Adventures to parks may be one way families are celebrating Father’s Day, although they might have to dodge some welcome rain showers.
Family at the Falls
Picture of the Day for June 19, 2021
Watching a pretty sunset over the water is a nice way to end the day and the week. The view from Ephraim’s waterfront has Peninsula State Park on the left and the small 38 acre Horseshoe Island on the right.
Sunset Over the Bay
Picture of the Day for June 18, 2021
With the dry conditions, low humidity and strong winds, there was a red flag warning today and hopefully no fires started as this old 1934 Ford fire engine might not want to come out of retirement and have to fight a fire. The Ephraim Fire Museum in Door County also features a 1927 American La France pumper in the former stone fire house built in 1934.
Old Fire Truck
Picture of the Day for June 17, 2021
A trip to the beach is a nice treat on a warm summer day, but someone has more creative skills than I do to build this nice sand castle. I hope the waves of Lake Michigan remained calm for a bit to allow the castle to remain awhile before the motion of the water reclaimed and leveled the sand.
Sand Castle
Picture of the Day for June 16, 2021
This little flower has many names, like Stinking Bob and Kiss-Me-Quick, but is often called Herb Robert. And the Robert part of the name has several theories including to honor Saint Robert of Molesme, an 11th century herbalist and founder of the Cistercian order. In the geranium family, the flower is native in eastern North American but is an invasive species in western North America especially in the Oregon and Washington area. The mature seed capsule can shoot over fifteen feet when something brushes against it.
Herb Robert
Picture of the Day for June 15, 2021
The American White Pelican is one of the largest North American birds and this one appeared to have been successful in scooping up a small fish for a snack with it extendable pouch as I was watching it. This pelican is a nonbreeding adult as it does not have a a yellow plate on the upper bill. If it was a breeding pelican, it would have to catch a lot more food as it takes about 150 pounds of food to nourish a chick from birth until the chick can forage on its own.
American White Pelican
Picture of the Day for June 14, 2021
With Lake Michigan on one side and the warmer water of Green Bay on the other side of the peninsula of Door County, it was interesting that not only were the wildflowers a month or more behind in blooming compared to my woods, the ten miles or so between the two coasts also had a difference in what flowers were in blossoms.
There were flowers there not present in my area and it was a lovely treat to find patches of Yellow Lady’s Slipper orchids still in full bloom.
Yellow Lady’s Slippers
Picture of the Day for June 13, 2021
Many of the early lighthouses in the region had several common buildings, including the keeper’s house, the lantern room either in a separate tower or part of the keeper’s house, oil storage building and the privy. This view of the Cana Island Lighthouse has all four. The tower and keeper’s dwelling was built in 1869.
The two hole outhouse was built in 1906 but because of the solid rock only a couple feet below the surface, buckets were used instead of a deep hole. The six-sided oil house was constructed with local stones in 1890 which stored mineral oil and kerosene. In 1934, the light was converted from fuel to an electric bulb.
Cana Island Buildings
Picture of the Day for June 12, 2021
The Cana Island Lighthouse is probably the most famous of the Door County lighthouses which sits on a 9 acre island with a 89 foot tall tower. The third order Fresnel lens was first lit on January 28, 1870 in the cream city brick tower. Storms and icy winters deteriorated the bricks so in 1902, a steel cladding was added to protect the tower. This weekend, the tower is open for visitors to climbs and enjoy the view from the cat walk. The light was automated in 1945.
A three hundred foot long natural causeway links the mainland to Cana Island, but the fluctuating level of Lake Michigan can cause it to be flooded, like it is right now. The highest point on the island is less than seven feet above the average lake level so flooding was a problem so an added breakwater running parallel to the shore helped to stop the waves flooding the keeper’s dwelling.
Cana Island Lighthouse
Picture of the Day for June 11, 2021
As people enjoy the various lighthouses during the lighthouse festival, things will be different because of the Covid restrictions and therefore you won’t be able climb the stairs up to the top of the Cana Island Lighthouse. There are 102 steps in the circular staircase to the lantern room of the tower which is 89 feet tall. Although built in 1869, there was no railing to help climb those stairs until 1890.
Going Up the Tower
