Our First Days of Working and our First Weekend--May 2, 2006

We started working in uniforms as Park Rangers on Thursday, April 27. For the first two days the Lighthouse was open only from 10AM to 2 PM, but then on Sunday, April 30th, the Lighthouse began to operate on a regular schedule--open from 9 AM to 5 PM.

In addition to the regular visitors and guests, there are lots of school groups on class trips now. And they are fun! The kids are full of energy, they love climbing the 257 steps to the top, and they give us a chance to practice our skills and see if we remember everything.

Because everyone is new and the season hasn't really begun, We aren't offering formal programs yet. When we aren't workng at the base of the lighthouse, or in the middle, or at the top, we are studying, researching, and developing what the Park Service calls "interpretive programs."

Interpretive programs are the Ranger talks and Ranger walks that can give some meaning and offer a better understanding of the parks. As we have told many of our friends, we feel we are in school again---reading books, doing research, keeping notes, and trying to decide what to offer.

Eventually all this work will result in the summer programs that are offered everyday from birdwalks in the early morning to campfire programs at night. Sara, for instance, is working on some programs describing a typical day in the life of the lighthouse keepers who maintained the lighthouse and kept the lights burning. Bruce is working on a technical description of how the lighthouse was moved 2900 feet in 1999, and another one on the geology of the barrier islands.

Among our many new experiences:

• Climbing the lighthouse at least once if not several times a day. It can be exhausting! Of course, the good news is we don't have to sign up for step classes anymore!
• Freezing at the top of the lighthouse! Last weekend we had some days with temperatures in the mid 50's and wind gusts up to 45 mph! And since we don't have our NPS uniforms yet, we really aren't prepared for or dressed for cold days. (We've borrowed coats and sweaters--but still it's been cold!)
• We've been surprized by the number of people who are afraid of heights! There are those who climb up "grasping" for the wall or a good friend the entire way; there are those who just fight their fears but won't walk out on the balcony; there were the two small girls who more or less cried all the way down; there was the pilot who wouldn't move away from the lighthouse wall; and there was the little boy who on the way down said, "I've always pretended to be afraid of heights---now I know I really am!!!"
• People often want to have pictures taken "with the Ranger," and we still keep looking around for the "real Ranger" before we remember that we are "the" Ranger!
• Looking down and seeing a badge on our chest has been interesting, especially for Bruce who was never involved in scouts or in any other "paramilitary" organizations, and hasn't worn uniforms other than uniforms in high school sports. So, it's been strange seeing ourselves in uniforms, and in uniforms with badges and everything the badges represent!
• We've been "on duty" at the top during two marriage proposals already. And since their camera didn't work and since Sara had her camera with her, Sara became the "photographer" for one of the couples! (She'll send the pictures to the couple when we get the film developed.)