Hi !

I've been reading the Collector Forums for some time, and I just registered so that I can put in my two cents worth on some of the topics. I'd like to introduce my wife and myself to the forum.

Claudia and I live in South Jersey (SJ). We had visited a number of lighthouses in our travels over the years, and had made special trips to some of the ones nearby at the New Jersey and Maryland shores. We also spent several vacations in and around Scituate MA, so Scituate Light was a personal favorite. A couple years ago, when our son was living in Traverse City, MI, visits to some of the Great Lakes lighthouses really kindled our enthusiasm. Since then, we've taken a number of vacations and shorter excursions for the express purpose of visiting lighthouses.

Over the years, I had admired Harbour Lights in dealer displays, and thought about buying a few. When Scituate Light was issued, it clinched the deal. Since then, I've bought a half-dozen more, joined the Collectors' Society, and visited the Harbour Lights folks at the Edison NJ Collectibles Show. I've gone through the "steps to addiction" described in a recent Society Newsletter: buy the ones we've visited, plus the ones we'd like to visit, plus . . . you all know the drill.

Claudia remains enthusiastic about visiting and photographing lighthouses, but is a non-collector by nature, so she keeps me semi-sane toward my HL acquisitions. We may even avoid building that extra room . . .

I look forward to visiting with all of you through the Forums.

Bruce

Welcome aboard Bruce,

You have joined a forum and a society that has some of the greatest people I have been associated with.

As I tell all newcomers, we are all here to help each other, you don't ask you don't get.

Again welcome to you and yours hope you come to this forum and post often.

From South Louisiana Cajun Country USA



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Bob

Welcome Bruce & Claudia. Enjoy the forums and the the great people here. My favorite LH are in NJ. Barnegat is my favorite. Look forward to your posts.
George

Bruce,

I'd like to welcome both you and Claudia to the Forums. Since you've been reading this site for a while, you probably already know that there are many sides to being a wacko.
The first step is liking lighthouses and Harbour Lights. From there it progresses to an obssesion. Once you've reached that stage, you family may need to read the posts concerning Lighthouse Anonymous.

Once again, welcome Bruce and Claudia.

Judy

Bruce:

Welcome aboard! Here you'll find some of the world's finest, most peripheral people who will make you feel like family.

Tell us more about your lighthouse trips!



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Bob Steinbrunn
Nautical Research Guild

Welcome aboard Bruce & Claudia! As you already know, you've come to the right place to talk about lighthouses and Harbour Lights. We all hope you will visit often.

By the way...I did put on that extra room.

Bob

Welcome Bruce and Claudia,
Glad you have finally signed on to the forums. Seeing as how you have been lurking here for awhile you know that this is THE place to be for lighthouse enthusiasts. My wife, like yours, trys to keep my mania under control. Hope to hear from you often.

Jim Chesher

Hey Bruce & Claudia - glad to have you aboard. Always like to have those lurkers become partipants!

NJ has some great and important lighthouses. Were you at Navesink during the Edison show last year? Are you in the group photo below?





[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 10-05-99).]

Welcome aboard Bruce and Claudia! Bruce, I understand the need for someone to keep you tame on buying too many. I have already had to buy a curio cabinet.

Rusty

A big HELLO and welcome to the forum Bruce and Cluadia.

Since you've been reading the postings for a while you already have a good idea what a great place it is.

Great folks and great exchanges of thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

Thanks for joining.

P.S. Start thinking about that extra room.

[This message has been edited by Mike Seewald (edited 10-06-99).]

Welcome aboard Bruce & Claudia.

I know the feeling af being held back on occasion, but with Sharon, whe sometimes is the one prodding me to buy a certail lighthouse, which is kind of nice.

I outgrew my first curio cabinet and am on a second and bigger one now. I don't know where I'll eventually put them all, or if I'll control my urges to buy and stay with what I have. I don't believe that.

Bert

Welcome Claudia and Bruce. Like St. John said, it's nice to have the lurkers become participants.

Thanks for your HL 'story' Bruce. Yours sounds just like mine. Glad to have your posts.

Hey Gang!

Thanks to all, peripheral and otherwise, who have wished us welcome. It's nice to be on board. Is "lurker" an official pre-newbie status? I didn't know I was one!

QC: If you like Barnegat Light, you probably like NJ's "Shore to Please" specialty auto license plate featuring a picture of Barnegat. I was thinking of checking to see if HL139 vanity plate was available, but decided I'd rather spend the money more wisely (read HL's).

St. John: I didn't get to Navesink during the Edison show, but Claudia and I were there weekend before last. Sandy Hook is closed for renovation and surrounded with scaffolding (story of our lives), but Navesink was great. Sandy Hook really needs a fix-up though; we look forward to seeing the results next spring. And the military base there is worth the trip.

Rusty: Regarding "keeping me tame on buying too many" - I tried buying a curio cabinet, but Claudia got out of it.

Our other passion right now is our '99 Miata, which complements lighthouseing very nicely. Besides North Jersey, we've done top-down excursions this summer to Cape Cod (Highlands, Nauset, and Chatham); Delaware/Maryland via the Cape May/Lewes Ferry (Delaware Bay Lights, Fenwick Island, Thomas Point only from shore with binocs - we literally missed the boat); and Portland ME (Portland Head, Portland Breakwater and the spark-plug next door, Pemaquid, Cape Elizabeth w/ mega-scaffolding, and Nubble). We've previously been to Cape May Light and Baltimore Harbor, so we bypassed them this time. Planning to get to AC for the relighted Absecon sometime soon.

Anyway, thanks again. See you around the forums.

Bruce

Hi again. I just checked my profile and it says I have 4 posts. I only know of 2. Has ladylightkeeper arranged a twofer sale to get more wackos sooner?

With this post do I have 6?

Bruce,
I guess you could say that lurkers were "pre-newbies", seeing as how they are those who just read forums and newsgroups and never post. By the way you only have 5 posts now. Don't knock the two freebies.
Jim Chesher

Welcome, Bruce and Claudia. Glad you are joining us by posting. It will not take you long to get wacko status, as there are so many interesting posts to reply to over a wide range of forums. No, I don't think there is a two/fer sale going on, but then strange things seem to happen in computerland. I heard of one or two wackos with big posting counts who are trying to sell their extras or trade for a Coquille. LOL

The spark plug you mentioned which is next to Portland Breakwater is called Spring Point Ledge Light. Our club toured their museum this June; had a wonderful slide lecture there by their director, Rusty Nelson; and got to climb the light, which took some athletic skill to get up the outside ladder. I highly recommend a visit to it when their museum is open.

If you are looking for a trip not too, too far away, come back to York, Me, on Sat. Nov. 27 and participate in the holiday festivities at the park across from Nubble Light (Cape Neddick). The Christmas lights which outline the lighthouse will be turned on for the first time this season on that night.

Ladylighthkeeper

Hi Bruce and Claudia,

Welcome to the forums! We are glad to have you here and look forward to your "two cents worth" being posted here. You are among friends and we are glad to have you here!

-Todd

A BIG WELCOME TO BRUCE AND CLAUDIA. Your two cents is welcome also, but there are a lot of wackos and some newbies who do put a lot more than two cents in.

An aside to St. John: You're getting a little risque referring to "parti pants". Must be slippery fingers.

foghornkeeper

Welcome Bruce & Claudia. I'm also from Jersey. The Trenton area. My wife, Esther and I are going to Cape May this weekend for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. Well, any excuse will do to get to more LH's. I've made a few trips this year to the Hudson River/ NYC area (Tarrytown, Jeffrey's Hook, Roosevelt Island, Weed Battery), and out to Cape Cod/ Martha's Vineyard( Highland, Chatham, Nobska, East and & West Chop, Edgartown, Gay Head, Nauset/ Three Sisters and a few others). We also got to Sandy Hook the weekend before the shutdown and took in Navesink the same day.We also got to some in RI (Rose Island, Beavertail, Goat Island, Poplar Point and long views of Ida Lewis, Castle Rock and Plum Beach). I've been keeping a journal of our visits. We hope to get back to Maine and on to Nova Scotia next year. I've also bought way too many HL LH's. If that's possible. Enjoy your trips and your HL. Dennis

Hey Dennis - 25th Anniversary - and 24 posts, better get the #25 ASAP so you'll have TWO things to celebrate. Look for your official Anniversary greeting in the appropriate forum -- as soon as Jakers get's it set up.

I'm going to go look for that right after i take care of first things first. I now have post #25.

Welcome Claudia and Bruce,

Once again I'm late in getting back to the forums, but a late welcome is better than no welcome. LOL It's nice to have someone from S Jersey, say HI to Mary the Elephant next time you see her, and to Cape May. Great ferry ride!

A hearty welcome to Lightseeker from The Lightkeeper. Welcome aboard Bruce and Claudia.

"TheLightkeeper"

Tim:

I say "peripheral" laughingly since we seem to be on the edges of commonly accepted standards of "normalcy", at least according to my wife. And, of course, I laughingly include myself within the ranks of this fine group. :-)


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Bob Steinbrunn
Nautical Research Guild

WELCOME BRUCE & CLAUDIA, Glad to "See Ya".


DIGGER