The 30th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

CAPE NEDDICK LIGHTHOUSE
NUBBLE LIGHT
YORK, MAINE


This light was built on a rock just off shore at Nubble Point in Maine in 1879. An interesting cable car built for one or two people at most, runs from the parking lot at Nubble point to the “The Nubble” or rock upon which the light was built. This is the evidently the only way for people and supplies to reach the light.

President Hayes signed the order providing the huge sum of $15,000 that was spent on building this lighthouse, not a small amount in 1879. The tower is short, only forty feet, but the elevation on the rock is over 80 feet above sea level. An interesting part of the architecture displayed in this image is the walkway from the keepers house to the tower itself. Obviously, this is a requirement where the winter weather is so inclement from time to time that protection is needed to reach the tower. New England farms were also built with this feature connecting the barn and house. This feature is also seen at a number of the other Maine lights.

http://www.lighthouse.cc/capeneddick/

York beach Maine is one of the fun places to go! Not to far north from New Hampshire this beach does offer some sand but also the rocky shore where the light can be found. Of course the requisite gift shops and a really clean town. The lighthouse itself is offshore on a rock (Nubble) and can be viewed from a huge parking lot and the rocks on shore. When this image was made there were probably a hundred people waiting for the sun to go down and of course so was I.

The 29th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

HUNTING ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
Atlantic Ocean
Hunting Island State Park, SC

The first light at this location was erected shortly before the Civil War. It lasted only a short time, and when the war was over.....so was the tower. The Lighthouse board then selected another site on the island and built the current 128-foot cast iron light, which housed a second order Fresnel lens. It was lit in 1875.

By 1889 erosion was so brutal that it was moved some mile and a third from the previous location. Interestingly, the tower was dismantled and moved. Today of course huge lighthouse structures are being moved virtually intact, including the keepers houses and towers. A job similar to moving the space shuttle. Lighthouses on Block Island and Cape Cod come to mind as examples. This lighthouse my be visited by the public as an attraction in the State Park.

http://www.huntingisland.com/

This is one of the best little parks around the east coast for those who love the beach. Facilities are clean and for the most part not crowded and of course there is the lighthouse. Entry is inexpensive and most of the normal park like amenities are available including parking, picnic areas, showers, a freshwater lake, huge sand beaches, and safe swimming.

The 28Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

CONCORD POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Chesapeake Bay
Havre de Grace, Maryland

The lighthouse guarding the entrance to the Susquehanna River has for years been known as the Concord Point light, located on a point of land known since the seventeenth century as “Conquered Point”. The lighthouse is restored in a small park bordering the Bay, and offers passers by a place to rest and perhaps dream of a life long gone.

The government decided to build a light at this location and a small plot was purchased. The 39-foot tower was built for $3,500 by John Donohoo in 1827. Since its inception, this lighthouse has had five different lights installed. The first lamps were a series of nine with 16-inch reflectors. A steamer’s lens was next and sometime in the 1870’s s sixth-order Fresnel was installed. In 1892 a fifth-order lens was placed in the tower and finally a fixed green light has been shown.

A hero of the War of 1812, John O’Neill, who defended Havre de Grace against the British fleet in 1813 was named the lighthouse keeper. His direct descendants held this position until 1920 when the light was automated.

http://www.hdgtourism.com/do_museums.html

Exit left from Md. Route 40 in Havre de Grace onto Superior St. Take a right on North Union Street and follow it until it becomes South Union and then look for a left turn on Commerce St. Commerce Street leads the traveler to the town park where the lighthouse overlooks the confluence of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay.

The 27Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

HOOPER STRAIT LIGHTHOUSE
St. Michaels, Maryland



The most direct passage into Tangier Sound from the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay is through Hooper Strait, a circuitous channel between Bloodsworth Island on the south, and Hooper Island and Bishops Head on the north. This area was the first site of the only lightship ever-stationed in Maryland waters (1827-1867).

In 1867 a screwpile lighthouse was built and the lightship service ended. Ten years later ice carried the building away, but the lens, lantern and some furniture was found in the wreckage five miles south of the original site along with the keepers. A new screwpile was constructed in 1879 in nine feet of water near the original site. In 1954 the light was automated and in 1966 was declared by the Coast Guard as surplus property. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum acquired it and moved to their grounds at Navy Point on the Miles River in St. Michaels, Md.

The lighthouse, 42 tons and 44 feet in diameter, is now restored to its original condition, and can be viewed daily at the museum. The whole venture of removing the structure from the water, barging it up to the Miles River and reconstructing it cost $26,000. Almost twice the original cost of the building.

http://www.cbmm.org/

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum at St. Michaels, MD is the new home of the Hooper Straight Lighthouse, as well as the skipjack "Rose Parks" pictured here in the foreground. The morning I made this image we had had some two inches of snow and I knew I needed to find a lighthouse to photograph. A spur of the moment deal. As luck would have it, by 9:00 am the weather warmed the air causing fog to come off the snow. Once again weaather making the case for great photography and a lovely image. The museum is well worth a full day's trip to St. Michaels and the great restaurants found there.

The 26Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

DRUM POINT

LIGHT
Chesa-

peake

Bay
Solomons,

Maryland


One of the few screw-pile lighthouses still on the bay, the current light is housed at the Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, Maryland. The type of construction utilized in this lighthouse consisted of eight, ten-inch wrought-iron piles “screwed” into the bottom of the bay to form a base upon which the hexagonal house was built. This type of construction proved over the years to be vulnerable to ice flows in the bay, and as a result the only one remaining in the bay proper is the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, offshore Annapolis. All the rest have been moved to land. They include; Seven Foot Knoll in Baltimore, Hooper Strait Lighthouse in St. Michaels, Md., and Drum Point.

The original lighthouse, erected in 1883 at a cost of $5,000, was offshore in ten feet of water, at the entrance to the Patuxent River, near Solomons Island. Originally fitted with a fourth-order Fresnel lens, it showed a fixed red light to ward off sailors from the sandy point. The light remained in active service until 1962. Tours of the lighthouse are now offered daily. The light is fitted as it was originally with antique furniture and lighthouse memorabilia.

The Calvert Marine Museum is in Solomons, Maryland and can be reached via Md. Rt. 4 in St. Marys County, southern Maryland. From Rt. 4 look for Solomons Island Road...the museum is located on this road. Ample parking is provided, but plan to spend a few hours in this fascinating museum. The fully restored light is but a few of the sights to see here.

http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/

This image was taken of the reflection of the lighthouse in the little inlet upon which it sits. I do of course have other photos of this historic light, but so much more fun for you all to make the trip to see it for yourselves.

Sixth month 25Th day

A Portrait of a
Cooper's Hawk



Center for Birds of Prey
4872 Seewee Rd
Awendaw, SC


This is one of those images which is great in it's raw form, but took on a different dimension when manipulated into a portrait. The intensity of the eyes of a hawk, owl, or other raptor is just extraordinary. It is my opinion, as with all wild animals, the eyes of the critter are in fact the doorway to the animal's natural soul. In fact, I guess that could be said of all of us. Perhaps it is not until we make a photograph and study it that we recognize that fact.


Hawks, eagles, owls and osprey have always been a favorite topic of mine. My first art show took place at the Easton Waterfowl Festival in 1989, so my continued devotion to things wild will show up in my photography.

This bird was captive, having been injured in an auto accident, and in turn was mended by the people at the Center for Birds of Prey. I spent an entire day shooting there with the staff as they opened their facilities to a group of thirty photographers for a "Shoot". Birds were flown cameras clicked and some outstanding images were made. For the novice photographer, these types of arrangements can be made at a variety of places around the country. It is an inexpensive way to make some stock. It also happens to be a fun day out with some people who really know what they are doing and can tell you a great deal about the birds of prey we are lucky enough to see in this country.

http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/index.html

The 24Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

CAPE MAY

LIGHT
ATLANTIC OCEAN & DELAWARE BAY
CAPE MAY, NJ


The current light is 157.5 feet tall and built on a low point of land at the entrance to the Delaware Bay. Sporting a 600,000-candle power white flashing light, this lighthouse is open to the public and is managed by the Mid-Atlantic Center of the arts. The first order lens produces a torch that can be seen 19 miles at sea. The original lighthouse at this location was built in 1823, rebuilt again in 1847, and finally again in 1859.

Rumor has it that the tower has a certain positive effect on young lovers willing to make the climb up the 199 steps. It seems that this is an excellent location for the staging of marriage. And, numerous engagements have been entered into atop this sentinel.

The southern most exit of the Garden State Parkway leads the traveler to Cape May, New Jersey. The GS Pkwy extended becomes Lafayette Street in Cape May and leads one into town. In town, take a right turn on Sunset Blvd. and follow this street until a left turn onto Lighthouse Blvd. The light is on the left at the end of this street. Ample parking is available, as is a tour of the light and nature walk. The beach is handy and a gift shop at the light offers memorabilia.


Cape May is one of my favorite towns on the east coast and a trip to see the lighthouse is only part of the charm of the area. Of course the town itself is full of seafood restaurants, old Victorian homes, and B&B's. The Lobster House Restaurant on the wharf is an excellent choice for fresh NJ seafood. One can be in Delaware within an hour depending upon the Cape May/Lewes Ferry schedule and it's worth it, just to ride back and forth.

The 24Th day of the sixth month of the year of the Op

CAPE LOOKOUT LIGHTHOUSE
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CAPE LOOKOUT NATIONAL SEASHORE, NC

Fitted with a first order Fresnel lens when it was built in 1859, this beacon is 156 feet tall and marks the second most exposed cape of North Carolina’s famed outer banks. The First Order lens was quickly replaced with a Third Order one when confederates knocked the larger one out. The harbor protected by these southern “Banks” has provided safe anchorage to pirates (Blackbeard), the British during the Revolutionary War, and the US Navy during the two world wars.

The tower was painted in its distinctive diamond pattern in 1873, replacing the original tower (built in 1812) which was painted in red and white stripes.

Visitors must travel through Morehead City and Beaufort to Harkers Island where a ferry will carry them to the Barrier Island where this light is located. This is one of the more isolated of the outer banks chain of islands in North Carolina and a real treat to visit. The lady, who acted as the keeper of the light when we were there, told of her chores of maintaining watch over the light, handling the gift shop, and generally answering visitor’s questions. They stay at the light for a month at a time on a volunteer basis and get a real feel for what it must have been like a hundred years ago.

http://www.northcarolinaoutdoors.com/places/coast/capelookout.html

The 23rd day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE
ATLANTIC OCEAN~OUTER BANKS
BUXTON, NC

At 193 feet, this East Coast tower is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. At the elbow of the outer banks in North Carolina, this lighthouse overlooks the collision of the cold, northern, ocean currents with the warm, southern, gulf currents. The resultant sea is normally violent and during storms the area has earned the reputation as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” The shoal waters (Diamond Shoals) extend over eight miles to sea from this light, and pointed cones of spouting surf can be seen reaching to the horizon.

Viewed in the 19Th century as the most important light on the East Coast, the Hatteras lighthouse was to warn approaching ships of the shoals. The first light however, with Argand lamps and parabolic reflectors, was doomed because of lack of power. In 1870 the light was raised from the original 95 feet to 140 feet and the first, first order Fresnel lamp in the US was installed.

After the Civil War, the light had to be replaced again. In 1870 the current light was completed and painted with the distinctive black and white bands in 1873. Erosion has been the big question surrounding the Hatteras light. In 1935 the tides were within a few feet of the foundation and the lens was moved to a skeleton tower inland. By 1950 the sea had not claimed the tower and the lens was returned to its proper place. The light was moved 2900 feet to the SW in 1999 to avert disaster by the encroaching sea. The image shown here is therefore unique because it is the original location. The lighthouse and keeper’s house can be viewed daily by the public and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Located off North Carolina Route 12 on the outer banks at Buxton NC, this is one of the most accessible lighthouses on the coast. Ample parking is available, and the gift shop, museum and light are all open daily.

The 22nd day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

BODIE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
Atlantic Ocean
Bodie Island, North Carolina

Built in 1872 by Dexter Stetson, the same person who built Cape Hatteras, this tower is 150 feet high and visible from a distance of 19 miles. The Bodie Island site of fifteen acres was purchased from a John Etheridge, a former keeper of the pre-Civil War lighthouse there for $150.

The unique feature of the “Outer Banks” lights is that they are all forty miles apart. The thought that each can be seen from see from a distance of 20 miles (on a good day). Therefore, when the sailor left the safety of the Currituck light going south, the next light to be seen would be Bodie Island, Hatteras Lighthouse, Ocracoke light and then Cape Lookout. Each Light was also painted in a distinct pattern to enhance them as day marks. The Currituck Light was red brick, Bodie Island in black and white horizontals, Hatteras in a black and white spiral, Ocracoke a white tower, and Cape Lookout in a black and white diamond pattern.

Bodie Island Lighthouse lies just north of Oregon Inlet on Bodie Island along Route 12. Visitors will be greeted with ample parking in an open park like area

The 21st day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

THE CAPE HENRY AND CHARLES LIGHTHOUSES
Chesapeake Bay & Atlantic Ocean
Fort Story, Virginia Beach, Virginia


Capes Henry (top photo) and Charles (bottom photo) in Virginia at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay were named after the two sons of King James of England. The first lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay was erected on Cape Henry in 1792 at a cost of $15,200, most likely an outrageous sum for that time. The sandstone tower is 90 feet tall and a local man, Laban Gossigan, became the first keeper.

The Virginia Governor offered President Washington assistance in erecting a tower at the current site. It seems that a certain amount of materials were placed at that location by the state and they would be available for the construction by the Federal government. Blowing and shifting sands had buried the building materials and they had to be replaced. The contract to build the tower was signed by Alexander Hamilton and awarded to an New York brick layer, John McComb, Jr.

During the Civil War the Confederates destroyed the lantern, only to be replaced in 1863. A military guard was placed at the light until the end of the war. By 1872 cracks appeared in the walls and the Lighthouse Board recommended it be replaced. By 1879 construction on the new tower had begun.

The Lighthouse Board ordered the replacement of the tower and the new one was completed in 1881 at a cost of $125,000. Like the Cape Charles light, this southern beacon was fitted with a huge first order Fresnel lens. Not just a bay light, but an offshore sentinel for all shipping entering the bay and as such required the largest of lights. In 1929, this beacon became the first radio-distance-finding station. The light flashes the dot-dot-dash pattern of the letter “U” at 80,000 candlepower.


CAPE CHARLES
Atlantic Ocean
Cape Charles, VA

This skeletal tower is located off shore on Smith Island on Virginia’s lower Eastern Shore. A boat trip is the only way to reach this light that marks the northern entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The tower is 180 feet above the water and was built in 1894 for an astounding sum of $150,000, a small fortune for that time. This is the third light at this location, the first was built in 1828, and the second in 1864.

Twentieth day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

BASS HARBOR HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
Entrance to Blue Hill Bay, ME
Atlantic Ocean

This lighthouse was built in 1858 to warn mariners of the Bass Harbor Bar and mark the entrance to the harbor. This harbor offers protection from easterly gales and is one of the many picturesque harbors along Maine’s beautiful coastline. This easily accessible light is probably one of the most photographed lights in Maine. It ranks right up there with Portland Head for scenic quality. The brick tower casts a red light from a fourth order Fresnel lens. One can only imagine the difficulties that keeper’s faced during foul weather. The bell tower to the left of the lighthouse had to be rung by hand during heavy fog when the automation equipment failed. To be out in the winter weather and having to perform the tedious striking of the bell every so many minutes was probably hard at best, but these dedicated people performed their duties day in and day out.

http://www.lighthouse.cc/bassharbor/

This is one of the lights in Maine which decries the famous rocky coast. I find Maine to be a most interesting state in that the coast seems to be the most prosperous part because of the tourism. Going inland one finds less and less prosperity, more rural, and the tourism is pretty much limited to hunting and fishing activities. But the coast is devoted to the sixty five or so lighthouses in the state and the fantastic scenery. It took about three weeks to find and photograph each of the lights on land and those few on islands one can reach by ferry. It always amazes me that lighthouses which can be seen from as far away as 20 miles when at sea, but can be missed when only a mile away on land. Part of the mystique is simply being able to find these things. There are a total of 65 lighthouses in Maine.

I had an interesting experience when looking for Browns Head Lighthouse on Vinylhaven Island in Maine. This is a small island and we should have been able to find it easily. I had street directions for the thing and, when departing from the ferry, we went into the adjoining town looking for "Main" street. Well, no Main Street. In fact, not a street sign in the entire town. Hence the directions were not a bit of help. Back to the Ferry and the ticket agent for the return trip to the mainland in hopes of some information. When asked why no street signs, her down east reasoning took over. "Street signs? We don't need no street signs! We know where we are!" I did get some directions and made the photographs later in the day, but you just got to love Maine.

http://www.lighthouse.cc/brownshead/

The 19Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

Wanted to introduce you to the "Grumpy Old Man".

The original image from which this digital enhancement was created was made in April at Assateague Island, Virginia.

http://www.assateagueisland.com/

The shot was done during the early mating season and this guy was all dressed up in the long feathers of that season. Unfortunately, for him it was just over freezing that morning and he was cold. As we all know we don't want to be cold during mating season..........hence the "Grumpy Old Man."

The shot was made from the driver's side of my car.........which incidentally is the best wildlife blind in existence. Critters are just not afraid of cars for some reason. I guess they are just used to them. Nikon SLR with a 300 2.8 lens. You know that's the lens you see on the side of the fields at football games which are large enough to require a trail horse to carry.

I cloned the bird from the background using "Photoshop" and placed him on a gradient grey background to make the portrait. The purist photographer will look down their noses at this manipulation, especially when dealing with wildlife. I, however, prefer to create something that someone just might want to hang.

The computer has changed out business completely, and while I will do some manipulation I will always advertise where it has been done. I do not compete in contests for that simple reason. Some will manipulate and compete with those who do not. Just not fair nor honest.

The 18Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

OK! FOR ALL MY JERSEY BUDS!

I have posted this image before, but do love it and here's to LBI


BARNEGAT LIGHTHOUSE
BARNEGAT INLET~ATLANTIC OCEAN
North End Long Beach Island, NJ

Winslow Lewis built the first sentinel on New Jersey’s Barnegat Inlet in 1835. This figure held the patent on the Argand lamp and parabolic reflector system used on the early lights in the US until the middle 1850’s. The original light, only 45 feet high, lasted only 20 years and was replaced in 1859 by the current 163-foot tower. One ships captain described the initial light as “Indifferent...and indistinguishable from another ship’s light in poor weather”.

Lieutenant George Meade, a lighthouse board inspector and in 1863 the commander of the Army of the Potomac, was the whistle blower on the crumbling first tower’s inadequacies. He pointed out that the initial structure was nothing more than an inlet light at a location that deserved better. Meade felt that the location called for a major light and insisted that a first order Fresnel lamp be installed to guide ships at sea. The keeper lit the big lens on January 1, 1859.

Take Route 72 east from either the Garden State Parkway or Route 9 to Long Beach Island. Turn left on Long Beach Blvd. and proceed to Barnegat Light, NJ. At the north end of the island take a left on Broadway and proceed about four blocks to the lighthouse on the right. Parking is available and is clearly marked.

The 17Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

A great collection of images on the photo contest this month, take a look. Alot of humor there this time.

http://www.ifp3.com/contest_images/contestPage.cfm

ABSECON LIGHTHOUSE
Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic City NJ

The shoals of Absecon and Brigantine had to be marked by a light of some sort in the early 1800’s when Atlantic City was but a small ocean side village. The Lighthouse was first authorized in 1837 but not built and lit until 1857. Built by the active Lt. George G. Meade of civil war fame, the tower was erected on a stone foundation, which rested on a wooden platform. The structure rose 150 feet and was fitted with a first order Fresnel lens as was befitting a coast line light house. Meade also built the light at Barnegat..."LBI".

Shipwrecks had been many along that coast on the aforementioned shoals, but after it’s construction the incidents of wrecks in the first months became nil. In 1872 the tower was white with a red band around the middle but in the latter part of that century, the light was painted orange with a black middle band. Until 1998 tower was white and red. It has been since painted a light yellow with a black band. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1932 and was turned over to the state. It is now the centerpiece of a town park.

When in Atlantic City, follow either Vermont or Rhode Island Avenues north until you come to the light. There is ample street side parking and the light can be viewed daily.

The sixteenth day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

CHARLESTON HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE
Charleston Harbor & Atlantic Ocean
Morris Island, SC

This current old relic stands guard in the harbor, on what is left of a formidable island of some many years ago. Old photos show three story keepers quarters with four chimneys and several out buildings. As one can see the island is now completely gone, as are of course all the dwellings. Built in 1876, this tower is 155 feet above sea level and was originally painted like the Bodie Island Light in North Carolina.... that is with black and white bands.

Unbelievably, this light withstood hurricanes and even an earthquake. But erosion was it’s worst enemy and finally in the early sixties it was put to rest. The new light was built as a replacement in 1962 north of this site on Sullivans Island. Visitors can view both lights from south of Charleston harbor.

I revisited the light this spring and they have placed some rip rap around the base of the light and it seems to have withstood the wrath of the tides. I am fearfull for the light if another Harricane were to come on coast in the Charleston area. There's not much to protect it.

Most of my images of this lighthouse were taken from Folley Beach just south of Charleston.

I have been to, visited, climbed, and shot (with a camers of course) around 256 of the 356 lighthouses on the east coast. So I have lots of stock images of this types of scenics and archetechure.

The fifteenth day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

OK, bring back the fifties, sixties or maybe it was the seventies.

I lost a decade back there somewhere.

At any rate it was the time of the Roller Derby. Remember watching the Derbies on TV. Yeah, well most of you don't. Fifteen minutes of the men skating and then the much anticipated women's contest. Only in America and with the skaters trying to physically beat the stuffing out of each other.

There is evidently a ladies league here in South Carolina and is it ever wild. We went Sunday to watch the terrifying Atlanta Denim Demons (those in the red, white and blue) skate against the home town Columbia Quadsquad Rollergirls, those in black in the photos. I am sure than no one will want these particular shots , but you never know. It was more entertainment than anything else. But from a photoshoot opportunity the images aren't too bad with a hand held Nikon D40X and a 200 mm lens.

What's not to like about girls calling themselves Betty Burnout, Mel Anoma, Brass Knuckle Brandy, Pitt Bull, and the Captain Holly Hunter. She's in the bottom photo in black, taken just before she absolutely obliterated the two girls from the opposite team. I think she spent more time in the penalty box, but she put a world of hurt on some folks and the crowd totally loved her.

On the other team there were such standouts as Canna Whoopass, Forniskate, Scarbie Doll or Regretta Garbo. All of them trying to flatten the opposing team's skaters.

And the Referees Bruise Lee, Cole Slaw-ter, Slaughterhouse Jive or Getupov Defleur.

One never knows where a photo-op is going to turn up, but this was flat skating with the hitting pretty well controlled.

Although, I am not sure I would not want to date any one of the girls on the losing team. They scare me!

The 13Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

ASSATEAGUE ISLAND LIGHT
Atlantic Ocean
Assateague Island, Virginia

Congress appropriated funds for a lighthouse near the Maryland/Virginia border
in 1831. The proposed light was to be about half way between the Delaware and Chesapeake bays and designed to warn ships away from the barrier islands and the shoals that ran offshore from them. Built in 1833, the light itself proved too weak to accomplish the purpose, but nothing was done until the late 1850’s.

The Lighthouse Board concentrated efforts in the late 1850’s to upgrade the southern coastal lighthouses and correct existing deficiencies. The Assateague Island lighthouse was upgraded as a result of those efforts. The Civil War intervened however, and repairs were not completed until October 1867. Improvements were made with the addition of a huge first order Fresnel lens, which made the light visible up to 19 miles at sea.

The eastern shore of the Chesapeake bay in Virginia is the home of two major coastal lights, one being the Assateague light. The other is a steel tower offshore on a small island at Cape Charles which was built in 1894. To complete a trio of lights along that peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay, the Cape Henlopen light was build in Delaware in 1824. Unfortunately, erosion caused the demise of this light in 1926 when it fell into the ocean.

http://www.assateagueisland.com/

The lighthouse can be viewed daily at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge offers a multitude of opportunities to view wildlife in its natural habitat, the wild ponies, the lighthouse, as well as public access to the beach. Cormorants can be seen flying over the light in the accompanying image.

The 12Th day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

MARSHALLS POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Port Clyde Harbor, ME

This is really one of the most pleasant Maine lighthouses to visit. It does not have the stark and rocky outcroppings of a Portland Head or Bass Harbor Head, but offers visitors a different feeling of the importance of these structures to the mariners of the time. Wonderful grounds, which are readily accessible to the land-locked traveler with ample parking, offer a calming effect on visitors. Everything has been restored and literally gleams with care. A classic location on the rocky point at the entrance to Port Clyde Harbor. In the early 1800’s Port Clyde was a major Maine port with fishing, shipbuilding, and granite shipping as the main sources of income. The original tower was replaced in the mid 1850’s by this 31-foot brick tower. In 1895 the original keeper's quarters were destroyed and replaced with the current dwelling. Shipping lanes are close to shore at this point and all types of vessels can be seen leaving and entering the port.

The eleventh day of the sixth month

After our trip to the University of Florida Butterfly Rainforest, I thought I would share some of my previous images and some of those I made down there. See the entries for the second of June for more explanation of the Rainforest.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflies/

The tenth day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

Here is an article I wrote for the website newsletter where my web page is managed. Kinda neat to publish online when someone actually buys the article.

http://skipwillitsfineartphotography.ifp3.com/

The Making of a Fine Image
A photographer’s prospective
By Skip Willits

I met the Hereford Inlet lighthouse in February of 1995 when I was photographing the lighthouses in New Jersey for a poster which was subsequently published later in that year. Unknown to me at the time, I should have done the photography later in the spring when the Victorian gardens were in full bloom. I am a professional photographer of some modest renown specializing in lighthouses and other beach and maritime studies. The original photos I made in 1995 had nothing to do with the “Image” of this light.

Lighthouses and the history of them, their locations, keepers, legends and or myths have become a favorite topic of not only my vocation but my avocation as well. There is a sense of history and drama associated each light not found in other historic structures. I guess the aura of the ocean and the mariners lost at sea lend a mystique to lighthouses. Each light has its own romance and local devotees eager to work long hours to maintain them. The original Keepers, for the most part, were paid less than $500 per year to keep and maintain their light. Current “Keepers”, for the most part, are unpaid in dollars but reap much more in the satisfaction of promulgating the legends.

When most ships were powered by wind and sail, sailors were necessarily limited to hugging the coastlines. Lighthouses were the only sure marker of one’s location and served to warned ships to stay away. Modern shipping is conducted with GPS, radar, and other marvels of the electronic age. Lighthouses hence have become more of a destination rather than beacons warning of potential disaster.

North Wildwood is blessed with an historic beacon carrying on the history and mystery of an age long gone. Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is truly a destination in itself. Yes, for the lighthouse aficionados there is that. The Victorian house, the tower, the light, the memorabilia are all there for the lighthouse buff. But this treasure also affords one of the most unique Victorian gardens on the east coast. Steve Murray is the Superintendent of Parks for North Wildwood and is responsible for the spectacular plantings surrounding the lighthouse front and back. With 25 plus years of experience in seashore gardening, Steve has created the setting for the crown jewel of North Wildwood.

I have witnessed and documented, over the last ten years, a total exterior renovation of the physical structure, bringing it back to the way it was when the place was built in 1874. But the infrastructure, gardens, and location are merely the shell. A shell held together by the folks who put in many long hours of dedication and pure work. This is truly a place where people afford other people an opportunity is see, visit, learn, and contemplate. Steve also serves as the head of the organization. Betty Mugnier is the unofficial modern day “Keeper” and runs the place with the help of Jane and Marie. Sam and Ronnie Black run the food concessions when there is an event at the light and Ralph Feindt sells lighthouse caps and other memorabilia to help raise funds.

It is ironic that a place which was originally intended as a signal for mariners to avoid has become a place for folks to gather. But it seems that lighthouses are just that today, a place for good folks to gather. And, Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is one of the finest places to gather on the east coast and is truly the crown jewel of North Wildwood. And that is the image I see.

The second day of the sixth month of the year of the OP

Today's entry is for my buddy EC. The photograph is of a couple of Philipine Ida Lueconoe butterflies.

I'm back from the dark side!

We spent the week-end last in Gainsville, FL at a wedding ( and you all thought I only went to funerals at my age.....Silly people). Visited the Wild Butterfly Rainforest at the home of the Florida Gators. For those of you in western Pennsylvania, that's the University of Florida.

And you thought that they were only about football and girls softball. They have the largest collection of butterflies in the world there. Check out the website.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflies/

I went to the online quotes for stocks today......Looking for my General Motors stock and got nothing in the way of a quote. Wonder why? Guess I will have to go to Government Motors instead. Oh yeah, that's where it is.

How come when Ford was trading down around $1.50 or $2.00 and GM was at around 2.60, we (the US public) ended up buying 60-70% of a stock that subsequently went to zero (Gov. Motors) and not a share of Ford which is now around $6.15.

So the Govt. gave us a $2.60 loss on GM while the free market gave us a $4.00 plus profit on Ford. What a bunch of brilliant people we have in Washington.

So lets say that, just for fun, the public supported GM to the tune of $25,000,000,000 at say $2.00 per share on average. If my math is correct that equals $12,500,000,000 shares (which of course don't exist). That means the loss on GM was fifty billion big ones. Note Billion!

Gee, if I have invested that money in Ford stock...............I would have a profit of $50,000,000,000 instead of a loss. Well, that's just the math. Incidentally if anyone out there took my advice and actually bought any Ford (why would you do that), I would get out of half of it now.

I actually had a request for photographs from a new gift shop today. Economy's getting better, hold on to yer GM!

FICTION AND FACT FROM SKIP'S ALMANAC OF GARBAGE KNOWLEDGE

See above.