Sunday, May 15, 2011

Porthole


I have climbed to the top of the Montauk Lighthouse a number of times, both to photograph and just to visit. I don't ever remember seeing this window before. The lighthouse itself is made from a layer of stone on the outside and many layers of brick on the inside. The stone handles the weathering better that just the brick would - this lighthouse is so old, that its construction was authorized by George Washington, I kid you not! Anyhow, on top of all that masonry, there is a cast-iron top, which contains the windowed "lamp room" containing the light, and another room underneath with the machinery to rotate the light. Anyhow, just below that lower room, on the circular stairway that runs from the ground up, is this cast-iron porthole. I just caught sight of it, and was intrigued by it. It is just kind of mysterious, and I love that the outer porthole is perfectly bisected by the horizon line, with sky and water.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Enjoy learning something new with every blog.
Joan