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.

20 August 2015

A Wisconsin Beauty - Wind Point Lighthouse

Located at Wind Point, near Racine, WI, the Wind Point Lighthouse was built in 1880 by the Lighthouse Service. The tower stands 112-feet high and has 144 iron steps to the lantern room. Originally, a kerosene "Aladdin's" lamp supplied the light until 1924 at which time it was replaced by an electrified lamp. The light was manned by a lighthouse keeper and two assistants, who along with their families, lived in the house adjacent to the tower.

The Coast Guard replaced the lens with a fully automated system in 1964. With the use of radar on ships, the foghorn was no longer needed, so it was dismantled. The light consists of a 1,000 watt bulb and a reflector which magnified the light to two million candlepower. The beam of light is visible for 19-miles, and the rotation of the light is timed so that it flashes every 20-seconds. The light is activated by timers and photo-electric cells, which turn it on 30-minutes before sunset and off 30-minutes after sunrise, or whenever visibility is less than 5-miles. Once the light became automated, the Coast Guard sealed the tower.

At the time of my visit here in 1998 visitors were welcome to walk around the grounds, but no one was permitted inside the lighthouse except qualified personnel.


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