The Breakwater Lighthouse in Manitowoc, Wisconsin sits at the end of a pier extending into Lake Michigan. The first light was established here 168 years ago in 1839. Several iterations of towers, lights and locations followed over the course of the years, an unbroken string of lights guiding sojourners in the night. The additions and subtractions over the years have resulted in a hodgepodge style of architecture. The lighthouse was built for functionality, not looks. Quaint it ain’t. The walk from shore around the harbor to the pier and then to the lighthouse is a round trip of a little more than a mile and can be a pleasure or a pain depending on the weather.
I decided to focus on the pier leading to the light rather than the light itself to depict the ever-present nature of the light. Whether in or out of mind, the light faithfully does the job for which it was designed.
Hope your weekend goes well. Summer is here. I haven’t seen any cidadas in Elgin yet, but I’m hearing them at night in the distance and their song is getting louder each day.
Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2007 James Jordan.
5 comments:
very beautiful
Manitowoc, now thats a name that brings back memories for me. Before going to college I worked on a construction site which had huge cranes which were named Manitowocs.
I love lighthouses. This one so nice. I haven't visited many in person, but did get to see the Portland Lighthouse , in Maine.
ms jumbled - thanks!
davem - Those cranes were manufactured by the Manitowoc Corporation - with facilities in Manitowoc and 25 other locations in the U.S. One of the few manufactureres still going strong in the area. The company also makes the ice machines you see in many hotels.
wanda - Portland indeed has a beautiful lighthouse. A photo I took of it was one of the first I posted on this blog tweo years ago. You can see it here.
James, As a resident of Manitowoc, I'd love to see you add this image to our Flickr Manitowoc group.
Thanks,
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