Point Fermin Lighthouse

pt-fermin-light.jpgIt was with good foresight that we decided to archive our photo files on an external hi-capacity hard drive. The dual computer crash last week could have been a greater loss than we actually experienced. While looking at some of Verna’s old photos, I ran across this shot of the historic Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California. Click on the image to enlarge.

Here’s some of the lighthouse’s history from the Point Fermin Lighthouse website:

Built in 1874, the Point Fermin Lighthouse was the first navigational light into the San Pedro Bay. Phineas Banning, with the support of many local businessmen, petitioned the Federal Government and the US lighthouse Board to place a lighthouse on the point in 1854. Although the Lighthouse Board agreed funding and land disputes delayed its construction until 1874.

Paul J. Pelz, a draftsman for the US Lighthouse Board, designed the Stick Style Victorian lighthouse. The design was used for six lighthouses built between 1873 and 1874, of which three are still standing, East Brothers in San Francisco Bay, Hereford Light in New Jersey, and Point Fermin. The Stick Style is an early Victorian architectural style and is simpler in design and decoration than the later high Victorian period. It is characterized by its gabled roofs, horizontal siding, decorative cross beams and hand carved porch railings.

If you’re nerdy enough to have a pair of 3D red-blue or red-cyan glasses (like me), then you might enjoy this 3D anaglyph photo I took of the lighthouse at about the same time.

For more 3D images, see Bob’s 3D Stuff in the sidebar.

Sparrow Chick

sparrow-chick.jpgThe other night we were out on the porch when Verna noticed this fuzzy little fledgling sparrow in a nest in the top front corner of the porch. I ran and got the camera and snapped this picture of the little guy as he sat there looking at us.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Gun Love

Bad news with a couple of computers this week. The laptop lost it’s hard drive and the old workstation on my desk had a power supply failure. When it rains it pours. We’re trying to recover from the double crash, but it might take some time.

Meanwhile, check out this short video about Verna’s newest favorite hobby.
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Opossum

I set the small animal trap to try and catch the squirrel that gets in Verna’s garden and raids the bird feeders, but this little ‘possum wandered in much to it’s dismay. Not to worry, though, he got released back into the “urban wild” shortly afterwards.

trapped-possum

Opossums are probably more beneficial than they are destructive in urban areas. Consider this description from the National Opossum Society:

Opossums help to maintain a clean and healthy environment. They eat all types of insects, including cockroaches, crickets, beetles, etcetera. They catch and eat rats, roof rats, mice, and they consume dead animals of all types (carrion). They like over-ripe fruit, berries, and grapes. And they think snails and slugs are a delicacy! Nature’s little Sanitation Engineers!!

Typically they go about their quiet task late at night, and you usually won’t know they were around…unless your dog (being territorial) starts barking, or you happen to take a midnight stroll when one is munching insects or snails in your yard.