Category Archives: Art

What Happens If You Break It?

Classic Fresnel Lighthouse Lenses   (Youtube)

artflo_15Another benefit of Facebook (FB), if you subscribe to the right channels, is the notification of new webpages. In this case a friend on Sentinelles des Mer (FB) led me to their webpage in Belgium www.sentinelles-des-mers.be again in French in case you clicked on the first link already.

What a beautiful sight (site?) to see! The page is covered with Fresnel lenses – originals and copies, plus they had links to the original webpage Artworks Florida which you will be happy to know is in English.

 Artworks Florida says:

Fresnel Lens Reproduction and Restoration​

Reproduction –
Artworks Florida custom designs and manufactures historic reproduction Fresnel lenses that were used to illuminate lighthouses in the 1800’s

Restoration –
Artworks Florida designs and manufactures custom lens components used in the restoration of original classic Fresnel lenses

Continue reading What Happens If You Break It?

Something a Little Different!

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Seiner No. 4

One of the nice things about Facebook is that you get to meet a lot of great people. One of the newest I met was Tom Crestidina on a webpage in Facebook called West Coast Fisherman.

Now my website is dedicated to lighthouses, and West Coast Fisherman is dedicated to “Fishing and fishing boat photos from the Bering to the Baja.” Tom’s pictures below are related to fishing and lighthouses! Enjoy!

For larger photos and more detailed information on the humorous drawings please go to Tom’s webpage by clicking on the photo below. Once there, click a smaller photo for details and descriptions – it is amazing the number of funny details he has added to each drawing.

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Mise Tales Forty-Five

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

As mentioned earlier on the front page of my website, any photos or cartoons, or short bits of information, when it is removed from the front page, will also be included again later in the next next Misc Tales posting. That way you can keep track of it, search for it, or copy it.

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10655367_10204690112723819_5618802589848728890_oWhat do you think of this? Someone shared this photo in Facebook. The artist Richard Honan said . . . 

. . . this particular piece was done with colored pencils. The other medium that i typically work with is oil pastels . . .

No information was give if he sells the artwork. I have written him for more information.

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A very cute story from Patagonia, South America entitled Penguins at the Lighthouse (that is very far south). The lighthouse is on Isla Magdalena, Patagonia. 

 

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Mise Tales Forty-Four

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

As mentioned earlier on the front page of my website, any photos or cartoons, or short bits of information, when it is removed from the front page, will also be included again later in the next Misc Tales. That way you can keep track of it, search for it, or copy it.

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10294509_805559479465065_7375517851873014253_n This is a cute Infographic to help teach your children about the Water Cycle

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The Lighthouse Keepers

 

 

This book The Lighthouse Keepers by Stuart Buchanan was brought to my attention by an Australian resident. It is small, only 282 pages, but according to this Google Books report it contains a lot of information:

Illustrated personal account of work and life on a Queensland light station – most of which are now unstaffed. Includes a list of 1200 Queensland light-keepers from 1857 to 1994 and the first issue of instructions to light-keepers issued in 1917. The author joined the Commonwealth lighthouse service in 1973 and worked with his wife as light-keepers along the Queensland coast until the destaffing of all Australian lighthouses began in 1982. – Google Books

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Oldest Wooden Lighthouse in America Is (still) for Sale in Poplar Point, R.I.

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Does anyone have a spare $6.45 million US dollars to purchase it?

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By Erika Riggs

For many years, the Poplar Point lighthouse was the beacon guiding ships in Wickford Harbor, a protected inlet in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. Built in 1831, the structure — listed as the oldest wooden lighthouse in America — is left over from the era before satellites and GPS. And now, it’s for sale for $6.45 million.

Because of the size of the harbor, Poplar Point lighthouse wasn’t in service long. In 1882, the lighthouse was darkened and later sold at auction for $3,944.67 in 1894.

Gallery: Take a Peek at Poplar Point Lighthouse
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When the lighthouse was first built, the caretaker’s living area was a stone cottage, measuring just 40 by 20 feet. The home was slightly expanded in 1932, again in 1966, and when the current owners took over in 1987, they undertook the task of continuing to expand and renovate the entire property.

Today, the home in North Kingstown, R.I., is more than a stone caretaker’s cottage: It’s a full estate measuring 4,563 square feet with four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, a detached guest house and garage. Although completely updated, the home still retains much of the original feel, says listing agent Judith Chase.

“It still has tons of the old charm and nautical detail of the old lighthouse,” Chase explained.

Spanning 1.66 acres on a private peninsula, the home juts into the harbor with spectacular views of the bay.

“It’s a beautiful front-row seat to everything that happens,” Chase said.

The home’s location in the picturesque town of Wickford only adds to the property’s appeal.

Chase describes Wickford as a “darling Nantucket-type town,” and the home is within walking distance of many of the town’s charms.

According to Zillow’s mortgage calculator, a monthly payment on the lighthouse would be $23,044, assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year fixed mortgage. [/private]

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lighthouse   eBay

 

Have you ever typed in the word “lighthouse” in eBay? Try it! You will get so many lighthouse related items it is amazing. Maybe there will be some you will want to buy. Great place to shop. eBay for Lighthouse Articles.

On the left is one part of 10+ pages of lighthouse related items. Great fun!

Mise Tales Forty-Three

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One. As mentioned earlier on the front page of my website, any photos or cartoons, or short bits of information, when it is removed from the front page, will also be included again later in the next Misc Tales. That way you can keep track of it, search for it, or copy it.

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 CruiseFrom the Toronto Sun online for May 17, 2014 comes the article  See Canada from the sea on a boutique cruise

See Canada from the sea just as the explorers did and discover some of the country’s vast but relatively untouched wilderness.

Maple Leaf Adventures, a boutique expedition cruise company, explores Haida Gwaii (Islands of the People), formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. . . . more

For more information: mapleleafadventures.com and Holland America Line: hollandamerica.com.

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THquincentenary_1The history of Trinity House, UK On This Day in Trinity House History – 20 May 1514– The Big One! . . .

. . . and a Lighthouse Photography Competition also from Trinity House. Please check it out and vote. Excellent photos!

 

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Shine Bright Like A Lighthouse. A Love Affair With Maritime History.

Shine Bright Like A Lighthouse. A Love Affair With Maritime History.

John Sylvester, Country Magazine May 15, 2014

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Peggy’s Point Lighthouse (Photo: John Sylvester)

Having grown up in Nova Scotia, I have fond memories of scrambling over the curved granite whaleback rocks below my aunt’s cottage near the community of Peggy’s Cove.

Even though that’s the home of Nova Scotia’s most famous landmark, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, I didn’t pay much attention to the lighthouse in those days. The tide pools and shallow caves of the whalebacks were more enticing. As an adult, however, I’ve grown to appreciate and cherish these beautiful beacons and the maritime tradition they represent. . . . more

See more photos and information under his story in Country Magazine called Lighthouse Preservation in Atlantic Coast Canada

Editor’s Note: Find additional information on Quebec, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island lighthouses, along with ideas for exploring the surrounding towns, right here on our blog!

And be sure to read John Sylvester’s new eBook: A Photographer’s Guide to Prince Edward Island, a downloadable PDF for mobile devices, available at: www.photographersguidetopei.com.

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As long as humans have sailed the oceans, we’ve needed navigational aids to warn of hidden shoals and dangerous headlands. The earliest warning lights were coastal bonfires. The first known lighthouse was built at Alexandria, Egypt, around 280 B.C. The British built North America’s first one at the entrance to Boston Harbor in 1716. The French ­followed 15 years later with Canada’s first lighthouse near their fortress at ­Louisbourg on what is now Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island.

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Peggy’s Point Lighthouse (Photo: John Sylvester)

In sailing’s golden age, from the 1700s to the mid-19th century, lighthouses proliferated along the Atlantic coast. In Atlantic Canada alone, nearly 500 still stand along 33,000 miles of mainland and island coastline. A few miles up the coast from Peggy’s Cove, North America’s oldest continuously operating light, Sambro Island Lighthouse, stands on a tiny granite outcrop at the entrance to Halifax Harbor. Built in 1758, its eye-catching 80-foot red-and-white tower has been the first sign of land seen by countless sailors, immigrants and ocean liner passengers—including the Titanic survivors—as they approached the safety of landfall.

During the heyday of maritime activity, lighthouse keepers and their families lived in homes either attached to or close by the lighthouse. They often had to fend for themselves in isolated circumstances, growing a garden and raising livestock in addition to their full-time duties tending the light. Every evening, in fair weather or foul, the light keeper climbed a narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tower to light the lamp, located behind a powerful Fresnel lens that magnified and ­transmitted the beam far out to sea.

Light keepers eventually lost their jobs to automation, and in recent years sophisticated GPS navigation systems have rendered lighthouses redundant. Some have fallen into disrepair, but many have been rescued by local preservation or historical societies and converted into museums or tourist attractions.

Thanks to broad grassroots support, the federal government passed an act encouraging lighthouse preservation. But Natalie Bull, executive director of Heritage Canada The National Trust, notes that the legislation ultimately says it’s up to communities to protect their lighthouses.

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Bay of Fundy Lighthouse (Photo: John Sylvester)

“It’s very challenging, but residents of the Maritime Provinces are resourceful,” she adds. “Community groups have long been willing to take on these preservation projects, even before the act passed. New Brunswick’s Cape Enrage Lighthouse is a great example.”

The Cape Enrage keepers house was slated to be torn down when, in 1993, a group of local high school kids and their physics teacher started renovating it. Two years later the Coast Guard transfered ownership to the province, and the site is now the hub of a thriving adventure tourism destination that includes kayaking, rock climbing and horseback riding.

The wonderful thing about lighthouses, of course, is that they’re invariably built on beautiful coastal stretches. Some have been converted into inns where you can rent a room overlooking the ocean, listen to the waves lapping the shore and imagine life in a bygone era. You can now find lighthouse inns in all five of the provinces on Canada’s Atlantic Coast.

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Quirpon Island Lighthouse (Photo: John Sylvester)

A few years ago I clambered into a small fishing boat that transported me to remote Quirpon Island off the north coast of Newfoundland, where I stayed in a cozy inn that was a former light keeper’s cottage. I spent two glorious days exploring the island, watching whales and sculpted icebergs drift by, and being pampered with Newfoundland’s renowned hospitality.

But even when I can’t spend the night, I rarely pass up a chance to visit one of these inviting beacons. On a recent trip to Nova Scotia, my wife and I drove out to Peggy’s Point Lighthouse on a beautiful autumn day. We joined tourists from all over the world wandering among the same whaleback rocks that fascinated me as a child.

We lingered through the afternoon, enjoying the timeless wonder of waves breaking on the rocks and sunlight sparkling off the ocean while one of Canada’s most beloved symbols of a proud seafaring tradition stood watch. And this time, I knew enough to appreciate it.

John Sylvester is an author and photographer based in Prince Edward Island, Canada. He specializes in photographing the people and places of Canada, and has published extensively on the Atlantic region, including the great lighthouses.

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Cape d’Or Lighthouse (Photo: John Sylvester)

 

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An ice flow off Newfoundland (Photo: John Sylvester)

 

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Sunset at Fortune Head Lighthouse (Photo: John Sylvester)

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Britain’s Royal Mint Honours 500 Years of Trinity House

Britain’s Royal Mint honours 500 years of Trinity House 20 May 2014 The Royal Mint is this week commemorating the 500th anniversary of Trinity House (20th May), the organisation that has safeguarded the lighthouses, pilot ships and coastal waters of Britain since being awarded a Royal Charter to do so by King Henry VIII.

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Silver

 

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Gold

To mark the milestone event The Royal Mint has produced limited edition commemorative Trinity House-themed £2 coins in sterling silver and 22 carat gold. Its striking lighthouse design also appears on 2014-dated circulating versions of the £2 coin which people are likely to find in their change from October this year. Each coin is edged with the words ‘SERVING THE MARINER’. Continue reading Britain’s Royal Mint Honours 500 Years of Trinity House

KCCO

kcco_with_crown_iphone_4_4s_wallpaper_by_suggesteez-d655z08KCCO ????  If you are out of the link and do not know what KCCO means then I will explain. According to the Urban Dictionary it is:

A phrase made famous by the popular website, The Chive (probably the best site in the world). It means stay the course no matter what. . . more

 

It has been adapted in various ways for many groups.

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The reason I am bringing it up right now is I came across this version on the left designed by the Canadian Coast Guard employees and thought it a  quite unique and a helpful reminder.  On the right is another whimsical edition for Canada.

Continue reading KCCO

Something Whimsical

Color Curl

I came across this website the other day called Design Seeds. Above is one of their palettes under the theme category The Sea. I thought the idea was great – a whole host of themes and palettes with more being added daily – get on their mailing list.

As you all know this is a lighthouse website so I went looking for a theme that would illustrate that topic. Alsas, most of the themes are pastel in hue and a pastel lighthouse is definitely not realistic, so I decided to design my own for fun using the same idea. Below is my lighthouse paints theme.

Design seeds

Just for your information the brown is used in non-skid paint, the grey for doors and steps and the yellow for diesel fuel tanks.

Take a look at Design Seeds – their palettes can be used for house painting, garden furniture, crafts and hobbies, or just plain old picture frames. Enjoy.