Sunday was somewhat of a slow paced day– we got up in the morning at a reasonable time – don’t remember exactly what time it was, but I know we got down to old Portland by late morning. We let the girls go and do their own browsing and shopping while we went our own way. Eventually we chose a place to stop and have brunch, a colorful café on a street corner. Once again the lack-of-air-conditioning issues cropped up – they seated us inside and upstairs where the warmth was absolutely stifling. We asked to be moved to an outdoor table where it was cooler and breezy – perfect! I don’t know how those customers were able to sit inside and enjoy a meal – seriously, if someone put an animal in that kind of awful situation, the Humane Society would intervene. (OK, I’ll stop now.)
The girls eventually met up with us, we compared the souvenirs we had bought, and it was time to drive down to the Portland Head Light to visit with cousin Rick and family. We had arranged to meet in Ft. Williams Park in the playground area at the lower level parking lot, and while we waited, the girls started climbing the rocks down at the beach. (And yes, that's the way teenage girls climb the rocks - clutching their little purses tightly under their arms, cell phones by their side.) By the time Rick and Jackie arrived they had climbed around the bend and up the rocks into the old fort to explore. The rest of us hiked up the paved trail (much more civilized) and spent some time walking in and around the stone remains of the fort. What a view! We continued our walk around the coastline and up to the lighthouse. This is a very recognizable lighthouse – it appears on countless posters, calendars, greeting cards … you name it. Just beautiful! It wasn’t crowded and we had a leisurely walk around the grounds (and the gift shop!).
The District of Maine was a part of Massachusetts when the merchants of Portland first petitioned Boston for a lighthouse in 1786. Construction began a year later but was quickly stopped for lack of funds. Soon after George Washington became the first president in 1789, the federal government took over the construction and operation of lighthouses, and Congress authorized $1500 to finish Portland Head Light.
Built on the cheap with light rubblestone and lime, Portland Head was a 72 foot tower that first shone its light in January of 1791. Over the years Portland Head has undergone many changes. The tower was lowered by 25 feet in 1813; in 1850 a new lantern was installed with a fourth-order fresnel lens; in 1864 twenty feet were added back onto the tower’'s height and the lens upgraded to a second-order. In 1882 the twenty feet were once again removed from the tower and the lens returned to fourth-order power. This last change was very unpopular, and within a year the tower was raised yet again by twenty feet and the more powerful lens restored. Portland Head changed little until 1989, when the old fresnel was removed and replaced with an airport-style revolving beacon. The tower today bears the scars of it's many changes in height.
Today the isolated spot where Longfellow penned his famous lighthouse poem is one of Maine’s most popular tourist attractions. Lines of tour buses glide through Fort Williams Park to the large parking lot near the lighthouse. After extensive renovation, the keeper’s quarters opened as a museum in 1992, and there is a gift shop on the grounds as well.
It was late afternoon when we parted ways and all I wanted was a long nap. We headed back to the house and crashed hard for 3 hours, not waking up until 7:45. Just enough time to scrounge some dinner, watch TV for a while and hit the sack again for more catch-up sleep. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz
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