Up the coast highway from Santa Cruz, about halfway to San Francisco, this comes into your view and you can't believe it is there.
Day or night, it's a spectacular piece of scenery perched on the rugged California coast. One of the tallest lighthouses in America, The Pigeon Point Lighthouse rises 115 feet into the air and at night sends a sweeping beam slicing across the Pacific Ocean that's visible for miles.
Built in 1872 and first lit November 15 of that year, its’ name derives not from the bird (I've never seen one there, come to think of it), but from the unfortunate wreck of the Carrier Pigeon, from Boston, in 1853 on a dark and stormy night. After that, they decided they better get a lighthouse.
And they built a good one.
This crumbling piece of history was captured in fine French acrylics over a 4 by 12 inch stretched gallery wrap canvas by local artguy Vern Scharf, and protected for the ages with multiple coats of acrylic varnish.
Now you can own a real landmark.
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