Cape May Lighthouse

Yesterday was a glorious day here in New Jersey, so a friend and I did what we like to do on such days--take a road trip. This time our destination was Cape May, which is on the southern tip of the state. We didn't go downtown, which is full of colorful old Victorian homes called "painted ladies." Instead we wandered around the Lima Bean Festival in West Cape May. I'm not sure why lima beans in particular are celebrated--are they grown there? But it had some interesting vendors.

Then we drove out to the lighthouse. I am a big fan of lighthouses. I have a small collection of Harbour Lights, which are small reproductions of lighthouses. New Jersey has several lighthouses, and I've visited two of them--Barnegat and Cape May. I hope to visit more.

Cape May Light was built in 1859 and still functions. It looms above the spit of sand that overlooks the water. Lighthouses, to me, represent a time gone-by, a kind of 19th century world that suggests romance and adventure. Though the light is still functional, it has a technology that goes back to the ancient Egyptians.

My friend is a birder, and there were several other avian enthusiasts. A platform near the lighthouse is set up to look out over a marsh. It is an ideal area for bird of prey viewing, mostly hawks and vultures. Some excitement bubbled up when a hawk known as a merlin landed in a treetop and sat there while being photographed by several birders. A woman pointed it out to me and said, "There's a merlin in that tree if you're interested." I could have said, "Yes, and Sir Lancelot is in the shrubs," but I didn't.