This is an edited version of an interview that first appeared in episode 107 in February 2021. The guest is Dan Spinella, a man who is known for creating amazing replica Fresnel lenses. Dan, who is employed as an engineer at Disney World, began his Fresnel lens research and restoration work in 1992 using both… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #29 – Dan Spinella and his amazing replica Fresnel lenses

This is an an edited version of a conversation that was first heard in episode 62 in May 2020. The guest is Elaine Jones and the subject is Burnt Island Light in Maine. A lighthouse was built in 1821 on five-acre Burnt Island at the west side of the entrance to Boothbay Harbor in Maine,… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #28 – Elaine Jones, Burnt Island, ME

Portsmouth Harbor Light, near the mouth of the Piscataqua River in the town of New Castle, New Hampshire, is one of the most picturesque and historic lighthouses in New England. The original wooden lighthouse on the site (1771) was the first lighthouse north of Boston. The present (1878) cast-iron lighthouse stands on the grounds of… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 326 – Portsmouth Harbor Light, NH

The first lighthouse on Curtis island at the entrance to Camden, Maine, was established in 1836. For many years, the island served as a signal station for the large steamships that passed by. The 25-foot brick lighthouse tower that still stands was built in 1896, and the light was automated in 1972. The Town of… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 325 – Michael Skaling, Curtis Island, ME

This is a look back at an interview that was first heard in episode 122 back in May 2021. The interview is with Elena Hansteensen, who is the owner of Littleisland Lighthouse in Norway, which is operated as a small hotel. Litløy fyr, or Littleisland Lighthouse in English, is on a small island off the… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #27 – Elena Hansteensen and Littleisland Lighthouse, Norway

The following list includes all episodes of “Light Hearted” since it was launched in 2019. The abbreviation “LHL” stands for Light Hearted Lite – episodes that are shorter edited versions of previous episodes. Wickie from NHU.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime… Continue reading Index of Light Hearted podcast episodes

Darlene Chisholm of Albion, Michigan, is a veteran of many U.S. Lighthouse Society tours, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the course of her travels, she’s photographed well over 4,000 lighthouses. Darelene was a longtime librarian in the public school system in Albion. Her husband, Tom, was president of the education association in Albion.… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 324 – Darlene Chisholm’s lighthouse adventures around the world

Greens Ledge Light, which was built in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1902, is a cast-iron lighthouse tower on a cylindrical cast-iron concrete-filled foundation. It’s typical of offshore  lighthouses built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Male keepers lived inside the lighthouse tower. Under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, the lighthouse was… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite 26 – Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, CT

AIS (Automatic Identification System) has been used for years to monitor the movements of ships and aircraft in real-time, helping to ensure safe and efficient operations. The company MotionInfo provides second-by-second data accuracy using an extensive network of stations. The North Atlantic right whale, with fewer than 350 individuals remaining, is critically endangered, and 139… Continue reading Light Hearted 323 – Moses Calouro, Portia Calouro: How lighthouses are helping to save right whales

This is an edited version of a conversation with a  lighthouse keeper’s daughter in British Columbia, Canada, first heard in episode 104 of Light Hearted. Jim Bruton was born in Wales in 1926, but his family relocated to British Columbia in Canada when he was just one year old. He started working in the logging… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #25 – Elanie Bruton, lightkeeper’s daughter at Sheringham Point, BC