Tom Butt
 
  E-Mail Forum – 2015  
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  Summertime on East Brother Island
August 29, 2015
 
 

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                          2015 Summer Newsletter

 

Dear Friends,

Warm Summer days are here on East Brother Island!  Sun, Breeze, Sail Boats!  Oh what a time to be on the Island.  In wonderful California we have Indian Summers that just mean more great days with great views for us to share with our lucky guests.  Enjoy the photos and stories below, and check out the upcoming dates you'll want to join us in making memories.  

Thank you for being a friend of East Brother Light Station. Your positive word of mouth and referrals to friends and family help support our ongoing effort to restore and maintain a historical treasure in the bay. 

 

Summer on our Island:

Each season brings it's own special elements to a visit.  As any native can tell you, Summertime in the Bay Area is a great time to be outdoors.  We have the best view from our Island.  With a 360 view of water, bridges, sailboats & wildlife- our guess can sit in the warmth of the Sun with our bay breeze blowing by.  Can you feel it?


Endless sun and sky
  

Artful clouds paint those endless skies 
Sailing- takes me away...

Standing by the fence you can almost reach out & touch them

 

Bay Area Native Daughters Visit:

Board Member Desiree Heveroh recently went to speak to a gathering of Native Daughters of the Golden West.  They were having a Luncheon to raise funds for California Lighthouses.  It peaked the interests of a group of them who made arrangements to come out for a visit.  We had a wonderful time having these spirited ladies on our Island.  The Daughter made a couple of generous donations to our Island.  They have officially joined the throngs of people who fall in love with our little corner of the world.  We hope to see you back soon! 

 

Lovely Daughters having a lovely visit 

 

Who's raving about East Brother? 
We think our place is pretty special- but don't just take our word for it:

Spotlight: Shade Camilo - The Examiner - Military Technologies - Trip Advisor

 Check out this video of one guests visit:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2scazy_east-brother-light-station_travel

 A little something from The Examiner:
http://article.wn.com/view/2015/05/23/East_Brother_Light_Station/

We practice water conservation on our Island because we run off rainwater collected & purified via our Cistern & UV treatment.  During this time of drought, efforts such as ours get noticed.  Enjoy this article about our (& others) creative conservation:
http://www.military-technologies.net/2015/05/18/california-innkeepers-get-creative-about-conserving-water/

And finally... We won the Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor:

 

Follow East Brother Light Station on Facebook to hear more about us & Wickie volunteer events.

The Covelight Inn:

 We have a real treat for our readers!  We were recently contacted by a woman named Chelsea Horn.  She said:
        
 Hello, my name is Chelsea Horn from Homer, Alaska. My parent's, Carl and Tammy Jones have been building a lighthouse in Halibut Cove, Alaska for about 18 years now. They had based their design off of the East Brother Light. I just wanted to share, as, I have watched this building process for most of my life as they have made their dreams happen. They finally opened for business in mid July.  

Naturally we were very excited to have an Alaskan Baby.  Oh look - Hh has our tower!  I asked Chelsea if she wouldn't mind sharing the story with us.  With this being a labor of love- there was lots to write.  So we will be introducing a 3 part series.  Get to know the Jones' & their journey over the next 3 newsletters & see the wonderful Covelight Inn.

Part 1/3 The Covelight Inn: 
 
            Carl and Tammy Jones of Halibut Cove, Alaska have shared a dream together since they married 39 years ago this July. It was Tammy whose parents decided Alaska was not for them and moved her to Oregon and away from Carl, her highschool sweetheart. Carl had grown up in Homer and across Kachemak Bay in Halibut Cove during the homestead days. It didn't take him more than a couple of weeks to do the work necessary to get on the dusty, bumpy Alcan Highway to be by Tammy's side. They married and quickly got back on those
many miles of dirt road, to Homer, known in Alaska as "the end of the road."
  
            Across Kachemak Bay from Homer is Halibut Cove. A small salty
community with a huge personality. It is a place where all are characters, full of fishermen, artists, craftsmen, sea captains and politicians. A place where summers are alive and energetic under Alaska's midnight sun. Harboring this cove where the tides can range 28 feet is Ismailof Island with it's hillsides and rocky bluffs and beaches. Neighbors can sometimes seem too close as voices and whispers echo and bounce off the waters of the cove and into the shadows under the long boardwalks. Secrets and stories can be found within those salty waters and along
the beaches as scents of spruce needles and creosote soaked pilings from the old days wisp through the air. Echos of a hammer and nail often vibrate from neighboring projects. The hammer is dropped and a swear word from a softspoken gentleman drifts off into the daybreeze while children with fishing poles in hand are giggling into the ripples made by their oars. Seagulls and crows battle and squawk like political neighbors over a fresh salmon carcass thrown by a man in his houseboat with coffee in hand and a salmon smoker fired up. Barnacles are scraped from the bottom of a boat at low tide and tourists flow in off a ferry in the afternoon to walk boardwalks and art galleries. Not a general store
can be found. "The Guardian" a mountain that overlooks Halibut Cove with its long and winding "goat rope trail" is witness to all untold stories.
  
            Carl and Tammy had been raising their five children in Homer as there was not a way to make a good living or attend school in Halibut Cove during the long dark winter months. Carl built over forty log homes with Tammy by his side coordinating each. Their oldest boys peeled logs and learned to operate the old yellow crane to put those logs in place. Carl also worked late into the winter nights as a longshoreman and had been a commercial fisherman for several years. Tammy had owned a chainsaw repair & antique store for several years as well as a cleaning business while also building and selling wooden furniture and growing
flower and vegetable starts to sell in the greenhouse in front of the store. The Jones' always had various projects going. They built a woodshop in Homer and began collecting material to move across the bay. They always had their future dream home in mind. It was 27 years ago when they purchased reclaimed Douglas Fir Timbers that had come from an old bridge on Alaska's North Slope to save for their timber frame home. In looking at those timbers now, you would never believe that Carl had cut them in half longways using only a chainsaw. Those perfect cuts and every single timber would later be completely sanded and stained by Tammy herself.
  
            Their youngest child was only two when Carl and Tammy set up an old army wall tent amongst the Spruce trees on "the point" where their land peaks out into the cove above the bluff. Kids played on the beach while dinner and hot chocolate simmered over a fire while Steve, a forever cherished neighbor entertained late into the night with stories that had all ages roaring in laughter. Days were filled with work as moving lumber, tools and all other building equipment to Halibut Cove was not an easy process. While Carl would usually haul plywood and lumber over his shoulder, his sons put together a pulley system. A sheet of plywood from the skiff was clamped down and one child was running
uphill pushing that sheet of plywood while another ran the line down in a pulling effort. High tide has always been most welcomed for carrying materials and equipment to Halibut Cove. A cabin was built. A home was created. It wasn't long before the first timber frame rental cabin was finished and operating. The first guests arrived within moments after the final touches were finished and the last pile of saw dust was swept and mopped out the door.
  
            It was on their 20th wedding anniversary that Carl and Tammy had a midnight freight run to barge their saw mill to Halibut Cove. They considered that to be one very romantic way to spend an anniversary together. All efforts would get them closer to their dream, a timber frame home down on the point where that old army tent once set upon a pile of Spruce needles.
  
            It was the winter of 1998 when Tammy came rushing into the wood shop in Homer while Carl was building the "Kyndra", a sleek little wooden boat that could slice perfectly through the waters of Kachemak Bay. Tammy held a book published by PBS with a page flipped open to a beautiful lighthouse known as East Brother Light Station. "Carl, this would look great on the point!" Carl agreed. They fell in love with this building. They were going to partially replicate it with their own changes and touches along the way. This was going to be their dream home and they were going to build it! Carl built a wooden model of the lighthouse
which was something he had never done before when planning a building. It looked like a large victorian doll house.
to be continued...

Red Chair Travels:                            

This is the story of one humble Red Chair as it journeys all across America hosted by the friendly innkeepers of our nation's B&B's.  This journey started in 2011 on Cape Cod, and continues to this day as the chair moves from one inn to the next as a treasured guest and new American icon.

At each stop, the Red Chair is introduced to all that is memorable and beautiful about the local area, with a B&B owner as the chair's concierge.  Traveling is about getting outside of the everyday and seeing the world with fresh eyes.  Through the journey of the Red Chair, we are all travelers off the beaten track where true relaxation awaits.

The Red Chair is currently in Northern California, and this website includes photos, blog posts and news of this famous chair's four year trek.  As the Red Chair travels, the story grows and you are a part of it!  Share our website, and sign up for our newsletter so you can keep up to date with the story. - See more at: http://www.redchairtravels.com/#sthash.EjLL38Dd.dpuf

 

 Hey!  I recognize that Bed & Breakfast

 

Mark Your Calendar
Upcoming Dates You'll Want to Visit the Island

  
Day Trippers Yeah!
Did you know that you can still come out to the Island even if you aren't spending the night?  Spring through Fall you have the chance to come out for a few hours.  Bring your own lunch & have a beautiful picnic on our enchanted Island.  Find out how at www.ebls.org under Day Trips.

 

 

Volunteer "Wickie" Workdays:
Get involved and help our non-profit organization to maintain the historic lighthouse property. These are held every 2nd Saturday of the month. Dates are subject to change (but rarely do). RSVP required.

Sign up for emails about opportunities. Please visit http://www.ebls.org/volunteering.html  or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Peggy Bosley, for more information.

 

 

Skywatching-  
There's no better place to look to watch for meteors or any of the celestial showings than our dark skies.   Some of the best meteor showers happen late summer through Fall.  This August- some lucky guests got to see a celestial light show.  Not only were they the Perseid showers but it was a New Moon so a nice dark sky for optimal viewing.

  

 

 
Magic weekend away anyone?

To make a reservation or to find out more about East Brother Light Station, please visit our website at www.ebls.org

What's Happening

Summer on our Island

Bay Area Native Daughters

Guest Testimonails

The Covelight Inn

Red Chair Travels

Upcoming Dates to Stay

Online Reservations

Become a Wickie

In this Issue

Summertime


Native Daughters
 
 
Guest Testimonial

The Covelight Inn

Red Chair Travels


Fun ways to spend time on the island, and upcoming dates you'll want to stay
  

Get Involved
Visit our website
Like us on Yelp
Follow us on Facebook
Wickie Volunteers

Make a donation


Join Our Mailing List

Gray

Like us on Facebook

East Brother Light Station Inc

Wickie's help keep the Light on!


Wickies departing on the boat

Ever wonder what's out there?
  
Think you cant fit it into your busy schedule? 
  
This is the time of year when we are really able to get some good work done on the Island.  The weather is beautiful & there are so many sights to be seen.  We count on our loyal volunteers to help keep our Island looking its best. 
Life on an Island is not simple & each task presents its own challenges.  Our volunteers have diverse backgrounds & skills that we greatly benefit from.  On the 2nd Saturday of each month a group of helping hands called "Wickies" come out to the Island to tackle to "To Do" list that our Inn Keepers have. 
  
Getting involved is simple!  Sign up as a volunteer & you will receive evites about upcoming dates to help.  You can come when you are able.  You meet a lot of great folks.  But the best part of it is that you get to come out to the Island & breathe in the magic.  When you leave- there is a part of you left with us forever.  We cant thank our Wickie's enough. 
Please sign up to become a part of the family that helps to keep the light on!

Visit our website to learn more about how.

 


 
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