The Things I Do For Photos

During Memorial Day Weekend, I had the opportunity to visit a local private beach (thank you CBW and Waterman JP!).  The beach was down near the New Point Comfort Lighthouse, and I was hoping to get a shot of the lighthouse from somewhere other than the observation deck.

So, I started off down the beach with my  significant other.

My goal was to head way down to the end where you can see the green reeds growing in the distance.

I knew that the lighthouse was just around the bend, on the other side of the reeds.

No problem.

Then I got to the reed forest.

It was well over my head and there was no way I could walk through the reeds so my option was to find a way around them. 

At the edge of the reeds near the water, it was nothing but mud and 

pointy broken off reeds sticking out of the ground.  

Pointy broken off reeds are very sharp and hurt really bad.

Being the brainiac that I am, I started out in bare feet. 

The only other option was trying to go out in the water to walk around the corner of the beach.

Being the awesome boyfriend he is, my significant other went to see if this was a better solution.

Unfortunately, he ended up with several cuts and scratches from all the the hidden tree stumps.

I did make it around the edge of the reeds to get my shot of the light house.

On the way back to our section of the beach, I apologized to my significant other for having him wade out in the water and get cut up. 

And he told me he would have carried me out there on his shoulders if he had to just so I could get the photo.

Seriously, how did I get so lucky?

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

These are a couple of photos of the New Point Comfort Lighthouse 

that weren't taken from the observation Deck.

 There's an amusing story about how I managed to obtain these photos

but due to my stressful week, the story will have to wait until after the weekend.

Right now I just want to look at these photos and pretend to be back at that amazing beach with the amazing weather and nothing to stress over.  

Please stop back next week when I {hopefully} return to our regularly scheduled programming.

New Point Comfort Lighthouse

The New Point Comfort Light was completed in 1804 and the light was first lit in 1805. 

 It is the 10th oldest lighthouse still standing in the United States. 

Elzy Burroughs, the builder of the lighthouse was also appointed as the first Keeper by Thomas Jefferson. 

During the War of 1812, the Brits burned down the keeper's house and oil vault, broke the glass in the lantern and removed the windows and door.  

Burroughs was called upon to repair the damage.

Luckily the Confederates were much kinder to the property.  

After their occupation (where they extinguished the light to hinder the Union Navy), the property was merely neglected and needed minor work.

 The light was converted to electricity in 1950 and in 1963 

it was decommissioned and replaced by an offshore navigation aid.

Since 1976, restoration efforts have focused on stabilizing the structure. 

In 2001 the New Point Comfort Lighthouse Preservation Task Force was established.

Because of safety concerns, the lighthouse is no longer open to visitors.  

There is an observation deck located at the southern end of Route 600 (where these photos were taken) where you can view the lighthouse in the distance.

I hear the swimming in the channel between the mainland and the lighthouse is excellent because the current prevents jellyfish from being an issue.  

Hopefully I can get there by boat to get some better shots.

Wolf Trap Light

It's the 1600's and piracy and smuggling are rampant on the Chesapeake.  So the British decided to deploy a 350 ton vessel, the HMS Wolf, to help control the piracy and smuggling and to enforce the Navigation Act (to learn about the Navigation Act go here because I don't want to get too deep into a colonial history lesson).  In 1691, the Wolf ran aground on some shoals located in the Chesapeake Bay and her captain immediately called for help.  Virginia colonists came to the Wolf's aid removing ammunition and heavy guns and pumping out the seawater that had breached the hull.  The vessel was then towed to safety.  The Captain refused to compensate the colonists for their help.  His debt was eventually paid by the ship's owners.  However, the colonists of Virginia were so angered by the whole affair that the shoals became forever known as Wolf Trap.

In 1821, it was decided that a lightship needed to be placed at Wolf Trap in order to warn ships of the dangerous shoals.

This is an example of a Light ship

In 1861, the light ship was destroyed by Confederate raiders after the start of the Civil War.  Eventually, it was replaced by a screwpile lighthouse that was more economical but not sturdy.  In 1891, heavy ice floes severed the lighthouse from its foundation and it was found floating with only its light and roof above water.  It was replaced by what is now the current lighthouse. 

In 1919, the lighthouse keeper and his assistant aided in a water rescue of a family of 6.  Their schooner sank in a storm four miles from the light and managed to get in a dinghy and travel to the lighthouse.  The keeper was nearly swept away twice while trying to get the family on board.  He managed to hang on and all were saved.  The youngest child, who was 2, was hoisted onto the light in a bag.

Eventually, the Wolf Trap Light was offered at auction under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.  It was purchased by a man from Seattle, WA who intended to convert it into a Bed & Breakfast.  Unable to obtain financing for a B&B, he offered it for sale on Ebay.  The Ebay auction ended without a sale.  It was later purchased by a man from South Carolina who is the current owner.  Though privately owned, it is still a Coast Guard maintained aid to navigation.