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Yesterday's What'sUP brought me a smile... all those guilt feelings about cheating for the Early Bird Award :o) Let me give you a little insight behind this little tradition here at Pasty Central.

We've been doing the daily picture/discussion thing for eight years, as of next Tuesday. Not one single day during this time have we ever missed publishing a new photo, always related (somehow) to life in the U.P. However, that daily process has not been without some glitches along the way. One day a few years ago I did all of the editing, ready to upload, and then got sidetracked with all the things we do in this crazy project - the pasty kitchen, (and now the Hut restaurant), the Internet service, volunteer work at the Home for the Aged, etc., etc. Anyway, the new picture hadn't made it from my computer to our web server. Late that day, one astute Pasty Cam addict called the toll free order number (I don't even know who it was). Alerted to the oversight I quickly published the new page, preserving our perfect record of cyberspace attendance at the last minute.

This really shook me up. How could I verify each day that I actually push the button on my computer which launches the new picture and comments for the world to see?

(Just a side note: Each day for the last eight years, when I do publish the update, I often check it out in different browsers - Netscape, Firefox, Internet Explorer, AOL, Opera, etc., to be sure it renders OK.)

After the scare of almost missing a day, I began to notice that often, before I have even verified the pages, someone has posted a comment! (This was before we added a What'sUP section.) Somewhere back in the archives you will find banter about such a person being an 'early bird'. Actually, it gives me valuable feedback to see that I am not alone, usually early in the morning, when a quick Pasty Cammer sends a good morning note, even before I've finished my regular routine. Bestowing the award to this deserving individual nicely wraps up the start of another day.

This consistent interaction with other fans of the U.P. have made the past decade - and especially the last 8 years - such a pleasure. It will be 10 years in May that we have had the name pasty.com - it took a couple of years of just occasional pictures and notes, before we discovered the power of a daily update. The difference in a daily website and one with just occasional new material is phenomenal. Last year Pasty Central had over 114 million hits, with over 2.8 million visits. Of the other 300+ websites we host, the ones with regular changing content are the most traveled - like JohnDee.com with all the trail cams and updates, or Sharon Smith's aviewfromthefield.com with her journal and incredible live view looking back toward Brockway and Copper Harbor.

Whew! I rarely ramble on this much here on these pages. But yesterday's group therapy session about the Early Bird Award compelled me to speak up. Approaching another anniversay of the Pasty Cam, we realize this website has a life of its own, way beyond the tiny efforts of our staff to maintain it. We are grateful to all the contributors of photos, comments, Guest Gallery pictures (Wow! over 31,000 now!), Shoebox Memories, Contest items, Golden Pasty Award nominations, Class Reunion news, etc... and of course grateful to all the sponsors who help make it possible.

Charlie

p.s. Many thanks also to thousands of friends in all 50 states who keep our kitchen busy, not to mention the folks at UPS and FedEx delivering all those delicious pasties :o)

Is it really fair that you get the Early Bird award Charlie?!! Please know that we all appreciate your efforts on PastyCam and look forward every day to the photos and comments. Have a great day everyone.

Morning!

Opps, here we go again !
J

Sorry I cheated yesterday - knew I'd be away from my computer most of the day & wanted to say "morning" to everyone. I won't do it again.....

MORNIN', that's how loud I say it at the front door of the school as I greet each student every day. By the way, they wonder where I am if I'm not there. To me, if I don't get the early bird here, I get it at school. I do have pictures of the UP on my monitor and not one Texan kid in my school gets off by not knowing the familiarity of things not Texan. I even got a Northern kid in class and he and I are the only ones who know what a pasty is--and its luciousness.

Morning All.
I think after these many years of faithfully posting Charlie deserves at least one "EARLY BIRD" recognition. By the way Charlie if that is your 2 cents worth I can only imagine what 2 $$ worth of postings would be. Anyway, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your dedication to all of your above mentioned efforts. Hope to share a coffee with you at the Hut in the coming year. Enjoy the day everyone.

Hello to all persons from Suomi


http://www.oulanka.com/e-card/pictures/hupi23.jpg

Charlie, you deserve the early bird award and the gold medal!! If I do not visit this site every day, I am visiting five times a day.
Thanks for all your hard work.

Morning.
Margaret-
Why don't you order some pasties from here and have a Pasty Day with your students? They'll probably never forget it. :)

You guys were all too funny yesterday! When I started this conversation, I didn't expect all the confessions! No need to feel guilty!

Mary Drew, vacationing down south says: You hit the nail on the head there Marsha! Absolutely no need to feel guilty for visiting and posting early here at Pasty.com. Save that emotion for the days you DON'T visit us! :->

Pasty.com is addicting! ;-> Have not been able to leave the site since I first found it almost two years ago. As always thanks for keeping it going!

Hi, I'm new so be gentle. My wife and I are coming up there the first week in Oct. Going to stay at the Hermit's Cove cabin by Gay any info.

Hello Bookboy....... Tune in daily and you will get all the info you need. The true yoopers are very helpfull. Even as are some of the wanabees. Welcome to this wonderfull site......

Welcome Bookboy! Have you been here (the UP) before? If not, I hope, actually I KNOW, you'll enjoy it! :)

I have been looking at this site for 4 or 5 years, can't remember just how many. For me it's a morning must. Since finding the site have spent several vacations in the place I had never heard of, all created by the intrigue in seeing what I'm reading about.
One day when my computer wouldn't connect I called Charlie on his 800 number. By the next day Charlie, Jon, and my server down here in troll land had got togather and solved my problem due to a common switch point in Detroit did not recognize one of my numbers in my address.
How many people in this busy computer age would take time to service a stranger like they did. It revived my belief that there are great people out there in this crazy world. I'm forever grateful to Charlie and this site for not telling me to get lost.

John P

John P : I'll second that also! Things like that have happened to me on occasion and Charlie or Mary or someone there has always got me straightened out!

Everybody, I have been toying with that pasty day party thing. My drive to school (in the country) is 45 minutes not counting a cattle drive problem or coyotes. The math teacher is my teaching partner's husband. He has an "old Army buddy" in the Keeweenaw and they visit pretty often. He also knows the value of a pasty. Will report to see if we do the party. Thanks for the thought.

Good evening from Mishawaka, In.

Bookboy, Welcome to this site. I love it here. I'm a native Hoosier but my heart beloves to the UP. The people here are the greatest. You'll learn so much about the UP and life in general.

Charlie and the rest of the gang, Thanks for all you do.

Trollperson, that is so sweet, that the people you want to say 'hi' to in the morning, are those of us at Pasty Cam.
Welcome to the site, Bookboy.
Yawn, more than 12 hours of paperwork so far today...looks like another all nighter. Glad I have Pasty Cam to get me through the night :)

Oh, Charlie and gang...thanks so very much for everything you to, to keep Pasty Cam up and running. I know, that the site definately makes a great difference in my day :)

Welcome bookboy. I, too am fairly new to the site. Have only been doing it for a little over a month I think. I've been on the site before, but lately have gotten hooked. I'm from Lake Linden so I did grow up up there. I now live in MN and I love it here too. Northern MN is much like MI. As much as I love Lake Superior, it's not the same driving up the shores of Lake Superior in MN. The beauty is breathtaking, but there's just something about the shores of THE LAKE in Michigan, especially the UP. I love this site. If I miss it for a day I feel bad. Some days I'm late getting ready for work because I try to wait for the picture to get on but can't always. So, I'm not going to apologize for going on early any more. At least I get on here to say good morning. Charlie, thanks so much for all you do to keep us informed. And Mary, many thanks to you too. You were in my brother's class in school. I'll always remember you. Tootles all!!!

Mary Drew says: Ok, Deb S., you've got my curiosity up now, send me an email and let me know who you are. I'm too far from home at the moment to check in my yearbook! mdrew@pasty.com :-)

Good night Pasty Cam.

Pretty skies on Sharon's cam earlier this evening!