I’ve loved lighthouses from the time I was a young girl, loving them so much that a few years ago, I even had one built for the yard, and I even named my first son after a character’s name from a lighthouse scene in a movie.
With this said, I will now tell you my favorites are Cape Hatteras and Ponce Inlet. However, Ponce Inlet is the one I need to speak of. I met my best friend at the age of twelve, and as an adult, she moved to Florida, but we remained close. She knew I’d always wanted to visit a lighthouse and it was several years before I actually got to visit a large one. I went to visit my friend and she took me to see Ponce Inlet.
It was a very warm afternoon, and I was so excited I barely noticed the heat. I had taken several photos when she suggested I climb the lighthouse. I told her I had seen the lighthouse and that would be enough since she couldn’t climb the stairs. She’s been wheelchair bound since birth. She said, “You’ve come this far and I really want you to climb it.” She said she’d be fine, and waited as I went inside. I admit that I was thrilled that she insisted and so, I climbed the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse on October 24, 1987. The wonderful memories of that warm, sunny day will remain with me forever. And it’s one of my favorite memories I have of my forty-year friendship with Judi. We had visited Ponce Inlet!
And sad to say, my best friend passed away on March 28, 2001. Each time I see a picture of Ponce Inlet I will think of her.
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