There was morning fog, but not as much as the previous two days. Teare made pancakes for breakfast while I wound the original clock from 1856. This clock was presented to the new lighthouse keeper, Theopolis Magruder on Christmas Day, as a gift from the National Lighthouse Establishment. It is one of the few original clocks still in use and it keeps perfect time. I noticed it’s pendulum was silent one hour after it stopped. I wound it and it should not need winding for another week.
After breakfast, I fed Ginger. While I was feeding the gull, I noticed a family had been moving about. The family included a mother and four children. We visited for a while and I learned they were from Colorado Springs. While chatting with them, the 7-8 year old boy with red hair asked if he could look around inside. To this point, we had not given any private tours, but this is left to our discretion. Teare was upstairs and I touched base with her as I wanted to do something special for them. We showed them around and I think they appreciated it. I especially like the time in the tour when I ask young kids about pirates and how they stored their treasures. As they answer treasure chest, I point to the chest at the foot our our bed which is stocked with small toys and various trinkets. I then allow them to raid the treasure chest and select a toy of their choice. Of course, the light tower is what most guests enjoy more than anything and they were no exception.
It was closing in on noon and Teare and I decided to knock out some personal notes, so we sat in the radio room and went to work. I had checked the passage way prior and it appeared we had plenty of time. As I peeked over the hillside, I was surprised to find the tide had come in sooner than anticipated and WE were the ones who were going to have wet feet along with two other families who we encouraged to leave with us. We paid for my misjudgement by stepping on rocks as much as possible, but ultimately, the tide flow of 3-5 inches was covering our path and we had to get our feet wet. I considered removing my hiking shoes, but, the path is more rock than sand and many of the smaller rocks are sharply pointed. We visited with a couple families from Redding, CA. who made the crossing with us. One of the men was originally from this area and his childhood memories included the eels that frequent the shallow tide waters. Their children were digging rocks and shells from the constant tide action.
Bill and Gretchen Schmidt are the RV’ers who are volunteering this month. In exchange for their time, the local Historical Society pays for their camping space where they have their RV parked. We had planned to go to lunch with them and they picked us up in the parking lot opposite the lighthouse. We went to a local place called Good Harvest. We had been there before and had quality meals. We learned more about each other and then drove to what appears to be a public park and veterens memorial, It is actually a partial cemetary for the recoveverd bodies of the worst ship accident in West Coast maritime history. This accident involved a ship known as Brother Jonathan. This tragic accident occured in 1865 and resulted in the loss of 221 lives. It happened off the coast at Point Saint George, which is approximately 7 miles north of Crescent City. Because of the way St. George juts out in a prominant point, we actually see the St. George lighthouse in our northwestern sky as we follow the coastline from our lighthouse.
We then went with the Schmidts to their 5th wheel trailer where we visited and met their dog Ben. Afterward, we returned to our car and took a drive up the coastal road to Point Saint George. It was so foggy, you could not see the tower shaped lighthouse. We hiked around the area for a while and returned to Crescent City. We feel that we can add more depth to our Battery Point tour and underscore the importance of the coastal lighthouses with our insight into the story of the Brother Jonathan.
We returned to our post at Battery Point. We watched the Cavs lose game two of the NBA Finals…tough to watch. At halftime, I fed the gulls, which I believe to be the offspring of Fred and GInger. Like siblings, they fought over the food I put out on the yard for them.
It remains foggy to the time of this writing - so basically all day… The sun is setting now at 8:43, but everyone in Ohio has been in bed for at least an hour… I observed a banana slug on the walk to the work shop tonight. My final act was to convince two interested parties to turn back as they were starting to cross the shallow tide basin at 9:25 PM. Our tours resume tomorrow.
Thanks for your interest in our blog.
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