Presentation on March 9 in Kittery, Maine

I'll be the guest speaker at 7:00 p.m. this Tuesday, March 9, at the meeting of the Kittery Historical and Naval Society at the Lions' Club building on State Road (Route 1) in Kittery, Maine. My Powerpoint presentation will feature historical photos and background on five area lighthouses; Cape Neddick ("Nubble"), Boon Island, Whaleback, White Island, and Portsmouth Harbor. I'll also discuss present day preservation efforts.

Call (207) 439-3080 for more info. I hope to see you there!

Rockland Breakwater at Dusk during 2/25/10 Storm

We've been through a very stormy week in New England -- heavy snow inland and several inches of rain along the coast, along with tropical storm-force winds. I wasn't able to get any photos during the storm, unfortunately. I'm sure there was spectacular surf at many lighthouse locations along the coast.

At the height of the wind and rain on Thursday evening, I gave a lighthouse presentation at South Portland (Maine) City Hall. On the way there in my minivan, I drove through some major flooding and lost my power steering. I made it to city hall and gave my presentation, and I was then towed all the way back to Portsmouth, NH. It was an adventure I'd rather not repeat, but I made it home safe and sound.

The following text and photos come from Bob Trapani, executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation:

I decided to go back over to Rockland Breakwater this evening to see if I could improve on my storm photos from this morning.

This time I took my tripod with me, which offered more stability for focusing in the face of a good wind, but the benefit of the tripod was offset a tad by the fact that the winds had grown much stronger than in the morning. They were blowing at sustained gale force this evening, which made keeping both myself and the tripod balanced / still a mixed bag :)

I only wish there had been about one more hour of daylight to work with since the tide was on the flood, but with high tide not until 8:00 pm this evening, there wasn't quite enough in volumes of water being driven against the breakwater to create the more dramatic wave explosions.

As it was, the wind-swept spray of the waves was a cool thing to see, wispy and far-reaching as it broke against the wall and carried through the air well over the breakwater....sometimes obscuring the flashing beacon of the lighthouse from land.

Photo of the Day: Boston Light, Massachusetts

I had overlooked this photo and just found it as I was skimming through my files. This was taken in July 2004 during a cruise I was narrating for the Friends of Plum Island Light. I like the clarity and color, and the fact that you can see the second-order Fresnel lens pretty well.

Back when I lived in Winthrop, Mass., in the late '80s through the '90s, I often helped give tours of Boston Light for the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands. I haven't been on the island in several years now. I miss it, and it will always be one of my favorites.

Presentation on Feb. 25 in South Portland, Maine

I haven't been blogging as much lately, as I'm currently working a temporary full time job for the US Census. It's hard to squeeze all my lighthouse stuff, writing, photography, etc., into my spare time. I'll be making occasional posts when I get the chance.

This Thursday evening, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m, I'll be speaking in South Portland, Maine, on the lighthouses of Casco Bay (Portland Head, Cape Elizabeth, Halfway Rock, Ram Island Ledge, Spring Point Ledge, Portland Breakwater). The talk will be at the city hall council chambers at 25 Cottage Road, South Portland.

There are more details here.

Race Point Light’s Wintertime Secrets

There was nothing at first to indicate that my latest trip to Race Point would be much different than previous ones, except that the calendar marked a mid-January day and it was bitter cold.

Click here to read the rest of this essay by Bob Trapani, executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

Photo of the Day: Owls Head Lighthouse, Maine

I like this one because you rarely see photos of Owls Head Light from this angle. This was taken during an American Lighthouse Foundation cruise a couple of years ago.

Photo of the Day: Heron Neck Lighthouse, Maine

I like the contract of the rocks and lighthouse against the deep blue sky in this one.