Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Travel Tuesday: Lubec, Maine

Beginning today, I invite you to travel outside of Quincy with me every Tuesday.  Today I am taking you "Downeast" to the candy-striped lighthouse located on the Bay of Fundy.

West Quoddy Light is located on the easternmost point of the U.S. mainland and is on the National Register of Historical Places.  The present 49-foot brick tower was erected in 1857, after a Congressional appropriation of $15,000. West Quoddy Head Light's famous red and white stripes appear to have been added soon after the present tower was built. Red stripes on lighthouses were common in Canada, where it helped them stand out against snow. Only one other lighthouse in the United States -- Assateague Light in Virginia -- has horizontal red and white stripes.   In the early days, West Quoddy Head, like Boston Light, had a fog cannon to warn mariners away from dangerous Sail Rocks nearby. 

Summer Attraction

This tiger swallowtail butterfly was a delight to see pollinating the phlox bed along my driveway.