The urge...

Okay, I know I havn't entered into the blog in a month and a half. I'm a bad blogger. But this time has led me to an interesting new topic.

I havn't seen a lighthouse since the NJLHS Holiday Social at Sea Girt, 6 Dec. 04. The last time I saw more than one lighthouse in a day was during Cape2Cape in November.

I miss lighthousing. I miss driving through narrow, winding roads in the quest for the lights. I miss flipping through Kochels, Thompsons, and Penroses to find the directions to the lights. I miss getting us lost on these quests. I miss the big mess of stuff engulfing the back seat of the Land Rover when we go for multi-day expeditions.

I miss my 10-year-old brother complaining, "Greeeeeeeeggggg, your stupid lighthouse books are knocking out my GameBoy cables!" I miss the McDonalds and Burger King wrappers stuffed in that grease-soaked bag in the way-forward section of the footwell. I miss the quest for postcards, stamps, and gift shops along the route.

I miss the first sight of a new light, that split second when your "life list" goes up one digit. I miss that first time I pull the handle of the Rover's door, hear that "click" of the latch undoing, and seeing and stepping on my first patch of new land. I miss the quests through private country clubs, yacht clubs, and multi-billionare developments to see the light, hoping that a 11-year-old Land Rover looks like it fits in.

I miss discovering a new radio station, whether it be the Country station beamed across the St. Lawrence in Ogdensburg, NY, or the 100% conservative station we found from Boston. I miss that beginning of a new day, with so many possibilities ahead of you, so many lights to see. I miss the quest for photos, whether it be an artistic lantern room shot or a far-offshore light that puts my digital camera's 10x zoom to the test.

Basically, I miss every aspect of the lighthousing experience. I love travel overall, whether it be driving around in a stuff-filled car to see lighthouses or spending a weekend in a five-star resort. But while I definitely love sitting in the lap of luxury of the latter, in some corny way, the former evokes just as strong a feeling.