Stonington Connecticut is a delightful small town built around Stonington harbor. We visited there on a beautiful July afternoon and parked in the lot along the harbor. I then walked back up the hill to photograph the historic stone lighthouse.
History of Stonington Lighthouse
Stonington lighthouse was built in 1840. It is a wonderfully preserved example of a mid-19th century lighthouse. The tower sits on a hill just up from the harbor and is 35 feet tall. It was used for navigation until 1889, when it was replaced by another navigational aid out in the harbor. The lighthouse is now used as a museum that explores the life and history of Stonington's seafaring people.
Visiting the Inside of the Lighthouse
The museum is open seasonally and when you tour the museum you may also climb the 29 steps up the tower. I climbed the steps and enjoyed taking photos in the museum and around the lighthouse grounds.
The brochure I was given when touring the lighthouse states that the seaside village of Stonington has been the " home to farmers, and fishermen, sailors and sea captains, explorers and entrepreneurs for more than 360 years."
Walking the Lighthouse Grounds- Views from the Back
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On a July visit to Connecticut, we made a stop at the Avery Point campus of the University of Connecticut (UCONN) to photograph the lighthouse that I had heard was located at the edge of the campus. We were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful campus that along with the lighthouse had some beautiful sculptures. Just offshore of the campus we had a wonderful surprise when I located two additional lighthouses. On this page I will share my photographs of all three lighthouses and some of the sculptures I saw while walking along the paths on the campus.
Avery Point Lighthouse
Avery Point is the last lighthouse built in the state as an official navigational aid. It was completed in 1943 but was not lit until a year later because of concerns about a possible Nazi attack during WWII.
As I strolled along the paths of the university I could see the lighthouse in the distance. It is a distinctive beige brick tower and is a beautiful icon overlooking the water.
New London Harbor Light
Across the water from the campus I noted what I thought might be a lighthouse. When I put on my longer lens, I was delighted to find this stately structure, which I found out was the New London Harbor Light.
In reading a brochure on lighthouse cruises, I found out that this is the oldest lighthouse in Connecticut. It was said to help to guide colonial privateers who sought shelter up the Thames River during the American Revolution.
New London Ledge Lighthouse
In the water, not too far off shore from the campus, I spotted a third lighthouse. This lighthouse has some rather unique architectural features. I read that it is a French Second Empire structure that is architecturally unique for a lighthouse. It is also reported to be haunted by a former keeper.
There were lots of sailboats in the harbor and I was able to capture one just before it passed the lighthouse.
Other Interesting Features on the Avery Point Campus of UCONN
Here are some of the photos I took of a building and a few of the many sculptures on the grounds.
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I live about forty minutes from Cambria, California. When it's hot, Moonstone Beach is my favorite place to beat the heat. It seems people visit for a lot of different reasons. Most people just walk the boardwalk as my husband is doing in the photo above. Others like to play on the beach or visit the tide pools. Some fly kites. Some build things from the driftwood they find on the beach. And some hunt for jade left on the beach by the waves. I mostly walk on the beach and boardwalk and take pictures. Below is a another beach walker.
Most of the people I see at Moonstone Beach are not sunbathers. The weather is generally cool and often windy, as you will see in some of the videos below. The people I see in the water are generally not swimmers, but surfers. Most people don't venture deeper into the water than knee high. A lot of people build sandcastles near the water's edge.
We once saw a family having a reunion there. The activity of the day for intergenerational fun was flying stunt kites. I'd never seen one before, and it was fascinating. In case you haven't seen them in action, either, I took a video with the family's permission. The grandfather was teaching his teenage granddaughter to fly the stunt kite with him. In between watching the action in the air, there are plenty of views of the beach, the commercial/residential area across the highway from the beach, and the structures people have built and left on the beach. Enjoy.
Sometimes as I sit at my computer trying to tend to business, I remember how much fun this family had that day. It might be fun to try it myself. Here's the kite I might get if I had a grandchild to share it with. It appears to be simple enough for me and a child.
I enjoy watching the waves and those trying to ride them. I also like to watch the wildlife -- especially the ground squirrels. They star in two portions of the video below. You'll also see a boy trying to figure out how to catch a wave on his boogie board and another climbing the rocks in the tidepools. It only looks like I'm in the water. Take a few minutes, unwind, and watch the waves with me.
As you saw in the video, there are quite a few ground squirrels, and they can put on quite a show. They aren't really tame, but they don't run away and hide until you get a bit too close for their comfort. I was happy to see and get to snap this.
Those two appear pretty skinny in comparison to the one below. I'll bet it does a lot of begging from beach goers. You can also see some of the beach flowers in bloom.
In all seasons but winter there's usually something you can find in bloom or even dispersing seeds. When I was there in August this bush lupine was forming pods.
I think the pods look a bit like caterpillars. What do you think?
The buckwheat also blooms in August. It almost makes the beach look like a garden, unlike the beaches I used to frequent in Southern California.
Seagulls seem to be everywhere, but they seem to really like hanging out on the tops of streetlights.
Sometimes, though, they like performing close to the water. This is part of the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed you see on Moonstone Beach.
Now the gulls have taken to the sky. The watershed captured the sky's reflection so that it looks like an island of sky surrounded by the sand.
There's so much more to see than I've room to show you here. But there are a couple of things I should tell you before I post this. The beach does have some public restrooms. They are near the parking lot.
If you want a really private place to take someone special, this is not far off the boardwalk. Behind this tree is a lone secluded bench facing the ocean. You can see a couple enjoying it now.
Although one can usually find a place to park in the lot, if you're driving a long trailer, be careful. This lot, the one by the restroom, wasn't really designed to handle parking something as long as this man is driving. He obviously got it parked, but getting it out of the space he parked in presented a problem. You can see how much difficulty he's having. I had to go over and help direct him so he wouldn't hit anything or get stuck.
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On a recent July morning I was able to visit this historic lighthouse on Cape Cod and share my love of lighthouse photography with my granddaughters.
Brief History of Nobska Lighthouse
When we arrived at this historic lighthouse on the southern point of Cape Cod in Falmouth we took a few minutes to read the signs and learn a bit about the history of the lighthouse.
The lighthouse is nestled between Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay with Martha's Vineyard spread right out in front of it.
From the early colonial days until the twentieth century the route from Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds provided the shortest route to bring passengers and goods from Cape Cod to all points south and west. In the 1800's vessel traffic through this area was second only to that of the English Channel. Because of this a need for a lighthouse to keep vessels safe was imperative.
Nobska light was first opened in 1826 as just a tower above a keepers house. It was replaced in 1878 by the present 42 feet cast iron tower. This tower sits 87 feet above sea level. It flashes every 6 seconds and is visible for 17 miles.
Photographing the Lighthouse
The above is a photograph of my granddaughters, Kate and Emily in front of the lighthouse. They both brought along their new cameras to learn about photographing the lighthouse with me. The next two photos are ones that were taken by the girls. The first, a close up shot of the lighthouse, was taken by Kate. The second one was taken from across the street by Emily.
I too enjoyed the view from across the street from the lighthouse. Here are two photos that I took looking back at the lighthouse.
Across from the Lighthouse
After looking at the lighthouse closeup we crossed the street and took a path that led down to the beach. It was a fantastic view of the islands that lay just off the coast. Here is a map that tells about what we saw.
It was very interesting to see the map and then look at the scene ahead of us. We watched ferries leave from Cape Cod heading over toward Martha's Vineyard. It was early morning when we arrived and the fog was rather heavy, but as the morning progressed the fog started to lift and we could see more of the islands.
Photographing with my Granddaughters
It was a wonderful experience sharing my love of photography and lighthouses with Kate and Emily. They listened carefully as I showed them how to look for interesting photos. After they took a few of the lighthouse from different angles, their interest was more toward photographing the bees in the flowers.
Zazzle Products from our Photos
This keychain design was made from one of Emily's photos and the mug is from my photo.
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I enjoy photographing lighthouses and on a recent July day we made a stop on our trip east to visit the beautiful lighthouse in Buffalo NY. This lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Buffalo river at the north entrance to Buffalo harbor.
Brief History of Buffalo Lighthouse
In 1805 Congress designated the Village of Buffalo to be a port of entry into the United States. It was determined that the port needed a lighthouse but because of the War of 1812 construction was put off. In 1818 the first lighthouse was built in Buffalo. As the city of Buffalo grew into a major port a new lighthouse was needed. The current lighthouse was built in 1833 at a height of 68 feet. You can read more about the history of the lighthouse at the following link Main Buffalo Lighthouse .
Photographs from my Visit
I was hoping to get up close to the lighthouse and had read the instructions online with directions how to get there by walking alongside the coast guard station. What they didn't say was that this path was only open on Friday, Saturday and Sundays and since it was Wednesday I had to find another way to view the lighthouse. I got back in the car and drove down the road to the nearest park on the harbor. I found a charming park with a beautiful rain garden, some delightful wind catchers and paths all along the harbor. The wind catchers were on a hill and when I climbed the hill, I got a great view of the lighthouse. I had a 210 mm lens with me and it worked great to zoom in on the lighthouse. The following photos are of the lighthouse and the park.
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I have often been asked how I attract the large variety of birds to our backyard. In the past several years I have documented 31 different types of birds. I believe that the wide variety of food that I put out for the birds helps to attract different types of birds. These birds provide hours of entertainment for my husband and me. In this post I will share with you the different types of bird food.
Mixed Variety Bird Seed
In several of my bird feeders, I use a mixed variety of bird seed. This type of mixture includes sunflower seeds along with other mixed seeds. I have not found any one brand that seems to be better in attracting birds, so I usually buy whatever is on sale. Here is the type that I purchased last.
In the photos below you will see the variety of birds that enjoy the mixed bird seed that I keep in several different feeders in our backyard.
Nyjer Bird Seed
I have a finch feeder that I keep filled with Nyjer seed. These seeds are small black seeds that don't fall through the small mesh of the feeder. This feeder attracts many different birds, but it is particularly popular with finches. In the photo below you will see Goldfinch enjoying the Nyjer seed.
The birds in this photo look like they have spotty or dirty looking feathers. That is due to the fact that this photo was taken in early spring and they were still molting.
Suet Nuggets
This year I have started to put suet nuggets in a feeder. This food has become very popular with woodpeckers. Downy woodpeckers are frequent visitors of the nugget feeder.
I sometimes put whole peanuts in this feeder. They last longer than the nuggets but I find it hard to tell when the feeder is empty because the empty peanut shells are left behind. Here is a Red-bellied Woodpecker enjoying the peanuts.
Suet Cakes
Another popular bird food is suet cakes. I keep one hanging in my backyard feeding area year round. They are frequented by a wide variety of birds. In the photo below you see a Grosbeak that visited the suet cake this spring.
Hummingbird Feeder
Each spring I look forward to seeing my first Hummingbird of the year. I hang out the feeder starting in early April. I make my own food for the feeder boiling 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in my microwave. After cooling the mixture I add it to the feeder. It is important to change the mixture every week to ten days and more often in very hot weather.
Bird Bath
In addition to the various bird feeders I provide a bird bath on our back deck. This gives the birds a place to get a drink and in the case of Robins to take a bath. This spring I looked out one day to see a whole group of Bluebirds lined up on the edge of the bird bath.
I love to see the Robins splashing in the bird bath.
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