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.

28 May 2015

A Virginia Beauty - Cape Henry Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located inside the Coast Guard Compound at Fort Story, VA Military Reservation. It sits 357-feet south east of the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. The New Cape Henry Lighthouse was built in 1881, made of cast-iron plates, and stands 165-feet tall. A second-order Fresnel lens from the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse was removed and installed in this one. Its light had a focal plane of 157-feet above the sea and could be seen for approximately 19-miles. In 1984 that light was replaced with a newer beacon and then automated.

Day-markings of this lighthouse are the most distinctive in the world. The checkerboard markings on the octagonal tower alternate between white and black. Half way up the tower the pattern changes from white to black, making it appear as though the top half of the tower is slightly turned and misaligned with the bottom half.

At the time of my visit here in 2000, this light was active but not open to the public.

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