A Dark Welcome to York Beach
Saturday, September 4th, 2010It was an unusual start to our vacation in York Beach, Maine this year. We arrived on Saturday afternoon, earlier than usual. Our efficient start had paid off and we found that there was ample time after unpacking to go to the beach. As night settled in we noticed a strange absence…the Cape Neddick Lighthouse (Nubble Light) was dark!
I’ve been coming up to York Beach almost every summer for over 40 years. This was the first time I had ever seen, or rather not seen, the light operating. I did what anyone in 2010 does when something strange happens, I checked Google. However after searching for news related to this “outage” I came up empty. The Town of York website was silent on the issue as was a local news website.
The blackout continued on through Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday morning we noticed that the light was back in operation. Whether there was an electrical issue or a burned out light bulb, it was apparently resolved early Tuesday. I sit here writing this particular paragraph on Tuesday evening with the light operating in its typical and (usually) reliable manner. Maybe someday I’ll learn what happened.
Beyond the mystery of the lighthouse, it was an unusually warm week in York. Upper 80s and lower 90s prevailed each day. For several days there wasn’t much wind, at least not a cool wind, at the beach. This is the first year in recent memory where Lisa hasn’t been on the beach wrapped in sweatshirts and towels to keep warm. Complementing the hot weather, the water was about 63 degrees and provided a very refreshing respite from the heat!
