The New Lighthouse

Some of our vacation was spent touring the Lake Michigan shoreline, hitting the many harbor towns and their wonderfully quaint shops. Along the way, I noticed, on our map, a myriad of lighthouses. Excited at the opportunity to photograph these wholly unique architectural marvels, I prepped my camera and bristled in my seat, trying hard to contain my enthusiasm.

As the first pier came into view, I eagerly lifted my camera and brought into focus the end of the pier, where one would expect to see a lighthouse. With my viewfinder trained on a lamp atop a metal pole, I panned the area looking for a red or white structure, with a Lamp and a Watch room gracing the top. Thinking I must have aimed the camera in the wrong direction, I pulled it down from my face and checked the skyline with my own eyesight. Even with my naked eyes, all I could see was the metal post with a light on top. In the exact spot where my beautiful, weathered lighthouse was supposed to be!

Ok. So this is a new, more modern lighthouse. The next town, which also boasted a lighthouse, surely would have the beautiful building I wanted for my photographs. So onward we went.

Alas, three harbor towns later and still no old timey lighthouse. Seems we're replacing the traditional lighthouses with these new, more inexpensive devices. In doing a bit of further research, I learned there's actually a practical reason for using this type of lighthouse, besides the obvious, reduced expenses. Seems the type of lighthouse being used on any given pier depends on the type of danger being presented to the mariner. Hmph. You learn something new every day.

I'm sure there are still some traditional lighthouses out there. Probably on the East coast. Maine, perhaps. And I'm pretty sure there's one in Mystic, Connecticut. I think I'll plan a lighthouse photographing trip soon. These wondrous edifices must be preserved, if only in art form.

Here's to saving the lighthouses!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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