The Keepers Log Is Born
Welcome to the Craighill Channel Range Lights Keeper’s (b)Log. This is where we, the keepers, will keep you updated on the progress and plans for the Lower Range Front Light Station, as well as any other lighthouse adventures we may participate in. I wanted to recreate the Keepers’ Logs of old, but with a new millennium twist - an online blog! Read the About page for a little more information. This Log is part of the Craighill Range Lights website.
Site Design:
I put a lot of thought into the design of the Log. Initially, I was hoping to give the site the appearance of an old log book or ledger. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any templates that fit the bill. Instead, I designed my own graphics for the background using scans of the original deed from the National Archives behind the header background graphic. The handwritten script used in those archived documents also doesn’t translate well to a computer monitor, so I chose the mono spaced “typewriter” font instead. The image under the title is a slice of the “range” light of the Craighill Lower Front lighthouse, Photoshopped a tad bit. I’m open to feedback if you love or hate the design, however!
The background of the main body is also from the scan of the original deed showing the longitude and latitude of the Craighill Channel Lower Range Front Light Station and area around it deeded to the Federal Government for the light. Anyone have a nickname for this light? The formal title is a mouthful! I’ve heard “Man-O-War Shoal Light” used - does anyone still call it that?
Just a word on the site if you are unfamiliar with how blogs work. There is an RSS syndication link to the bottom right of the main page. This is for those who use (or would like to use) RSS feed readers. What it does is alerts them when a new post has been made so they don’t have to check the site regularly. There are free online sites that are RSS aggregators such as Bloglines (what I happen to use). You would copy the link for RSS and paste it into the “add” screen of Bloglines (or any other RSS reader - Google also provides this service).
Frequently, since I tend to get wordy, posts will be broken up so only the intro appears on the main page. Under the first paragraph will be a “Continue Reading…” link if this is the case. Don’t forget to click the link to read the whole entry! Photo intense entries will also have “Continue Reading…” links. Otherwise, the main page tends to get miles long and intimidating. You can also click on the title of any entry to view it in its entirety and without the sidebar links.
Anyway, I think that’s all for now! I plan on writing a few more entries in the next couple of days to catch up on some recent developments.
