers by making very short posts.

It's not the length that counts, it's what the content is that counts.

You'll find that kind of good-natured kidding going on here all the time.

You do sound like someone who wins most of the "discussions " you have.

Dennis

My boss is always telling me that I'm a very "Stubborn" person. I'll also very out-spoken, out-going, and a shy person's worse nightmare! My boss tells me that I would argue with a snake. Well sure I would, especially if I knew I was right! What do you expect from a Taurus the Bull? :p

I assure you, you will probably never see me just writing 5 or 6 words - I need padding, but not in that area! LOL

BJE

I really am not upset about some misspelling my name, I just hate to see it if I don't have to. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that it was one word. I will try not to get anyone else's name wrong - I'm very sensitive to that sort of thing!

BonnieJean,

I've been away from the computer for a week or so, and when I return not only do I see a new member, but she's jumped to Wacko status already! Welcome!

I've just finished reading this first thread, and you've got me laughing out loud. You'll be a great addition to our online family, and apparently you'll fit right in! I'm looking forward to hearing more from you. (like we'll have a choice???)

Kent

Hello Kent. Thank you for your post. I have just one question - Jealous? LOL I'm just kidding. I saw that you've been a member since August and only have 12 posts. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get there. :p

I have to say I think I really surprised everyone by jumping into the forum and jumping right into Wacko Status - I know that I surprised myself! While I've been reading the posts that are currently being posted and posts that have been posted, I've noticed that some members are only around 100 and have been members for over a year. At the rate I'm going I'll be over a 1,000 in less than that. HMM! I think I may be addicted! I wonder if there is help for Collector Forum Addicted Wackos? Does anyone know the number for the closest CFAWA or maybe their website? I'll try www.cfawa.com maybe that will help!

I look forward to chatting more with you in the future. I really do love this site - you can learn a lot and find a lot of information with very little effort. Everyone is friendly and willing to help or give advise. Thank you! I look forward to our continued chats and meeting each and everyone of you at a lighthouse or meeting!

BJE

five words or less works

Dennis, that's a Saint you are talking about (but not this one - look for the one with a badge).

BonnieJean, you can go to this thread for discussion on the Wacko Name Badges, or just bounce on over to the order form directly.

I only hope that John has secured enough disk space to hold all of BonnieJean's posts (tic). Well, I suppose we can rationalize with her offsetting the infamous 5 words or less posts. . .

Dave

Dave,

I know who I meant. I did not want to take a Saint's name in vain.

You're right though- they do offset each other in their posts.

John get more space.

Dennis

Thank you Dave! :p Ha! Ha!

BJE

Interesting question of whether BonnieJean will take up more space with her posts or if I can suck up more with the photos I frequently post on here!

Gary

Keep those words and photos comin' BJ and Gary. We've got googles or room!

If you wonderful people will tell me what to do to upload some pictures on here, I promise to try to type less. *Whew! I had my fingers crossed on that one! *

I would like to also thank every one for their wonderful posts. I have read many and replied to many and look forward to doing both many more times! Confuse ya? LOL Everyone is wonderful here, it really is like a big family, but at least in this family someone won't roll their eyes when you say the word LIGHTHOUSE!

Thanks!
BonnieJean

BonnieJean,

Here's a link to how to upload pictures to the forums.

http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/cgi-bin/forumscgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000275

I hope this helps.

Dennis

Thank you Dennis, you have been so helpful. Thank you everyone else for taking the time to help me also. I went to the thread, clicked on the form, did what the form asked and I still can't get the picture to appear on my post. What am I doing wrong? When the form asked for "Full Name", it that my name or the file's full name? I've tried both ways, but am still unable to view my picture on the preview.

Thank you in advance for your help!

BJE

BonnieJean,

Here's how the link should look when you are typing it in a post

[IMG]

http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/uploads/files/wheland@juno.com/brandywine.jpg

[/IMG]

The only difference is that there should be no spaces between the [img] and http and the jpg and the [/img]

The file name itself would be the above with the only difference being your emailaddress and the exact title you gave when uploading.

Hope this helps

Dennis

Nice Picture Dennis! I love to see how different people see things so differently. Thanks for posting this one as an example.

Bert

That's exactly what I did! The instructions were great, but it still isn't working. Let me try it again and I'll let you know. Thanks for your help.

bje

BonnieJean,

You have been a busy beaver while I was away. I was only out-of-town for 4 days and I see that you jumped from 53 to 110 post while I was gone.

What's the next status folks? Someone needs to start a contest poll to see when BonnieJean will make that next step.

Stephanie

We're looking forward to those Florida lighthouse pics you're sort of hinting are coming BonnieJean...

Gary

BonnieJean

I don't know if this is your problem or not but it was mine. Be sure that you have http:// at the beginning of your link. I did not and of course it would not let me post.

Hope this helps.

Keep the flame

John

Thank you John for the info, my problem had something to do with the ending last couple of letters - I'm going to have to have John Chidester explain it to me one more time I guess. I did do it wrong - he fixed it for me. See, I have a Saint watching out for me!

Gary, I hope you have an extra room available - I'm moving in next week! LOL Your pictures are so lovely that they just make me want to pack up and move in! Thought you'd like to know - I'm a pretty good cook!

Steph, see what you have done? It's all your fault you know! Two weeks ago I didn't even know this website exsisted! Sad, sad, sad - I'm glad I know about it though! I'm sure my husband wishes I didn't though! :p

And my personal Thank you to Dennis - you have been so helpful. Thank you for taking the time to help me on a few different items!

BonnieJean

BonnieJean,

That's what this whole group of people here does- help out each other.

Got a question- post it here somebody will have the answer, or will find it. I'm just doing that old concept- Pass It forward.

I've been helped by others here so I inturn try and return the favor whenever I can.

We're glad you found this place- you've already given as much as you've taken which is the way things run here.

Dennis

Hey BonnieJean, do you do windows? More seriously, I do hope I'll hear from you when you get up this way with your husband later this fall. If you've got the time to run over to the SW corner of the state, I'd be happy to play tour guide for the lights along the Lake Michigan coast. If the wearher is really nasty, gale-wise, that GUARANTEES that I'll be out there photographing the gales and big waves anyway! So, you might as well come over to see Mother Nature doing her best!

Gary

Darn! Windows is the only part of housekeeping I really HATE! If you promised at least one lighthouse a week I might consider it! LOL

Definetly, if I come up to Michigan, I'll let you know. I would love to see and get pictures of Lighthouses with snow and storms. If my pictures come out even half as beautiful as your's do than I'm doing great! You really do have wonderful pictures - I love each and everyone of them. Just looking at them makes me wonderful why everyone doesn't love lighthouses!

Thank you for sharing them with us! Keep them coming!

BJE

Hey BonnieJean, this week with my friends Terry Forrest from Massachusetts and Bill Taylor from Sacramento, California who are here photographing with me we've hit 9 lighthouses... from Michigan City to the south last night to White River Light Station to the north on Monday afternoon before we went down to Grand Haven for that spectacular sunset... and you haven't seen any of the wave shots from that session yet either.

As for photographing, if you've got acess to a decent adjustable camera, I can certainly show you how to use it if you get over.

Looking forward to hearing from you...

Gary