Lighthouse visit

On Saturday I had a very unique opportunity. I got to crawl inside a lightouse, in between the light and the lens.

Here is a video:



At the beginning of the film the tour guide is telling us about the modernization of the lighthouse.

When the lighthouse was built in the mid 18s, the lens was turned by the force of gravity slowly pulling a counter-weight down a two-story tube. Every two hours the lighthouse keeper had to crank the weight back up to the top so it could descend again and keep the lens turning. Today the lens (still the same one installed in the 1800s) is turned by an electric motor.

Back in the day the lamp was gas. Today it is a halogen bulb the size of a hot dog.

And yet, despite the modernization, the lighthouse still serves the same vital role that it has for more than one hundred years.  Light is precious, especially to those who are lost. The method may change, the equipment may change, but the beacon doesn't change, it never goes out, and it is never out of date.