The Lightkeeper's Blog

This morning marks the 17th year of us waking up at Scituate Light and I have been listening to a lot of Beatles music lately. Some of you will get this; others may not.

We have learned so much over the course of these years and have tried to share that out with readers here from the start. In the Archive there is a post about that first morning. It has never left me.

So many storms, repairs, and projects over time. The Tower and the utility room have been entirely remade. Cameras installed and updated; gardens created and tended. The boardwalk designed on a napkin and built and placed and pulled each year. There will be some repairs needed to that mainstay in the spring.

Upgrades were made to wiring, plumbing, heating, flooring, entranceways, storm doors, all of the windows but one, all of the roofing but one side of the main house. The dirtiest job I ever will have to do was pulling out the old insulation under the house to prepare for a blown in version that has been an absolute godsend.

We watched the revetment get built and took the stone that did the hammering and put it in the way of any waves that wanted to strip a wall of the main cottage of shingles. We saw a stone donated by the family of Jim Howard to help tell the story of Etrusco and of radio station WRUL. That got placed to help protect the house as well. We watched as the north jetty was rebuilt only to see those repairs begin to break down (and they continue to do so as the picture at the top shows.) We will keep watching.

Flying Santa visits and Luminaria served as bookends to many of the years. We miss one and look forward to the other.

Countless flags flown until the wind made the flying disrespectful. Countless clips that held the flags on the line worn to breaking. At least 8 times when the flag was stuck at the top and a jury rigged pole with a hook was the only way to get to the banner and to make a repair. McGyver has got nothing on me.

Dick Wainwright wrote a book and made Haley the star. We will always be grateful for his generosity. I cornered the market on those books and I have now given them all away. I will be combing the internet for the chance at a few more gifts to give.

As mentioned in the last post, the grounding of Etrusco is the focus this year as 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of this sensational event. A new page will be added to the link in the menu that covers February 1956 and what was happening in Scituate and the wider world that month. In March there will be several posts dealing with the event and the aftermath. There will be surprises for most readers. I hope you check it out.

We have been very lucky to have this post. (And our amazing neighbors) We have never given a second thought to deciding to move here and take it on. Even when the bed shakes and the oil bill spikes and some stranger is at the door asking to use the bathroom.

I will admit we have wanted people to not be so routinely loud or dumb. Wedding parties, revving trucks, pounding bass lines from music at night, and women with wine bottles are not always the best guests. Dogs running down the flowers and kids banging on the Edgerton bell with rocks can combine to create a low opinion of people.

That said, heading to the car each morning I take a pause and think, maybe I should just stay here and look at this view all day. With each full moon, as the crowds gather, we are as hung up as they are to see how the moon and the sea will mix that night. With each shovel full of stone cleaning out the parking lot or each weed pulled, I count myself fortunate to be the guy who gets to do that and to know I am doing a good thing.

We will keep at it.