Bakers Island, Salem Harbor, July 15,2015

We have been on Bakers Island for two months now.  Bright sun this morning when Greg raised the lighthouse flag.  Then a bank of fog so thick, we couldn't even see the shore.  The warning fog horn sounded every 30 seconds.  Of course many people weren't even out of bed yet.  By 9am bright sun shone on Bakers again.  Tour boats and fishing boats poured through the channel, formerly called the Misery Shoals by merchants and mariners during the Golden Age of Sail in Salem, 

1790's-early 1800's.

Norseman's Head of Bakers Island

We have hosted several hundred visitors since the Essex Heritage tour boat, Naumkeag,  meaning  "the fishing place," started 5-day a week service.  I think I can speak for the EH tour guides who accompany each boat trip, that we learn something new every trip, either from a visitor who is a sailor, fisherman or woman, retired Coast Guard, or a well-read historian.  And from well-read kids.  We have great fun when kids get off the boat thrilled, amazed when they see the light tower and then tell us everything they know about the sea.  We even met two boys whose grandparents live in Five Islands, Georgetown, Maine, our old stomping grounds.

Sea Gulls still protecting their fledglings.

The restoration of the Lighthouse is complete.  Everyone, either from the boat or our Bakers neighbors, says it looks magnificent.  Three weeks of work and the yellow lichen is transformed to a glowing white.  The lantern house is shiny black from catwalk to dome.  New windows.  And an exciting find, the old iron railing up the inside stairs used to be on the right side, not the wall side where the Coast Guard cable is.  Why do the stairs go clockwise up and counter clock-wise down?  May have to do with sword fight defenses of the middle-ages, according to a visiting historian.  Our lighthouse is only 200 years old.

Finished Tower

View from Keeper's House skylight

Trails are being reopened from height-of-land to the beach.  Poison ivy and sumac stand in the way, but our Seguin Island experiences and Maine Agricultural Extension recommendations make a good starting place for this project.  We anticipate teen age volunteers from the local area to be part of the team.  Greg has already uncovered an old Coast Guard stone wall on the beach which used to lead to their, now defunct, boat house.

View from our front door

We love this place, day and night, sun or fog or rain.  Looking forward to three more grandchildren visiting us this weekend.  I will read them, "My Dad Fixed the Lighthouse" by Marty Nally, our mason.  Hopefully those little tykes will want to swim in this cold, cold ocean...