The Twelve Days of Lighthouse Christmas

©Elinor DeWire

SING IT!!!!!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                A Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

           Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

               Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                  Four groaning foghorns

    Three French lenses

              Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                    Five golden vent-balls!

             Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                   Six geese on the railing

           Five golden vent-balls!

            Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                 Seven boats a-rowing

                    Six geese on the railing

            Five golden vent-balls!

             Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                         Eight bulls-eyes a-flashing

                 Seven boats a-rowing

                    Six geese on the railing

           Five golden vent-balls!

            Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                         Nine lady-keepers dancing

                 Eight bulls-eyes a-flashing

                 Seven boats a-rowing

                    Six geese on the railing

            Five golden vent-balls!

             Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave me to me

                 Ten refracting prisms

                          Nine lady-keepers dancing

                  Eight bulls-eyes a-flashing

                  Seven boats a-rowing

                     Six geese on the railing

             Five golden vent-balls!

              Four groaning foghorns

       Three French lenses

                 Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                  Eleven nice inspectors

                Ten refracting prisms

                         Nine lady-keepers dancing

                 Eight bulls-eyes a-flashing

                 Seven boats a-rowing

                    Six geese on the railing

           Five golden vent-balls!

            Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

                       Twelve life-saving medals

                  Eleven nice inspectors

                Ten refracting prisms

                         Nine lady-keepers dancing

                 Eight bulls-eyes a-flashing

                 Seven boats a-rowing

                    Six geese on the railing

            Five golden vent-balls!

             Four groaning foghorns

      Three French lenses

                Two oil cans of brass

                And a Partridge Island Lighthouse figurine.

Image Credits

Pinterest

Kenosha News

1stDibs.com

Lighthouse Preservation Society

Old World Distributors, Inc.

Stanford.edu

Bruce Robie

De-Zuid-Afrikaan

U.S. Lighthouse Society

Geni.com

The Astronomer Lightkeeper

My close friends, and followers of my blog know that I love amateur astronomy. I worked in a planetarium for a number of years and have written several books of amateur astronomy and skywatching. My collection of astronomy books is nearly as larger as my collection of lighthouses books. Thus, when astronomy and pharology intersect, I am thrilled!

Check out this page below from my out-of-print Lighthouse Almanac. It talks about Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), one of history's renowned astronomers. He was in charge of two Dutch/Swedish lighthouses for twenty years. Tomorrow, December 14, 2016 would be his 470th birthday!

Click on the image to make it larger.

Some additional thoughts on Tycho:

• His name, Tycho, was a nickname of sorts, derived from the Greek goddess of fortune, Tyche. A Dutch king gave him the name because he cast excellent, seemingly accurate horoscopes. In Tycho's day, astronomy was not separate from astrology, so astronomers did horological forecasts. These provided some income and also kept astronomers in good graces with kings and other royalty. I don't think Tycho actually believed in his horoscopes. He used them to fund his observatory work and to keep his constituents happy. He was a pretty smart guy, so I doubt he bought into the ideas of astrology.

• The lighthouses in Tycho's care were called fyrs, or basket fires. Kullen Light was set up in 1560, an iron basket with a wood fire. Falserbo Light originally was established in the 1200s by monks who burned a wood brazier on the shore to guide mariners. In 1635 it was changed to coal, a fuel recently discovered in Sweden. It's likely Kullen Light was coal-fired at this time too.

• Tycho's death in 1601 in Prague is the subject of much debate. He was only 54 years old and reportedly healthy. Some believe Johannes Kepler poisoned Tycho in order to get hold of the great man's research. I doubt this. The men were friends. Tycho's observations were shared with Kepler before Tycho died. Kepler was a math whiz, able to convert Tycho's observations into planetary laws that still hold true today. Both men had talents and combined them to make awesome discoveries.

• For a time, historians thought Tycho was poisoned with mercury, and indeed it was found in some of his exhumed remains in the 1990s. (We lighthouse aficionados know all about mercury positioning, since the dense liquid was used to support lenses and allow them to revolve effortlessly.) Further work on Tycho's remains showed a scant amount of mercury--not enough to kill Tycho. Instead, CT and MRI examination of his body showed his bladder had burst and killed him. He had been at a banquet a few days prior to his death and had declined to get up from the banquet table and use the bathroom thinking it would offend his host. He was in great pain that evening and thereafter until his death a few days later. My take-away from this story? Excuse yourself, and use the loo!

• Both Kullen and Falsterbo now boast modern lighthouses with modern optics. Tycho would be amazed to see how modern-day lighthouses work!

A map Tycho drew of Hven, his Dutch/Swedish island and home to his observatory, Uraniborg. Both images above from Wikimedia Commons.

A statue of Tycho stands in the modern garden now planted where his observatory once stood on the island of Hven. He was shown looking up, of course. Hven once belonged to Denmark, then was given to Sweden. Today, it's a lovely, rural island with farms and fields. A museum on the island is dedicated to Tycho. Image above found on YOONIQ Images website.

A Cape Cod Christmas Story

I wrote this short story many years ago, after visiting Highland Lighthouse on Cape Cod on a snowy day. It has a couple of typos, but I know you'll forgive that. Click on each page to make it larger. I hope you enjoy it--a heartwarming tale rife with symbolism---perfect for this season of the year.