Review of Lighthouse by Eugenia Price

Marblehead Lighthouse

I thoroughly enjoy traveling and visiting lighthouses and when it comes to reading, historical fiction is my favorite genre.   So, when my daughter found this book about a lighthouse that takes place in the eighteen century it was the perfect gift for me.  

Lighthouse by Eugenia Price

This  book is the first of the Saint Simons Trilogy and after reading it I am anxious to start on the next in the series.

The Setting

This book is set in the early days of the United States. It follows the life of a young man from his home in Massachusetts, to his travels to what is now Maine, Florida and finally Georgia. It starts out talking about Shays rebellion and follows history through the early 1800's.  Although it is a fictional story, the author did a lot of historical research and the main character along with several of the other people in the story were real people.

The Story

James Gould is a young man with a dream that he carries throughout his life.  He is raised in Massachusetts, but longs for the warmer climate in the lands of the south.  His other dream is to someday build a lighthouse.  He has plans that he has drawn for a lighthouse that he carries with him through the years, hoping that one day he can make his dream come true.  In the book you follow James life as he feels responsible to care for his mother and siblings and you root for him as he searches for a way to follow his dream first to the north to Bangor on the Penobscot River where he makes  a living to support his family, then to the south and lawless Spanish East Florida.  Along the way he meets a strong woman with whom he can share his dream.  The characters are very compelling and I found myself thinking about the book and looking forward to picking it back up whenever I needed to stop reading.

My Favorite Parts 

I love the way the author takes real people in history and weaves them into the story. It is also interesting to read about places I have visited such as Savannah and St.  Simons Island and imagine what they were like in the late 1700's and early 1800's.  Of course, I am very partial to lighthouses and the building of the lighthouse and then the care of the structure was the highlight for me.  It is hard to imagine the hardships early Americans struggled with during the beginning of the country.

This book is a real page turner and has my recommendation for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

My  Visit to St. Simons

I visited St. Simons lighthouse several years ago, but now that I've read the book I'd love to visit again.  I think it will be much more meaningful after I've learned about the builder and his dream of the lighthouse.

Below is a Zazzle card I made from my photo of St. Simons lighthouse.

Saint Simons Island Card
by lighthouseenthusiast

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Site Review: Lighthouse Musings

I have always admired Mary Beth's photography, but what I didn't expect was to fall in love with lighthouses because of her reviews.  While I appreciated lighthouses and their functional purpose, I never really looked at them closely until I started reading about them in her articles.  Mary Beth has a entire site dedicated to her lighthouse musings.  Please allow me to give you a short guided tour and highlight some of her lighthouse adventures.  I also encourage you to visit Lighthouse Musings yourself.

Rose Island Lighthouse

Lighthouse History

Mary Beth features lighthouses that she has personally visited.  In many of her articles, she shares the history of the lighthouse she is featuring alongside her breathtaking photos.

I am often fascinated by their stories and have come to seriously appreciate the efforts of many of the communities to save their beloved lighthouse.  It becomes very clear that the residents in the area have a very real relationship and respect for them.  They often go to great lengths to restore a lighthouse and to preserve the historical value.  Such was the case with the Rose Island Lighthouse.

I encourage you to visit Mary Beth's article and read about this incredible community and their beautiful lighthouse. 

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Lighthouse Beauty

Because of their purpose, a lighthouse is most often built in a captivating setting close to a shoreline or on an elevated cliff, but the beauty of the beacon of light itself is indisputable.  I am sure we each would have a personal favorite based on architectural design, paint colors, or perhaps even the sheer size.  There is no doubt that each lighthouse Mary Beth features has it's own unique appeal.  However, I do want to show you my personal favorite.

Navesink

Isn't it fabulous! 

So unique and with an incredible history.  I hope to one day visit and tour this stunning lighthouse.  You can learn all about Navesink at Lighthouse Musings. 

After you visit Lighthouse Musings and explore the dozens of lighthouses featured there, do come back here and tell us which is your personal favorite.

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Lighthouse Getaways

Several of the lighthouses offer to host your wedding or special occasion, but what fascinates me most are the lighthouses that allow guests to spend the night.  I wonder if I could sleep a wink surrounded by such beauty and historical interests.  I expect I would not want to sleep!  I would want to make sure I toured and touched everything there.

This bench beckons me to come and stay for a while!

Big Bay Point Lighthouse

Thanks to Mary Beth and her introduction to these wonderful lighthouses, I find I am quite fascinated and awed by lighthouses.  I think you will be too.

Visit Lighthouse Musings by clicking this link and take your own tour at a leisurely pace.

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A Look at Lighthouses in Celebration of National Lighthouse Day

National Lighthouse Day

Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia (c) Wednesday Elf

On August 7, 1789, Congress approved an Act to establish and support lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers.

On the 200th Anniversary of this Act, August 7, 1989,  Congress passed a resolution to designate August 7th as National Lighthouse Day.  To honor this day, let's review a few lighthouses through stories, photos, and a handmade lighthouse picture afghan.

Lighthouse Enthusiast

Cape Florida Lighthouse Greeting Card

The lighthouse expert on Review This! is Mary Beth (mbgphoto), who has captured the images of over 100 lighthouses around the United States through her very fine photographs.  Check out a few of her outstanding images on her blog, (Lighthouse Musings) as she tells the story behind each one.

Then visit Mary Beth's charming Zazzle Store called “Lighthouse Enthusiast” for a wide variety of products decorated with her beautiful lighthouse photographs, such as the lovely photo of the Cape Florida Lighthouse shown above on a greeting card.

Mary Beth has also shared several of her fabulous lighthouse photographs from her various visits to lighthouses around the country in her salute for Review This of National Lighthouse Day.

Fun Lighthouse Facts

• There are 391 lighthouses on the East Coast of the United States and 94 on the West Coast.
• Thirty Seven (37) states have lighthouses.  Surprisingly, the state of Michigan (located on inland lakes, not an ocean) has over 120 lighthouses. 

Of course, Michigan is known as the Land of the Inland Seas and has connections to 4 of the 5 Great Lakes with 3,200 miles of coastline, so sailors on these often temperamental inland seas certainly need the help of the lighthouses as much as ocean-going vessels. 

• The OLDEST lighthouse is the Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island built in 1716. But due to being heavily damaged in the American Revolutionary War it had to be renovated (in 1783) before being put back into service. Therefore, it is no longer the oldest ORIGINAL lighthouse. 

Sandy Hook Lighthouse Postcard by lighthouseenthusiast More New jersey lighthouse Postcards  


• The oldest original lighthouse in the US is the Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey. It was built in 1764, and is still flashing it's light today. Just ask mbgphoto ~ she's been there, as you can see in her outstanding lighthouse photo above.

My Favorite Lighthouse

Tybee Island Light

I've visited a number of lighthouses over the years, but the lighthouse that has become most dear to me is the Tybee Island Light Station at Tybee Island, Georgia.  It's one of seven Colonial lighthouses; this one originally built in 1732 at the entrance of the Savannah River, which separates Georgia from South Carolina.

The Tybee Lighthouse has been a navigational aid for 270 years.  For 13 of those years, I lived on Tybee Island where I could see the lighthouse every day! And, our daughter was married there in the Lightkeepers Cottage!

Handcrafted Lighthouse Afghan Pattern

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Afghan Pattern on Etsy

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse NC – Cape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Outer Banks are a group of barrier islands on the North Carolina coast that separate the Atlantic Ocean from the coastal sounds and inlets. The pattern for this Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Afghan was originally designed as C2C Afghan, but the graph included with this pattern can also be used for knitting, cross stitch, Tunisian crochet, latch hooking, etc.

Celebrate National Lighthouse Day each Year on August 7th or Enjoy a Lighthouse Anytime Throughout the Year!

Tybee Island Lighthouse Journal

National Lighthouse Day commemorates a beacon of light that symbolizes safety and security for boats at sea.

Celebrate anytime by visiting a lighthouse, or learning more about a local lighthouse.  This Lighthouse Journal will help you keep track of your lighthouse visits.



Article by Wednesday Elf

Wednesday Elf can also be found at:Crochet Crafts Critters Blog
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Seashells and Lighthouses as Summer Wanes

It is mid-August and summer in the U.S is slipping away.  I always feel a melancholy as my birthday approaches in the beginning of September.  Not so much because it means another year has passed and I’m growing older, which is true too, but because my birthday marks the ending of swimming, vacations, and barefoot days at the beach floating in the waves.

I love all of the seasons and spend time outdoors no matter the season. But there is something a bit sad as summer begins to fade away.  There is a feeling of freedom associated with not having to bundle up before going outdoors.  A feeling of abundant life as the insects, birds, and animals move around you.

In celebration of summer, I want to introduce you to Mary Beth Granger’s Lighthouse blog. In her most recent entry, she takes us on a tour of the Hereford Inlet on Jersey Shore.  Thank you Mary Beth for sharing this historical and beautiful building and grounds with us.  I swear I can smell the sweet scent of the flowers and the tangy salt of the ocean.

As summer comes to a slow close, I am squeezing in as much time as possible loading my kayak onto my Jeep and heading out to the tributary rivers of Maryland to kayak.  There is one area with a small lighthouse in the water. The osprey and other water birds are very active in that area and I watch as I float around. I can think of no better way to pass the last days of summer.

 Image Credit: ©Dawn Rae – All Rights Reserved

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National Lighthouse Day

Today, August 7th is National Lighthouse Day in the USA.  In honor of the day I will be posting photographs of lighthouses that I have taken during my trip to the New Jersey coast this past week.

This first lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the US.  It was first put into operation in 1764. Sandy Hook is found at the tip of the peninsula just across the harbor from New York.  

Very near Sandy Hook high on the hill overlooking the harbor I saw the dual lighthouses of Navesink.  With my long lens I was able to capture this photo.

On the very southern tip of the New Jersey shore we visited the lighthouse at Cape May.  It is a tall lighthouse that is open for visitors to climb.  I took this photo as I walked along the wood walk out to the shore.

One lighthouse I really enjoyed visiting was Hereford Inlet light.  This lighthouse is located on the Jersey shore about 1/2 hour south of Atlantic City.  It has beautiful gardens that surround the lighthouse.  Here a couple of photos of the lighthouse and the gardens.

Atlantic City also has a lighthouse called Absecom.  It was hard to get a good photo because of the fence and the lighting but here is one that I was able to shoot.

In the last 8 years I have traveled all around the US and some of Canada photographing lighthouses, as of yesterday I photographed 101 lighthouses.  It is always an adventure locating the lighthouses and looking for the best angles for photographs.  I hope you enjoy my latest photos.  

If you have a hobby you would like to share I encourage you to write about it .

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