About Me

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After retirement, for two summers I worked as a tour guide at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Oregon. This opportunity enabled me to learn more about that lighthouse than any of the others I've seen. Although I have personally visited and photographed over 300 lighthouses in the United States and three Provinces in Canada, the Umpqua River Lighthouse has special meaning for me. That Lighthouse inspired me to write two fictional books with the characters working, living, and enduring the challenges of lighthouse keeping. All pictures posted in this blog were taken by myself, unless noted otherwise.

Book Info.

I hope you will find time to enjoy my books. Preview the book covers below at the right side of page.

Book #1: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse." Detail: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse" is an 1860's story about the lighthouse keepers and their families at the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It will stir your emotions and warm your heart. Discover the challenges they met but never expected, and their determination to maintain navigational aid to mariners on the Oregon coast. (Wickie is a nickname used by the early lighthouse keepers at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in OR.)

Book #2: "Spirit of The Lighthouse" is a sequel to The Wickie. Detail: Jesse Fayette, assistant keeper at the Umpqua River Lighthouse, finds himself alone to operate and maintain an Oregon lighthouse after the accidental death of his head keeper. After notifying the Lighthouse Board and requesting help, he is surprised but must deal with an acquaintance, Red Saunders, who believes the lighthouse is haunted.

Book #3: "Unexpected Moments" has a different theme than those of Book #1 and #2. Detail: Dan and Megan, as well as their old friends Jim and Anna, experience unexpected moments of hardships and tragedies in Arizona and California. Will they survive these unexpected moments and find any hope for their futures?

All of my books are available on Amazon.

23 January 2014

Florida - Loggerhead Key Lighthouse

The Loggerhead Key Lighthouse is located 2.6 miles west of Garden Key, FL and 70-miles west of Key West, FL. This lighthouse was built in 1858 to replace the inadequate Dry Tortugas Lighthouse at Garden Key. (See my previous post pertaining to the Dry Tortugas Lighthouse.)

The light on Loggerhead Key is on top of a 146-foot tower which is 28-feet in diameter. Within the tapering brick walls are 203 circular granite steps which lead upward to the watch room beneath a narrow gallery and lantern room. From here a mammoth first-order Fresnel lens intensifies a fixed white light that's visible for 20-miles. The light was automated in 1987. At the time of my visit here in 2001 this was still an active light.

Although the Coast Guard continues to maintain the light, the National Park Service manages the station. Crews of volunteers spend from two to four weeks at a time working at Loggerhead Key Lighthouse. 


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