For those who started collecting Harbour Lights since late 1998 or those who started before but missed out on the Providence RI Event, here's a chance to 'relive' the event.


www.HarbourLights.com/events/Reunion_98/

Be sure to browse through all the photo albums and Barbara Hupp's journal.

Now for those who were there, it's hard to believe but as of today, it was just about 100 weeks ago.

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 09-07-2000).]

Thanks John for the link and information. I didn't start collecting until December '98, so the 2001 Reunion will definitely be a first for me. I'm looking forward to being there and meeting many new friends.

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

John,

Being a relatively new collector--Jan 2000, I too appreciated the info & look forward to the Baltimore reunion.

Tim H

[This message has been edited by Tim H (edited 09-08-2000).]

Let's see here, my memories of Providence .......Waiting 15 minutes for an elevator to get our luggage up to our room..... setting the suit cases down then waiting 15 minutes for an elevator to go back down and get the rest of my luggage, waiting 20 minutes for an elevator to get the rest of my luggage up to the room, on this trip up I meet Tim Aucremann for the first time. After settling in we go down for dinner (after waiting 20 minutes for an elevator)

Next morning: Wait 20 minutes for an elevator to down to breakfast (breakfast is half over by the time we get down there) We then leave out for our morning group boat tour and afternoon bus tour (fabulous day, great weather, all around outstanding trip) back to the room to get ready for dinner, no wait for the elevator this time for some unknown reason. Walk a couple blocks to the huge party tent for a wonderful meal, huge lobsters, etc. Back to the hotel hang out with the usual suspects at the HL store/display meeting room. After the store closes 695 of the 700 attendees all head to the elevators at once, half hour wait ! 6 different people celebrate birthdays while waiting.

All in all, great time, except for a minor problem with elevator capacity.

Can't wait to do it all again

We used the stairs every time, lighthouses didn't need elevators. I know a couple of them have elevators now. I just imagined we were climbing up and down Hatteras and Currituck. carried all of my camera gear up and down the stairs also. By the way did I mention that we had a room on the top floor.
While I didn't walk to and from school through 10 foot drifts, but we did work off some of the nice meals by using our legs and the stairs.

SaintWackoPaul '
Keep the Flame

Mark,

exactly how much luggage did you bring to require all those trips?

I hope we do not have the same problems in Baltimore. If so, a better way for HL collectors to meet.

Tim H

Hey Mark, ... Paul is right about the stairs. You should try running up and down stairs...it can be a great workout!

Speaking of elevators in lighthouses, a couple of years ago I was at the Montauk Light climbing the tower when I passed a fairly young female party about three-quarters of the way up the tower. She was breathing pretty heavy and looked very tired. I asked her if she was okay and she replied, "What...no elevators in these things?" (Strong NY accent made it sound better). I later saw her taking a "smoke-break" outside at the base of the tower.

Maybe the butt manufacturers should put a new warning on the side of their cigarette packages:

"Continued use of our product may lead to an inability to climb lighthouses. If you experience shortness of breath performing this act, don't buy any green bananas."

LOL

Bob

That's one reason my wife and I finally quit taking those "butt-breaks". We can breath alot easier now. Climbing stairs without complaining but I still don't plan on getting a room in Baltimore on the top floor
It's been 2 years now since we quit and glad we did.

Paul, I would have loved to use the stairs, but of the 30 or so staff people I asked from the hotel, every one of them told me NOT to use the stairs and that all the stairwell doors above the 3rd floor were locked on the stairwell side and could only be opened from the hallway/room side of the doors and unless you had somebody waiting to open the door you might be waiting there a while.

How much luggage did I have ? I had enough for 3 adults (my mother went with us) and 2 kids for a 9 day trip, with some clothes for summer and fall. After the Reunion we continued east Lighthousing along the coast line until we got to Plymouth MA. and then headed west to Buffalo, Niagara, thru Canada to Port Huron, MI. And then on home to Northwest IN. My Surburban was loaded from deck to ceiling from the middle seats to the rear doors after leaving the reunion with all the extras from the reunion. When we stoped at Canadian customs the officer asked if I minded if he took a look in the back, I said he could, I told him to open the rear doors slowly in case there was an avalanche, he took one look and decided he wasn't going to spend a hour looking thru it and told me it "looks fine" and have a good day!
[This message has been edited by Mark Wagner (edited 09-10-2000).]

That's what they told us, too. Said it was for security reasons.