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.