Honey, can I buy a lighthouse???

I've always had a fascination with lighthouses (I think lots of people do). Now there will be 40 up for sale on the island. What a cool thing that would be. Can you imagine turning one into a bed and breakfast? I know it would cost a bunch but boy what a great project that would be. (see the article at the end).

It's a beautiful morning this morning, lots of sun and the promise of a warm day. Last night on my way home I noticed another sure sign of summer - the lupins are blooming. They are so beautiful when you get huge clumps of them.

I''m supposed to be going to an "Administrative Support Retreat" this morning at the Rodd Charlottetown but I bowed out last night. There are two other girls in my department going so we'd be very short staffed and my student assistant, Brandi, was hoping to leave a bit early today, so that gave me an excuse not to go. It's billed as a 'retreat' but it's really more of an educational day. Since I've already had a couple of admin days this spring, I think my time is better served in the office. One of the presenters was at our team meeting yesterday so I've already seen that one. And it's going to be such a nice day I'd love to be able to just go out once in a while and walk around in the sun. I always have stuff to do in other buildings so today will be a great chance to get out and enjoy the sun.

I don't really need to worry much about what's happening on campus as I am pretty sure my days are numbered. We don't know yet when Linda will be back, but she WILL be back. The general feeling among the managers I've spoken to is that because of the whole human rights ruling that came down, the university has to reinstate 3 retired people and pay them back pay and damages and the cost will be over a million dollars. As a result, they expect that we will soon get the announcement that any job postings that have not yet been filled, likely won't be. I have applied for another job outside but so far these attempts haven't been so successful. But something will come up, I'm sure. I did get a response from a call centre I applied to a while back. It might not be an ideal job but at least they did call me. I was given someone's name to call when my contract runs out, so at least I won't be left with nothing. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for other things.

DFO declares 40 Island lighthouses surplus RYAN ROSS The Guardian The Point Prim lighthouse is slated to be divested by the Canadian Coast Guard and 40 lights on the Island will meet the same fate. The Point Prim light is the only round brick lighthouse in Canada and the oldest in Prince Edward Island. It was designed and built in 1845 by Isaac Smith, who also designed Province House. Guardian photo by Brian McInnis Many of P.E.I.’s lighthouses may change owners after the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans declared 40 of them surplus. P.E.I. Lighthouse Society president Carol Livingstone said she wasn’t surprised when she heard the news because in 1996 the government said it wanted to get rid of some of them within 10 years. “It didn’t happen within that frame but they weren’t too far off,” she said. About 480 active and 490 inactive lighthouses across Canada are considered surplus, but under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act they can be transferred to new owners who want them for their heritage value or tourism potential. Livingstone said she is aware of 63 lighthouses and another form of navigation light called a range light on the Island and she hopes some communities will take them over. With most of them accessible by car, she said some of them could be used as businesses or heritage sites. “It gives the community a chance to use their past to build their future.” On the list of Island lighthouses declared surplus are some well known structures, including the Point Prim lighthouse, which is the oldest on P.E.I. and the only round-shaped one in the province. Livingstone said with the popularity of lighthouses on the rise worldwide, they are something people have come to associate with P.E.I. “I think they’re a part of the whole Island landscape.” Livingstone said there is a two-year window for people to submit an application to take over a lighthouse, but she didn’t know how many might be lost after that time. “I’m hoping that most will be preserved.” In the case of the Wood Islands lighthouse, which was moved in 2009 to save it from erosion, the process of taking it over from the government was already under way before the announcement. Heather MacMillan is part of the group working to take ownership and said the plan is for the Wood Islands and Area Development Corporation to keep and maintain the lighthouse. “We’re sort of in the final stages and we’re just waiting for the final contract to come.” Although the government’s plan to declare some lighthouses surplus may not be a bad idea in every case, it still means an uncertain future for some of them, she said. “What are you going to do with them afterward?” It’s that uncertainty that has well known P.E.I. heritage activist Catherine Hennessey worried because she said the lighthouses are part of the P.E.I. landscape. “Landscape is our visual memory.” Hennessey just returned from a trip to B.C. where she said people are upset about the announcement. It was a sentiment she shared. “The lighthouses are too much of our landscape to be lost.” P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association representative Ed Frenette said potential closures wouldn’t affect their navigation because of the modern equipment they use. “In terms of fishermen it doesn’t matter any more,” he said.