Coastal Voyager

Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard

Growing up in a landlocked southern city into my early adulthood, my knowledge of lighthouses was only based on photographs, movies and TV. From those sources it seemed almost all lighthouses were on the sea-sprayed rocky coast of Maine.

Even so, those representations stoked my early passion for the maritime icons, which continue to have a haunting attraction for me. I always search out lighthouses on my coastal travels. They are beautiful in their architectural simplicity as an obelisk or well-designed skyscraper. They are symbolic of the concept of a guiding light. And they have been lifesavers for mariners throughout much of recorded history.

History has it that before lighthouses a fire was set at the edge of the water or on a hill to guide fishermen and traders home. The first lighthouses are said to have been built by Egyptians, including the Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria. Erected around 270 B.C. and covered in marble that lighthouse is believed to have been somewhere between 450 to 600 feet tall. It stood for 1500 years until an earthquake brought it down.

Today many historic lighthouses are still used as navigational aids as a failsafe to high-tech navigational devices, including the country's first lighthouse, Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor. Most of our lighthouses now are automated and managed by the U.S. Coastguard.

So I looked forward to seeing a plethora of lighthouses as I started my recent journey from Boston to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod. I thought, I've seen lighthouses all along the Florida coast, in the Keys, Great Lakes, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and even several on the Red Sea. But New England is the classic home of the lighthouse. Now I'll really see some lighthouses.

First I came across the tiny white-painted cedar shake Brant Point Lighthouse on Nantucket. To be honest, it looked cute but a bit dinky on its lonely beach as I approached the island on the high-speed ferry. Almost if it had been built by Disney. I thought of the towering 175-foot red brick Ponce Inlet Lighthouse near Daytona Beach, Fla., the first lighthouse I ever visited, and the second tallest in the the nation. I wondered if all lighthouses in this strange land of New England were small and quaint.

Fog rolled in that afternoon, and as I walked toward the 26-foot lighthouse feeling like Jessica Fletcher in Cabot Cove a la "Murder She Wrote," I saw the Brant Point Light flashing through the mist. This was no toy lighthouse, but a true navigational aid, I realized. I felt greater respect.

The next day, which was gloriously sunny, I returned to get a closer look and passed a friendly U.S. Coast Guard member polishing his station's brass bell. As I approached the lighthouse on the beach I was impressed by its stalwart character. I got the sense it perfectly suits its position guarding the charming town of Nantucket on the island of the same name.

A couple from Connecticut were also admiring the lighthouse. They assured me that each lighthouse in New England is delightfully different and worth visiting. Later I learned this Brant Point Light is on the site of the second lighthouse ever built in the United States. The first Brant Point Light was erected in 1746 and many other replacements were built after violent storms. The current sturdy version was constructed in 1901.

After the short flight to Martha's Vineyard, I visited the lighthouse on the dramatic clay cliffs of Gay Head. Now this grassy high point is a wonderfully romantic location for a lighthouse. The 51-foot red brick tower, built in 1856 as a replacement for the original Gay Head Light, reminded me a bit of Ponce Inlet. Although its flashing red light seems a little ominous, if I return I will bring a a picnic lunch and a blanket as I could easily spend hours there.

I also was fortunate while on the Vineyard to visit the Edgartown Harbor Light, which stands on a beach marking the entrance into Edgartown Harbor and Katama Bay. This white lighthouse with black trim has a classic shape.

The next stop on my journey was Chatham on Cape Cod, and there I was to come across several lighthouses. On the way out to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge via Rip Ryder Monomoy Island Ferry, my group saw the charming Stage Harbor Lighthouse, which is now a residence. Not a one of us on the boat didn't wonder what it was like to live in a lighthouse station on the beach.

After we saw the amazing herds of grey seals on Monomoy Island, we caught sight of the brick tip of the Monomoy Light. The Monomoy Island Ferry gives tours of the lighthouse and the island in the summer, so if I ever get back that way ... Later I visited the Chatham Light high above a public beach, another classic lighthouse. In this part of the country, I was learning, you really don't have to go far out of your way to find a lighthouse.

On the way up to Provinceton, curiousity got the better of me and I pulled off the main road to check out the Cape Cod Light, also known as the Highland Light. One of the things that makes this lighthouse unusual is that there's a golf course surrounding it. Nice for golfers to play on the rolling hills with the majestic Atlantic Ocean such a deep blue beyond the high clay cliffs. So different from the days when many deaths along the treacherous coast necessitated the building of the lighthouse.

In Provincetown on my whale watching tour I caught sight of the squarish Wood End Light, now run by solar power. It's not too far from the classic round Race Point Light. There in Provincetown I also made up for not being able to climb any of the lighthouses I saw on my trip by trudging up the stairs of the 252-foot Pilgrim Monument. Like the Statue of Liberty, it easily could be used as a navigational beacon if need be.

After seeing so many Cape Cod and island lighthouses, I am even more interested in lighthouses than before. There is something reassuring about the solitary towers still standing through the generations. They make the seascapes more beautiful by their very being.

Returning to my first beach: Panama City Beach, Florida

Hard to believe I hadn't visited Panama City Beach in more than 20 years. After all, it was my first beach, my first encounter with the miracle of shore and sea oats and the wonder of waves. So when I returned to those sugar white sands this past week, I had some catching up to do with my memories.
 
It was here I ran after sand pipers and seagulls while my mother floated on her back rising up and down with the gentle waves. It was here my sister and I collected shells and pieces of sand dollars and coral. It was here my dad scooped up sand in his hands and tossed it, setting the sand crabs scuttling across the beach to burrow in again.

Here I have always felt the magnificence of life and awe of the Creator. The simple harmony of sky over sea and sand on a sunny day. All seems possible.

After I graduated from college and worked at The Dothan Eagle, I again visited Panama City Beach, but this time with boyfriends. One of them became my husband (and then former husband). I'll never forget the day he and I first walked on the beach together. Both of us felt a sense of destiny.

So when I returned to Panama City Beach and first saw the color of the water, crystal clear bottle green spilling over the sand then bands of teal leading to deep blue and the horizon, I knew I had come home. As I walked and savored the incredible beauty I felt that I had really never seen this beach before. I was seeing it with new eyes.

How much more does the beach mean to me now that I have seen many, many other beaches, lived a lot more life and spent much time away from my family. And how much more it will mean to me in another 20 years. As T.S. Elliott said "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

The price of tea in Chinatown, San Francisco, California

My friend and I took the cable car to Chinatown in San Franciso. She wanted to show me the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of the Chinese markets and apothecaries. Walking down into the heart of the area we were delighted by the festive atmosphere. There were colorful banners and signs and storefronts with Chinese architectural elements.

Along the way we came across a sign reading "free tea tasting." Hmmm. That sounded interesting. So we walked into the shop, which was empty except for a man and woman behind the counter.

The tea room looked brand new and had a vibrant red and gold decor, a long wooden bar and hundreds of containers of loose tea labeled in Chinese and English. Most of them seemed to be priced at $100 or more a pound. Yikes!

A young Chinese woman, who looked like a model, asked if she could help us as her male colleague, perhaps her husband or brother, was working with a loud drill near by. Because of the noise, the elegance of the surroundings and the price of the tea we said "we're just looking."

Just down the block we saw another tea shop, Vital Tea-Leaf Co. But this one had what looked to be a mixture of locals and tourists around the bar tasting tea. A man was pouring small cups of tea, and after he finished he motioned for us to sit.

The tea demonstrator was part stand up comic, part tea educator and part salesman. Soon he had us laughing and hanging on his every word as he brewed various teas for us to try. He got a little irritated when I kept snapping pictures of the tea demonstration. "What am I the Golden Gate Bridge?" he scolded. I got the message and put up my camera.

He prepared and served us various teas, including green, oolong, medicinal and floral. The rose tea was both pretty and tasty. One tea tasted buttery. The medicinal tea was bitter.

The tea demonstrator pointed out that more than 1,500 types of tea are produced across the world and so we shouldn't limit ourselves to Lipton tea bags.

I asked him if he was familiar with flowering teas, and he pointed to a shelf with multiple jars of them. Each tea ball turns into an artistic tea flower when soaked in water. They are delightfully exotic, yet are available in grocery stores back home.

I noticed the price of tea on the shelves of Vital Tea-Leaf seemed a little less expensive than the shop up the street, but still out of reach for my budget. Although my fortune cookie predicted wealth, I believe that may have meant a wealth of experience, at least so far.

Lipton's orange pekoe tea bags will have to do for me now as the source of my daily morning tea. Of course I'm going to be on the lookout for tea tastings as I venture out into the world. 

And don't be surprised if I occasionally treat myself to a cup of gourmet tea just as I sometimes invest in a glass of good red wine.