Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

LIGHT FROM THE NJ SHORE

LIGHT FROM THE NJ SHORE

EVOCATION

I SAW MY FIRST LIGHTHOUSE ON A FOURTH GRADE CLASS TRIP. WE WERE TOURING LANDMARKS OF MONMOUTH COUNTY (NJ) AND THE FINAL STOP THAT DAY WAS THE TWIN LIGHTS OF ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS. I CAN REMEMBER CROSSING THE BRIDGE OVER THE NAVESINK RIVER AND LOOKING UP...SEEING THOSE TWIN BROWN STONE TOWERS LOOKING BACK DOWN. I CAN SEE THE CANNON OUT FRONT ...THE 1872 DATE CHISELED INTO THE CONNECTING SECTION...AND THE VIEW...THE WONDERFUL VIEW..OF THE ATLANTIC TO THE EAST...AND SANDY HOOK (THE LAND) AND SANDY HOOK (THE BAY) TO THE NORTH. I WAS TEN THAT DAY...AND THE IMAGE HAS STAYED WITH ME RIGHT THRU THIS VERY DAY...

LAST YEAR I WAS FORTUNATE TO BE AT BEAVERTAIL POINT (RI) AT DUSK. THE SKY WAS MORE COLORFUL THAN CRAYOLA...ORANGES...PURPLES...REDS...JUST MAGNIFICENT. THE EVENING BREEZE HAD KICKED UP, THE ATLANTIC SHOWING WHITE CAPS. THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE THERE...FISHERPEOPLE TRYING THEIR LUCK...COUPLES HUDDLED TOGETHER ON BLANKETS. POINT JUDITH WAS FIRED UP, FLARING WHITE TO THE WEST...CASTLE HILL BLINKING RED TO THE EAST, GUIDING BOATS BACK TO NEWPORT. THE MOON WAS JUST BECOMING VISIBLE... I WAS 44 THAT DAY...ANOTHER IMAGE THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER.

I ALWAYS LIKED THE LIGHTS. GROWING UP, BARNEGAT, ON LONG BEACH ISLAND, WAS A FAVORITE SPOT TO VISIT. LIVING IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY WHEN FIRST MARRIED, WE WERE TWO HOURS FROM ALMOST ANYWHERE...LONG ISLAND...SOUTH JERSEY...COASTAL CONNECTICUT...AND WE COULD WEEKEND... AS WE DID IN NEWPORT, CAPE COD, AND CAPE ANN. VACATIONS TO THE OUTER BANKS AND VIRGINIA OCCURRED ANNUALLY. THEN THE FAMILY CAME...THE BOYS...AND OTHER INTERESTS TOOK PRECEDENCE.

LAST YEAR I WAS REBORN INTO THE LIGHTS. THIS WOULD BE MY PRIVATE TIME. I BOUGHT A NEW CAMERA...BOUGHT A NEW LENS...AND I GOT ONLINE, FINDING HUNDREDS OF SITES AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE THE LIGHTS WITH ME. I TOOK DAY TRIPS BY MYSELF...I TOOK OVERNIGHTS WITH MY YOUNGER ONE TO MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA...AND I TOOK A THREE DAY EXCURSION UP THE COAST FROM CONNECTICUT BACK TO CAPE ANN. OTHER TRIPS AND RESEARCH ARE PLANNED.

WHAT FOLLOWS IS A COMPILATION OF MY JOURNIES. THE LOG MAKES SENSE AND I SAW ONE FROM THE CARTERS OF MICHIGAN AND THAT WILL SERVE AS MY GUIDE. I HAD MORE EXPERIENCES SIMILAR TO THOSE DESCRIBED ABOVE... THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO CONVEY HERE. IF YOU WANT TO SHARE SIMILAR...OR EVEN DISSIMILAR...EXPERIENCES...I WOULD ENJOY HEARING FROM YOU.

PLEASE KNOW THIS FORM OF COMMUNICATION IS SO VERY NEW TO ME. ERRORS, ESPECIALLY TYPOS, WILL OCCUR, AND WILL DO SO FREQUENTLY. THIS WILL BE A WORK IN CONTINUOUS PROGRESS...I HOPE IT WILL BE ENJOYED.

--- December, 1998 ---

WHAT'S INSIDE