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.

10 July 2014

California Beauty - Point Arena Lighthouse

The original Point Arena Lighthouse was built in 1870. It stood 100-feet tall, constructed of masonry, and the lantern room held a first-order Fresnel lens. That lighthouse collapsed during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the keepers house destroyed.

This replacement tower was built in 1908 to a height of 115-feet and is made of reinforced concrete. This was the first time this "new material" was used for a lighthouse. The supporting buttresses at the base of the tower have helped the lighthouse survive earthquake tremors since its construction. Instead of rebuilding the original keepers' house which housed the keeper, his three assistants and their families, lighthouse officials had separate housing built for each of the keepers.

During World War II, several military actions were witnessed from this lighthouse. For one, the U.S. Navy defeated three Japanese destroyers on 12 August 1945, two days before the end of the war.

In 1977 the U.S. Coast Guard automated the lighthouse. At the time of my visit here in 1999, the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers Association was leasing the property from the Coast Guard and the lighthouse was open to the public year-round. The keepers association maintained a museum and provided for tours. They also rented the keepers' houses to overnight visitors.

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