SCRATCHPAD
Searching for agates
By LISSA BREWER
COAST WEEKEND EDITOR
During one of the summer weeks I spent
visiting with family friends along the cen-
tral coast of Oregon, I discovered my fi rst
wild agate. From the house we stayed in, all
of us — my parents, my sister and the cou-
ple we were visiting — took a walk to the
beach.
I distinctly remember refusing to wear
shoes. I must have been about 7 or 8 and
keen on running along the shore without
having to carry a pair of sandals. This was a
blistering hot day, so soon after stepping off
the cool grass and the wooden stairs, I alter-
nated from keeping my feet in the ocean
and searching for shaded coves to escape
the dry sand.
I found myself wandering around some
rocks, and in one of the tideland bends spot-
ted a surf-tumbled stone. Just an inch or so
long, it had been partially exposed, lying in
a small bed of gravel.
The stone was a translucent white with
gray rings, an oval shape with an indented
angle. I spent the rest of the afternoon and
evening studying the rock, keeping it tight
in a pocket. My windows are now fi lled
with agates, stones and shells.
These are just some of the discoveries
sought out by North Coast beachcombers,
with colorful agates and other stones turn-
ing up in unexpected places year-round.
Beaches with gravel beds and tideland
coves are some of the best for agate search-
ers, and the sites are endless. But do take
your shoes.
Lissa Brewer
Rocks on a beach near Arch Cape. Pebble-covered beaches are a favorite for agate searchers.
ON THE
COVER
STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS
COAST WEEKEND EDITOR
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
THURSDAY
JULY 21
AN ASTORIA MELODRAMA
2022
The 38th season
of ‘Shanghaied
in Astoria’ will
run through
September at
Astor Street Opry
Company.
AUDIENCE FAVORITE RETURNS TO THE STAGE
PAGE 8
A LOFT FOR
ARTISTS
PAGE 4
EXPLORING
COASTAL BREWS
PAGE 6
LIBERTY THEATRE’S
NEXT STEPS
LISSA BREWER
CALENDAR COORDINATOR
SARAH SMITH
CONTRIBUTORS
M.J. CODY
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PETER KORCHNAK
REBECCA LEXA
BARBARA LLOYD McMICHAEL
BRIAN MEDFORD
PAGE 14
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