Keepers Log Sunday, September 16

If we were back in Ohio this Sunday morning at 7:20 AM, Teare and I would be getting ready for church.  Today, we managed a short devotion.  Since it is lighthouse month, we both had our chores to get ready for the 2 hour tour period beginning at 10:00.   Dan Thompson joined us today and led tours in the tower, Bill took the bedrooms, Jill took the parlor, Teare ran the gift shop, and Fred organized the tour groups and kept the tours moving.  Thanks to all for a productive and fun day!  We had 39 guests and collected $342.51 in donations and sales.  We wound the Banjo Clock today.  This pendulum time piece was a gift to the lighthouse on Christmas Day, 1856.  It is wound once a week and keeps very accurate time - after 162 years!

After the tour, we met friends Pete and Cristi Schwanke in the parking lot.  Pete and Cristi are stopping by after flying to Portland and driving down the coast.  They came across and spent the day with us!  We enjoyed lunch on the picnic table in the sun.   Afterward, we watched the surf crash against the rocks during high tide.  Next, we took them on a private tour of the lighthouse.
Again, we had dinner outside since it was such a beautiful day.  Afterwards, we watched the sunset and played cards in the radio room.  Pete helped me lower Old Glory.  It was great to have familiar faces from back home join us at the lighthouse!

                                                             
                                                         Pete and Cristi in the Tower

                                                                  Pete on the rocks

                                          Battery Point Lighthouse from down on the rocks

                                                         Cristi feeding Fred and Janice

Keepers Log Saturday, September 15

It was a little overcast and a cool 49 degrees during the early morning.  It slowly warmed up but did not shed the fog until the late morning. 

Our one hour 20 minute tour period saw 36 guests come through the front door and we collected $264.92 in donations and sales.  

Dean and Carol Germano, friends from Redding, CA., stopped in for a visit.  We enjoyed lunch on a picnic table in the sunshine.  We gave them a private tour of the lighthouse then went outside and sat on the rocks where we had a view of the surf.

                                                           Dean and Carol in the tower

Afterward, we were delighted to lean that the Ohio State vs. TCU football game was on a national network.  It felt like being back home watching the Buckeyes.  We had dinner during halftime, and the end result was in our favor.  

It felt good to walk as we joined the Germano's as they made their crossing to head back to their hotel.  We walked a few more blocks enjoying the clear starry night.  

Here is a photo of the lighthouse at night.  Note the moon just to the left.

We wish everyone a good night!  This is Keeper Bill signing off from Battery Point under a star lit sky.

Keepers Log Friday, September 14

We began our day in typical fashion.  It was a clear morning which always makes the sweeping more interesting.   When I went to meet Fred and Jill, a gentleman noticed my Westfield hat.  Turns out he was a policy holder from Hammond, Indiana.  A minute later, I had an independent agent from  Brighton, Michigan commenting on my hat...  The hat is a conversation starter for those who recognize Westfield Insurance.

Our one hour tour from 10 -11 AM saw 22 adult guests, and 3 children.  Donations and gifts totaled $263.02.  Afterward, we called time out and enjoyed the sun for a while.  We both read a little.  Evening chores and dinner complete, we were able to cross the basin and walk to Grocery Outlet for a few items.  

We returned home in the dark and used our flash lights to cross.  Later, I read more about two of the distinguished lighthouse keepers at Battery Point.  Theopolis Magruder, first keeper from 1856-1859, grew up on the banks of the Potomac River opposite the US Capitol.  His parents were personal friends with President James Madison and young Theopolis served as a page for the President!  Later I read where this pioneer organized currency used in this area prior to the adoption of US currency.  When the US Mint did begin circulation, it recognized this local currency, referred to as "beaver" coins, and bought back all beaver currency from owners with US currency.  Mr Magruder went on to help establish a new church, built a very successful mining supply business, and was one of the leading citizens in Crescent City.

Teare swept the tower steps from the tower light landing all the way to the parlor on the first floor. 

Here is a photo of the sunset.

Keepers Log Thursday, September 13

This day started clear and stayed that way all day!  It was a magnificent day full of sun and blue skies.  As I was sweeping down by the tidal basin, I noticed this person walking on the jetty, apparently feeding the birds.  Look closely at all the birds!  I imagine this is a regular occurrence.  I dubbed this person "Pied Piper of the Jetty".

We conducted tours between 10 and 11:00 AM.  In that hour we showed the lighthouse to 24 guests and collected $177 in donations and sales.  Fred and Jill did not have to scramble to get back across the basin today!

It was such a beautiful day, Teare and I took a moment to just lay in the sun.  Here is what we saw:

Afterward, I weed wacked the entire property!  If the grounds needed a haircut, then I was the Barber of Seville!   I did this from 3-5 PM!  

As I finished my work, guess who should be waiting for me back up at the side door to the lighthouse?  As you can see, both are quite comfortable with me.  Fred is posing for the picture, and Janice is doing what she does best....talking!

Here are a couple other interesting items you will find on the grounds here at Battery Point.  First, here is a photo of the work shop for the lighthouse station, also called the boat house.  It was built in two sections in 1903 and 1908.  Captain Jeffrey, longest serving lighthouse keeper, (39 years starting in 1875) stored a boat in there to ferry his kids back and forth to school if the tide was in.  It continues to be used as our work shop.

When we present our tours in our Piland bedroom, we always point out the chamber pot which sits at the foot of the bed.  We make a point that the lighthouse pre-dated indoor plumbing, and that the outhouse was perched on the rocks and would have been hazardous to get to in the dark and/or stormy nights.  Here is a photo of where the outhouse used to be.  Note the white paint on the top of the rock where it once stood!

After dinner, I walked to the grocery store to get a few things.  Teare joined me on the way back.  We watched the sunset surrounded by several visitors. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with those in the path of Hurricane Florence.  
This is keeper Bill signing off from a dark and quiet Battery Point.  Good Night.

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...

Keepers Log Tuesday, September 11

Tuesday, September 11

The ground was wet from a rain the previous night.  We conducted a private tour in the morning just after breakfast.  This was a group of six (three females and three males) who each travel the country caravan style and live out of their RVs full time.  They each operate their own RV and travel caravan style about the country.  We met them the day before and set this private tour up in advance.  Sure enough, there they were at 8:30 AM.  This meant morning chores and all clean up needed to be done prior to their arrival.  All went well and they left donations in the tower and in the gift shop.

Since the tide was back in for the majority of the late morning and afternoon, I walked loops around the "rock" for exercise.  I also took some afternoon photos where the surf likes to crash into the rock.  While scrambling on the rock, I took a photo looking up at the lighthouse.  Teare did laundry and cleaned several throw rugs.  After lunch, I read from another book found in the Piland bedroom on Spies and Secrets during WWII.  

There were no tours today so we had a chance later to walk over to meet Fred and Jill for dinner.  Afterward, we shot a few photos and climbed to the top of the rock.  I was really tired after taking down the flag that I climbed the spiral stairs in the tower early for bed.  This last photo is from the out building built in 1881 for the purpose of storing kerosine for the lanterns of the day.  This was the same year the lighthouse switched from whale oil to kerosine for the tower lantern.

This post is dedicated to all first responders.  

 

Keepers Log Monday, September 10, 2018

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Keepers Log.  Today and Tomorrow the lighthouse is closed for tours.  Still, certain chores must continue: Teare watered the flowers, I raised the flag, did outside sweeping, and fed our pet gulls.   Next, we took the garbage over to the trash bins on the mainland next to the public parking lot.  


With a long high tide in the middle of the day, the tours are on hold for two days so Teare and I decided to hike a trail we learned about.  The Boy Scout Tree Trail in the Jedediah Smith State Redwood Park extends in one direction and dead ends at a waterfall.  Approximately 2.8 miles into the trail sits the largest redwood in the forest.  It is known as the Boy Scout Tree.  The Boy Scout Tree stands 238 ft high and is 23.24 feet wide.  Since we are without a car, we hired a cab to take us to the trail head.  The hike was beautiful.  The redwoods were majestic.  The forest appeared to be ancient.  What we both noticed was the absolute QUIET.  (other than the bird at the end!)

We were able to hike the moderate trail to the Boy Scout Tree in 1 hour 40 minutes.  We wanted to look around at the quiet giants, but in many areas the abundance of roots on the trail demanded that you look down as you moved to avoid tripping or twisting an ankle.   The Boy Scout Tree did not disappoint.

                                                                 The Boy Scout Tree

After a rest and a snack, we hiked further down the trail then turned around and headed back in the direction of the trail head.  Teare almost stepped on a snake.  Then she began seeing figures and shapes in the trees and their appendages.  

                                    Do you see the "bear" attached to the right side of the tree?

                                           Comparing my one day beard to the mossy tree...

                                                             Things are looking up!

We completed our hike, with all stops for photos, rest, etc, in approximately 4 hours.  Our cab returned in the pre-arranged time and off we went down the dusty road to Crescent City.  Instead of heading back to the lighthouse, we diverted to Torero's Mexican restaurant for a late lunch / early dinner.  From there, we stoped at Safe Way for some grocery items and continued our walk straight back to the lighthouse...there was more ice cream in the bag...

Tide was low and we scooted across.  We unpacked and responded to phone calls.  Teare relaxed and I read a little.  We watched the sunset with a couple from San Francisco and two young travelers from Australia and Switzerland.  Afterward, we took down the flag and headed in to our cozy lighthouse radio room. 

Thanks for joining us on our trip to the redwoods.  If you have never witnessed a redwood or sequoia first hand, consider adding it to your "to do" list.  Photos do not do them justice.

We hope everyone is well.  Until next time, this is Bill signing off from a windy and white capped Pacific off Battery Point Lighthouse.  Good Night.