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.

13 November 2014

A Massachusetts Beauty - Eastern Point Lighthouse

The Eastern Point Lighthouse is located at Gloucester, MA. The lighthouse at Eastern Point is the third to stand on this granite promontory. The first was a stone tower built in 1832 to aid the great growing fleet of Gloucester fishermen. Dampness quickly worked into the structure causing multiple problems. The keeper then, Samuel Wonson, complained in 1842 that the tower "leaks in every direction." He indicated it was "covered with ice in winter, and green mold in summer" and "the rain blows in under the deck of the lantern room and runs through the walls."

The original tower had to be replaced twice; first in 1848 and again in 1890. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1857 to replace the previous fixed red light. In 1985 the light was automated.

The two-story keeper's dwelling was built n 1879, and a second dwelling added in 1908. One dwelling is connected to the  tower by a covered walkway, which can be better viewed by clicking on the above picture.


At the time of my visit here in 1997, a Coast Guard family lived in the keeper's dwelling, and the light was active. Today's light shines from the 36-foot high cylindrical white brick structure of 1890.

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