The Lightkeeper's Blog

We had a bit of left over waves and water last week and it is always welcomed. But for the way that the cars and windows get covered with salt, the sound and the energy improves the quality of life around here.

The monthly vacuuming of the Tower coincided with the storm. A trip to the top found the wind pushing water past the windows. This weekend will see yet another attempt to weatherstrip against nor’easters.

It is amazing to hear and and if you follow this link to YouTube you will be able to take a little tour with sound effects.

Before the storm hit on Sunday, I spent Saturday moving furniture and grills and barrels out of harms way. When those chores were complete I upgraded three cameras. The walkway camera needed a new cable. That was delivered at the eleventh hour of sunlight Saturday and it was several trips up and down a ladder but that new cable is in place with a great shot of the revetment and the ocean.

The next camera that improved was the camera on the Etrusco stone. Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the grounding of Etrusco and I wanted a dedicated camera on that landmark. It is zoomed in on the sandblasted image of the ship aground. The post that can be seen usually has a text that helps the guests but those signs also come in for the winter to extend their lives.

The final effort was the improvement of the camera on the mouth of the harbor. It is an improved resolution and I changed the angle slightly. That one and the Etrusco camera will not currently work if we lose power but I am figuring that out.

You might also notice that the camera that panned the harbor is now fixed on the north jetty. The camera that had been panning from the beach to Minot Light is now fixed on the light. There is a lot of ocean in that shot now and you can still see the waves bash the Light.

The boardwalk will be coming in next weekend, weather permitting. I have risked several pretty high tides but will not risk the king tide in November. While bringing the boardwalk in I will write up some notes on needed repairs in the spring. There are spots that could use some attention and getting the materials ahead of time will be a helpful step when the planks go back in place in April.