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.

22 February 2018

An Unforgettable Experience



The Cape May Lighthouse in New Jersey was the first lighthouse I ever visited. I had seen lighthouses in magazines and other media, but never saw one in person. A few years have passed now since visiting this lighthouse, but the visit remains an unforgettable experience. I felt extremely small in stature as I stood at the base of this towering lighthouse.

Built in 1859, this lighthouse tower stands 157-feet 6-inches tall and consists of two separate walls. The outside wall is cone-shaped and is 13-feet 10-inches thick at the bottom, and tapers to 1-foot 6-inches thick at the top. The inside wall is a cylinder with 8.5 inch thick walls which support the spiral staircase. There are 218 steps from ground to the top. Of those steps, 199 are in the tower's cast iron spiral staircase. The walls are designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force.

The need for keepers stationed at the tower was eliminated when the light was electrified in 1938. Of the two keepers dwellings evacuated, only one remains. Not pictured.

Because of  WWII, in 1941 the lighthouse was darkened until 1945. The Atlantic coast was on blackout due to the presence of enemy submarines.

The lantern room originally housed a first order Fresnel lens. It was removed after World War II, loaned to Cape May County Museum in 1946, and is on display. A beacon type light which flashes every 15 seconds and visible for 24-miles out to sea replaced that lens.
 
The Coast Guard leased the tower to the state of New Jersey in 1986 and later transferred ownership of the light station in 1992. The light continues as an active aid to navigation.


This is the third known lighthouse built at Cape May Point. The first lighthouse was built in 1823 and the second in 1847. The exact locations of those first two lighthouses are uncertain, as they are now under water due to erosion.

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