lighthouse

All posts tagged lighthouse

A January respite at the lakeshore

Posted by Photonstopper on February 10, 2018
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Photo: Lakeview Park Beach, Lorain, Ohio, in January 2018, Photo by James Guilford

Lakeview Park Beach, Lorain, Ohio, in January 2018

Late in January we had a bit of a break in the weather. Yes, it was still cold but the sun was shining and the temperature was in the double-digits. We paid a visit to the Lake Erie coastline.

At Lakeview Park, Lorain, lake ice, pushed onshore by winds and waves, lay in piles dirtied by flotsam also thrown up by Erie.

Photo: Gulls sat on nearly every ice floe in Lake Erie, off Lorain, Ohio, as the old lighthouse stood watch. Photo by James Guilford.

Gulls sat on nearly every ice floe in Lake Erie, off Lorain, Ohio, as the old lighthouse stood watch.

Gulls rode ice floes in the open waters of Lake Erie off Lorain, Ohio, as the lighthouse stood watch. One ring-billed gull, on a chunk of ice of its own, seemed pretty relaxed; it yawned widely as we watched.

Photo: A Ring-Billed Gull yawns as it stands on an ice floe just offshore of Lorain, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

A Ring-Billed Gull yawns as it stands on an ice floe just offshore of Lorain, Ohio.

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Vermilion light

Posted by Photonstopper on January 2, 2017
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Photo: Evening Falls and Vermilion Light Waits to Shine. Photo by James Guilford.

Evening Falls and Vermilion Light Waits to Shine

A little more than a year ago, we visited Vermilion, Ohio and its little Lake Erie lighthouse. That December, we learned the lighthouse was without light – it did not even contain its beautiful fresnel lens! Underway at that time was a community effort to raise funds and restore the historic landmark to operation. The goal was $40,000.

On New Year’s Day 2017, we ventured out on a beautiful afternoon and revisited the lakefront city. To my surprise and delight I spied something new in the little lighthouse: a brand-new fifth-order fresnel lens! The fundraisers had succeeded and commissioned construction of a hand-made lens that could project light far out over the Great Lake’s waters.

vermilion-lens_5095

It turns out the glasswork had been raised, with help from the fire department, to the top of the tower and installed September 11, 2016. An official lighting ceremony took place the evening of September 15.

And so after going dark a decade ago, losing its lens to a museum move, the Vermilion light once again marks land’s end.

Out there, somewhere….

Posted by Photonstopper on June 15, 2016
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Photo: Lake Erie Storm off Vermilion

Lake Erie Storm off Vermilion

A quick house hunting trip to Vermilion produced no new home June 6; it did, however, produce the opportunity to photograph a storm moving in across Lake Erie. I love the beautiful scenes the lake produces and that is, primarily, why living near the coast is something I think I’d like. Sun, clouds, and water are constantly changing and when a storm is involved those changes happen rapidly.

Photo: Vermilion Lighthouse. Photo by James Guilford.

Against the Coming Storm

I (stupidly) didn’t have my DSLR gear with me but was carrying my trusty iPhone 6SE with its tiny but mighty internal camera. As winds rose, I was able to make a panorama of the lake scene (above) and a nice portrait of the Vermilion Lighthouse brightly popping against the darkening sky.

I’ll try and remember to bring the “big guns” with me from now on as we seek a new home out there, somewhere….

A lighthouse without a light?

Posted by Photonstopper on December 15, 2015
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Photo: Vermilion (Ohio) Lighthouse with holiday wreaths. Photo by James Guilford.

Vermilion Lighthouse Decorated for Holidays

It sounds crazy, a lighthouse without a light, but it’s true. The lovely little landmark on the shores of Lake Erie in Vermilion, Ohio is a 34-foot “private navigational aid” with a lineage that reaches back to the 1800s.

The original wooden tower was replaced in about 1877 with a steel structure and stood as a warning to sailors until 1929. The tower was seen to be in danger of falling over and so was promptly removed. A valued piece of scenery, a reminder of Vermilion’s history was gone.

Members of the community put together enough funds that in 1991, construction of a new lighthouse was commissioned for the city. The light, with a Fresnel lens installed, was dedicated on June 6, 1992. For many years a steady red beacon shined out over the lake until fate stepped in again. The lens, owned by the Inland Seas Maritime Museum that shares the shoreline property with the little lighthouse, was removed when the museum closed up shop recently and moved to Toledo.

The treasured lighthouse is now dark.

Citizens have formed a Lighthouse Preservation Committee, dedicated to preservation and upkeep of the Vermilion Lighthouse and central to their mission: replacement of the Fresnel lens and return of light to the lighthouse.

Here’s hoping the coming year brings quick success as the Committee seeks to raise $40,500 for a new lens!

Donations can be mailed, payable to:

Main Street Vermilion
Attn: Lighthouse Preservation Committee
685 Main Street
Vermilion, OH 44089

Note: Online donation is possible but I did not see a way to earmark donations for the lighthouse project.

Main Street Vermilion
http://www.mainstreetvermilion.org

 

Sometimes it takes a lighthouse to help you find your way.

Posted by Photonstopper on August 2, 2010
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Marblehead Lighthouse #1730
Marblehead Lighthouse #1730

We woke up late and to a beautiful day. The first thing She suggested was a visit to the East Harbor State Park on the Marblehead Peninsula in Lake Erie. We'd only recently heard about the park and were interested in checking it out. Well, long story short, it seems to be a fine and popular beach but the mapped nature trails were not well signed and extremely difficult to find. We spent little time there and decided to move along to the little town of Marblehead. Marblehead (map) is really kind of a stepping off port for those who wish to fish, enjoy the party island of Put-In-Bay, or relax in the quieter environment of Kelly's Island. The town does offer its own assortment of gift shops, antique stores, and eating places. Lunch for us, however, was a disaster.

We found a pizzeria that offered a pleasant atmosphere and had a "Veggie Delight" pie on its menu. After what seemed a very long wait –we arrived with the rest of the lunch crowd– our pizza arrived. I took one bite and the first impression was good. Then a particular texture and flavor filled my mouth and triggered an old memory… pepperoni! Our "veggie" pizza was really a pepperoni pizza with some veg toppings scattered over the meat! We were hungry but, as vegetarians, to us the pie was inedible. We refused the offered discount explaining it was a meat pie served to herbivores, and were then told we owed nothing. Nice waitress, dumb kitchen.

Eventually we stopped in at the small local grocery. It's a convenience for locals and an important source of provisions for visitors. We discovered a tub of prepared hummus, some whole wheat flat bread, and a vast array of very cold drinks. We gathered our purchases up and had a picnic in a public park which, as it happens, was right behind the pizzeria. Delightful and delicious. Following lunch we headed to the Marblehead Lighthouse.

The Marblehead lighthouse used to be a lonely monument to bygone days of maritime technology — quietly standing on its rock foundations, posing for pictures made by occasional visitors. In 1998, however, the light and adjoining property became a state park. We were astonished today at the number of people enjoying the little park, the ca. 1821 lighthouse, and the Lake Erie surf splashing over the light's rocky foundations. The scenery, the beauty of the day, and the lake breeze made the day. We returned home happy.

Sometimes it takes a lighthouse to help you find your way.

Marblehead Surf #1692
Marblehead Surf #1692

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