Computer and Internet Beginnings

I bought my first computer in 1994. I took my first anti-depressant in 1994. I channeled the “focus” provided by the medication into desktop publishing. The creative juices were flowing, my brain’s thought faucet was wide open.
My first desktop publishing venture was Summer Sun Publishing. Under this umbrella I created Dancing Paper stationary and greeting cards, “Credit” cards to acknowledge good friends and good deeds, and Alphabet Zoup for making fun learning books for kids.
My best selling greeting card was the Yo! Birthday?  card.

 

Front                                  Inside

 

 

A postcard I did back then could still be done today.

 

Next up, I started a business called Jim Sullivan’s Ad – Ventures with the idea of using desktop publishing to create ads for local businesses. I used a software called Face Parts ( it came on floppy disks ) and MS Publisher to create the Faces of Softwhere County, highlighted by it’s Mayor – The Honorable Mortimer T. Snugglegrass. I thought Mort and his friends would certainly gain attention for a business’ print advertisements. Well…, it turned out I was alone in that estimation.
Is there a trend here? I love my ideas, I have lots of fun, no money.

 

 

The Internet – Abbington Village – www.abbington.com – is the first web site I built in 1995. My idea was to build a site with travel related information about the New England states, where to stay, what to do, etc. The name Abbington Village sounded New Englandish and I spelled it Abbington because search engines at that time listed results alphabetically. Micha Archer did a fantastic interpretation of Abbington Village based on my description of the types of places you would find in the village – a Visitors Center, an antique store, the General Store, a Crafts Fair on the Town Common, etc.
In the beginning, the site drew a lot of visitors, but over time, many other sites were built offering similar information and the traffic dwindled. The Abbington Village site no longer exists so I’ve added the home page here.

 

Welcome to Abbington Village – where to stay and play and what to see and do in the six New England States.

Listed below are just a few of the wide variety of four season travel, sightseeing and vacation activities available in New England.
  • The Fall foliage viewing season attracts visitors from around the world.
  • Skiing, snowboarding and skimobiling are just a few of the outdoor activities to be enjoyed during the Winter season.
  • Spring, Summer and Fall – play some of New England’s scenic and challenging golf courses.
  • Any season is a good time to spend a romantic weekend in a bed and breakfast.
  • Walk the beaches of Cape Cod or take the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket.
  • Trace our nation’s history from Plymouth Rock to Boston’s Old North Church to the battlefields of Concord and Lexington.
  • Cruise on a windjammer in Downeast Maine.
  • Hike the Appalachian Trail through Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
  • Whitewater raft down Maine’s Kennebec River.
  • Fly fish the famous Batten Kill River in Vermont.
  • Drive or take the historic Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington.
  • Tour the Gilded Age summer “cottages” of the turn of the century’s wealthiest in Newport.
  • Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • Take in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
  • Shop around the clock at L.L. Bean.
  • Crack open a lobster or try some clam chowder.
  • Hunt for antique and collectible treasures in Brimfield.
  • Take the kids to the beach, a museum, or an amusement park.

 

 

copyright The Abbington Group 1995-2021 All rights reserved.

Art work by Micha Archer