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Humbled against the electrical storm

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Graves lightning credit Mark GNew England weather can be very humbling, even to a lighthouse.

We camped the night of August 12-13 at Graves, in the middle of a spectacular electrical storm that swept New England.

From our position at the top of the lighthouse, we had the perfect place to watch the lightning near closer and closer to Boston, and then sweep across from Plymouth to Salem as the bolts of electricity struck the earth closer and closer to us.

At that point, given that we were at the highest point, more than 100 feet above the sea, and happened to be in a bronze enclosure that conducts electricity, we thought it better to descend to the stone tower. And we didn’t have a proper camera to catch the lightning show anyway.

At the same time, from Winthrop, Boston Herald photographer Mark Garfinkel rolled out of bed and set up his tripod to catch the lightning action over Graves. Above is his picture, a masterful piece of photography that captured the Graves beacon flashing as the lightning struck.

What a magnificent show of the power and majesty of nature.

See Mark’s blog, PictureBoston.com, and follow him on Twitter @PictureBoston.

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Peregrine falcons visit Graves Light

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A peregrine falcon perches on the davit atop Graves Light late in the afternoon of National Lighthouse Day.

A peregrine falcon perches on the davit atop Graves Light late in the afternoon of National Lighthouse Day.

A close-up shot of the falcon, as seen from the kitchen (watch deck), between the outer railings.

A close-up shot of the falcon, as seen from the kitchen (watch deck), between the outer railings.

A pair of peregrine falcons visited Graves Light on National Lighthouse Day, treating us to some spectacular aerobatics.

The falcons perched on the bronze davit protruding from the floor of the lamp deck by the flag, and spiraled around the lighthouse in a series of amazing high-speed dives.

They made several swoops toward delicious-looking cormorants and seagulls, circling the oil house before coming back to rest on the topmost davit.

By some persistence and a lot of luck, we managed to snap a close-up picture of one of the birds flying past the outer deck of the watch room, and zoomed in so that you can see.

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Happy National Lighthouse Day

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Celebrating lighthouse cheer at Graves on National Lighthouse Day.

Celebrating lighthouse cheer at Graves on National Lighthouse Day.

Happy National Lighthouse Day!

What a beautiful day to spend with friends new and old as we celebrate by hosting an open house out at Graves Light.

The striped bass and bluefish were biting too, so it turned into quite a party out here.

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Seal pup’s mama takes good care of baby on Graves Ledge

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Graves rises out of the fog

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GL Graves fog Bill ONeilBill O’Neil, our reliable neighbor from Hull, just sent us this gem of Graves Light and Fog Station enveloped in a thick fog.

The rigging basket to the right belongs to CCI Construction.

This week, CCI is completing the most exciting painting project – the very top spire of the tower. Fearless!

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At the top: CCI is back to seal the roof from the weather

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Mike from CCI Construction waves as he starts work sealing the roof of Graves Light.

Mike from CCI Construction waves as he starts work sealing the roof of Graves Light.

Back for their third season: Mike Sylvester and his team from CCI Construction are back at Graves Light again to seal it from the seas and weather.

You might remember Mike from two years ago, as he was suspended 80 feet down over the rocks to repair the outside stonework.

Now he’s 113 feet up to seal the roof.

One of their tasks is to caulk and paint the conical roof above the lantern room. Here’s a shot of Mike, roped in, of course, waving as he prepares to work. The lantern room has been a source of leaks, but the guys at CCI are sealing it all up for us.

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Kitchen bench installation, Graves Light-style

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We loaded the heavy bench on the Miss Cuddy in East Boston.

We loaded the heavy bench on the Miss Cuddy in East Boston.

We had quite an adventure installing the custom-built curved mahogany kitchen benches in the Watch Room. The pictures tell the story.

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Grim reminder that it’s not all fun out here

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The wrecked Emily Anne sat upside down in 50 feet of water.

The wrecked Emily Anne sat upside down in 50 feet of water.

The realities of the sea and weather remind us that not everything’s as fun as it seems at the mouth of Boston Harbor.

A salvage team just raised the wreck of Emily Anne, the trusty tugboat that helped us with restoration work in 2014. The tug sank just north of Graves Light in February, 2016. A quick-thinking pilot boat captain saved Emily Anne‘s crew as she sank, upside-down, in 50 feet of water.

Because the hulk was so close to the North Channel, the Coast Guard recommended that Emily Anne be raised so it wouldn’t be a threat to navigation. And so she was, in early June, with a crane pulling her to the surface and placing her on a barge.

From there, the barge took Emily Anne to a graving yard in Chelsea, where she’ll be broken up and sold for scrap.

These pictures tell the story of the salvage operation, with a couple shots from happier days when she helped with the Graves Light restoration in 2014.

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Original drawings aid in door restoration

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These custom-built stainless steel replacement hinges should last another hundred years.

These custom-built stainless steel replacement hinges should last another hundred years.

The leaky bronze doors on the Watch Deck needed new hinges to create a perfect seal against the weather.

We just couldn’t buy them in a store, or even find antique originals.

So we went back to the drawing board and used the original architectural drawings of Graves Light from 1903.

Those drawings included sketches and dimensions of the original hinges.

John Nelson of Nelson Metal Fabrication has fixed the leaky doors. John did a lot of great work for us already, and now it was time for more.

Using the original designs as a guide, John machined new stainless hinges to perfectly match the damaged old ones. Now the doors shut tight! The hinges should last until the 22nd century, at least.

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Mahogany kitchen benches go in this week

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Nat of NMT Woodworking shows some of the mahogany benches he built for our kitchen.

Nat of NMT Woodworking shows some of the mahogany benches he built for our kitchen.

Meanwhile, Nat and the lads at NMT Woodworking in South Portland, Maine, have been busy.

Living space at Graves Light is at a premium – none mores than the kitchen on Level 6. That’s the old Watch Room, a circular room of bronze and steel that sits on top of the granite tower and just below the glass Lamp Room.

The NMT crew created this custom mahogany bench seat to fit against the curved wall.

They built it for serious chowder eating. The marine-grade mahogany is able to withstand extreme temperatures and salt air.

You can see how the curvature matches that of the bronze kitchen stove that our man Wyatt designed over the winter.

Nat will be installing the bench system this week, weather permitting, as always. So stay tuned.

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