For some reason, the text did not appear with the pictures of the Japanese dock in Newport, OR. Today, I had the opportunity to visit Agate Beach in Newport, OR, and sit on the dock that was torn from its moorings by the tsunami following the Tohoku earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011. In 15 months, this reinforced (rebar) concrete dock drifted across the Pacific Ocean and ended up on the beach in Oregon.
As I was sitting on the dock, I was thinking about my good friend Kaori and her family in Japan and about the thousands of people who lost their lives in the tsunami. I was thinking about the people who used this dock and wonder what happened to them during the tsunami. If only the dock could tell the story of those people and of the 15 month journey across the Pacific.
Warmest regards, Gus
This is a view of the Heceta Lighthouse as seen from the Sea Lions Cave just north of Florence, OR. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see that the lighthouse is shrouded in plastic. It is undergoing renovation this year and so I couldn't climb to the top. 
Recently I visited the Sea Lions Cave on the Oregon Coast near Florence. I first went into the dark cave and saw a few sea lions, but then came out to the overlook and found over 100 sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks. On the way home, I saw several whales, but they quite aways out and didn't get any pictures. 
On Friday I visited the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. One of the great exhibits was Coin Press No. 1, which was brought to Carson City from Philadelphia in 1869. The first coin was struck in 1870, a Seated Liberty Dollar, bearing the CC mintmark. The 18,000 press was moved back to Philadelphis after the Carson City mint closed in 1890. Later it was sent to the San Francisco mint and used there until 1955. It returned to Carson City in 1967. The picture shows a commemorative coin being struck, as I watched, on May 25, 2012. The press is used for this purpose on the last Friday of each month.
Yesterday, I visited the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City. The first two pictures are exterior shots of the capitol. The next two are in the Governor's office. I wanted to visit with Governor Sandoval, but he was in Las Vegas for the day. 
Warmest regards, Gus
