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 August 2013

North Carolina - Bodie Island Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located just north of the Oregon Inlet Bridge. (Pea Island), NC. It is the third lighthouse to be built on Bodie Island. The first lighthouse was built in 1847 at a height of 54-feet. Light for the lighthouse was provided by a series of lanterns and reflectors. The foundation of that lighthouse failed after 11 years.

The second lighthouse was built in 1859 with the tower rising 80-feet and equipped with a third-order Fresnel lens. During the Civil War the lighthouse was damaged to the extent that it was inoperable and not cost effective to restore.

Construction of this third lighthouse was completed in 1872. Height of tower and lantern room is 164-feet. The lantern room houses a first-order Fresnel lens which is lit from dusk to dawn. In 1940 the light was automated. Day-marking of this lighthouse is black and white horizontal stripes. At the time of my visit here in 2000, the base of the tower was open to the public intermittently and the Keeper's Quarters was open seasonally.

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