fencing

Poles in the carpark overlooking the Full stop surf spot at Seal Point.

Monthly Theme Day, Numbers

Many of the old buildings in South Africa had the date of completion displayed in some way on the building, which is helpful for historians. This is the lighthouse at Seal Point, completed in 1878. Many other City blogs are participating in this month's theme...

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Arradon, France by Alice, Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis, Budapest, Hungary by agrajag, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Busan, Korea South by iamnbinb, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chesapeake Daily Photo (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Chicago (IL), USA by Focused Light, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy by Patrizia, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Dallas (TX), USA by turtle, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Mary, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Ioannina, Greece by Christos-Ioanna, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Mainz, Germany by JB, Malaga, Spain by Paula, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minsk, Belarus by Olga, Misawa, Japan by kristen havens, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Montpellier, France by Marie, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, Newport News (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, North Hampton (NH), USA by Amy, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Omsk, Russia by Nataly, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Owasso (OK), USA by Jennifer, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Penang, Malaysia by Maltelda, Perth, Australia by Elevation7, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea by Jules, Riga, Latvia by Famous, Rollag, Norway by Stormel, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, San Francisco (CA), USA by Louis la Vache, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Seoul, South Korea by Phil, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Tel-Aviv, Israel by Olga, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Test City (MA), USA by , Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Turin, Italy by Livio, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vichy, France by Delphsnl, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by Rachel, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,

Historic Monument

The lighthouse at Seal Point was built in 1878, and has been declared a National Monument. The brass plaque you see on the gatepost is placed on all buildings with this status.

The honour brings with it responsibilities for those who own or administer a national monument, to maintain and preserve it in its original condition. No alterations may be made without specific permission from the Heritage Board, who will make very sure that any changes do not intefere with the historic nature of the place. (Sadly in many places, like Port Elizabeth, this is being ignored, and wonderful heritage sites are being lost as businesses have no problem paying a paltry fine for demolishing a building on a site that will bring a fat profit from a new development.)

But the good news is that there are many others, like this one, which are lovingly cared for and open to the public, so that an interest in the heritage of our nation can be passed on from generation to generation.

Looking up

A different view of the Lighthouse at Seal Point, built in 1878.

Bonus behind the scenes shot:
Our grandson looks on in amazement as granny lies on the ground in the doorway to get the angle she is after, while his parents pretend they don't know this person, and wish they were somewhere else !

lighting up our lives

Not sure if this is a rainbow, or just the base of the clouds refracing light, but either way it is a cool backdrop for the lighthouse!

Beach Cottage

This beach house is wonderfully positioned on a rise overlooking the surf spot at Seal Point. I adore the Cape Cod architecture, and the way the colours were so cleverly selected to blend with the surroundings. On this rainy day it has a lonely look about it that is very reminiscent of some of Andrew Wyeth's paintings.

A different kind of road....

Since we are talking about roads on the PE blog today, I thought it would be an idea to do the same here. This sign is on the road to the Seal Point Lighthouse. The R5 coin is about 30mm in diameter. The "Kimberley se gat" is a colloquial reference to the great hole of Kimberley, an enormous abandoned diamond mine.

What they fail to mention is certain other less cute creatures that can be found there, like this mean looking Puffadder! Most snakes will get out of your way if they hear you coming, but Puffadders are lazy and would rather wait till you are close enough to bite, so you have to be very alert when walking through the bush, and particularly in dead leaves, where they are very hard to spot.

Lighthouse porthole

The walls of the lighthouse at Seal Point are 2 metres (6 feet) thick at the base, and they taper down as you climb higher. This creates wonderful shaped windows with deep recesses. Damp is always an issue there, the thick old rock walls act as a wick, sucking moisture up from below, and painting and maintenance is an ongoing issue. We took this shot while the lighthouse was in the process of being repainted. The loose paint had been scraped off, but not replaced yet.

Seals....

Seal Point is one of the best surf spots along the coast. It is not as famous as the legendary Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay, just down the coast, and the locals like it that way, as they don't enjoy jostling for space on the waves. But, because of the shape of the point and the wind direction, whenever the surf is flat elsewhere, it will be cooking at Seals.

This particular spot is called Full Stop, because there is a submerged rock, only visible at very low tide, which has literally brought many surfers to a full stop if they don't avoid it!

We have a family tradition that, whenever we drive into Cape St Francis, we go straight to Full Stop and park there to watch the sea for a bit, before going wherever we are heading for. One day we were driving along, and couldn't believe our eyes. We commented to each other that it must be extremely low tide because full stop was so big, sticking out of the water. Then we did a double take and realised it was moving, and we were looking at a whale right alongside us.... it was a breathtaking experience.

Ajubatus Marine Wildlife Rescue

Jackass penguins at feeding time. As you can see from the wall behind them, they are much smaller than the king Penguin. (taken through sea spray covered glass, so a bit blurry)

Yesterday we showed you the King Penguin that ended up at St Francis. Isadora asked a very good question, 'Does this happen often? The reason I ask is that there is a Penguin rehabilitation center ready to help! I was surprised.'

So I am answering it with today's post. No Isadora, it is extremely rare to see a King Penguin in Africa. Ajubatus was created to rescue marine and wildlife in the St Francis area. They do a lot of work with the local Jackass penguins, which have become a vulnerable species, as well as seals and many other species too. So the king penguin was just really lucky that he got stranded where and when he did!

Here yours truly enjoys a cup of coffee and a view of the lighthouse. The penguin centre is the building between the coffee shop and the lighthouse, with the green wall.

They now have a base at the Cape St Francis Lighthouse, and raise funds by running a coffee and curio shop next door, and giving lighthouse tours.

I wanted to find out what became of the stray visitor so I phoned Jared of Ajubatus this morning for an update.... I also found a much nicer picture that Max took, as well of one of him when he first got there looking all bedraggled. You can read about it and see the extra pix here.

I also found a very interesting post giving details of his capture and rehabilitation here.

a rare visitor to these shores...

This King Penguin got seriously lost last year, he is supposed to live in Antarctica, but somehow ended up on our shores! He was in bad condition, but the good guys at the Ajubatus Penguin Rehabilitation Centre at Seal Point cared for him. The plan was for him to stay there until the next ship goes to Antarctica and he can hitch a lift home! Being accustomed to somewhat cooler conditions, the staff had to keep hosing him down because he couldn't handle the heat (even in our winter.) Unfortunately he was rather aloof so all we got was a cold shoulder!

The Prisms

This is a view inside the dome of the lighthouse, showing the amazing design of the precision ground glass prisms. They magnify the light of this surprisingly small light bulb enough to show brightly kilometers out to sea.

Meet Lionel...

........ Who is the lighthouse keeper at Seal Point, and takes great pride in maintaining the old tower, and showing people around inside it. In the next few days we'll show you how it looks inside, and the incredible prism system.

Seal Point Lighthouse

This is one of our favourite spots on the planet, and it doesn't matter if the weather is fine or foul, there is always something so relaxing and awe-inspiring about it..... sitting on these rocks at the base of the lighthouse, watching waves smashing against them, seeing fishing boats and giant tankers skim silently past on the horison (there is a mean reef stretching out from the point so they give it a wide berth!) surfers enjoying the point break, large groups of dolphins going past, and between June and September, watching whales playing nearby. BLISS!