I did an entry 7 years ago (I was completely gobsmacked to discover that it had been that long ago) in which I described an experience I had shared with my daughter, her husband, and my grandkids that took us on an adventure to my favorite place on the planet so we could watch the official lighting of Christmas lights at a very famous lighthouse.
What follows might be better appreciated if you click here and read that story first, but either way, I thought it might be fun to tell the same story from a 7-year newer perspective.
Nubble Lighthouse, located in Cape Neddick, Maine, is said to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world. I cannot confirm or deny the veracity of that claim, but I can tell you that every time I have gone there, I have encountered crowds of people taking pictures of it, so do with that what you will.
What I can say about that spot on this spinning little blue ball in the cosmos is that I have been going to this lighthouse for the better part of 50 years, and every time I do, I leave there with a fully recharged set of spiritual batteries, feeling whole and fulfilled and a little better off for having spent an hour taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and all of the natural beauty and wonder of the place.
Seven years after the first time I went there for the annual illumination of Christmas lights that decorate the lighthouse for the holiday season, my daughter – along with her husband and her daughter – went back there to do it all over again. My previously mentioned story was a chaotic, disastrous nightmare for someone well-known not to be a people person, so I expected the worst but couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised by how things went this time around.
We did not need to go to a waiting area and catch a shuttle bus; rather, we could drive right up and park in front of it and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was no more crowded than at any other time of the year. Of course, despite being told to be there in time to watch them turn the lights on with great Fanfare at exactly 5:00 p.m., the lights were already on when we arrived… Technically, it is a disappointment, but it is a fair price to pay for being able to avoid the silliness of shuttle buses and massive crowds; anytime I can get what I want without having to endure being shoved like a sardine into a massive crowd of humanity is nothing but an all-around win.
The cover image for this entry is the first picture I took when I got out of the car, but the rest of this entry is, in order from left to right, a series of photos that I took to give you a general idea of what I saw. As you look through them, imagine smelling the salt water air, the sound of the water gently hitting the rocks (it was low tide), the seagulls talking shit to each other, and the quiet and subdued(I like to think it’s because of the natural beauty of the place) voices of people muttering to each other in soft tones.
We waited until dark before leaving and had a good chuckle on the ride back home about how annoying it was to go all that distance just to see that the lights were already turned on. We had an even better laugh, thankful that whatever dumbass was in charge of this year’s advertising scheme to bring people to the Big Show that he or she is probably no longer employed while we benefited by not having to contend with the heinous experience we had endured 7 years earlier.
For what it’s worth, upon my return to the house, it was pointed out to me that I had been gone longer than I had originally said I would be and that these two were not impressed by my decision to leave them at home while I went out and had all the fun. A few hugs and a lot of kisses later, doling out bundles of treats, all was right with the world once more.
