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.

26 June 2014

Fifth-order Fresnel lens

This fifth-order Fresnel lens sits in the lantern room atop the replica Vermilion Lighthouse located at the Inland Seas Museum, Vermilion, OH by Lake Erie.

The original Vermilion Lighthouse was built of wood in 1859 and equipped with a sixth-order lens. Due to deterioration, a new lighthouse, made of metal,  was built in 1877. The tower stood 34-feet high and the lantern room equipped with a fifth-order Fresnel lens. In 1929 the lighthouse was torn down due to its tower leaning excessively from shifting land. The lighthouse was replaced by a 10-foot high steel tower.

The 16-foot high replica of the 1877 lighthouse, pictured below, was built in 1991. The fifth-order lens was removed from  display in the Inland Seas Museum and installed in the lantern room atop the replica. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this light was active and recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard as a private aid to navigation .

 

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