Thank you for the good wishes. This special place on the Internet is important to me, and so are the people who faithfully support it.

Before John formed this site, we use to converse at the old AOL Board in the mid to late 90's. I wonder how many active people remember the weekly, and sometimes bi-weekly, chat rooms. Fred was a big supporter and would remind you of an upcoming chat. John was the first one to remind you the chat room was open if he caught you on-line and you weren't signed in at the chat. John was designated as "Saint John" for a reason. He was the one who started everything and held it all together. Many great people have come and gone, but John hung in there for the long run. I couldn't even think about how many hours John worked for free on behalf of HL Collectors world-wide.

Then came Dave. Dave is our knight is shining armor. When John needed someone to help with the hectic pace of keeping things going, Dave stepped up to the plate. People are always willing to help but not at the level Dave does. Like John, Dave should be considered a real Saint. The rest of us who enjoy the alleged "Saint" status are just rookies compared to the dynamic duo of John and Dave. They are the cream of the crop when it comes to doing things to promote the collecting of the greatest lighthouse minatures in the world.

Like many of you, I'm still hoping that the down fall of the collectible industry will turn around some day. It seems it has suffered ever since 9/11/01. Now, even more, in the terrible state of our economy that our fellow collectors are suffering through.

I hated to see the Youngers go, but I can't blame them for wanting to try to enjoy their "golden years". They were keeping a hectic pace for people their age. I thank them for bringing us all together with a mutual interest that will live on for years to come.

The new Harbour Lights people are sincerely trying to keep things going, and they deserve a lot of credit for keeping the line afloat. In my humble opinion, they are doing the right things. They are definitely trying their best in what could be described as the worst of times for collectibles. I do hope they awaken each morning and say, "God bless Harry Hines!" Harbour Light replicas have never been better, but marketing and customer relations may need a little work. They are working the group as a whole very well but need a little more individualized attention in some areas.

I've been involved here since the forum's beginning of time. I've seen alot of the faithful fall by the wayside but like many other die hards, I'm still here. I may babble a little but my purpose is an attempt to keep things going when many computer key boards are still gathering dust. Nothing is worse than visiting a site and not finding new posts. New posts and replies are what everyone comes here for. Some are informative while others are just a form of keeping things going. Whatever they are, it's what keeps things going.

Fred, if you're watching, reading, or listening, we're trying to do our best knowing that it would make you smile and be proud of us!

Bob