Keepers Log Wednesday, September 12

The dawn came cool and misty.  It was good to be back inside the radio room after morning chores.  No Janice this morning.  During feeding, Fred didn't wait for her.  We had a one hour window for tours today between 10 - 11:00 AM.  Fred (not the gull) could see that the tide was coming in fast from the tower, and both Jill and Fred exited just in time.  We had 22 guests in that hour and collected $263.02 in donations and gift shop sales.  Some time later Teare noticed a guy wading across toward the lighthouse.  He knew about the tide, but just had to come over to play a Pokemon game on his daughter's phone for her!  We watched as he returned barefoot and crossed back over with his mission accomplished...

Teare cleaned bed sheets and I replaced a smoke detector battery.  Volunteer Fred and I reset the time on the spotlight so that the light will more appropriately come on when it is really needed.

I thought I would share one story from the book I am reading dealing with acts of bravery and cunning during WW II.  There was a pilot from Poland who happened to be in Vienna, Austria during the German occupation.  One morning, a man came running up to him, almost knocking him over at his door, frantic as the Gestapo were looking for him.  He pleaded with the pilot to let him in his apartment.  The pilot did so and hid him.  The Gestapo did come and searched his flat but did not discover the hidden man.  Afterward, being a pilot and a sympathetic for the man's plight, he flew the man to safety in an unoccupied country.  The Gestapo returned to his apartment and accused him of hiding a fugitive.  The pilot asked what the man had done, and the response was that he was Jewish.  The pilot ended up flying for the French resistance until he was shot down.  He then signed on with the British RAF who desperately need pilots.  He flew several missions on behalf of the RAF, including the battle of Britain.  One day he suffered such damage that he decided to intentionally collide with a German plane.  He did and crashed in a violent heap, fracturing his skull and left for dead.  Fortunately for him, the British found him and took him to a hospital where they had to perform brain surgery on him.  One surgeon who heard of his case, readily agreed to perform the surgery.  When the pilot miraculously pulled through and regained consciousness, there sat the surgeon who saved him...the same Jewish man the Gestapo was hunting years ago!  From a story entitled "The Evaders" by Roman Turski

After dinner, the tide was still low so we wandered over to the pier which is a short walk from the lighthouse.

                                        B Street Pier, Crescent City

                                Freshly caught Jacksmelt off the pier 

We walked into town and looped around the Tsunami memorial.  On the way, we passed a sign showing the water surge depth of 8 ft. 5 inches during the tsunami of 1964.  We returned along the coast and finished the daylight hours in our usual perch.  

Look who joined us for the sunset!

  (Janice on the left and Fred on the right)

We climbed the tower to the bedrooms and made up both beds.  I took the flag down, and we wound down for the evening.  Thanks for joining us.  Our best to all.

And another day draws to a close...