The line up outside the Fog Alarm Building for the seven o’clock screening surprised me at first, where did all these people come from?
With the Porphyry Island Lighthouse open now for the past few weeks, I guess it should not come as a surprise that visitors were excited to attend the soft opening of the Gordon Graham Gallery & Theatre.
When the door swung open, people rushed in with their deck chairs to find a place to sit and screen a film about the Graham Family maintaining the light almost 37 years ago at Porphyry.
This was at a time when the dialogue was about change; the Graham Family would be the last family to live, work and stay at the lighthouse in its 120-year history.
The Canadian Coast Guard could now operate unmanned stations because the technology required needed only a solar panel, battery and a blinking light.
As the visitors settled in they were given a brief introduction to Gordon & Eve Graham and how Gordon’s passion as a photographer later put him on the national stage.
After the screening there were several questions about the family’s lives and how they managed to survive in the harsh November environment when the film was taken.
Huge waves and a light blanket of snow could be seen surrounding the lightstation in the film but things did warm up when the visitors left as it was a nice summers night, some returned to the guest-house, some to tents and others to a boat moored in the cove.
During the day the Northern Focus Photography Club under the guidance of president and founder John Ongaro, took over the site to capture images of the landscape, flora and fauna, and even chasing after butterflies!
This week also saw the anniversary of a couple that had visited last year, and a group of four seniors from Ottawa who are kayaking from Silver Islet to Rossport.
Everyone’s stories of why they love this area becomes clear in moments of the unexpected, for example as Lake Superior goes quiet. You see everyone has this picture that Lake Superior is a beast of a lake, but also at times it’s as tame as a lamb.
There was perfect weather to install a new floating dock for the cove. This week a small crew headed by Jim Massey worked to install docks donated by the Thunder Bay Yacht Club.
As a destination for boaters and sailors, now deeper draft boats can be accommodated for the first time in years.
Departing from our dock this weekend was our 1st ever Artist in Residence, Gayle Buzzi. Now her term is over, she is sure to have long lasting memories of her visit here.
As we move into our 4th week things are starting to fit into place and now we can focus on some other projects, such as publishing our self-guided plant guide.
Next week we will share with you our visit from the Superior North-Shore Regatta and tell you how our mini-museum is coming along.