What we do have is some interesting flotsam and jetsam arriving on our coast from the tsunami in Japan 16 months ago. Paulette, of Sweet Pea Quilting, mentioned it in her blog the other day.
The biggest piece to wash ashore so far is the remains of a dock, which ran aground on Agate Beach. Contrary to some news casts, this is not in or near Portland, Oregon. Portland is not even on the coast of Oregon, but I digress.The latest item to wash ashore was two large rusty storage tanks welded together that showed up on Horsfall Beach recently. Although initially thought to be tsunami debris, this has been determined to be local in origin and has already been removed. Oh well, it provided a little excitement for the locals as long as it lasted.
The dock however, remains on Agate Beach and plans are being made to remove it on July 30th. In talk of removing debris from Oregon beaches, one epic story remains in my mind. It happened WAAY back in 1970, on the Oregon coast at Florence. A large whale had beached itself and the highway department was charged with removing the remains. What happened was unexpected and has become a legend in Oregon trivia.
Enjoy a bit of Oregon history and perhaps a chuckle in this short original vintage video of how the whale was removed from the Oregon beach.
Sorry about the links. I am using my laptop - different operating system and version of Live Writer and can't get it to look like it should so I said the heck with it. Just click on the link!
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PZhn28_Z9wc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Here's another take on the whole incident - this one with an update. I like this video better, especially the last thing he says.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIlKxaEIFDk
If you want to see original footage of the exploding whale, go to the local pistol range The Baron's Den and talk with Walt, the owner. It was his car that got hit by the blubber and he's always ready to show the original footage along with his own comments.
ReplyDeleteI heard about the dock several weeks, ago. Makes me wonder what else is headed our way.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that came to my mind watching the footage of the whale explosion was, "They walk among us."
Thanks for sharing, Donna. Oregon still remains my favorite state. :)
Thanks goodness you don't have any of those horrible things happening there!!!
ReplyDeleteWe just missed that big dock coming ashore. We almost drove back just to see it. I am not sure how I feel about what should be done. It is one of those darn if you do and darn if you don't....YUCK!
Well....that was a whale of a story. Our government in action.
ReplyDeleteHoly Cow! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry watching that video. I agree with hobopals, they walk among us and it's very scary!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll skip the exploding whale, but wow on that dock. Amazing huh?
ReplyDeleteYou need to run down to the beach and watch all the stuff from Japan float in. Who knows what treasures you might find.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you blogged about the Japanese dock. It's quite a story. We probably won't get to see it in person, but it sounds like many people have seen it. I wonder what other items will drift over from the tsunami?
ReplyDeleteWow, that's all very cool. Japanese dock! Explosive whale!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I didn't experience that rain storm of blubber. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad I wasn't there. What a story! I think Kodiak had a better idea for the whale that washed up on its shores in 2000. They buried it so it would decompose, then dug up the bones and re-assembled it for all to enjoy at the Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. No blubber rain for them!
ReplyDeleteThe tsunami debri is sure fascinating for us. The event itself was so overwhelmingly aweful. I guess this gives us a chance to move further along with processing what nature can deliver. (I've had tsunami trauma from watching it on TV.) You take care and hope you get some sunshine for the 4th. Raining here on Vancouver Island too this weekend.
ReplyDeleteOnly a government employee could call the whale boondoggle a success and only a government agency would promote the instigator.
ReplyDelete