TOUR AMERICA 2019: SWEET HOME ALABAMA

Home Is Where We Park It:  Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama

Date:  May 23, 2019

Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum

Packing Up Getting Ready to Move

Who in the world planned this, moving on the Friday of a Memorial Day Weekend.  That person should be taken out behind the woodshed and properly disciplined.   Wait a minute, that guy is me!  I caught the 4th of July weekend but totally missed this one.  Oh well it is what it is.  Tomorrow we’ll see what the traffic is like.

First thing this morning Barbara had her last Doctor’s appointment before we leave.  He is really pleased with the progress she has made in just three days.  He has reaffirmed his desire to continue to work with her as long as she continues to to do the things he has asked her to do.  She is determined.

Let’s go back to where we were yesterday.  If you remember we decided to go to

 

And my goal was, as with the St. Augustine Lighthouse,  to get to the top.

Come on along and lets see what we can discover and learn.  This is the first thing we came across.  In the beginning. . .

Today

Next up.  One of the curious things about this lighthouse is it’s color.  Why black?  We learned that each lighthouse has both a distinctive color combination as well as a distinctive light beam.  In this way one lighthouse can be distinguished from another.   So if during the day you see a black and white lighthouse you know you are looking at the Pensacola lighthouse.  Furthermore, each lighthouse is custom built for it’s location.  It’s conical in shape in order to withstand hurricane force winds.  This lighthouse is built of brick because stone was too costly at the time.

I couldn’t decide which to see first , the lighthouse or the museum.  I finally decided on the lighthouse, my thinking being I’ll leave the air conditioned museum till after my climb.  Are you all limbered up?  Let’s start our climb.  We begin here.

The way up, and of course ultimately the way down.  We have a total of 177 steps to climb.  Doesn’t sound all that bad but the problem is it is a straight climb, there are no platforms at any level where you can stop to catch your breath.  You just have to stop on the stairs if you need to.

We’re getting there.

Made it, well almost.  Yup, that’s Amanda’s Benny the Bison. 

This is the final set of stairs to the top and then outside.

Outside and what a fantastic view.  This is the Intercoastal Waterway and off in the distance on that Island is Fort Pickens.  That water is such a beautiful deep blue.

The ICW continues off to the right, look close and you can see the channel that cuts through that spit of land.

Way off in the distance is the Pensacola Beach, down by the high rise buildings.

Recognize this?  My favorite new hangout, The National Naval Aviation Museum.

This is the home of the Blue Angels or as the locals call them The Blues.

And that big blue and white C130 next to the water tower is known as Fat Albert.  Until today it was used to transport the ground support team for the Blues around the country.  They announced on the news today that it has been retired with no current plans to replace it.  Nor has any announcement been made as to what will be used in the future.

Looking down from the top to where we came from and where we need to go again.

Well we’re down and if you will excuse me for a minute I need to sit and catch my breath.  Ok, let’s get going again.  We’ll tour the grounds first and then go into the museum.

This is the Pump House.  Using a hand-powered well pump was easier and faster than drawing water from the well by hand.  In 1939 the hand pump was replaced with a generator-powered pump.  The pump was enclosed in a shed to protect it from the elements.

The house, which is the present museum, once housed both the primary keeper and the assistant.  Each lived in a different side of the house, each side was identical to the other.  This cellar was on the primary keeper’s side of the house.

Built in 1892 this shed was used to store the kerosene used for the lighthouse light.  It was a fire hazard to keep it in the lighthouse.  When the lighthouse was electrified in 1939 this shed was used to store general supplies.

Ah yes, the one place no one wanted to go on a rainy or cold night.  The Outhouse.  There were two on the grounds originally, one on the lawn of the Keeper and used by his family; the other on the lawn of the Assistant Keeper which was used by him and his family.

But wait, there was a solution to having to go out late at night.  And that was – the Chamber Pot.  By the mid 1800’s almost every American family had one in every bedroom.  They were usually kept under the bed or in a nightstand.  They remained in use through the 40’s and even into the early 50’s.  It was highly recommended that it be emptied as soon as possible – I wonder why!

Time now to move to

The front entrance.  One door to the Keeper’s house, the other to the Assistant Keepers house.  As you look at the rooms further on, remember there was an identical room on the other side of the house.

This was the Parlor on the Keepers side as it looked during the time the last live in Keeper occupied the house.

This room served as the kitchen and dining room for most of the lighthouse’s occupation.  Here the keepers and their families gathered for their meals.

The Keepers bedroom.

The children’s bedroom.  Of course the cat is center stage in the middle of the bed!

There was a room about the women who served as lightkeepers.

A display case of miniature lighthouses from around the country.

This is Jeremiah Pelican, Lighthouse Keeper.

I’ll end with this.

That was where we were yesterday and it was great.  There are a number of historical sites that we missed this time around, but we’ll get them when we come back to this area.  Oh, in case some might be wondering Is There A Museum You Just Won’t Visit?  Why yes there is, its called the Spear Throwing Museum!  Definitely going to take a pass on this one!

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to a close.  Time now to begin packing up and putting things in order for our move tomorrow.  I also need to get a good night’s sleep, so I’m going to bid everyone a Good Night.

Thanks again for joining us on our journey.  We hope you enjoyed your travels with us.  Have a good night, catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road