Discussion: Nantucket?

Had to do some googling to guess that one.

There was a fine joke on the radio last week about a guy who is the poet laureate of Marthas's Vineyard, but who hasn't yet found anything that rhymes with Martha's Vineyard. You needed to know a little geography to fully appreciate the humor.

In other news from that part of the world, they're preparing to move the Gay Head lighthouse 130 feet inland, about a month from now. 450 tons, so it's being done on temporary rails instead of by helicopter.

Thanks for that news, J-J. I did see them move the Cape Pogue light many years ago, using a helicopter. Pretty fascinating. First they separated the top from the bottom. They lifted the top and put it aside, went off and re-fueled, then moved the bottom onto its new foundation, +/- 300 yards away, re-fueled again, then placed the top on and bolted it all together.

Just out of curiosity, do you know Arnie Reisman?

And just out of curiosity, are they moving the lighthouse inland because of the rising sea level?

Or because helicopters keep separating its top from its bottom?

JJ: Even we West Coasters (at least those of us who look at maps) get the Nantucket limerick joke ;-)

There was an old lady from Martha's Vineyard
Who got a gift from her son: a lanyard.
Said the son: "That's quite fair,
Now we're all square!"
Mom: "Oy, I'm ready for the graveyard!"

(Do you know the Billy Collins poem?)

How many orienteers does it take to move a lighthouse?

Answer: Six: One to fly the helicopter, one to attach the cables, one to make the map correction, and three to argue over whether the correct map symbol is a building or a tower.

How many Trail Orienteers does it take to move the lighthouse back?

Answer: Two, one who files a protest over the original move and one who files a protest over the choice of map symbol.

Not rising sea levels per se; this lighthouse is on a high bluff well above the ocean. But the bluff is made of clay, and like many things, it's constantly eroding, putting the lighthouse too close to the brink. There's a lot of stuff in these parts that's in danger of falling into the sea, and that's been the case for a very long time. Whether the erosion is happening faster because of rising sea levels, I couldn't say.

Arnie Reisman

No, I don't but he sounds like a pretty fine fellow and a good choice.