Friday, September 5, 2014

Willy Nilly Lighthouses…

1.  If you like lighthouses, Prince Edward Island is the place for you.  There are 63 lighthouses listed on the brochure I picked up about PEI lighthouses – some are still active (37 according to the brochure), some decommissioned, some private and some are non-accessible by car.  The brochure states, “With 63 lighthouse and rangelight buildings, this averages one lighthouse for every 34 square miles, which we believe is the highest concentration of lighthouses in any province or state in North America.”  So if you like lighthouses, PEI is most definitely the place for you.

I never really identified this one.  I think it is one of the Malpeque Outer Range Lighthouses.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

2.  Actually, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like lighthouses.  I can’t put my finger on the reason for the appeal, but they definitely do have a romance about them.  It’s interesting to me because my understanding is that the life of a lighthouse keeper back in the day was pretty rough and very lonely.   Of course, these days, modern working lighthouses are automated.  There are no rugged, haunted characters in residence in those stalwart buildings nowadays whose mission is to weather storms and winds and the wild rages of the sea in order to warn others about the sea’s potential dangers.   Computers do it now.  Pop! goes the romance.

North Rustico Lighthouse...with wires.

3.  If you would like to read a book that has a lighthouse keeper as a character (albeit, a short-lived character), I would recommend The Bird Artist by Howard Norman.  Here’s a description that I found on Goodreads:  “Howard Norman's The Bird Artist, the first book of his Canadian trilogy, begins in 1911. Its narrator, Fabian Vas is a bird artist: He draws and paints the birds of Witless Bay, his remote Newfoundland coastal village home. In the first paragraph of his tale Fabian reveals that he has murdered the village lighthouse keeper, Botho August. Later, he confesses who and what drove him to his crime--a measured, profoundly engrossing story of passion, betrayal, guilt, and redemption between men and women. “   I liked this book quite a lot.  It was a five-star read for me.   It’s a moody and interesting piece that is definitely engrossing.

Seacow Head Lighthouse on a very rainy day.

4.  Point Prim lighthouse is said to be the oldest on PEI.  It was built in 1846 and is one of only a few there that is constructed of brick.  These days, as you can see, it is covered with wooden shingles.  But you can still see the brick if you go inside.

Point Prim Lighthouse.
Point Prim again.  Wouldn't this make a cool Fiat commercial?

5.  I thought that this quote I found might give you a little chuckle.  Conan O’Brien said, “I’ve been described as a lighthouse in the middle of a bog:  Brilliant but useless.”  Kind of like my blog…lol.  Although I am not sure about the brilliant part.  And by the way, I am not an expert on identifying these lighthouses, so if you happen across the blog and know better, please let me know.

Cape Egmont Lighthouse.


Linking up to Tanya's Willy Nilly Friday 5

on Around Roanoke...a Daily Photo Blog.


16 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

with my hermit tendencies and my ability to stay in a routine, i'd have made an excellent lighthousekeeper back in the day... :)

MadSnapper said...

i like number 2 and the last one, they are not traditional and are like none i have seen.

kat from ky. said...

@TexWisGirl me too!! Great pics Barb!

Unknown said...

Witless Bay...I would say that has me thinking, but you might not believe me ;)...a really great series of photos...I didn't there were that many lighthouses on PEI...

Rose said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rose said...

I don't see lighthouses very often, but I do love them.

And just for good measure, have heard the song The Lighthouse's Tale by Nickel Creek?

The Lighthouse's Tale

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

I found it interesting that all the lighthouses were white.

Tom said...

Wow, what a collection. Tom The Backroads Traveller

Brian King said...

These are nice. I really like the first and second ones! A bit different than the lighthouses I was used to on the Great Lakes.

Ni de Aqui, Ni de Alla said...

Great pictures! I really like the first one. The one at Point Prim looks like the one at Cape Henry here in Virginia. They might be some 100 years old apart, very old light houses!

A Colorful World said...

Your blog isn't a lighthouse in the middle of a bog! :-) Like your charming, lovely lighthouses, it's interesting and delightful...and sheds light. Hopefully all our blogs can be thus, more often than not, anyway. :-)

Tanya Breese said...

i agree with marie! i've always loved lighthouses, even as a kid. there's one in san diego, the old point loma lighthouse that my mom would take me to occassionaly, loved to tour it! your series is beautiful and yes, that would be a super cool car ad! have a great weekend and thanks for linking!

EG CameraGirl said...

I had no idea PEI had that many lighthouses! I want to be there!!

Debbie said...

beautiful, i have such a soft spot for lighthouses!!!

Roan said...

Love these! The first 2 are different from any I've seen. Love them!

Kerri Farley said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE your Lighthouse shots!!!