Lighthouse for Sale

“Fixer Upper For Sale. Access Tricky. Nice Views. Cash Only.”

That was the headline in the morning Globe the other day. Graves Island Lighthouse near the entrance to Boston Harbor is for sale. According to the terms of the National Lighthouse Preservation Act which went into effect in 2000, lighthouses no longer wanted or needed by the federal government are first offered to historic societies, towns and states for free. The onus of stewardship then rests with them. When there's no interest on those fronts, the lighthouses are then offered at auction to the highest bidder. The bid when I last checked was standing at $111,000, but the auction will be closing soon.

In actuality, Graves Island Lighthouse isn't one of those romantic-looking lighthouses that you fantasize about. It was built in 1903 of granite and placed on Graves Ledges as a navigational aid to large ships entering Boston Harbor. It has a moderately interesting, albeit short history. A British ship containing zoo animals shipwrecked nearby once. They saved three bears and lost a bunch of snakes. That must have been interesting. The ordeals of the lighthouse keepers during severe storms are annotated in lighthouse history books. It was a hard life at Graves Island Light. The kitchen and library described sound comfy, but the foghorn sounding might be a deterrent to peace on occasion.

Ever thought about living in a lighthouse? Closer to shore or on shore, I think it would be awesome. This lighthouse is nine miles offshore and sits on a rocky ledge. There's a 30-foot vertical ladder climb to get to the front door. There's no indoor plumbing or electricity. The Coast Guard maintains the actual light and fog horn as a navigational aid, but the rest is up to the new owner. I think this might be an expensive do-over.

As romantic as it sounds, owning and maintaining a lighthouse has its own unique set of issues beyond the usual “house maintenance” kind of stuff. There's the question of the paint used on old lighthouses (lead or asbestos?) and who owns the land the lighthouse has been placed on. Then, since many lighthouses are registered historical sites, a whole new set of rules applies as to what you can and cannot do. How do you get a repairman out there for estimates? It sounds like a nightmare instead of a fairytale-come-true.

Selling off lighthouses isn't just a USA activity. I've read articles about lighthouse sales in the UK and France. It seems with the advent and advances in radio, radar, GPS and satellite navigation, many lighthouses have become obsolete. They're expensive to maintain, but because they're such an important part of maritime history, governments are trying to sell them to caretakers rather than demolish them.

Despite all this, the idea still has appeal. The solace and peace of the ocean. A 360º ocean view would be wonderful. Wait … we live on a boat. We do have a 360º view and it's doesn't even have to be the same view or the same ocean all the time. Never mind, we'll stick to sailing.

Scratch, Smell and Stink

 

My mum and I amused ourselves this morning by sniffing samples of men's colognes that were tucked into today's newspaper. One “scratch and sniff” featured a head shot of a sexy, dark-haired man giving us that “come hither” look. The other sample pictured a fellow obviously aimed at the younger set with little sex appeal and an arrogant, rather goofy stance. That's just us though. We scratched. We sniffed. We wriggled our noses in unison and said “yuck”. This exercise entertained us for about two minutes until we both started sneezing.

I like the scent of a man … my man, anyhow. Well, I guess I need to clarify that ... after David's crawled out of the bilge or the engine room, all sweaty and smelly, the “scent” can be a bit overwhelming. I tend to avoid him then. To be more specific, I like the scent of my man just after he's come out of the shower. No need for colognes to disguise what already smells good.

According to Wiki, the world's first recorded chemist is a person named Tapputi, an ancient perfume maker from 2000BC who plied his trade in Mesopotamia. Certainly scented oils and incense-based fragrances have been around for centuries. In fact, in the Islamic religion, it is considered a religious duty for men to bathe on Fridays and use perfumes. I think perhaps perfume use in some of the European cultures where bathing was rare, however, was not based upon enhancing the post-bathing experience, but rather covering BO.

I use perfume, but rarely. My favorite? You probably have never heard of it. It's Yanbal and I first sniffed it in Peru. Our friend, Gonzalo, is VP of Manufacturing for the company Yanbal and gave us a tour when we visited Lima several years ago. He gave me a sample of Yanbal and it was the most perfect smell ever. It's not cloying or sickly sweet, it's just ... wonderful. I still have it and use it sparingly. It's like a gift to myself whenever I wear it.

So...back to the scratch and sniff samples. I don't think even Pepe le Pew would appreciate them.

Dreaming of Retiring? Get a Countdown Clock!

 

Dreaming of retiring? Or maybe taking a break for a couple of years? Want to go sailing off into the sunset … literally or figuratively? Does it seem too far away to even contemplate? You know what? It's never too early to start planning. You have to work at making your dreams come true, or they just remain dreams. Here's some tips on how to start.

1. Spend some time deciding what it is you really want to do.

Do you want to sail and live aboard a boat? Go RV'ing across the country? Travel? Start a little business? Put time aside to sit down, relax and really think about where you want to go and what you want to do. Whether you're 30 or 60, there's no time like the present to do this. You'll be 30 or 60 + one day older tomorrow. Get moving.

2. Put those dreams on paper.

Write it all down. For many reasons, when you take the time to make a plan and write it out, it becomes more concrete. It's more than just a dream. Make this a fun exercise for you and your partner. Get a special notebook … give it a name...your Dream Book, Retirement-R-Us book, We're Outa Here book, make it your own. Tweak your plan as things change. Write, rewrite and get it right. Set up a file folder (hard copy or on your computer) and keep relevant articles, links, and ideas close by

3. Assign a time frame to your plan.

Start with a biggie. “I'd like to retire in 2015 or 2020 or whenever and then I want to ...”

Then what? Sailing, travel, RV'ing, what? Actually assigning a time frame makes the dream more and more real. Now you know when. Wow!

4. Figure out how to get where you want to go.

After you decide the “what” and the “when”, figure out the “how”. Assuming your dream is not so out of the ballpark that it's unobtainable, start to determine how you'll achieve your goal. What about the finances? How much money do you need to retire or take a 2-year hiatus from work? Can you earn money while you're living your dream? What are the logistics of heading down the road you want to travel?

5. Research your plan.

This isn't work. This is the stuff your dreams are made of. What kind of boat? What kind of RV rig? Where will you go? What are the restrictions...financially, health-wise, family-wise? Maybe one of the passage maps from the blogsite?

6. Set milestones for yourself.

What needs to be done by what time in order to meet your goals? A savings plan? Getting the kids through university? Selling your home and downsizing? Make a list as part of the original plan and cross off the milestones as you meet and complete them.

7. Celebrate along the way.

Reach a milestone? Congratulate yourself! 1000 days left? Have a special dinner. 500 days to go? Half way to your savings goal? Decided what boat you're interested in buying or which RV rig makes sense? Make it a point to celebrate in some small, but significant way. The time goes by faster if you've got lots of big and little milestones to achieve and celebrate along the way.

8. Buy a countdown clock.

It might sound crazy, but we received a countdown clock as a gift from my sister when we made the decision to sail off into the sunset. It was nearly two years till we actually took off. We loved it as we watched the days, hours, minutes and seconds tick off. Everyday brought us just a little closer to making our dream a reality. We liked it so much, we recycled it and gave it to my parents when they were planning their trip of a lifetime to Hawaii.

Already retired? Out cruising or RV'ing or living your dream whatever it might be? How did you plan for it? What did you do in advance to make sure your dream became a reality?