Meteor Showers

A photographer named Kevin Jordan asked if it would be possible for him to come to the Lighthouse and to shoot the meteor showers a few weeks ago.  I gave him my most sage advice on where to go and set up and he sent me the results.  They speak for themselves.  He does not need any pointers from me.

Getting Worse

I took some time this afternoon to clean up the walkway and the yard.  Below you will see the before and after shots.  I have more to do and I will try again in the morning unless it gets too cold for there to be any fun in the work.  The restraining stones I mentioned several posts back are in worse shape than before and the larger seawall has eroded dramatically to these eyes in just a few days.  The pavement buckled just before the entrance to Rebecca Road and when I just walked the length it was apparent that the wall is moving just as the big stones are.  In one spot, where fortunately the Town placed the bulk of the rubble, the wall could be two feet lower than it was just three days ago.  I hope that there is an awareness and a contingency.

That gap may not look like much but it is the key to the whole wall.  If that keeps rolling back into the beach then the others will began to move like a seven year old's teeth.  Scituate veterans remember the Point when no such wall existed.  We could be going back to that.

Sloppy Day Photos

Recall that you can click on each photograph to see it in a bigger format

Another Post Christmas Mess

Bigger winds and more erosion will bring in the new year here.  With a wind that shook the beds upstairs for several hours last night, whatever we will eventually call this storm has made a mess in the yard an hour before the high tide and has offered up waves that are breaking in the parking lot.  This is already a bigger mess than the last hurricane was.  I will be heading up into the Tower to check things out from there.  The good news is that no news crews and very few photographers are on hand.  The cold is a blessing I guess.

New Tools for the New Year

The blog is gaining a cousin as the Scituate Light now has a Facebook page.  With several big projects ahead and the need to get the word out to as wide an audience as possible, I set up a page several days ago.  If you are a Facebook user check it out at: https://www.facebook.com/scituate.lighthouse.


One of the projects is a book that Carol Miles, Mat Browne and I have been working on since the summer. Legendary Locals of Scituate will offer a sampling of the talent and dedication this small town has offered to the United States over the 375 years since its founding.

The other project is the brainchild of a neighbor, Richard Wainwright.  Mr. Wainwright has written a children's book with elements of fantasy and history, all set here on Cedar Point.  Haley is the title character, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter. Linda Martin, Mr. Wainwright, Julie, and I all contributed photographs.  There is remarkable artwork and a compelling story as Haley manages to go on a quest without leaving the Point.  More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

I am off to the Tower to reset the cameras.  I had moved one for Flying Santas visit and I need to get it back on spot for the next show.  I remain hopeful that in 2013 we will have a camera that a guest could control from home.  Yesterday, I logged onto to the cameras and listened in to the wind.  I heard this drumming that got my attention until I checked from the window in front of this desk and saw that the drumming was the flag rapping against the copper top of the Tower.  I had had the flag at half staff all week in memory of the children and teachers lost in Connecticut.  With their funerals complete, I returned the flag to full height this morning.

I have been moving a fair amount of stone this week as the beach is lobbing up pebbles, skippers, boulders, and bricks to be shoveled off the walk and back to the beach.  The Town has been steady in getting the rubble off the road but my gardens are full of sand and rock that I will have to pull out in the spring.  Its all part of the deal, though I am concerned we could get back to a spot where there is just too much for me to move.  The big restraining stones at the top of the Tower still have not been reset and there is an open door for the beach to be washed over onto the walk.  The ideal would be to see it fixed before the work gets complicated by another ton or two of granite and beach rock.

A Great Tradition Continues

Flying Santa arrived on Cedar Point today just after noon.  Continuing a tradition that now dates back 83 years the Jolly Old Elf flew in accompanied by the preeminent Lighthouse scholar, Jeremy D'Entremont.  It was a pleasure for all as you will see in the video clip below.  Watch the calm and then the storm as at least 300 children rush for their moment with Saint Nick.  We were honored once again to play a part and grateful for the wonderful gifts we received.

Note the open mouth - Is this really happening?

Should I not have the opportunity to get back to the blog before the 25th, all of us here at Scituate Light wish  all of you, where ever you may be, a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!