Leftovers

The past two days I've been out shooting pictures to use in this week's Theme Thursday post, and while chasing down scenes that would fit my own take on the "History" theme, I also came across these off-topic shots I couldn't resist.

This pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were paddling along on Newport Harbor off King Park on the south end of the harbor. That's the male (called a "drake") in the front and the female (called a "hen") behind him. We get a lot of these here in the Winter, both in the harbor and in the quieter coves and backwaters along the ocean shore.

Nantucket Lightship WLV612, docked in Newport Shipyard. Lightships were anchored near the Nantucket Shoals to act as a floating lighthouse in a dangerous bit of offshore water. The lightship was replaced by a Large Navigational Buoy in September of 1983. For all intents and purposes 612 was the last lightship, but she was replaced one day before the station was taken over by the LNB by her sister ship Lightship Ambrose, which in the records became 613 and technically the last Nantucket Lightship. WLV612 has been converted to a luxury yacht (pretty good for a working ship built in 1950!) and does charters out of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Newport, and New York, and her home dock is now in the North Cove Marina in NYC. It looks like she's at Newport Shipyard for a little fitting and sprucing up before going home for the holidays.

© 2009 by A. Roy Hilbinger