Hands, Hope, and Historic Lighthouses

Lake Erie June 2018

I hear lake water

lapping with low

sound by the shore...

I hear it in the deep

heart's core.

--William Butler Yeats

We went to Lake Erie last week to spend a few days on the shore, to play, to read, to explore. Stories abound with each trip a person takes, I guess, but my story features a light house, 77 steps to the top, a challenge, and--after the fact--a good laugh (seasoned with relief).

Marblehead Lighthouse

While the rest of the family went to nearby Cedar Point Amusement Park, my daughter and I, along with her two youngest kids, explored close-by villages and the historic peninsula housing the oldest lighthouse on Lake Erie: Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead OH.

Now if we had given it more thought in advance, would we have made the subsequent climb? In fact, after the fact, our famous words upon reaching the pinnacle were, "What WERE we thinking??!" But the attendant selling the tickets had said, "There's only 77 steps." 77? That's not too many is it?

And so, since the day was a beautiful one, and the view would be so dramatic from the top, we bought our tickets and entered this quaint, historic lighthouse. Did I mention we had a five-year old and a two-year old with us?

Lighthouse staircase

 The doorway yawned open. The narrow cast iron steps rotating up the spiral staircase beckoned. We each took the hand of a little one, and thus we started the climb. The five-year old was so good to help; we had her counting the steps. She's a pretty good counter after all. 'What step are we on now, Ceci?' 'Twenty-seven.' Later, 'Fifty-six.' and so on. It was the littlest one, though, that had the greatest sense of adventure. Little Miss Independent resisted holding her mother's hand. She wanted to do this all by herself. Can you say clash of wills??

All I could think of was, don't look down. Yet, climb we did. It was not Mt. Everest (although grandson called the loft in our condo overlooking the living room Mt. Everest!), but a mountain to conquer none-the-less.

Below staircase looking up

Ours was a small challenge, of course, next to those who made history in this lighthouse. Marblehead, built in 1821, served as a beacon, a guiding light, a source of aid and protection for over a century, from post-War of 1812 through the Civil War, and World War I. Benajah Wolcott, Marblehead's first keeper, was a Revolutionary War veteran. It is said that each evening during the shipping season, Benajah would climb the lighthouse (by way of wooden steps which preceded the cast-iron spiral staircase we climbed) to light its thirteen lamps (source) and then faithfully tend the light until the following morning. He kept records of ships that passed, noted weather conditions, and organized rescue efforts. When he passed away, his wife Rachel took over his duties--the first female lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes. What a remarkable woman she must have been. The guide at the lighthouse told our group that in the early years lighthouse keepers would carry two four-gallon buckets of whale oil up the steps to keep the lights burning. Now that's a climb!

View of Cedar Point from lighthouse

The lighthouse keeper with the longest record was Charles Hunter (1903-1933). His tenure included the years of the Great War, with log entries reflecting the times: "War started in Austria, Belgium, England, France and Germany (source); and later: "Keeper and Assistant purchased each $100 Liberty Loan Bond." Local tragedies were also recorded: "Assistant found two boys frozen at Put-in-Bay." One log entry tied a local event and tragedy together: "Assistant planted a walnut tree, A Memorial to cousin killed in the war!" A grove of walnut trees stands today on the site, all testimony to that first tree planted.

The two brave lighthouse climbers

"I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a light house," George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying. "They were built only to serve."  I didn't think of all of this while concentrating one step at a time, holding the hand of a five-year old up 77 steps and back down. But as I reflect on the experience, I think of all the feet that have climbed this monument, all the people who served others in connection with it and all the messages and images this lighthouse and others project: hope, harbor in the storm, helping hands, heart.

We survived our climb and can laugh about the adventure in retrospect. But we can also link hands with those who worked in obscurity, with little or no recognition, with a simple purpose: to reach out a hand to others. One generation to another. As one unknown source put it: "Don't forget that maybe you are the lighthouse in someone's storm."

That's just a glimpse of our summer so far. How is your summer going? Any words written, steps climbed, hands held, hope inspired? Have you visited any lighthouses? Let's share our stories.
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Photo-A-Day: December

"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" --Dr. Seuss

Not only did December seemingly get here before June this year, so did the new year the way the last twelve months flew by. Was it the same for you?

Yet as this year closes and another begins, milestones are noted and memories are catalogued. And in particular, my photo-a-day challenge comes to an end. Wow. So hard to believe it really got done. I surprised myself, really. Didn't have much confidence going in, I guess. But, the results?

366 days (Leap year, remember?) minus 4 equals 362 pictures. Well, many more than that actually since some days I took multiple pictures and chose one from the lot, but I did it. I only missed those four days total. Two because (ahem) I forgot. And two because I misplaced my camera. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat of the car, and we couldn't locate it for awhile. Good intentions are good but life happens! Other than that, I looked forward to the moment each day that I picked up the camera. Some days I pocketed it as I went for my walk. Some days I was in the right place at the right time and had it handy. Some days--particularly on our fantastic November trip--I couldn't stop snapping photos. And then there were the late nights, just before going to bed, that I realized I had *almost* forgotten and so hit the deadline just before the night turned to the next day.

I found I loved the challenge. It was a great deal of fun. And as I snapped today's photo, the last of the last, I found myself feeling a bit  nostalgic. "You mean it's over already?"

Well, not really. I have all these things to carry with me from the experience like inspiration on:

Detail. Patterns. Texture. Contrast. Serendipity. Surprise. Ideas. Visualization. 

Light and Shadow. Wonder. Nuance. The Unexpected. Focal Point. 

Particularization. Emotion. A Character's World. Insight. Tributes. Whimsy. 

Potpourri. Travel and Story. Fairy Tales.

Along the way I learned about nurturing the creative side, waking up to beauty in the simple things, the value of trying something new, perseverance. All lessons that will carry over into a new year's writing projects, too.

I'm still contemplating what might be my challenge for the new year. It will involve writing, of course, and reading. It should incorporate stretching--as in reaching for a new level--and passion. We'll see what ideas gel in the next few days.

In the meantime, here is the final photo-a-day gallery. You'll see that there was much to celebrate this month, including the birth of our second granddaughter, born 12/12/12, and special family time. Hope you enjoy. And thanks for stopping in with wishes to each and everyone for a wonderful, creative, and happy new year!

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Photo-A-Day: October

"Potpourri--(n) a collection of dried flower petals, leaves, herbs, and spices that is used to scent the air; a mixture of miscellaneous things."

Photo courtesy of sxc.hu

Whimsy, beauty, reflection, anticipation. October offered all these things and more, represented in this month's photo-a-day project, a challenge I started--can it be true?--ten months ago. And what a mix of images unfolded from the month's beginning to the end--a potpourri of colors, textures, smells, and surprises. Each day offered something different including walks in the height of autumn, a photography exhibit, a stroll across a university campus, a book fair. New skills to learn, trips to plan, ideas to explore, words to write.  A hodepodge, assortment, collection, odds and ends, miscellany (synonyms for potpourri courtesy of askdefine ); "a combination of incongruous things" (Free Online Dictionary). In other words, random stuff--which is always good for the imagination. Where will it all end up? Who knows. A new story or two? One would hope.

What helped fill your potpourri bowl of experiences/inspiration this past month?

p.s.To those who will embark on Nanowrimo starting tomorrow (the annual "write a novel in a month" challenge), good luck! 

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Name, Please

A name is part of who a person is. It's the label that stands for everything you've done

 and everything you are. --Orson Scott Card, Characters and Viewpoint

I have this pretty vine growing next to the house, and I've loved watching it flourish this summer. It started out as a couple of tiny sprouts and tendrils then shot forth into tangled leafy runners that sometimes seemed to grow inches in minutes. The bright red blossoms are small but spunky. This is the first year that we've trained the plant to climb a trellis, one which sits just under our porch room window. From inside looking out, you'd think we have a window box out there. It's  a summer bright spot for us--especially when the hummingbird visits!

But the problem is, I don't know the flower's name. The neighbor lady who gave us our first seedlings didn't either. And the not knowing is bugging me. What should I be calling it, besides my "pretty little vine with red flowers"? What is its name?  

I'm in a similar quandary with characters in my next project, especially my MC. I don't know her name yet either. What I do know is that she, too, is spunky. I know she will have to climb and stretch. I also know that she will grow--and maybe sometimes so fast it will take her breath away. But just what is her name?

I'm on a quest to find out.... 

And so, as I embark on this challenge, I'll ask you: how do you come up with names for your characters? Any tips? How do you know when it's a perfect fit?

And, please, can  anyone tell me the name of my flower?

Meeting the Challenge

"Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something." --Frederick Smith

I never learned to ski. Truthfully never desired to. Besides, the ski lift always looked a bit risky. What a wimp, huh?

But once a few years back, I finally did it--I rode a ski lift. Hubby and I were on a cross-country road trip and stopped at a ski resort that offered summer rides to the top of the mountain. At first I balked. I would only ride the gondola, thank you very much, even if it meant just going half way. But hubby was patient (bless his heart) and convinced me to go on. I'm so glad he did.

For the lift took us to an amazing, mesmerizing view. Supposedly we could see three states (Idaho, Washington, Montana) from up there, as well as British Columbia, Canada. I felt like Maria/Julie Andrews in the opening scene of The Sound of Music. It was that beautiful. And to think I almost passed on the chance...

It's time now for me to take a chance on query submissions, the writer's personal mountain to climb. But my ski lift experience taught me that it's worth the risk--even if it means rejection. For if we concentrate too much on risks, we risk talking ourselves out of something neat before it has a chance to fly. So we'll see how this goes. At least I'm not afraid to ride the lift this time!

And certainly I'm grateful for all the fellow travelers along the way. Special thanks to Karen (Write Now) for her book give-away last week--and for being named her winner. That was exciting news. And not only do I have a chance to read a new book, I've been introduced to yet another wonderful author. A Distant Melody was written by Sarah Sundin. Read Karen's two-part interview with Sarah here and here.

So, what about you--are you a nail biter, too, or do you love the challenge of the climb?

(Photo: Silver Mountain Gondola, http://www.visitidaho.org/mapsimages)

Switching Gears

I recently purchased a netbook computer thinking it would be good to have for when I'm out of town. Theoretically, I told myself, I could also use it on the rare occasions when my hubby and I want the desk computer at the same time. But, realistically, how often does that happen? Not very often.

Until tonight. Bill wanted to check some sports scores and statistics. So I relinquished the desk chair and took the laptop into the living room.

Frustration soon set in. I found myself fuming about how small the keys are, how I can't type fast on it, how I'm continually backspacing to separaterunonwords, or deleting numb3rs that pop up where they don't belong.

Then it struck me. My brain was having trouble "switching gears" from one thing to another. Not so unusual for me, really. When writing I can: a) miss something my husband is saying, 2) forget to start supper on time, 3) neglect to make an important phone call...you get the idea. Switching gears is not my strong suit.

Les Edgerton, in his book Finding Your Voice, says, "...one definition of intelligence (is) the ease, quickness, and skill of one's ability to adapt to multiple environments." Hmmmm. He uses this definition to illustrate how the successful writer will be able to give different characters different voices and still stay true to her own voice. But I'm wondering if somehow the skill can be transferred from the writing bubble to real time.

Intelligence aside (since some might question the level of that!), I would like to be able to switch gears more easily and "adapt" to multiple environments with a quicker response time. Maybe my new laptop will show me how. Like so many things, including writing, it will take practice.