Storm Season brings with it warnings to be followed...

We are expecting not one but two storms, Thursday - Saturday in combination with extremely high tides, and a second blue moon for the month of December. What more could we have to deal with for a new year? While storm watching, or beachcombing, please take care as to not jeopardize your life or the Coast Guard rescue teams by playing on the logs or get yourself caught in the surf by the tides. Please be aware this coastline can be very dangerous under normal circumstances but will be doubly dangerous this week.

If you choose to explore, do it as a team, never by your self. Always watching for sneaker waves, they never follow a pattern and can wipe you off your feet in seconds. Yes there will be treasures from the sea to be found but consider doing this after the sea calms down Sunday or so for the sake of your own safety.

Please be very careful and enjoy a safe and happy New Year.

Recent Beachcombing On The Oregon Coast

< - - Lucky resident beachcomber Chelsea of Lincoln County found this 5 inch sard agate weighing at just under 2 pounds a couple of weeks ago. Her dad Tim also likes strolling along the beach finding agates.

Tim found these beautiful agates Monday. - - >
These are just a few of what Tim found. The largest one a fancy agate has a very thick skin covering what appears to be a light blue agate, the white agate to the right of the quarter is a clam bellie agate, the center red one is a very nice carnelian agate. Good hunting by these two agate collectors.

Agate Arrowhead found on the Oregon Coast

This beauty of an agate Indian arrowhead 1½" long was found south of Newport last winter by Jerry D. a local resident, beachcombing here on the Oregon coast. It is in remarkable shape, the workmanship is incredible on this piece considering how hard agate would be to work by hand without the aid of modern lapidary equipment. It is one thing to work in obsidian which is volcanic glass and much easier to work with deer horn in those times.

Jerry brought this in a couple of weeks ago to share with you folks. He was such a nice fellow he gave it to his boss as a gift! That was beyond generous Jerry.

Editors Note: Check out another arrowhead found her on the Oregon coast, last year.

Busy Season here on the Oregon Coast...

The storms have been numerous, delighting our seasoned beachcombers, tourists and novice agate hunters alike. The weather and the waves have caused a variety of changes on the beaches, as well as all sorts of stuff washing up or being exposed. This is a time of discovery with the uncovering oddities and good reports of treasures being found on the local beaches, one couple had even found an old glass fishing float with some fish net still attached. Our guest are really enjoying the hunt looking for agates and jaspers.

Sorry I haven't had a chance to keep up lately, work has been wild. This is the first photo I have been able to take in weeks. I haven't had time to take any photos of recent treasures that have been found. Plus on top of everything else, our updates are in the work for the new revised copy of the pocket guide Agates of the Oregon Coast that will be out next year. Hard to believe it is time for a reprint already. We thought the first printing would have lasted for two years or so.

Beautiful weekend beach combing for agates in Newport!

Boy what a great weekend here on the coast, sunny, no wind or rain! Saturday a local couple had already found a couple of great fossil shells, one was a Musasha indurata (pictures to follow later after Christmas, due to no time for photos).

Parking for all the agate beds was scarce yesterday when we took our drive south. The beaches were still covered with sand yesterday but the beachcombers were getting their fill of collecting agates of the Oregon Coast. Today Cheryl a local beachcomber, brought in her beautiful black banded trophy agate weighing in at 1¼ pounds and just under 4 inches in length.

Blue Agates just found...

These are two nice blue agates were just found by lucky Linda out beach combing Saturday. Good work Linda.

The agate hunt is on!

Just in "It was FABULOUS this weekend. I made it to the beach Saturday afternoon low tide and the sand was negligible. There were actually big rocks, not just pea gravel, and it was a great day. Lots of petrified wood, bigger agates than usual, plenty of red jasper, and a fair amount of green jasper, too. Plus assorted oddball stuff." Garret - Author of Gem trails of Oregon

Attatched photo is of Jim & Kathy's beachcoming efforts from November 11. Nice sized agates with a banded one in the upper left corner, the smallest one is an agatized clam bellie.

Latest Word on Beachcombing...

Yesterday a lucky Springfield lady visiting the coast found a carnelian agate weighing possibly 9-11 pounds! One of our locals identified it for her and praised her on her beautiful find.

Guess that means beaches are beginning to show rock now, you will just have to look for yourself. But no the large gravel beds are not showing yet but yes there are treasures out there. Photos of more agates that have been found lately to follow soon. Happy hunting folks!

Beachcombing On The Oregon Coast!

I would imagine after the weather we have had this past week the beaches may be scrubbed clean by next week. The storm watchers have really had an eye full this week watching Mother Nature at her best. With the high surf it has been too rough for anyone to go out beachcombing this week as the water has been covering the shoreline up to the cliffs!

Give it a few days and it should provide good treasures of agate, fossils, petrified wood and more for all, but please do NOT turn your back on that ocean, it is really wild and dangerous. Don't call for a beach report I can't see it from here, just take a chance and check it out for yourself.

After these storms, I figure by now that there should even be a few of the old fishing floats on the shore too.

Jasper Arrowhead Found!

Another great find.,,3" Jasper Indian Arrowhead, artifact found on the Oregon Coast!

Beachcombers Paul and his wife found this Indian arrowhead over a year ago during a very windy day at the beach as Susan was trying to drag him home. He thought he saw an arrowhead and went back to retrieve it. The arrowhead features such an interesting pattern to the jasper color wise too. The photo shows the knapped detail on this piece as seen front and back in the photo very nicely.

Tomorrow we are anticipating quite a windy and rainy day for the coast, maybe that will remove some of that sand to expose the gravel beds. We are getting reports of agate being found to a limited extent daily now. No certain areas to report as it changes by the tide.

Nice Agatized Fossil Shells Found!

Susan of Florence did it again two weeks ago beachcombing on the Oregon coast. The discovery season uncovered a very bright and colorful, patterned, sard colored agatized bivalve (clam) bellie, the size of a quarter.

Her good eyes also brought Susan another incredible find...this beautiful icy clear agatized gastropod (sea snail). To see this piece in person the close-up details on this piece are incredible. When held to a bright light, it appears to be a light lavender color, with what appears to be finely cut crystal detailing within in the agate. Usually these snails appear to be white smooth cloudy agate. 2 more great finds Susan!

Trophy Sized Petrified Wood Found on the Oregon Coast

Just in yesterday: this trophy sized petrified wood was found by Dane, a north county resident earlier this year, here on the Central Oregon Coast. This is the biggest piece we have seen so far weighing in at just under 72¼ pounds, looks to be part of a very large limb or a part of the tree trunk. The color is actually blue grey measureing 11" x 12" and wet as you see it (as seen for scale over a large full size 22 ounce geologist pick for scale) it takes on a black with beige wood grain pattern running through it. It looks like it might be Spalted Myrtle an Oregon Myrtlewood.

This was found by lucky beachcomber Dane, a north county resident. It took him three hours to carry it home from the beach. What a determined guy he is.

Storms have started!

Have you read the latest Rock & Gem (October issue) magazine yet? They have a wonderful article on the Origin of Agate, written by Steve Voynick a mineral collector and former hardrock miner. For all of you that want to know more on the formation of agate this is an article you won't want to miss.

Here on the Oregon coast the rockhounds are all anxiously awaiting the scouring of the beaches for the agates and the fossils to reappear for all of our beachcombers to experience treasure hunting during the discovery season now through May.

Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup a Success!

Facing the threat of cloudy skies and rainy conditions on much of the coast, more than 3,700 beachcombers volunteered for the 25th anniversary of the SOLV Great Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup on Saturday. The entire Oregon coast, over 362 miles, was cleaned of debris that had accumulated since last spring. Volunteers removed an estimated 54,460 pounds of trash from Oregon’s beaches.

The SOLV Great Oregon Beach Cleanups occur twice a year when thousands of volunteers head to their favorite spots on the coast. Every beach is cleaned up of litter and marine debris, from the California border to the Columbia River.

Founded in 1969 by Oregon Governor Tom McCall to address litter and vandalism problems, SOLV’s mission has expanded to reach every county in the state and brings together government agencies, businesses and individuals in projects to enhance the livability of Oregon. Governor McCall also signed the 1967 Beach Bill into law, creating the Ocean Shore Recreation Area, managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for the benefit of all Oregonians.

Naturally the weather was picture perfect for sunday, monday & tuesday with a high of 90 degrees Monday here in Newport. September and October kicks off the lower rates at the coast and generally offers our guest to the coast better weather than June - Labor Day. Now we are all waiting for the great storm watching weather to start the beachcombing season for the agates to be exposed (removal of the sand by the storms to expose the gravel beds).

Oregon Shores Vacation

Thank you to local beachcombers Linda and Mike for sharing your photo with all of us that others too may see what our Oregon shores looked like a few weeks ago. This was not the norm for the summer time but an exception!

Today and for the weekend we are having more minus tides again. Maybe some of us will be lucky and find some treasure in the tide pools again. However we are all anxiously awaiting to see what the winter storms will uncover.

Not a Turtle Fossil found on the Oregon Coast

Updated from: Lori Tobias of The Oregonian Latest info on this is that it is NOT a turtle after all as it was thought to be in the story below!

William Orr, state paleontologist; Bill Hanshumaker, marine education specialist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center; and Guy DiTorrice, an avocational paleontologist, visited the site Tuesday the 15th together at low tide. They wanted to more closely study what local beach walker Carol Ritzert reported finding about a month ago. Ritzert had watched erosion reveal the rounded formation for about one year.

Scientists think this fossilized tortoise found along the beach in Lincoln County may be 20 million years old. The domed back of the stone, which measures roughly 30 inches long by 24 inches wide, suggests it was a land turtle.

"Oregon's Fossil Guy" Guy DiTorrice says the last time a discovery of this significance was made was in the 1970s, when Guy Pierson, also an avocational paleontologist, found a seal or sea lion of similar age near Newport. Parts of that fossil are at the University of Oregon museum and the Smithsonian.

"This is big," says Bill Hanshumaker, marine education specialist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Time is of the essence to preserve this fossil in order to save it before it is lost by nature and erosion or destroyed by humans, DiTorrice and Hanshumaker hope to see it displayed at the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Newport.

Editors Note: by Lori Tobias, The Oregonian Saturday September 05, 8:05 PM and Tuesday September 15, 2009, 8:35 PM.

11 pound jasp-agate found!

Nice 11 pound sard or butterscotch jasp-agate found Wednesday by local resident Patrick on the beach south of Newport!

Prospecting & Tidepool Discovery...

Thank you Larry for sharing your copy and making us aware that there is a new issue of Gold Prospectors The Magazine for Gold, Gem & Treasure Hunters, featuring a good article Newport's local Moolack Beach fossils by Garth Rimble. Another feature article is on the the Oregon State Gemstone Oregon Sunstone by Carrie Milanoski. Great reading for our rock hound friends and beachcombers alike!

Now regarding local info: last week we had folks coming in with agates that they had found. A couple of ladies had found some black agates (first one over a quarter of a pound and her second one was over one pound). Another gentleman also reported having had good luck that day also. More often than not the norm has been sparse collecting for very very small pea sized agate and some small jaspers!

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area ~ Events: We are having some very early minus tides so Tidepool Discovery Day - will be Saturday, August 22 from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. Naturalists will be stationed at the tide pools from 7 to 9 a.m. to share the wonders of the tidepools and the life forms that inhabit them.

Films and hikes highlighting the entire Scenic Area will also be available at the Visitor Center Theater from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Henry Fonda filled his spare time collecting agates too!

During his time spent in Lincoln County, to film the movie Sometimes a Great Notion, Henry Fonda filled his spare time as he sketched watercolors and collecting agates. He bought himself a tumbler to polish his rocks.


EDITORS NOTE: The photograph accompanying this article is courtesy of photographer Gerry Lewin. Lewin was a staff photographer for the Salem Statesman in 1970 and covered the event for the paper.

Third Blue Agate Found on the Oregon Coast!

Not bad, this makes the third blue agate that has been brought in this summer! Notice the concentric banding of white around the blue bubbly orbs (this is a botryoidal form of agate). Lucky beach comber Eileen from California found this agate beauty north of Newport.

Ernest Block, Also An Early Agate Hunter!

A couple of weeks ago an entire week here in Newport, Oregon was a celebration of Ernest Block, the composer who also was a photographer, an agate and a mushroom hunter. He lived here in Agate Beach from 1941 until his death from cancer in 1959.

According to his grandson Ernie, "He would go down to the beach hunting for agates, then he would polish the agates that he found on the beach, one at a time. Bloch apparently believed in a theory that keeping the hands busy allowed musical ideas to germinate and mature."

It must have worked. He wrote about one-quarter of his works at Agate Beach, including by some accounts some of his best pieces, such as the Jewish-themed Suite Hébraïque in 1950 and the second Concerto Grosso in 1952.

Bloch relished the beach. He used to read Walt Whitman there. Which is why, on the Ernest Bloch Memorial at the Newport Performing Arts Center are lines from Whitman saying, "Give me solitude, give me Nature ... "

Oregon Coast Minus Tides Reward Agate Hunters

This multi-color agate beauty of over 1 pound was found today during the morning minus tides here in the Newport area by beachcomber and agate collector, Don of Snohomish WA. Don found others as well but this is really one to write home about. He left here waiting for the tide to go out again this after noon.

Nice find Don, keep up the good work.

With temperatures predicted to be 90+ to 100 degrees over the weekend in the I-5 corridor, we are seeing a rush of folks here to beat the heat on the coastline, where it will be measurably cooler than the inland part of the state.

Beautiful Oregon Agate

I just finished mounting this beautiful fancy agate found here on the Oregon coast. I call this one the "paisley" as it is just so beautifully patterned and reminds me of beautiful fabrics used for dressmaking.

This agate is done in the lapidary art of wire wrap, making a pendant created in 14K gold filled wire. The stone was just found earlier this year. Quite the find in such a dry year for beach combing here on the Oregon Coast.

We are now in another week of extra low tides, customers just in had found a number of agates in the normally inaccessible tide pools. Tomorrow will be another minus tide here on the coast.

Just a walk on the beach!

Last night I made a delivery of the pocket guides AGATES of the Oregon Coast about 8:00 and noticed how beautiful the weather was. I grabbed my gem scoop from the car and off we went venturing out onto the beach.

This was the first trip to the beach for our new rescued pup exploring the rocks and combing the beach. Quiet and peaceful, the tide was going out so it was safe for the pup to explore the shoreline too. The beach was mostly deserted with no other people to speak of. A guy eventually parked his rig for a run on the beach. I discovered a new gravel bed that the surf had just revealed, and proceeded to fill my pockets with beautiful colorful jaspers, small agates and a few pieces of sea glass within about 20 minutes. We found some beauties, several nice agates. We left the beach with the sun still on the horizon and were home before dusk!

Life on the Oregon coast is spectacular at all times of the year for the beachcomber. May not all ways find a trophy agate but they are there just not always in volumes.

I will get a photo of my finds up as time permits. Enjoy your summer!!

Minus tides beckon tidepoolers again this week...

Sorry we haven't had a chance to get back to the blog, pretty busy these days. Wish we could be out there on the beach with you to enjoy the great tide pooling during these minus tides and beachcombing that so many of our guest are experiencing here on Oregon's central coast!

I come across this site earlier and wanted to share these excelent photos of tide pools to get a close up and personal look of what you may experience here during these minus tides. Yes folks are finding a few small agates too but keep in mind this is NOT agate hunting season.

Upcoming lowest tides of the year for the Oregon Coast!

Video by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Oregonian - The tide was so low Wednesday May 27, 2009 that, in addition to gaining access to areas normally under water, people could easily reach the boiler for which Boiler Bay, just north of Depoe Bay, was named. Lower tides are forecast for June 23 & 24.

The Oregon Coast Exposed

As reported by Joe Rojas Burke in today's Oregonian: "Super-low tides at the Oregon coast will again provide ideal conditions to view a range of sea life not usually exposed to human visitors to the tidal zone. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the tides will drop as low as minus 3 feet, which is about as low as the tide will get on the oregon coast. Extream minus tides reveal sea scapes and marine life that's hidden under pounding surf most of the year."

Editors Note: This photo originally appeared in the Wednesday May 27, 2009 issue of The Oregonian.

Unusual agate found on Oregon's Central Coast

I must apologize to you that I haven't had a chance to keep up on this report but work comes first! However it is nice to be able to say we all are still keeping busy in this economy.

It seems that the agate beds south of Newport have all sanded in but Newport to Lincoln City are still seeing small pockets of gravel that are still rewarding the collectors with nice treasures!

This is truly an unusual agate that was found yesterday by lucky resident Jeff of Lincoln County while he was beach combing north of Newport. This was actually 3½" across showing several interesting cavities of quartz crystals within the agate and mottled with ribbons of red jasper. Nice find Jeff!

Wow what a week on Oregon's Central Coast!

Summer is definitely on it's way the weather has been beautiful. Sunny with a cool breeze for flying kites, great minus tides for the beachcombing of coastal treasures and tide pooling, what more could we ask for? In twenty plus years we have never seen this kind of a response for a Memorial Day Weekend. It is really impressive, looks more like the beaches of southern California with people frolicking on the coastline of Oregon. Some people were surfing while others were wading along the surf line some even swimming, seems a little cool for a dip in the ocean to us.

Be careful on those roads out there and we hope you ALL have a safe Memorial Day!

Geology's Rock stars still being found on the Oregon Coast!

Nice find! This was just brought in by local agate collector Jeff, This Oregon agate geode showing nice quartz crystals weighed in at 5.4 pounds. Not bad considering that it was pretty much all buried in the sand. This just goes to prove, Agates can still be found on the Oregon coast even when you least expect it even if the beaches appear sanded in.

Memories of Christmas at the beach

Agreeably the best Christmas ever! We met this family from Calgary, Alberta, Canada on the beach the young boy in the photo is now 27. All of us had a wonderful time collecting the treasures that nature had left us beachcombers for Christmas on the Beach 1987.

Agates, colorful jaspers, petrified wood and more...

Fossil Tooth found on the Oregon Coast

Locke and his wife Debra, our guest visiting from Calgary, Alberta found this great tooth specimen nearly 3 inches long while beach combing recently while here in the Newport area. Locke also found a couple of other treasures, nice agates and a wonderful specimen of petrified wood etc.

We met these wonderful folks one Christmas over 20 years ago while we were beachcombing with our Collie dog, Candy. She fell in love with their son as you will see in a few days when I get the photo scanned in for the blog.

I hope Dr. William, or Elizabeth Orr or some other paleontologist can help identify this specimen and the other one that was found earlier this month.

Congratulations Locke on your prize fossil and other treasures found on the Oregon coast, it was wonderful to see you folks again.

Another LARGE agate found!

This beauty of an agate is almost 6 inches across weighing in at two and a quarter pounds. Thursday, Lauren of Otter Rock just found it here in the Newport area. The photo appears blury due to the grape like form known as botryoidal agate.

Danny's trophies for Easter

These two agates were just found by Newport resident Danny. The top is a fancy agate with a lot of interesting color and patterns.

This black agate is actually the size of a quarter and the black shadows the back that almost takes on a blue hue.

Editors notes: Both agates were back lit for the beauty to shine thru.

Skip the eggs and head for the beach.

Better instead to participate in the natural hunt that nature puts on and find a bunch of shells, driftwood, agates and other neat things at the beach.

In Newport, head to Beverly Beach State Park or South Beach State Park. "This is one of the best times of year to go beachcombing on the Oregon Coast," said Sunny Golden, a spokeswoman for the Newport Chamber of Commerce. "The winter storms bring all sorts of exciting things to the shore, including unique shells, agates, colorful jaspers, driftwood. When the tide goes out, it uncovers a blanket of treasures and gemlike stones for the taking."

Along with the agates and shells, lucky visitors also may find a fossil.

Editors Note: Be sure and read the entire story by K. Williams Brown, of hidden treasures await at coast.

Fossilized tooth found on the beach

< - - This fossilized tooth was found on the beach is yet to be identified. Possibly a petiped tooth as the ones in the jaw (shown in photo below) with the little boy. Found by lucky beachcomber Kevin of Lincoln County.

Bloodstone still found on the Oregon Coast

Example here was photographed wet to better see the colors. Here are two recent finds of the bloodstone jasper still found on the Oregon Coast. These are excelent examples found by Frank of Newport. Showing the red blotches on the field of green jasper.

Agate cast of a Razor Clam Shell

Upon first inspection this appeared to be a shell trapped in the sandstone. However upon a closer look it is actual agate. Another nice find by local beachcomber Frank of Newport.

BEAUTIFUL Select Fancy Sagenite Agate Found!

This Fancy Sagenite Agate shown as front and back is actually the size of a quarter, found by Susan and Paul of Florence. This has to be one of the finest pieces of agate found on the Oregon Coast. Good job Susan!

Agatized Nautilus Shell found at Newport

< - - Photo shows both the front and back of this complete agatized Nautilus shell, just found by Bryan a local beach comber here in Newport. Great eyes to have seen this one.

Dolphin Skull

This is a pretty impressive fossil of a dolphin skull as seen just recently here in the Newport area.

Zeolite found on the Oregon Coast

This is a rarely ever seen complete zeolite specimen just as it was found on the beach, showing the ideal crystaline structure! This is one I have been waiting years to see showing the complete framework of the crystals in it's natural habitat.

This wonderful educational piece was found recently by lucky Lincoln county beachcomber Linda D. Thank you Linda for sharing this rare treat with all of us.

Keep in mind around here at the coast there is no interest in zeolites of this variety because there is no value in them, I just happen to take an interest in all finds and wish to document them for prosperity.

This is not an agate, and would not be a candidate for polishing in the tumbler. Notice the radiating crystals originating from a central point, showing chain-like structures whose minerals form acicular or needle-like prismatic crystals. Zeolites combine rarity, beauty, complexity and unique crystal habits. Typically forming in the cavities, or vesicles, of volcanic rocks, zeolites are the result of very low grade metamorphism.

Agate collecting at Newport

Sorry folks that I have been busy at work and no time to catch you up on the local beachcombing here in the Newport area. After the last week of storms that hit our area the agate collecting should be good for spring break!

This is just one of many that have come in lately with some great finds. This one was found by Glen D. of Newport. I wire wrapped this pendant in 14KGF wire. The lapidary art of wire wrap works well to capture anything.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get a lot more up for you to see some of the recent treasures that we have been enjoying lately from the coastline here in Newport.

Beautiful Green Agate Found!

Congratulations to Donni M. of St. Marie's, Idaho who found this large cobble south of Newport a while back. Green agate is rarely ever found on the coast. This beauty weighed in at just under one pound!

Agate found January 21, 2009

Things are NOT always what they appear to be...

Our extreamly unseasonable warm January weather here on the Oregon coast has brought out the beachcombers from every where to go hunting for agates. Local resident Frank was out collecting last Friday and found this black beauty! Just looking at it in normal light you can't see the water bubble within the agate until you back light it with a strong beam of light and the black disappears to expose the trophy of the day.

Beautiful One Pound Black Agate

This is another nice find from one of our local beachcombers. What a lucky dude you are Frank. Wait till I get the photos of Frank's Black agatized, enhydro clam belly up that he found Saturday. You haven't seen anything yet!

Unsual Basalt formation...

This specimen was found about 6 weeks ago just south of Newport, by Richard of Seal Rock. Basalt is normally smooth and does not have any pattern at all to it. We believe this orbicular pattern to be an indicator as to the rapid cooling during it's formation. Nice find Richard!

Beachcombers' Alert on the Oregon Coast...

Well the beaches have finally been scrubbed clean of tons of sand to expose the gravel bars. This is what the beaches looked like Sunday (both north & south of Newport). Temperatures were amazing in the 50's and not a breeze! Don't bother to call and ask someone if the agates are showing as this condition may only last 6 hours or 6 days at a time. This is Mother Nature's way of providing for the future beach combers.

Yesterday folks came in with lots of nice agates to get their tumblers started! Congratulations to the gentleman that found a nice sized partial agatized "enhydo" (water bubble within it) clam belly. In the near future I have some interesting photos to get up from our agate collecting guest.

Later: In the Newport area I just returned from a 10 minute break from my deliveries wearing a T shirt (no need for a coat) in JANUARY and that was too warm. Temperature was 65 degrees, sunny without a breeze (better than summer at the coast) and I found a sandwich bag full of lovely agates and jaspers for our little friends. They were every where! Folks collecting there were visiting from Nevada, Washington and California as well as Oregonians. The weather is suppose to be nice throughout the holiday weekend!

Below is a great story to check out!

Central Oregon Coast Beaches Rich with Agates, Oddities:

"Keep looking down while at the beach. There's lots to see this year.

Agates abound on the central Oregon coast right now, and some of the ghost forests are starting to peek out of the sand, along with some extremely ancient bedrock." By Andre' Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection and photo.

Happy New Year to all of you!

It has been a busy winter here at the showroom and we have not had a chance to catch up for some time now. Hope we can do a better job of keeping you posted on all of the great beachcombing treasures that you our friends are finding out there.

It has been a great time for our whale watching - guest and friends. The week between Christmas and New Years is traditionally the time for the migration to the warm waters of Mexico for the cows (female whale's) to give birth to their calves down south. The weather has been clear enough for our guest to get a pretty good view of them spouting as they make their way south. They will return again in the spring around March 19th on their way north.

Hope to see you again this year as you make your way through Newport.