Sense of Place

One great satisfaction from collecting Harbour Lights is how they help engender a sense of place. I'm a geography professor, but my knowledge of America's coasts is much improved by the window opened by curiosity about Harbour Lights sculptures. For example, Gay Head has frequently been in the news lately with the JFK Jr. plane tragedy. Having not been to Martha's Vineyard, I would have no idea of the location or character of Gay Head if it weren't for Harbour Lights. This sense of place we get from our collections is just one of the intangible but rewarding facets of lighthouse collecting.

A sad but valid point Kevin. I was afraid there would be a rush on Peggy's Cove after the Swiss Air plane crash and the lighthouse seemed to become the focal point of news coverage. The rush never materialized, but they all sell in their own good time.

The Kennedy plane crash is another sad event, but it does focus national attention on an area and provides onlookers with the sense of place that you refer to.

Rich

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Hi Kevin,

I agree with your thoughts on Harbor lights increasing our sense of geography. We find ourselves relating places/areas to the harbour lights we have collected or read about. I do this especially with our boys reminding them that an area in the news is near or related to a lighthouse we have visited.

The other thing I feel collecting Harbour lights stimulates is the desire to visit a lighthouse and its surrounding area. That in turn often opens a whole new location to be appreciated. An example is our yearly trip to Cape Cod Ma. Previously it was a straight run up I- 95, but this year we got off the highway to visit Point Judith & Beavertail. Passing thru Newport RI has in turn stimulated our interest in returning for a weekend visit.

We always visited lighthouses when we happened to be near one but the Harbour lights has encouraged us to take those side trips/get off the beaten track to visit more of them.

A trip down to U of Delaware to visit our oldest son took double the time but we saw areas of New Jersey that we had never been to before: Sandy Hook, Navesink and Sea Girt.

Collecting and enjoying lighthouses opens up so many new experiences!

Donna

Last night the report on the air tragedy showed Gay Head flashing in the evening mist. Felt like I had been there.

Moby