The Fire Island Lighthouse is for the birds! (Wednesday's Wisdom)

Many web-pages (including Punchbowl) concur, "Today is National Lighthouse Day! On this day in 1789, the United States Congress approved an Act 'for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers.' This piece of legislation commissioned the first Federal lighthouse, which was constructed at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay. Two hundred years later, Congress designated August 7th as National Lighthouse Day to commemorate this important moment in history and to celebrate these beautiful structures.

For centuries, lighthouses have served as beacons of light, guiding ships safely to harbor through storms, fog, or dark of night. To celebrate National Lighthouse Day, visit a local lighthouse near you or donate to a lighthouse preservation society."

The lighthouse featured in the image atop this entry and directly below...

... is The Fire Island Lighthouse, a lighthouse that has 182 steps which I've climbed in two occasions.

Honoring National Lighthouse Day 2017

Today, August the seventh, is the first Monday in 2017's month of August, and it happens to coincide with National Lighthouse Day. Therefore, in honor this unique holiday, I'm offering some thoughts.

According to Wiki, "on this day in 1789, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation allowing the federal government control over the creation and maintenance of lighthouses.  This special holiday evolved out of this event, and in recent years, through efforts to preserve lighthouses as a important historical symbol in America."

Wiki goes on to proclaim that "National Lighthouse Day honors and commemorates a beacon of light that symbolizes safety and security for boats at sea."

And they explain that "throughout maritime history, Lighthouses have shined their powerful, sweeping lights through the fog and storms, allowing ships of all kinds to find their way back to port during inclement weather. With the advent of radar and GPS technology, lighthouses have taken a back seat in guiding ships to port. However, they remain the universal symbol of safe harbor to ships and communities that rely upon the sea for their livelihood."

In bygone years on Blogger, I've written about this holiday, and I've also discussed a few of the lighthouses which I've been able to visit; including The Little Red Lighthouse seen in the image atop this entry. This lighthouse is located on the Hudson River in NYC. I've been to it on many occasions when I've participated in tandem cycling. And the last time that I cycled to it (which was this past July for my fifth ride of the season), I noticed that the light was on, which is something that I don't recall ever seeing at this particular lighthouse.

My only memory of seeing a beacon of light coming from a lighthouse is the one I've seen coming from The Fire Island Lighthouse in the town of Kismet on Fire Island. The following pictures show this particular lighthouse (with its light on) from two vantage points.

These images might look familiar to you, dear reader, as I've included them in my cyber venues when discussing The Fire Island Lighthouse.

But today, what I'm being reminded of (in relation to both The Little Red Lighthouse and The Fire Island Lighthouse having their beacons shine), are Motel Six commercials with Tom Bodett promising that. "We'll leave the light on for you."

Another thing I'm thinking of re lighthouses and their shining beacons is an Anne Lamont quotation: “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”

There you have it dear reader, some info and asides on lighthouses, should you find yourself in a situation where National Lighthouse Day is being discussed.

Wednesday's Wisdom: Honor The U.S.A.'s Flag

Yesterday, June the 13th, I had hoped to make a day trip to The Fire Island Lighthouse. It is can be seen within the image atop this entry, where an American flag is flying to the lighthouse's left; and, where seagulls, are flying to that flag's left.

I've been to this lighthouse (located within the town of Kismet, on Fire Island), on a number of occasions. And yesterday seemed to be a good time to visit it, as real feel temperatures were in the low hundred degree range. Before nine o'clock in the morning, the actual temperature had reached ninety-six degrees in Central Park!

There are a number of ways to get to The Fire Island Lighthouse. One of them is to take a train (subway) to Penn Station and connect with an LIRR (Long Island Railroad) train to Bayshore, then from there take a taxi to a ferry, which drops passengers off at various towns on Fire Island.

In Honor of National Lighthouse Day (8-7)

Today, August the 7th, there is a holiday known as National Lighthouse Day. Although I've only been to three lighthouses in my lifetime (one near Sandy Hook, New Jersey; one in Manhattan; and one on Fire Island), I really love them! I hope that one day, I'll be able to add other lighthouses to my list of ones I've seen.

The pictures posted atop this entry are of The Little Red Lighthouse and The Fire Island Lighthouse (respectively). I've never been inside The Little Red Lighthouse, but I have been in the vicinity of it on a number of occasions, as it is often a destination and/or rest stop for my tandem cycling trips.

National Lighthouse Day 2020

IMAGE CREDIT

Today is National Lighthouse Day and Snoopy knows how to celebrate as evidenced in the image of a Peanuts comic strip atop this entry).

I'm familiar with receiving that stare from birds visiting my garden when I have yet to fill my bird feeders or share my fruit with them (via plates placed atop an urban hedge (shelving) as well as a table.

Most likely anyone who has been around any animal knows "the lighthouse stare" as does anyone who has ever waited tables.

On another note, re lighthouses themselves, I love visiting them and two of the ones that I've taken pictures of can be seen are featured in the next set of images.

THE FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE VIEW ONE

THE FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE VIEW TWO

THE LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE

The Little Red Lighthouse is located in NYC under the George Washington Bridge, a bridge which is referenced in volume one of my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES