One I Didn't Visit

Traveling for several years after retirement, my late wife and I decided to settle in Texas. While conversing with an uninformed acquaintance about our decision, he mentioned Texas didn’t have any lighthouses. I knew his statement was incorrect because of having visited the Port Isabel Lighthouse. At the time I didn't know the number of TX lighthouses. Later I learned that over time TX had seven operating lighthouses providing navigational aid to mariners along its shores.

Although I’ve not had opportunity to visit the other six lighthouses, my friends (R. Barnett and his wife) did visit one of them, The Aransas Pass Lighthouse. They provided me copies of their pictures, one of which is shared in the post below.

The Aransas Pass Lighthouse, nicknamed Lydia Ann, was built in 1857. It is located on Harbor Island, TX. Its octagonal tower stands 55-feet tall and originally the lantern room housed a fourth-order Fresnel lens. After the beginning of the Civil War, the lens was removed for safekeeping. During the war, the upper portion of the tower was damaged from kegs of powder being exploded inside the tower. After the war, repairs were not completed on this lighthouse until the spring of 1867 due to very severe winter weather. 

Over time, hurricanes and other weather damaged the adjacent buildings and generated need for constant repairs. In 1928, electricity was brought to the station in the form of diesel generators to power a newly installed radio beacon.

Due to erosion over years, Aransas Pass had inched over one mile south of the lighthouse. In 1952, a new light was established at the Port Aransas Coast Guard Station, and the Aransas Pass Lighthouse deactivated. It had operated for almost 100 years.

The lighthouse was sold in 1955 and is now privately owned.

What’s In A Title?

Most people enjoy looking at lighthouse pictures, and when possible some may visit a lighthouse. However fewer of those who enjoy the pictures will take time to read a book about lighthouses. I recall talking to an editor about my manuscript and learned the book would be considered a "nitch book." He defined it as meaning only a small portion of the population would be interested in reading about a lighthouse. When I first heard this statement I was very discouraged. However, I quickly realized even the remainder of the population doesn’t all like reading love or mystery books. Knowing readers like different types of stories, I knew my book would still add to the many options readers have today.

Regardless of the genre someone might like reading; I know a book’s title can grab the shopper’s attention unless he or she is looking for a specific book. When designing the cover for my book, I chose the title knowing it would grab attention and hopefully spark peoples interest to read it. However, some folk have misinterpreted the book title and think it has to do with witches or evil doers.

Most readers can’t know from a book title exactly what the book is about until they read the book. Until then, their guessing and their comments can deter others from reading a good book. I chose The Wickie as the title for my book because “Wickie"  was a nickname the lighthouse keepers called each other in the old days. This name derived because keepers had to trim the wicks of the lantern to maintain a bright light. This book has nothing to do with Witches, but a lot to do with the lighthouse keepers, their families, and the challenges they all encountered but didn't expect.

If you like reading historical fiction, I hope you’ll enjoy reading “The Wickie.” This book is also written for young readers to enjoy.

It's Not A Lighthouse

This is not a lighthouse! That may have been your thought when you first saw the above picture. If so, your right, but there is a lighthouse connected to my narrative about the two pictures shown here. That lighthouse is the Umpqua River Lighthouse. I have featured it before in my blog and in my book, The Wickie. A Photo of said lighthouse is pictured at the left of this blog post.

Pictured above is the Coastal Visitor Center (CVC) located on the grounds of the Umpqua River Lighthouse, Winchester Bay, OR.  Built in 1939, this building originally served as the former U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters until 1971 due to moving to their new headquarters near the water at Winchester Bay. In 1976, Douglas County Park purchased the building and converted it to the CVC. They opened it to the public in 1980. Top floors of the CVC now contain the museum with history about the lighthouse as well as the Coast Guard. The basement houses a gift shop which is the second largest gift shop on the west coast.

Pictured below is a U.S. Coast Guard Life Saving Boat. When I worked as a volunteer at the lighthouse and museum in 2004/2005, this boat was on display adjacent to the CVC. It was one used by the Coast Guard at this station. The boat is 36-feet 8-inches long with a 180 HP diesel engine. There is one feature of this boat that amazed me, and is an example of man’s engineering. This boat was designed to right itself in 15-seconds after turning over in rough seas. (Weights attached in the bottom of the boat made it possible.) 

Few Lighthouses Have One

Most people who read my blog know I have visited and photographed many lighthouses around the U.S. and Canada. All lighthouses, regardless of their size or location, have one thing in common. That is the light. Another feature common to most lighthouses is a lightening rod at the top of the lantern. Although a few lighthouses do have a weather vane, I have only seen and photographed one such lighthouse. It is the Stonington Harbor Lighthouse in CT.

This lighthouse is located on Windmill Point at the east side of Stonington, Harbor, CT. The first lighthouse built near this location in 1823 had a 30-foot stone tower. However, due to erosion of the beach near that lighthouse, this one was built in 1840 to replace it. Builders used some of the granite stones from the original lighthouse. This tower stands 35-feet tall not counting the lantern. The lighthouse operated until 1889 when it was shut down. At the time of my visit here in 2001 the light remained inactive.