25 years ago today I registered the name winnipesaukee.com and began to build this site. I had just sold our house in Moultonboro (a big mistake) and building this site was a way for me to stay connected and contribute to the area that I loved so much.
I wasn't sure what I'd do with the site but the first thing I did was to get on a seaplane and take several rolls of aerial photos of the lake. Those photos are still available
here in the Photopost Gallery. A few years later forum software became available and the site became interactive. In 1999 I added the WeirsCAM and very quickly the site began receiving thousands of visitors a day.
From the beginning I wanted this site to be 100% dedicated to the Lakes Region. A place to immerse yourself for a few minutes in lake activities and issues. I think I've achieved that but it wasn't easy, especially now.
For many years running this site was a blast. In the days of our ForumFests I was almost a celebrity. There were articles written about me and the site and I felt that I had created something special. Not so much anymore. If you saw the messages and criticism I get almost every day you'd think that I am involved in something evil. I'll never forget the email I received a few years ago, dozens of pages long with the word NAZI repeated thousands of time. That sentiment has been repeated many times, although a little less dramatically.
I can't say what the future of this site is. Many days I dread opening my mailbox because I know it will be full of criticism and accusations. For today I'm going to ignore all that and try to celebrate being able to do this for 25 years!