Monday, September 17, 2012

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 129~ The Lighthouse Window



"I discovered windows one afternoon, and after that, nothing was ever the same."

~Anne Spollen

The day I discovered the window, it felt like I had discovered all windows. It is very special. It is a window in the parlor of the Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove, California. Of all the lighthouses I have visited in my travels, this one is my very favorite, well at least it is in the 3 anyway. A little secret, I think I say that about every lighthouse I visit, but the history of this particular one is so amazing, I couldn't help but fall in love with it.

On the day we visited, in 2005, we were able to take a self-guided tour of the inside. There were rooms we were allowed to walk around in an explore, and there were ones cordoned off, like the parlor, which is where this window is located. The parlor is a beautiful room, filled with lovely antiques, but for me it was all about the window. I fell in love with how the light came through it, autumn never lets me down. (Smile).

I wasn't having the best time that week, I was a bit sad, so Alan decided a short day trip to Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel might just be what the doctor ordered. He was so right. It is amazing there, there is so much natural beauty, it is impossible for a bad mood, or any kind of sadness to last long,. He and I are both history buffs, so visiting here was a natural choice.

The lighthouse has been shining a light on the Monterey coast since 1855, and it has had a number of keepers, but the two keepers that really made an impression on me were Allen Luce, who Robert Louise Stevens wrote about in regards to the wonderful hospitality he received there, and the second being Mrs. Emily Fish, known as the (Socialite Keeper) because of her love of entertaining, who took over in 1893, and served until 1914. She was the keeper the day the great San Francisco earthquake hit, and had to manage the damage to the lens of the lighthouse and structural damage to the tower.

When I saw the window, with that gorgeous late autumn afternoon light coming through it, I could almost see Robert Louis Stevenson standing at it, gazing out on the blue Pacific Ocean. It's always surprising me, how different each lighthouse is in terms of it's history and impact on the weary traveler.

Some lighthouses have a dark feel to them. Definately uninviting to be sure. Some seem lonely. Some seem unloved and forgotten about, but not this one. It has a fun, welcoming vibe to it. I adore it. I really need to go back soon, hopefully next month and pay it a visit. Perhaps I will bring a book along, and just pause for a little bit on one of the benches, and just enjoy how lovely it is there. I feel really good just thinking about it. It's so much fun to contemplate who might have stood right there, making plans, or maybe just enjoying the warmth of the sunlight coming through the window.

Dear Point Pinos Lighthouse, I will be back soon!

"Everyone, at some time or another, sits down to a banquet of consequences."

~Robert Louise Stevenson

:)

~Me

Today's Link...

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/09/apadf6-125.html

1 comment:

jr cline said...

That is a lovely window.

Link: http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/09/apadf6-126.html