Well, it has been a long time since I've posted here. I could share a myriad of excuses, but they all sound lame ... so let's chalk it up to my writing muse being silent and my life being a tad busy. I'll be sharing some updates here in the weeks ahead, so keep visiting.
Beach walking
One of the reasons we moved here was to enjoy the beaches and the fresh air. The beach was for exercise or so that Mr. Retired could fly one of his kites. Then a new friend gave me a polished red jasper and started telling me about rocks. She shared her collection of agates, jasper, and more. I was hooked right away, and thus began my search for rocks. I've brought home lots of "shoulda" rocks (should have left it there), as well as some nice pieces of basalt and several pieces of jasper. I also have some nice pieces of quartz, and lots of "blended" rocks. I thought I'd found one or two small pieces of agate, but they turned out to be jasper or plain ol' rocks.
Some of these rocks can be polished, and I can hardly wait for our stuff to arrive as we already have a tumbler, and I want to try my hand at tumbling/polishing. Many of the rocks are too porous to polish, but we like their shape and/or color, and have decided to build a small "dry creek bed" in our garden -- and will use these rocks there. While rock hunting we've been caught by sneaker waves twice (shame on us - and it won't happen a third time), plus I sprained my ankle so we have to choose our beaches carefully (no climbing over the sand dunes until the ankle heals). Amazingly, many beaches are accessible via a paved path or a short, careful walk down some rocks or dirt.
One day while rock hunting, I kept seeing "rocks" floating out to the sea. I thought it was odd and wondered what "rock" would float that way. When I got closer I saw it was itty-bitty baby crabs. *huge grins* Wish I'd taken my camera to show you. I've never seen them as anything other than "eat me" stage so I was totally fascinated. I watched them as they "crabbed" their way to the ocean, and even saw one dig a hole and dive into the sand. What a treat to be seeing all this fun stuff and be old enough to truly enjoy and appreciate it. =)
Rocking away
Well, today I wanted some fresh air. It was sunny, with a light breeze and temp in the mid-50's. Perfect for rock hunting. So after lunch we took a short drive to Bob Beach (south of Strawberry Hill) and navigated our way through the big rocks and over near the creek. Using my digging stick, I stood on the edge of the creek and moved rocks, watching for either jasper or an agate. Maybe it will sound silly to you, but I found myself praying, "Lord, let Mr. Retired and I both find an agate -- and it best be a shouting agate, because if it doesn't shout out, 'Here I am!', we'll never find it." ;-)
I kept walking, poking around, looking and praying. I used the sun to watch for rocks that were translucent or that sparkled (that's what all the books say to watch for). All I found were wet rocks. Soon I realized my toes were cold, and I looked down and discovered I was standing in the creek. HA! I was so focused on hunting, I wasn't paying attention. I guess I need to find some boots. Anyhow, I figured in for wet toes, in for wet feet - and kept moving. After 30 minutes of stumbling, digging with my fingers, rejecting rocks, and wincing as my ankle complained ... I moved away from the creek bed to see how Mr. Retired was doing. He had found some interesting rocks and we decided that since I had wet feet, maybe we should head back to the car. Okay, I sighed. Then I looked down at my shoes. I don't know why. I just did. There, right there at the tip of my right shoe was an agate. A good sized agate to boot!!!!! I think I gasped as I leaned down and picked it up. It's about 1-1/2-inches by 2-inches, circumference maybe 4-inches. It should polish up nicely. :) I was sooo excited, especially since several people had been in this spot over the past 30 minutes -- yet they never saw the agate. I was standing in just the right spot, at just the right angle for the sun to shine on it and just as I asked the Lord, the agate shouted out 'Here I am!'
Well, if you'd like to see the picture we took of Bob Beach, click here.
To see the pictures of my agate, click here and here.
All pictures open in separate windows.
As we walked back to the car, I found another piece of agate - not as nice, but it should polish up nicely as well. All in all, a great day on the central coast of Oregon.
