Dave-

Those are all very good points. If you were going to join the exchange, you would have to be serious about your ability to participate. If you always speed-lighthouse, then you couldn't participate unless you were willing to slow down the pace a bit to scribble down the notes. It could always be a "Greetings from Sea Girt Lighthouse in Sea Girt NJ from Greg 1/6/2004" kind of thing, or if you have more time, it could be a long note. It could all be up to how well you know the person, too.

We could probably set a number of lights to be visited, say 5 for the first round, and if it's a success, we can do a second round with 6-7. It could flunk, too. This would be an experiment.

You talk about duplicates. What you could do there is say which cards you are going to send ahead of time, and make a sort of list that can be referenced before sending. Lights would be first come, first serve--if you visited Watch Hill before anyone else, than you are the only one allowed to send cards from that light. That could keep it fresh.

Of course, you could end up with cards that you got in other exchanges, but that would be difficult to control. I'm sure that happens, too, so it's not a major worry. Besides, the new one will be mailed from the lighthouse.

You make another point in your speed-lighthousing comment. Finding a PO. What you could then do is look on the USPS site ahead of time for the address of the PO of the town(s) that you want to send cards from, and print out the map. That way, you can easily find a place to throw them in the box and run. Or, if your schedule is really packed, you could maybe just send one card on that trip.

You also talk about people having them picked up or buying them online. That's OK, but I'd think that there would be a rule that you or someone in your party have to physically be at the mailbox and drop them in yourself. The cards don't have to all be purchased that trip, though it would be nice for everyone to have the same thing, and preferably a basic postcard instead of some fancy one...one with the lighthouse as the spotlight, not "Ocracoke" with the lighthouse in the background. That's one I saw on the OBX.

You talk about group lighthousing and duplicate cards from several people going together. First, I'd probably restrict it to 5 people who are pretty frequent lighthousers (a mimimum of 5 lights/year), including myself. Thus, it's a little harder, though not impossible, to find a group of which both members belong to the exchange--not impossible though. In that case, the persons in the group would have to agree who would send cards from which light, or possibly send joint cards, with both persons sending the card for credit on both of their lists. They could decide this amongst themselves.

I think that could be a solution to all the problems you mentioned. The first time 'round, I'd like to keep it small, 5 people/5 lights, to see how it works out. If it works out, then we can do it again. If it fails terribly, we nix the idea for future use. I think though, that it could be feasible, especially with about a year to get around.

The only thing I would need help with is some tips on managing an exchange. I have never participated in an exchange, let alone articulated one, and need some pointers on the basics of working one. Seeing as this is a first attempt, I'll keep it limited, and see how hard it is. If I find it overwhelming, but the exchange is a success, then next time someone else can pick up the reins. But all in all, it looks like fun if there is interest!

OK, I've rambled on and on now, so I'm gonna end this post here.