Photo of the Day: Annisquam Lighthouse, Gloucester, Massachusetts

It's always a pretty, peaceful scene at the little beach near the Annisquam Lighthouse.

Hospital Point Wreath

Scenic Hospital Point Light Station in Beverly, Massachusetts, serves as the residence for the commander of the First Coast Guard District. The Coast Guard Auxiliary has gotten involved with the lighthouse, with plans for occasional open houses.

Auxiliary members just put this wreath on the tower for the Christmas season -- the third year they've done it. "This has become an annual tradition, and we have a lot of fun doing it," says Phil Karwowski. Thanks to Phil for the photo and info!

Photo of the Day: Bear Island Lighthouse, Maine

A dramatic location that inspired many landscape painters in the 19th century -- for example, click here. For more on Bear Island, click here.

Photo of the Day: Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Maine

This photo was taken last January on a icy, cold late afternoon. The fading sunlight was delicate and beautiful, but the walking near the lighthouse was treacherous.

I'm not a big fan of New England winters, but they do provide some neat photo opportunities.

Photo of the Day: Newport Harbor Lighthouse, RI

This photo was taken on a cold, blustery late afternoon, just before an American Lighthouse Foundation dinner in the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Goat Island, next to the lighthouse. The hexagonal stone construction of this lighthouse is unusual, and I like the style of the lantern. It's under the care of the American Lighthouse Foundation, and the picket fence was added a couple of years ago.

For more, go to lighthouse.cc/newportharbor/

Photo of the Day: West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Maine

I'm featuring another photo of West Quoddy Head Light today partly because it gives me an excuse to tell you about a great article on this lighthouse on the Lighthouse-ornaments.com site -- click here!

Also, lots more on my site at lighthouse.cc/westquoddy/

GHOST CRUISE with the New England Ghost Project - 7/31/2010

Join Ron Kolek of the New England Ghost Project and Jeremy D'Entremont of New England Lighthouse Tours for a unique evening cruise, leaving Rye Harbor, New Hampshire, aboard the M/V Granite State at 7:00 p.m. on July 31, 2010. The cruise will return to the dock at 10:00 p.m.

The cruise will pass close to three lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor, Whaleback, and White Island, as well as the Isles of Shoals and other points of interest. You'll learn about the ghostly Woman in White who warns of approaching storms at White Island, the longtime keeper who haunts Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, and much more. You'll hear first-hand accounts of paranormal investigations by New England Ghost Project.

Ron Kolek is the founder and lead investigator of the New England Ghost Project. With a degree in environmental science, he was the ultimate skeptic. A near death experience changed all that. No longer blinded by his skepticism, he now uses his scientific background to seek the truth about the paranormal. In addition to hosting Ghost Chronicles on Ghostvillage Radio and ITunes, he hosts a weekly internet radio show on Toginet.com, and writes monthly paranormal newspaper columns in the Stateline Review and Food and Spirits.

He is the co-author, with Maureen Wood, of the best-selling book The Ghost Chronicles: A Medium and a Paranormal Scientist Investigate 17 True Hauntings.

Click here for tickets!