It was August 7th, 1789 that Congress approved an “Act For The Establishment And Support Of Lighthouses, Beacons, Buoys And Public Piers,” leaving us no choice but to celebrate
NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY!
A welcome sight for sailors seeking shelter from the storm, oil painters looking for a change of pace from windmills, and movie directors who wish they were Alfred Hitchcock but are not Alfred Hitchcock, lighthouses are part of our national psyche, even those of us who live far from the oceans that bookend Mainland America.
Anyone who has seen their powerful beacon slice through heavy fog, rain and pitching seas on the blackest of nights will tell you they have witnessed something majestic and spectacular. You can almost feel the profound sense of relief and salvation in the hearts of weary ancient mariners catching sight of the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Then again, that just might be vertigo you’re feeling or, worse, Kim Novak Fever, for which there is no known cure save for an immediate viewing of Hitchcock’s magnificent “Vertigo.”
• Suggested activities: Thinking about Kim Novak. And lighthouses, of course, yeah, think about lighthouses…