Judy: We're down to the last few days before it goes to the printer.
Daniel's special knowledge on the secondary market then and now will be a great addition. St. Timothy, as previously noted, took the 'cold case' of Bob Younger's untimely death and now reveals new details of the 'night of the beavers.' It's in his story "Requiem for a Tree Man" written in typical Tim fashion. You'll be laughing; you'll be crying. You'll finally understand the 'beaver side of the story.'
Brother Rod Watson opened the door (slightly) into his collection of Harbour Lights "junque" that most of us threw away. He also did some number crunching on the old question of 'what's a complete collection?'
In a very personal story Mark Sherman tells how he met the Youngers and how it changed his life.
Margret searched the web from across the sea to locate 'official' websites for lighthouses, lightships and lifesaving stations. (Her only request was that I not let her first name be mispelled.)
And, as will be acknowledged, the accumulated knowledge of Paul and I about the lights we all love so well owes a lot to our WACKO friends who answered questions and revealed their discoveries on these Collector Forums... as well as the friendships we've made around Harbour Lights.
Our WACKO Friends:
We couldn't possibly have completed this book without Grace. She's read every word so far, brought the grammar into line, triple-checked our spellnig(sic) and made the text more better to read (see, she hasn't proofed this yet). All with a great sense of humor, encouragement, and a "what do you want me to do next?" attitude.
A few of you are reviewing pages, checking facts, and asking 'are you going to include...' questions.
If anyone has any more questions like that, today's the last day to ask 'em -- or they'll have to wait for a 'second edition', assuming this one sells well.
Of course the way the Younger Family 'adopted' all of us into their family and answered question after question in the past -- and especially for this book has made it possible for all of us to 'share the ride' from an idea that took shape in their two-car garage in the late 1980s until today.
You'll find out more about Bill than just the "fishing at Thomas Point" legend. You'll find out about being raised by his aunt and uncle in Washington DC, enlisting in the Marine Corps, making a life-changing decision to live in California his first night at Camp Pendleton, being injured in Korea, meeting Nancy in Orlando while recuperating, selling Nash autos in Clearwater FL, making a 'car deal' that moved he and Nancy to Southern California in a '37 Cadillac Limo, living in Hollywood and more...
Finally, Don Devine is the man who saw the past of Harbour Lights and wanted to be sure there was a future.
He also saw the potential for the Collectors Guide when it was a just an idea. I showed him about 10 rough pages plus 400 pages of blank paper bound with a mocked up cover into a book. From that he gave us the green light to proceed six months ago.
[Wow, I guess part of the 'acknowledgements' is now written! Wonder if I can get those animated smilies into the book?]
