Although Portsmouth, New Hampshire has the shortest coastline on America’s Atlantic shore, it was an important harbor during Colonial America.
One of the first battles of the American Revolution took place at what is now known as Fort Constitution near the lighthouse. The lighthouse was built four months before Paul Revere’s famous ride to Portsmouth from Boston. George Washington, General Lafayette and Daniel Webster visited the lighthouse. Now few visitors or locals take notice of the lighthouse I was told. My painting is blue to capture the blue and somber mood of the forgotten lighthouses. For tours of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, visit https://www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org
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When I was last in Hawai’i I was 20 years old. I had just gotten married and planned to complete my last year of college. I really had a lot to learn. Transferring as a senior proved to be challenging. I did not have the foundation or network of friends needed for success. Also I didn’t know the first thing about being a wife.
I came up with a plan for college. Since I didn’t know the students I developed relationships with my professors. I was there to learn not to make friends. I spent nights studying in the library to fill in my knowledge gap. In the end I made a few friends, joined a social club and excelled in my classes. I named my daughter after one of my friends. A couple months ago I returned to Hawai’i and visited the campus of the University of Hawai’i. Since it was decades later, the campus had transformed. Besides remembering the library, the art museum and the stadium, little was familiar. Yet my heart was filled with joy and gratitude as I rewalked my steps at a leisurely pace. My life was transformed in Hawai’i. I began on a journey filled with grace. A thankful heart enjoys blessings twice-when they’re received and when they’re remembered. My art is shaped by my childhood trips to historic Fort George Island with my father. My passion for history and the ocean began early. While my father fished, I played on the jetties and splashed on the beach with my siblings.
Although my parents were baffled by their artistic child, they didn’t discourage me from following my dreams. Once I was scolded by my elementary teacher for drawing in class but my parents did not chastise me. When I told my parents of my dream of attending Hampton University and majoring in art, they gave me their financial support. It was my heart’s desire to study where my favorite artist, Charles White, had completed a mural. After I transferred and graduated from the University of Hawai’i, my mother flew to Oah’u for my graduation. Whether painting lighthouses, portraits or historic buildings, the child in me recalls the fond days on the beach with my father where my love of the sea and history were spawned. Enjoy a family filled day at the Juneteenth Festival at the National Lighthouse Museum June 18th from 12 pm - 8 pm. The event is presented by the Jubilee Collective.
The day kicks off with a Freedom Parade 10 am - 12 pm. The event continues on June 19 at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. For more information visit www.thejublieecollective.com New Canal Lighthouse and the city of New Orleans suffered severe damage during Hurricane Katrina and also Hurricane Rita in 2005. The hurricanes left many people homeless and millions lost their lives. It was a tragedy beyond imagination.
Despite suffering personal loss the local community came together to rebuild the lighthouse with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. The Urban Waters Federal Partnership and many other federal agencies and non federal agencies provided assistance. The pilings at the New Canal Lighthouse were destroyed but it remained mostly intact. The lighthouse was dismantled and a replica built. To guard against future peril the new lighthouse was elevated. The wood from the 1890 lighthouse is incorporated into the present lighthouse. The New Canal Lighthouse is a reminder that even in the midst of one most devastating events in the United State’s history together we can find hope. www.scienceforourcoast.org Whether you visit lighthouses, swim the ocean, tan on the beach, or happen to fish, our relationship with the coast is undeniable.
Even a person who shuns the ocean, still has a relationship with the sea even if they never happen to visit the ocean or think about it. A trip to the grocery store can dispel that notion. Buying shrimp, scallops, fish or algae powder for smoothies, all of these things have had a sea life of their own (and often intermingled with everything else on the store aisles.) Our shopping habits should also remind us of our dependency on the sea. The recent backlog of shipping delays show how much we depend on the ocean for transporting goods. The ocean covers 71 percent of the earth. The ocean impacts weather and the climate. It emits most of the water that falls as rain. It also releases aerosols that influence cloud cover. The majority of radiation emitted by the sun is absorbed by the ocean. Without ocean currents, regional temperatures would be more extreme, super hot at the equator and frigid at the poles, and parts of the earth would be inhabitable. World Ocean Day on June 8 unites, rallies the world to protect and restore our blue planet. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/climate.html Once ranked as the fourth most popular European destination, London offers a multitude of cultural sites and museums. Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, Big Ben and iconic landmarks that have drawn countless visitors from around the world.
The celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne has thousands of people flocking to London for the jubilee celebration. The Platinum celebration includes the Queen’s birthday parade, known as Trooping the Color. The Platinum Jubilee Pageant combines street arts, theater, music and more. For a listing of all events, visit https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/ |
AuthorWhen I am not traveling to or painting lighthouses, I am writing or researching lighthouses. Archives
December 2022
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