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 January 2015

A New Jersey Beauty - Absecon Lighthouse

The Absecon Lighthouse is located on the south side of Absecon Inlet, at Atlantic City, NJ. Constructed of brick, the lighthouse stands 171-feet tall and its light was first lit in 1857. The tower has 228 steps leading up to the lantern room where a first-order Fresnel lens was installed. Under the control of the lighthouse board, this lighthouse operated until 1933 when it was deactivated due to installation of a light atop a taller steel tower nearby.

Atlantic City owned and managed the Absecon Lighthouse from 1946 to 1966 at which time the State of NJ purchased the lighthouse. Then in 1979, the Atlantic City Coastal Museum opened the lighthouse to visitors.

At the time of my visit here in 2001, the lighthouse was open to the public, and restoration work on the keeper's dwelling was in progress to return its appearance to that after 1903. The building at the left side of the above picture is the dwelling.
Although the light is lit nightly, it is not considered an active aid to navigation.

(Note: Most of the information presented above, I gathered at the time of my visit to this lighthouse in 2001. I have since supplemented some of that information by use of Lighthousefriends.com. Thank you Lighthouse Friends. At their site you can also see a picture of the completed keeper's dwelling.)

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