Lighthouse – Wandering Dawgs

National Lighthouse Day 2025

August 7 is National Lighthouse Day in the United States. On this day in 1789 Congress passed a law to provide federal funding for all lighthouses.

I love lighthouses so to celebrate this event I am featuring the four historic lighthouses that are accessible to the public in the state of Georgia. The Tybee Island Lighthouse underwent major restoration in 2024. The featured image shows the lighthouse flying the American Flag during the restoration.

The following gallery shows the Tybee Island Lighthouse after the restoration was complete. On the right is the Cockspur Island Lighthouse. Although the Cockspur Light is not open to the public it can be seen from the Lazaretto Creek Bridge on U. S. Highway 80 on the way to Tybee Island, from a boat, or from the Lighthouse Trail at Ft. Pulaski National Monument.

In the next gallery the St. Simons Island Lighthouse is on the left, the Sapelo Island Lighthouse on the right.

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #332 – Shoot from Above

January 24, 2025Posted in Glaciers, Lighthouse, PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Shoot from Above18 Comments

Ritva has challenged us to feature images that were shot from above. In our travels I have had many opportunities to capture scenes from above the subject. The header image shows an Alaskan glacier from an airplane.

The first gallery features images around lighthouses. Clockwise from left to right: Diamond Head Lighthouse, Hawaii taken from the top of Diamond Head; the view from the base of North Head Lighthouse, Washington; looking down the stairs of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon; the view of the beach and the Atlantic Ocean from the top of Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia.

The next gallery features images taken from above steep stairs at Tallulah Gorge, Georgia and from above the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland.

The final gallery features views looking down from hotel rooms in Belfast, Northern Ireland; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and New York City.

Many thanks to Ritva for her challenge Lens-Artists #332 – Shoot from Above

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #308 – Perfect Pairs

July 24, 2024Posted in Lighthouse, PhotographyTagged Cockspur Island Lighthouse, diptych, Lens-Artists, perfect pairs, Photo Challenge, Tybee Island Lighthouse31 Comments

The challenge from Elizabeth of Albatz Travel Adventures is to use diptychs to create perfect pairs. I wasn’t familiar with this term so I was glad she defined it like this: “A diptych is two images placed in proximity to one another, forming a pair. To make a successful pairing there should be several things in common, and something very different, contrasting.“

I love lighthouses and I am fortunate to live close to two different lighthouses. The first one I will feature is the Tybee Island Light Station, Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse with 178 steps to the top. The original lighthouse was constructed in 1736. The lighthouse has been rebuilt several times and the daymark has also changed several times. Today the lighthouse is painted with the 1916 daymark of three stripes – black at the top, white in the middle, black at the bottom.

The lighthouse has just completed it’s latest restoration. The first two images below show the lighthouse during the restoration project and the lighthouse as it looks today with it’s new coat of paint.

Tybee Island Lighthouse during restoration, June, 2024

The Lighthouse flies an American Flag on patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veteran’s Day. The following two images show the lighthouse as it was on Memorial Day, 2021 and this year’s Memorial Day, 2024 after the old layers of paint had been scraped off.

Tybee Island Light Station on Memorial Day 2021, before the 2024 restoration

The Cockspur Island Lighthouse is shown in the next pair. On the left is a closeup of the lighthouse at high tide as seen from a boat. On the right is the lighthouse as seen from the Lighthouse trail at Ft. Pulaski National Monument near Tybee Island. If you look closely at the image from the trail you can see the top of the Tybee Island Lighthouse to the right of the water tower on the other side of the water behind the lighthouse.

Many thanks to our host Elizabeth of Albatz Travel Adventures for this challenge Lens-Artists #308 – Perfect Pairs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #269 – On the Edge

October 6, 2023Posted in Lighthouse, PhotographyTagged Bass Harbor Head Light, Edges, Iguana, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Split Rock Lighthouse, West Quaddy Light37 Comments

Our host Patti has asked us to show images of people, places or things on “the edge”. The header image is of the West Quaddy Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine. The lighthouse is located on the easternmost point in the United States so it is on the edge of America.

Next are two more lighthouses. Each is located high above the water on the edge of a cliff.

*Bass Harbor Head Light, Bass Harbor, Maine*

*Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior, Minnesota*

Although I’m afraid of heights, my husband Henry isn’t. He loves to get close to the edge of a cliff while I stand back, far away from the edge.

I’ll end with a few images of animals on ledges.

*Iguana on the edge of a wall, San Juan, Puerto Rico*

*Alligators near the edge of the walking and bike path, Everglades National Park, Florida*

*Pair of doves on the edge of a railing, Georgia*

*Bluebird on the edge of our truck mirror*

Many thanks to our host Patti for the challenge Lens-Artists Challenge #269 – On the Edge

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #203 – Local Vistas

June 18, 2022Posted in Georgia, Lighthouse, PhotographyTagged Atlantic Ocean, barrier island, beach, Coastal Georgia, Favorite Place, Georgia Coast, home, Lens-Artists, Local Vistas, salt marsh29 Comments

The Georgia coast is about 110 miles long and includes 15 barrier islands, miles of salt marsh, the city of Savannah, historic towns, and beautiful beaches. Jekyll, St. Simons, Sea and Tybee are the only islands accessible by car. The rest of Georgia’s islands can only be reached by boat. Cumberland Island National Seashore and Sapelo Island can each be reached by ferry.

Tybee Island is Georgia’s northernmost barrier island. Just 20 minutes east of downtown Savannah, Tybee is a popular tourist destination with miles of beach, many fun restaurants, the tallest lighthouse in Georgia, and Fort Pulaski National Monument and Cockspur Island Lighthouse nearby.

South of Savannah, St. Simons and Sea Island are the next islands that can be reached by road. With miles of beach, a village area by the fishing pier, Ft. Frederica National Monument, and golf courses, St. Simons is a popular beach destination.

The southernmost island that can be reached by road is Jekyll Island. Jekyll Island was once the winter home for many of America’s wealthiest families. Visitors to Jekyll can see many of these historic homes, ride bikes on its many bike trails, and enjoy its beautiful driftwood beach. Jekyll Island is owned by the state of Georgia.

Most of Sapelo Island is owned by the state of Georgia and is one of the barrier Islands that can only be reached by boat. A ferry runs from near the town of Darien.

Ancient Live Oaks dripping in Spanish Moss, spring Azaleas, salt marsh, waterways, shrimp boats, fresh seafood, and wild life are all part of what makes coastal Georgia so special.