Living in a Light House - Day 2

Good Morning, sunshine.  9/18/2019 dwm photo

I forgot what it was like living in the Eastern Time Zone, especially the dark mornings.

Before sunrise, I hiked a half-mile east of the light house to wait for the sunrise over Lake Michigan.

It was beautiful.  The only sounds were waves lapping on shore and acorns dropping to the forest floor.

It was also late... nearly 7:30 before sun up.

Then it was time to work.

Just some of the sand in front of the
Light House.  9/18/2019 dwm photo

While the light house and gift shop don't open until 10 - there is work to do.

The most Sisyphean task is sweeping sand.

After sun-up, I got the broom from the garage and swept the paved paths around the perimeter of the house.  It was also our job to open and close the nearby Hessler Log Cabin (below) and clean its windows.

I swept two stairways down to the beach; the boardwalk in front of the lighthouse; and the foot washing station where visitors cleaned up after wading in the lake.  There were usually a few cigarette butts to pick from the bucket for their disposal.

Sand is constant.  We swept the boardwalk each morning and at least once every two hours during the day.  We thought doing so might reduce the amount of sand carried in the light house.  I'm not sure if we were that effective, since we swept and vacuumed a dune's worth of sand.

The Hessler Cabin was built by one
of the original European settlers in the
Old Mission peninsula, between 1854-56.
9/18/19 dwm photo

Once done, it was time to shower and get ready to open.

A few minutes before 10, I opened the oil house.  Two gates at the rear and side of the house were unlocked next, then precisely at 10 we unlocked the front gate and front door.  Most days people were waiting for it to open.

We were better prepared on day two.

Each of us took breaks for lunch and in the afternoon.  We also took turns sweeping.

The best part of the experience was talking with visitors.  When they signed the guest book we had a chance to talk.  A lot of them were curious about us since our name badges clearly labeled us as "volunteer keepers."

Me cleaning one of the nine windows
in the lantern.  9/18/2019 (dwm)

We were happy to share how we got to Mission Point and our experience.

If there weren't many visitors, we let them look past our checkout station, where they could see into our living and dining rooms.

The nice late summer days of September seemed to entice more guests to visit.

Mission Point Lighthouse.  9/18/2019 dwm photo

After everything was cleaned and put away; I put on my swim trunks; old running shoes; and camera.

The people who warned us about possible the weather said lake water is cold.

I wondered about that as I stepped in the lake.  It wasn't freezing, but I wouldn't want to bathe in it either.

The water was clear, the bottom sandy with scattered large rocks.

Twenty feet from shore, a little more
than knee deep. 9/18/19 (dwm)

Lake Michigan and most of the Great Lakes are at or near historically high lake levels this year.  Just a few years earlier, it was possible to walk on dry land 100 yards from where the shore is now.

The furthest I went was waist deep where I was 35 feet from shore.

Since the house was surrounded by trees, the only way to get a look with water in the picture was to get in.

I was thankful to see my steps while wading.  I traced an arc around the light taking several dozen photos.

The shoes eventually dried out, but were unusable after the prolonged dunking.

It was worth it.

Day two welcomed 205 guests, increasing our total to 381. 

More on our light keeping adventure tomorrow.