Barbara Delinsky

Look in the distance of the first photo below. That’s the Watch Hill Lighthouse on the Rhode Island coast. First built as a watchtower during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), it was destroyed by storms more than once. The version you see here, which I shot last weekend, was built in 1856, modified and updated, then repaired after being damaged by the Hurricane of 1938. It was automated in 1986.

I’ve photographed it multiple times, though not in winter like this. The barriers you see here are snow fences, which cut the speed of the wind. As snow gathers on the leeward side of the fences, sand dunes are preserved.

Because I’ve visited here so often, one of my own photos was used as the basis for the cover art of A WEEK AT THE SHORE. That'll be the summer shot, the one without snow fences. And the book one? A reminder that A WEEK AT THE SHORE is currently available in hardcover, trade paperback, eBook, and audio. The cheap-o mass market edition? Coming this May 24.

P.S. For you history buffs, the French and Indian War was fought in the North America colonies between the British and the French. It was a dispute over land, over control of the fur trade, and, ultimately, over the balance of power in Europe. Some things never change. (Sigh.)