1898 - Sea Lions, Whales and Lanterns at the Lighthouse

Samuel and his father fed the horses on their way up the hill to the lighthouse, with Elsie's young, dark-haired dog, Teddybear, trailing behind them. Teddybear could wait in the downstairs lighthouse entry room while they serviced the beacon.

"Good boy, Teddybear." Samuel reached down to rub the dog's neck and Teddybear looked at him with a big smile.

Soon night would fall and they would need to light the wicks for the lighthouse beacon.

While Samuel walked up to the highest part of the bluff, he saw the darkening ocean fading into the twilight sky at the horizon.

Joseph looked at his tall son and thought, “He’s growing up and maturing in so many ways. Seventeen years old now. It seems like only yesterday we were still living on the ranch in Texas and he was still a kid.” 

Looking down from the bluff at the ocean below, Samuel felt a shiver of pleasure and took a deep breath of the fragrant air smelling of the salty sea and the fir trees on the mountains beyond the shores.

He could tell the temperature was falling, but the coolness felt brisk and energizing.

Samuel saw the last light become the blue hour, and the sunset after glow colors on the horizon were almost gone. With twilight, the moon and stars were coming out.

Samuel remembered when they moved to the Oregon coast from Austin, Texas. At first, he missed his old home on the ranch. But the beauty of the forested coast had worked its magic on him.

Samuel loved exploring the Oregon mountain wilderness, sand dunes, rivers, lakes, and beaches.

He could not wait for spring and summer to arrive. Night came early during these winter months on the Oregon coast and the days were short.

There were so many wonders. He felt each day held new discoveries.

Earlier that afternoon Samuel saw sea lions gathered together out on the ocean swells, where they floated in a group, rafting for safety from whales.

He knew the winter months were whale migration time. The black and white orcas were passing by the coast, some with babies. When they came closer to shore Samuel saw their fins slicing through the water.

The larger gray whales were migrating too. and Samuel saw their spouts shooting up from the ocean sometimes during this season. He also saw a few breach the water and fly up into the air, then fall back into the sea with booming splashes.

On the beach below the lighthouse, the winter waves surged unexpectedly sometimes, exploding and rushing up over the sand. Periods of extra high tides caused the ocean to bubble and roll with wave swells as tall as a house.

The sea threw spray high into the air when the waves hit the cliffs and volcanic stacks of rock. Logs, branches, and seaweed were scattered over the beach and adjacent areas now, carried in by the strong waves.

At the barn when they fed the animals, Samuel saw one of the large parent owls soar through the barn door to its nest in the rafters, where several baby owls peeked over the edge.

He knew the owls kept the rodent population under control and he was glad to have the owls there. Samuel checked the water troughs and then he carried several buckets of rainwater from the barrels to replenish the animals' water.

When they came into the lighthouse entry room, Samuel noted the warming stove needed more kindling.

He saw the extra candles and lanterns there, along with a stack of books from the traveling library by the comfy chair and footstool and the small bed.

It was a cozy spot for the lighthouse keeper to stay on stormy nights when the pounding rains made it easier to remain at the lighthouse, instead of making the trip back and forth every four hours from the house.

Samuel knew the other two lighthouse keepers also liked to pass the time reading. A wind-up clock sat on the table, ticking away. He set the timer to go off in another four hours. Later he could reset it.

Samuel carried a kerosine lantern and followed his father up the spiral of steps inside the lighthouse tower.

 Two hundred feet below the bluff, the waves crashed on the volcanic sea stacks protruding up from the ocean, sending spray high in the air. 

Outside, the winter sea wind whipped across the rugged coast. Samuel knew the supply ships passing the rocky headland depended on the rotating beacon of light to guide them away from the treacherous shore. 

He took a deep breath, thinking about the responsibility of having sailors depending on him. It made him feel so grown up.

At seventeen years old, he was as tall as his father but gangly with long limbs. 

“Son,” Joseph said, “The important thing is to be reliable when you are servicing the lighthouse. I’m counting on you. We'll start by going over the steps to service the lighthouse and later I'll teach you how to keep the records in the logbook."

Samuel’s blue eyes glanced into Joseph’s grayish-green eyes for a moment.

He wondered, “Why did father say that? Was it just conversation or was he referring to something particular? Something like things in my past? But that was long ago.”

Samuel thought back to their lives on the ranch outside Austin, Texas, and the fields he used to roam before they moved to the Oregon coast. He knew he had been a wild child full of mischief and jokes, sometimes going too far.

He pictured himself riding the black and white paint pony. The day he showed off in front of his brother and sister was still a vivid memory. As the oldest, he liked receiving the admiration from Edward and Elsie. 

They looked up to him and followed his example.

One day, when they seemed less attentive, and more accustomed to seeing him show off fast starts and stops, Samuel did something he still regretted. 

“Watch,” he called to Edward and Elsie. “This is new.”

He loped down to the far end of the corral, turned, and as Thunder’s hooves beat the ground faster and faster, Samuel showed off by pulling his feet up toward the saddle and standing up on the pony’s back while Thunder moved into a gallop.

Samuel looked like part of a rodeo act. When the end of the corral got close Thunder slowed and Samuel crouched and then sat back down in the saddle.

Edward and his nine year old sister sat with wide eyes and stared at Samuel with wonder. He smiled at them in a superior way.

“I bet I can do that too,” said Edward, thirteen years old then.

Samuel laughed at him and Edward disappeared into the barn. In a while he returned riding his chestnut pony. It never occurred to Samuel that Edward would really try to do it. 

He did not understand the mixture of admiration and envy that Edward felt towards him.

Edward thought, “I’m tired of Samuel always being the star. I want to be special too.”

Elsie watched, smiling and enjoying the excitement. But she began to feel a sense of anxiety too.

“What was Edward going to do?”

Samuel and Elsie sat on the corral rail, under the wide, summertime, Texas sky. The ranch grazing lands stretched to the horizon. 

“What does Edward think he is going to do?” Samuel thought. “Of course he’s not experienced enough to try that trick I just did on Thunder.”

Edward bent his knee, put a foot in the stirrup, and grabbed the saddle pommel to pull himself up. Rusty was a tall enough ranch pony that he had to use muscle power to get all the way into the saddle.

“What are you going to do?” said Samuel.

“Just you watch me and see,” Edward said.

His bony frame sat the pony with naturalness and grace. Edward knew he was a gifted athlete and a natural rider.

His reddish-brown hair matched Rusty’s as they loped down to the far end of the corral and made a few circles to warm up. He eased the reins out and Rusty was loping along guided by Edward's legs nudging him to the left or right.

Samuel felt a little prickling while he watched. The proud expression on is face drooped a little.

Elsie watched. She could see Edward drop the reins and then sit back, plant his feet, and say, “Whoa.”

Without reins and a bit guiding him, Rusty pulled his haunches under and slid to a stop.

“Ha, big deal,” said Samuel. “I didn’t know little brother was practicing this,” he thought.

“I dare you to do what I did,” he said.

“Oh yeah,” said Edward. “Dare accepted.”

Samuel knew his parents depended on him to watch the two younger siblings and to set a good example. 

“I can’t let Edward get away with taking some of my glory,” he thought. “I’m the oldest and I’ve got a position to maintain.”

“I bet you’re chicken,” he called to Edward. Samuel felt sure Edward would back down and never manage to make himself try it.

Elsie noticed a sick feeling when Edward loped Rusty to the far end of the corral, whirled, and began loping back.

She saw Edward pull his knees up, crouch, and start to stand on the saddle. Rusty must have felt something unexpected happening and his hooves sped into a gallop.

Edward was caught by the extra momentum.  When Rusty burst into full racing speed Edward flew into the air and tumbled off behind the horse.

Samuel and Elsie saw his body hit the ground hard and skid with dust flying into the air.

“Oh, what have I done,” thought Samuel.

“Edward,” he hollered and he ran down the length of the corral toward the still figure.

Then Edward slowly got to his feet. "I'm OK." He stood taking deep breaths.

Samuel was still worried. Someone should check Edward for injuries.

“Elsie,” he called. “Run. Get Mother and Father.”

Samuel and Edward sat on a woodpile by the barn while they waited. At last they saw their father's tall, lanky figure running toward them.

"Are you ok, Son?"

Edward nodded. "A little sore. I'll be alright."

“How did this happen?” Joseph asked Samuel.

Samuel dipped his head and his eyes looked at the ground. “What should he say? It was his fault.”

“I did that rodeo show trick where you stand up on the saddle at a lope,” he said.

“But what happened to Edward?"his father said, probing for more information.

"I guess I sort of encouraged him to try it too," said Samuel. "His pony spooked and took off when Edward tried to stand up on the saddle, and Edward flew off."

“You’re the oldest and you’re supposed to be looking after Edward and Elsie while I’m working on the ranch,” Joseph continued.

Samuel looked up. His mouth drooped. His eyes moved around while he tried to think of what to say.

“Well?” Joseph said. "Why would Edward do a foolish thing like that? It's not like him."

“I dared him to do it after I did it,"said Samuel.

Joseph’s eyes widened, his mouth opened and closed. There was a long silence. His lips were in a thin line, his brows came together, and his eyes narrowed.

"Why would you do a dangerous stunt like that?"

"Pride got the best of me," said Samuel. He hoped this confession would soften his father's anger.

"I guess I wanted to show off."

“Samuel, I am finished with putting up with this. It is always something with you. One thing after another. This is enough.”

“I’m sorry, Father,” said Samuel.

“Extra chores for you now. I'm disappointed in you,” said Joseph. “It is time for you to grow up."

Samuel knew he had lost his father's trust.

He knew his father was right. When they moved to the Oregon coast Samuel kept trying hard to reinvent himself and leave foolish behavior behind.

When he walked up the quarter mile with his father from the lighthouse keepers house to the lighthouse on the bluff, Samuel knew he needed to be an adult and not a boy any longer. His father was giving him a chance to show he had common sense and dependability.

"Time for me let go of those wild things I used to do,” thought Samuel as he followed his father to the lantern room at the top of the lighthouse.

“Son, I need you to pay attention to how I fill the kerosine, trim the wicks so they can burn well, and clean this soot off the lens,” said Joseph. “Lives are depending on us.”

He continued, "The gears that rotate the beacon work like giant watch gears. They need to be maintained too. I'll show you. Once I had to repair them to keep the beacon rotating. While I worked on the gears the other lighthouse keepers had to manually keep the beacon going around. I hope this never happens again. We're trying to find a new way to work the gears. Right now they need to be wound like a clock at regular intervals."

Samuel looked out of the 60 ft tower and beyond the 200-foot bluff, way down to the sea swells rolling in the moonlight. Somewhere out there in the darkness were sailors and passengers on ships. Depending on him, Samuel.

He felt a shiver. “What if I mess this up,” he thought. Fear began to overtake him.

Samuel paid close attention to Joseph while the older man showed him what needed to be done on this job.

“We’ll do it together for a while,” Joseph said. “But in not too long, I want you to be able to do it alone when I need to go into the village.”

When they were done, Joseph said, “Son, you can go back to the house and go to bed. I’ll take care of it for the rest of the night.”

Later that night Samuel lay on his bed in the lighthouse keeper’s house, looking out the window. High on the ridge he could see the lighthouse beacon shining through the darkness, flashing brightly when it rotated past his window. 

He fell asleep and awakened later, sweating. In his dream the beacon was not shining and a ship crashed on the beach.

Night after night he climbed the stairs to the lighthouse lantern, while his father or the other two lighthouse keepers trained him and tested his skills.

After a while, Samuel stopped worrying and he began to sleep better. The bad dreams stopped happening.

"I'm the source of my own problems sometimes, but I can fix that," he thought. The more he focused on improving his skills and built confidence from doing that, the better he slept at night.

One evening, Joseph said, “Samuel, I’m going to let you service the lighthouse by yourself tonight. I know you can do it.” 

Samuel felt his lips curl up into a smile. “At last I’ve earned Father’s trust back again,” he thought. “The past is gone. I’m a new person now.”

That night when he climbed up the spiral stairs to the huge Fresnel lens, Samuel looked at the night, the sea, and the facets of the lens shining and he smiled to himself.

Instead of hiking back to the lighthouse keeper’s house and having to return in four hours, he stayed downstairs, to read by candlelight, with the wood fire under the warming stove throwing light and shadows.

He had four hours until the next time the kerosine had to be filled, the wicks trimmed, and the soot cleaned off the giant glass lens.

The surf boat had brought another wood box of books from the ship known as a tender that waited farther out from shore. Samuel knew when they had read all the new books the traveling library would exchange them for another batch.

He looked at the book cover, “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” by Jules Verne. At the beginning, he saw a woodblock print of a strange vessel and ocean life underwater.

“I’m still doing adventurous things,” he thought, “when I enter other worlds by reading.”

While the moon and stars made their journey across the night sky, Samuel traveled in his mind with Captain Nemo in the Nautilus submarine.