Friday, July 14, 2017

A Thank you to someone who loved lighthouses ...

I always enjoy getting together with chums Sara and Kelly and today was no different.

We met up at the Port Grocer restaurant in Port Medway on the Southern shore, about 90 minutes from my place.  

Sara had a lovely Snowy Owl photograph in an exhibit in the restaurant and that prompted our visit there.

After a yummy lunch, and slurping on three "Mariner's Sea Salt and Caramel" ice cream cones, we strolled down to the small lighthouse at the end of the road.

Port Medway Lighthouse (much smaller than the Medway Head Light lighthouse)

There Sara and Kelly clowned around trying to set up an illusion photograph in which Sara appeared to be plucking a Seagull off the top of the lighthouse.


We've done this sort of silliness before and the results are usually pretty entertaining.

Exhibit "A"

Sadly, Sara had only limited time with us and had to leave so we hugged her and sent her on her way.

Kelly and I then sauntered back to the cars making a brief detour through an historic cemetery on the way,


stopping to read epitaphs and brief sad family histories etched in stone ... or brass !

Two children who died too young.
  

Here lies Buried the Body of 
Mr. Samuel Mack
Who Departed this Life
October the 10th 1783
Aged 46 Years


My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last Trumpets joyful sound
Then burst the grave with sweet surprize
And in my Saviour's image rise

Cease then to mourn my friends, bid earth adieu
Loosen from hence the grasp of fond desire.
Weight anchor and some happier clime explore.


The building beside the cemetery wasn't as abandoned as it appeared to be. Peering through the windows we could see displays of photography on the walls.


  I lamented to Kelly that the dogs had been in the car -- parked in the shade, with windows fully open -- for quite a while.  Kelly suggested we drive down Long Cove Road to yet another lighthouse, so that's what we did.

Medway Head Light lighthouse

There wasn't a huge place to walk the dogs but they had fun sniffing around in the grass while Kelly and I gawked at the lovely scenery.



Kelly said it reminded her of a mini Peggy's Cove.


The trapped pools of water provided all sorts of opportunities for reflection photos.



Speaking of "reflecting" I'd like to reflect back upon that first photo of this lighthouse.  Notice the bench in front of the lighthouse ?   If you scroll back up you'll see where it was.

This is what it says on the back of the bench but it's the front that stopped me short ...


It had the name of someone I knew !   What are the odds that Kelly would take me down this road to this lighthouse and I would turn and see the name of someone that I knew on a memorial bench ?


I knew Jalynn from her time as chair of the Board of Governors at Trent University.  She was a caring person who selflessly donated her time and talent to the University and I was deeply saddened and shocked to learn of her untimely death a couple in 2015.  Upon her passing the family asked for donations to the Lighthouse Preservation Society and that's how I learned about that group.   Apparently Jalynn was instrumental in fundraising for lighthouse preservation and those efforts   ultimately raised $250,000 through crowdfunding, benefiting twenty-six lighthouses in Nova Scotia.  

Sadly she did not live long enough to see the success of her efforts.


Thank you Jalynn.

















6 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a lovely afternoon, sorry I had to miss it. How wonderful to see a tribute to someone you knew!

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    1. I was really blown away when I saw her name. Apparently there is another bench by the lighthouse in town.

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  2. Wonderful photos! The memorial bench is a lovely tribute to someone who was so obviously dedicated to lighthouse conservation.

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    1. Debra, she was an amazing person who died before her time.

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  3. Thank goodness there are people and organizations dedicated to preserving lighthouses. So nice to see one of them, who you knew, honored for it. Honestly, our shorelines would not be nearly as lovely without them.

    And how lucky Sara was to get a photo of a snowy owl!!! I'm green with envy. :)

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    1. Sara is an amazing photographer. She also has a blog and I'm sure has more photos there for your viewing pleasure.

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Thanks for stopping by. I really do love to read your comments.