|
SEARCH ALF WEB
Help ALF
Today!
American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Tackling the Fields of Little River
Light Station
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
|
|
| |
|
The first of three major workweeks during 2006 at Little
River Light Station in Cutler, Maine, occurred on June 28th
through July 5th. Rather than focusing on the typical
restoration and maintenance needs associated with the light tower,
keeper’s house, oil house or boathouse, volunteers spent three full days
doing battle with grass that had grown to |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Tim Harrison uses a brush
cutter to tackle
the light station's overgrown lawn
|
|
|
| |
what could only be
described as out of control.
The combination of spring’s excessive rains and the lack of a local
contingent of volunteers to help with such regular needs as mowing the lawn
at the island site each week created quite a challenge for ALF volunteers
when they arrived at the end of June. The grass in the two large fields in
front of the lighthouse and keeper’s house had reached a height of three
feet, so any hope of being able to simply whip out the station’s mower and
cut the lawn like usual quickly vanished into the fog banks of Downeast.
If the physical work associated with tackling such high grass wasn’t enough,
the fact that thermometer was all too eager climb to the mid-80 degree mark
made the challenge even less desirable. Further complicating |
|
| |
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Ann-Marie Trapani (front) and
Nina Trapani rake the cut
grass in the yard in front of the
keeper's dwelling
|
matters were the island’s pesky mosquitoes and bees, who
had grown accustomed to the thick waving fields of grass since the start
of the warmer season, and thus were not all that happy to see their
“cover” cut down to size.
When confronted with what was a landscapers’ version of a
“battlefield,” one doesn’t enter the fray unprepared. Volunteers brought
out the heavy equipment and armed themselves with brush cutters,
mulching mowers, weed whackers and rakes, all the while keeping the
tractor and its cart close at hand to transport piles of cut grass and
hay that quickly browned under a scorching sun.
|
|
|
| |
Little River volunteer Ann-Marie Trapani recalls looking at the fields,
saying, "When I first saw the height of the grass, I said to myself, 'We'll
be here forever,' but all we could do was just begin to try and make some
progress.” Ann-Marie went on to say, “At first when the brush cutter and
mulching mower went over each section, it looked good but then you realized
that much of the tall grass was just smashed down and remained uncut. This
meant we had to spend a lot of time raking up the cut grass, and at the same
time, pull the other stuff that was knocked down back up for a second and
third round of cutting by the mowers."
Fellow volunteer Kathleen Finnegan had other initial thoughts about the high
grass, noting, “My first thought was really about the bugs. I |
|
| |
|
wondered what sorts of creepy critters were hiding in all
that grass...and very grateful for that modern invention of "bug spray!
The toughest part of raking was when I broke off the rake head and was
left to rake grass with just a stick!”
Adding to this redundant physical work were dangers not
typically associated with other |
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Bob Trapani uses a mulching mower to
go over the areas where the brush cutter
went through
|
|
|
| |
normal lawns. Huge
rocks and boulders, which were dangerously concealed by the height of the
overgrown grass, protruded just high enough above the surface of the soil to
potentially cause great damage to the cutting blades of the mowers if they
weren’t discovered in time. In addition, the light station’s submarine cable
is buried along an extended stretch of the lawn, with some lengths of the
cable exposed at the surface. This precarious situation required the
volunteers to be very cautious about using any lawn equipment near its long
run by the walkway and the lighthouse.
In the end, inclement weather and the July 4th holiday combined
to limit the Little River volunteers to just three days of work on the
island – three |
|
| |
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
(L to R) Katrina and Dominic Trapani
gather cut grass into large piles
|
hard days spent reclaiming the lawn from
the wild. Despite the backbreaking work, the volunteers maintained a
bright outlook, having the satisfaction of knowing their efforts were
important and making a difference. “At least I got to spend the day in
the warm peaceful sunshine, with the sounds of the buoy bell and horn,”
said |
|
|
| |
Kathleen Finnegan.
“It was hot and it was hard work, but it was still paradise.”
Fortunately, some progress other than the lawn was made on the interior
restoration of the keeper’s house thanks to the efforts of Hal and Betty
Biering, who spent the time cleaning porcelain fixtures in the kitchen and
bathroom, repairing and re-plastering the walls of a first level room as
well as other assorted small projects.
The American Lighthouse Foundation and its volunteer corps are now making
plans to catch-up on the backlog of maintenance work at Little |
|
| |
|
River Light Station during the next workweek in
early August. A South Portland Boy Scout troop and possibly crews from
U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Southwest Harbor and the Coast
Guard buoy tender ABBIE BURGESS are planning on giving the Little River
volunteers a much-needed helping hand for the workweek, which is
|
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Little River volunteers draped a huge
American flag over the side of the
lighthouse
in honor of the July 4th holiday
|
|
|
| |
set for August 7th through the 13th.
If you wish to join the ALF volunteers at Little River Light Station in
August, please contact the organization at (207) 646-0245 or by email at
info@lighthousefoundation.org
|
|
| |
|
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Kathleen Finnegan attaches new halyards
to the flag's hoisting line, with help from Bob Trapani
|
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Bob Trapani, Tim Harrison & Kathleen
Finnegan raise a new
flag at the light station..
note the height of the grass
|
|
|
| |
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
|
(L to R) Nina Trapani, Tim Harrison,
Ann-Marie Trapani and Dominic Trapani
load cut grass into the tractor's cart
|
|
|
| |
The "Trapani Trio" enjoys a ride in the
tractor's cart courtesy
of Tim Harrison
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
|
|
|
| |
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
|
A view of the cut lawn in front of
the keeper's house from atop the lighthouse
|
|
|
| |
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Betty Biering works on cleaning
the bathroom fixtures in the
keeper's house
|
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Hal Biering uses a table saw to
cut wood for one of the many projects has
going
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Posted 7/25/2006 |
|
| |
|
|
|
