Katahdin Art Project

"A beautiful way to support the trail"

The Truth of the Matter

June 10, 2002

    Designing this website has been one of the more challenging things I have ever attempted to do.   Even with Microsoft's Front Page,  I was lost for many weeks!   Linking pages baffled me for days, even after watching that silly  tutorial  over and over.  And then it was like a lightening bolt, "Oh, yeah!  I get it now." 

        The concrete style of thinking required to compose web pages was foreign to me.   It is my nature to generally follow the rules, but what the in the heck are the rules--all I saw was a lot of greater and less than signs with crazy writing in between.   However,  I had a burning desire to develop this site myself in order to save money.  I wanted the money generated by this project to go to the Earl Shaffer Foundation rather than a professional web site designer.   Things starting to falling in to place, but don't ask me how.  I decided to try to understand the concepts behind web pages by signing up for a class in HTML.  So please bear with us here,  things will get better--from our position it would be hard to back slide!

        One final note, the "taking credit cards on the web site" bugs are being worked out.   The proper paperwork has finally been submitted.   Now that is probably the only snafu that was not  my fault.

        Thanks,

            Bridgie

Rocktober 11,  2002

            The credit card fiasco lasted 4 months and 3 days.  At my wits end,  I turned our final problem (getting our account profile information to actually match the numbers assigned us by our banking processor) over to Bart.  After I had gotten  the run around  for weeks "they"  straightened "the situation" out for Bart in 1 hour.  I personally  believe that  was a miracle for Bart to solve the problem so fast, since I could not possibly be that ineffective. 

            After that our server crashed and I lost the whole site.  I learned about the value of a backup disc first hand during "that situation."  The papers always are reporting about how people are charged with crimes after the hard drive of their computers are examined.  So I starting looking around and recovered everything except the order pages  from my temporary internet files.  I was very lucky.  Needless to say, I now have copies of this website everywhere and I do mean everywhere.  

            It was about the middle of August when we finally got up and running.  I got my friends to order it online so that I could get the bugs out of the order forms.  Between Trail Days in Damascus and my friends and coworkers at the hospital we have sold 12 units.  I am very pleased that we are now up and ready to go.  During all of this I kept thinking that there must be some lesson that I am suppose to be learning.  Weeks passed without an answer.   However, in the past month I have been given an opportunity to assist a friend who was having problems with their business' credit card processor and I also found another business a cheaper rate for their credit card transactions.  Another opportunity for Crest Photography recently presented itself.  We will be providing small 11 x 14 inch double-matted prints of Bart's PCT photos to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.  They will be selling them soon via  their online store.  Check them out if you get a chance:  pcta.org.

Now for the most amazing part,  SOMEBODY  WANTS  ME TO  BUILT  THEIR  BUSINESS  A  WEBSITE!!!???!!!

Cheers and maybe we will see you at  "The ALDHA Gathering" next week.  Bart is leaving tomorrow to drive out to the East Coast.  I'll be flying out next Thursday.  He be getting there just in time to pick me up at the airport for the Gathering. Stop by the table and say hey to us.   After the weekend I'll fly home while Bart motors on down to  photograph the Florida Trail for his next book.

Bridgie

Webmaster:  bridgiesemail@attbi.com

Copyright 2002 by Crest Photography Inc.

Date Page Last Updated:  10/11/2002