Olympic Trials Highlights July 6-10, 2016 Eugene, Oregon

First, let me give my regrets for getting this out so long after the trials is completed.  We returned home and I am just now wrapping this up.  In any case, thanks for checking back in!

Women’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase

Emma Coburn was the class of the women’s steeplechase.  She took over with 3 laps to go and won in a trials record time of 9:17.48.  Courtney Frerichs of New Mexico and Colleen Quigley of Florida State were second and third, making their first Olympic team.  Ohio’s Bridget Franek, a member of the US team in London, dropped off the pace with a little over 3 laps to go was not able to repeat as an Olympian.

Women’s Shot Put

Michelle Carter won the shot put.  Carter threw her best on her third attempt with a 64-3’1/4.  This was her seventh US title and third Olympic team.  Seven women had throws of 60 feet or better - the most in trials history.

Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles

Sixteen year old Chanel Brisset, of Wynncote, PA. equalled the third best time in US high school  history with a 12.95 qualifying race.  She advanced to the finals.  The women’s 100 meter hurdle final was the fastest in Olympic trials history as the top six finishers ran 12.62 or better.

Men’s 200 Meters

Noah Lyles, a high school runner from Alexandria, VA ran the fastest ever 200 meters with a 20.04 to qualify for the final.

In the final, Justin Gatlin, running in lane 8, beat a younger field with a 19.75.  LaShawn Merritt placed second, in 19.79 followed by Ameer Webb in 3rd for his first Olympic team.  Noah Lyles ran 20.09 for 4th.

Women’s 5000 Meters

In the first round of qualifying, Molly Huddle had the fastest time in 15:26.33, followed by Conley, Mackey, Taylor, Houlahan, Tully, Ostrander, Emily Infeld of Ohio, Sara Hall of Redding, CA., Hall, D’Agustino, Tebo, and Welling.  Angela  Bizzari of Nike and formerly of Mason High School in Ohio did not advance.

Men’s 1500 Meters

In the first round Craig Engles had the best qualifying time of 3:41.92.  Avila, Blankenship, Winn, Manzano, Colby Alexander of Strongsville, Ohio, Crawford, Wheating, Centrowitz, and McNamara all advanced.  In the semis, Ben Blankenship led all qualifiers with a 3:44.24.  Oregon alums Matt Centrowitz, Colby Alexander, Daniel Winn, Andrew Wheating, Jordan McNamara, and Johnny Gregorek all advanced to the final.  The final was not decided until the final 200 meters when Matt Centrowitz put on a beautiful fluid sprint to win in 3:34.09.  Robby Andrews put on a kick of his own to finish in second in 3:34.88.  Ben Blankenship had to outkick Manzano for third in 3:36.18 for the final spot on the Olympic team.

Men’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase

Evan Jager and Donn Cabral made their second Olympic team and earned a trip to Rio in the steeple.  Jager took the lead after the 3rd lap and kept it to the finish line in 8:22.48.  Cabral ended  up third.  Hillary Bor moved from 5th to 2nd from the final water barrier to make the Olympic team.

Mens’s 5000 Meters

A Hayward Field crowd of 22,847 was anxiously awaiting the final of the men’s 5000 under perfect sunny skies.  McGorty took off after 2+ laps.  Shrader ran after him and caught him within a half lap.  The two of them forged the pace and opened up a 30+ meter lead at one point.  Galen Rupp took off after them and reeled them in to the roar of the Oregon fans.  After a few laps with Rupp pushing the pace, it was obvious that the chase pack was closing on all three leaders.  After a few laps, the chase pack of 6 or 7 caught them all, including Rupp!  Now the race was on for the three spots on the Olympic team!  The crowd was in a frenzy.  Bernard Lagat was in 6th place with a lap to go.  He was in 2nd with 200 meters to go.  HIs final lap of 52.82 passed leader Paul Chelimo to win in 13:35.50. The 41 year old Lagat made his third Olympic team in this event.  Hassan Mead, a former Minnesota Golden Gopher, who runs for Nike Elite now, finished second in 13:35.70.  Chelimo, of the US Army, took the lead from Galen Rupp (who faded to 9th) with 300 meters to go for a 13:35.92.  UO alum Eric Jenkins was 4th by 6/100 of a second - the closest  fouth place finish in the 5000 in trials history. 

Men’s 110 Hurdles Final

Devon Allen, Oregon redshirt sophomore, attacked the hurdles.  Allen, an Oregon wide receiver on the football team, ran 13.03 to win.  It was the first time since 1956 that the college champion won the Olympic Trials in the same year.  Ronnie Ash and Jeff Porter, 13.21, finished second and third to make their first Olympic teams.  Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson, two favorites, did not make the team.

Off the Track

Bud and Jim introduced us to Kelly Green from Burton, Ohio.  Kelly is a former Kent State 800 meter runner.  Kelly joined us in the cafeteria from time to time.  We bought an extra ticket from Kelly when son-in-law and daughter Brett and Betsy came up to Eugene.

We ran into the Austintown trio of Rich Kempe, Bob Lunn, and Andy Sasson in the exposition area behind the west grandstand.  In addition to running against these guys in high school, all three ran at Mount Union with Lunn transferring to Bowling Green after his freshman year. We reminisced about running summer races at Goodyear Park in Akron in the summer between high school seasons.

Hal and I met Marc Hunter and Larry Coy and their wives in the exposition area one afternoon.  Along with these two, Guy Abrogast, Terry Williams, Kevin Ryan, Tom Tepley, Nate Ritchie and Bob Lunn were also there.  Another time, I met up with Marc again and was able to visit with his son Drew who had just signed a pro contract witih Adidas. 

During one meal, a young lady stopped by and asked if I was who I appeared to be (in consideration of the beard).  It was a former track standout from Cloverleaf - Kelanie Nuckols!  While not a distance runner, she was on the Cloverleaf track teams during the time I worked with the distance runners.  Kelanie is entering her senior year at Mt. Union and is a volunteer for the trials.  We had a good time catching up and were able to visit often with Kelanie during the trials.

We saw Matt McGowan (Ohio Northern distance runner and publisher of the RUNOhio Magazine) every night in the cafeteria.  Matt was probably my closest rival throughout my four years at Wooster.  This rivalry began with my first college cross country meet and ended at the OAC Track Meet our senior year.  He gave me a RUNOhio shirt, which has become a trials tradition.  I proudly wore my new shrit the next day.  

Jim, Teare, Hal, Barb and I went to the Wild Duck where we had a chance to meet Ed Carruthers ( 3rd in ’68 HJ), John Carlos, (2nd ’68 200m), and Craig Virgin (3 time Olympian in the 10,000m.  He was on multiple world cross country teams.  We visited with Craig who told me he is still in Lebanon, IL.  Terry Hart, our Michigan friend (and former Michigan pole vaulter) was there along with Martin Nolasko (former college runner and Humolt Toad road racer).  We ran into McGowan and other RunOhio folks and we surrounded Terry with our Ohio State and Run Ohio shirts on for a “Lonely Wolverine” photo.

Craig Virgin was there again when we returned with brothers Jim and Art.  Tim Breiner (College of Wooster), and his friend Pete were there as well as Terry Hart and Martin.  Craig followed me back to our table where he proceded to tell old Big 10 track stories involving people that a lot of us recognized.  One of the stories Craig recalled was when Tom Byers of Ohio State was hired as a rabbit for a mile in Oslo.  Tom did his job leading through 1200 meters.  Nobody was staying up with him and Tom kept running instead of stepping off the track and went on to win despite a furious closing kick by Steve Ovet from Great Britain.  Craig added “Tom and Steve did not hang out after that”!

Westfield friend and track official Julie Gauvreau stopped by the cafeteria one night with Tommy Dann.  Tom, (a former Wittenberg runner,) and I had some close races in college.  It was great to see Tom and catch up after all these years. 

Going back to the Eugene Olympic Trials of 2008, we have come to know a guy by the name of Dave Casper.  Dave always wears a Mt. Sac Relays hat and is a fixture at the trials.  His friendly personality and love of the sport make him a great guy to visit with in the cafeteria - where he likes to linger and make his rounds.  We recently learned that Dave was national class in two events in the 1950’s.  He was one of the top contenders in the 400 hurdles and he was also a 1:47 880 runner in 1955.  Dave showed us photos of his family and he liked to play track trivia with me.  One day he showed me a photo of three runners in an indoor race.  Two were immediately recognizable as Steve Prefontaine and Frank Shorter.  He challenged me to come up with the third guy in the photo who was leading at the time.  Well this was easy because I had just been talking to the very same guy an hour earlier …. Terry Williams.  Dave’s jaw dropped and the trivia game was over.

Speaking of incredible coincidences, as Teare and I were about to board our flight in San Francisco, who should be on the same plane but our new friend Kelly Green of Burton, Ohio!  Not only was she on the same plane, but she assigned to the seat next to us!  This resulted in a five crowns card game that took us across much of the USA!

In addition to the people we met, we all were able to get exercise via walking the campus or to the trials events.  For the walkers and runners in the group, we had the bike trails and Pre’s bark chip running trail just down the street and across the river.  One day, Teare and I rented bikes and went on a couple rides on the river trails.  Kelanie Nuckols joined us for a ride that same afternoon.

In Conclusion

Our Lighthouse adventure, including the drive across America and Olympic trials has come to an end.  We had a great time during every phase of this trip and were glad to have you along!

For those of you who stayed for the trials reports, I hope you enjoyed them as well!  Our best to all and we hope you enjoy planning whatever makes your tail wag!

Bill and Teare

  

Highlights of the Olympic Track and Field Trials from Eugene, Oregon July 1-5, 2016

Teare and I drove up from Crescent City, CA. on July 1 and made it to Eugene by 2:00 PM.  I was in Hayward Field for the opening ceremonies by 3:30.  Two F35’s did a flyover as the final notes of the Star Spangled Banner were played via trumpet.  

On the Track:

Ohio’s Brannon Kidder qualified for the semi’s of the 800 meters.  Clayton Murphy, of the University of Akron not only qualified for the finals, but ended up winning the trials 800 in 1:44.76.  Boris Berian was second in 1:44.94, and Charles Jock was third in 1:45.48. 

High schooler Vashti Cunningham qualified for the women’s high jump Olympic team with a leap of 6’4.5.  Brittney Reese was one of the better performances of the day with her 23:11.75 in the women’s long jump.  Euclid, Ohio’s Jessica Beard competed in the women’s 400 meters, but did not advance to the semi finals.  Sandra Richards Ross did not qualifiy in the women’s 400 either.  Later, we saw her in the stands hanging out with friends. 

In the men’s pole vault, Sam Kendricks set a new meet record in the pole vault with a jump of 19-41/4.  Cale Simmons was second with 18-61/4, and Logan Cunningham was third with a vault of 18-41/2. 

In the men’s 10,000 meters, Galen Rupp had a lead, fell back to the chase pack, surged again, then was reeled in once more.  He let it rip with 600 meters to go to win in 27:55.  He had already qualified for the marathon.  He came back on July 4 and finished 6th in the first heat of the 5000 meters to qualify for the final. Shadrack Kipchirctir was second in 28:01 and Leonared Korir was third in 28:16.  Both Kipchirctir and Korir run for the US Army. 

On day one of the decathlon, Ashton Eaton started things on the right foot with a win in the 100 meters with a 10.33.  Jeremy Taiwo took the overall lead in the decathlon but Eaton regained the lead after the long jump and 400 meters.  On day two, Garrett Scantling won the decathlon shot put with a 52’04.  Hardee and Brondyke were 2-3.  Ziemak (from U. Wisconsin) was 6th and Eaton was 7th.  Taiwo won the decathlon high jump with a 7’03 and Ziemak was second with a jump of 6’10.  The decathlon, always one of my favorite events, came down to the 10th and final event to determine the final outcome and US Olympic team.  Jeremy Taiwo was sitting in 4th place following Eaton, Ziemak, and Scantling after nine events.  As they approached the 1500 meters, the final event, Taiwo had to beat Scantling by 14 seconds in order to move ahead of him in points awarded for the 1500.  Taiwo took the lead from the gun and finished in a strong second place finish in the event.  He gapped Scantling by over 200 meters and made his first Olympic decathlon team.

Molly Huddle won the women’s 10,000 meters with a 31:41.  Cleveland Beaumont’s Emily Infeld was second in 31:46, and Marielle Hall third in 31:54.  The Olympic standard is 32:15, so all three are qualified to compete in Rio.

On July 4th, Bridget Franek from Mantua Crestwood High School in Mantua, Ohio won her heat of the 3000 meter steeplechase in 9:39.93.  Emma Coburn, an Olympian from 2012, won heat three in 9:35.28, to set the stage for a possible second Olympic team for Bridget Franek. 

Finally, the stage is set for a great 5000 meter final with several names we recognize and some new faces qualifying out of 2 heats on Tuesday.  From heat one:  William Kincaid (13:47.86), Ryan Hill, Ben True, Jeff See (from Columbus, Ohio and Ohio State), Shadrack Kipchirchir (10,000 qualifier), Diego Estrada, Riley Masters, Garrett Heath and Sean McGorty.

From Heat two:  Bernard Lagat (13:48.36), Lopez Lomong, Eric Jenkins, Hassan Mead, Paul Chelimo, and Galen Rupp. 

Finally, there was the women’s 800 meter, which provided the drama for the trials to this point.  All eight competitors held PR’s under 2:00 going into the final.  With a possible clip and an alleged push with 130 meters to go, the two favorites were knocked out of the race.  Unheralded Katie Grace won in a PR 1:59.10.  Ajee Wilson was second in 1:59.51, and Chrishuna Williams was third in 1:59.59.  With 150 meters to go, Brenda Martinez, one of the favorites, moved wide to begin her kick.  Alysia Montano and Molly Ludlow did the same.  In the middle of it all, Martinez claimed she had her foot clipped from behind causing her to veer out of her lane.  Montano stumbled, made contact with another runner, and rolled head over heels causing the crowd of 21,713 to make a collective gasp.  Grace flew past Wilson and Rogers and Williams barely hung on for third, despite a strong finish by Ludlow.  This was especially painful to watch as Ludlow finished in fourth and one spot off the Olympic team in 2012.  Montano dropped to her knees in emotional agony several times in the final 120 meters which was equally tough to watch.   

Off the Track:

The trials are also about the fellow track fans as well as the action we are all here to see.   Our contingent includes brothers Art Reedy & Jim Reedy.  Friends Hal and Barbara Gerspacher, and Teare and myself staying in the dormitory.  Brett and Betsy Amstutz joined us for a couple days, and attended two days of action at the trials.  Julie Gauvreau, and friends Tom Sherwood and Tom Dann (former competitor from Wittenburg)  are also here.  

Outside of our immediate group, we have run into Bernie and Tom Weber, Matt McGowan (RunOhio Magazine, and former competitor from Ohio Northern U.), and  Tim Breiner from The College of Wooster.  Walking around the expo, we ran into a gang of former competitors from Mount Union and Austintown High School, including Rich Kempe and Bob Lunn.  Kelani Nuckols, from Mount Union and formerly of Cloverleaf High School is here as well. Kelani, like Tim Breiner did not recognize me at first due to my lighthouse keeper beard and mustache. Today, Teare and I went bike riding around town and saw the Eugene premier of the movie “Tracktown” with Kelani at a downtown theatre.

As always, there are former Olympians walking around the venue and out and about.  We have talked with Ed Caruthers (silver in '68 High Jump), John Carlos (bronze '68 200) and Craig Virgin ('76, '84 Olympian in 10,000).  I saw Craig Masback, track announcer and former miler while jogging out on Pre’s Trail.  

We stay in a dormitory which is litterally caddy-corner to Hayward Field where the Olympic Trials are being contested.  We eat in a cafeteria which is part of our dormitory complex.  The food is healthy, abundant, and good.  We are having a great time.

Today, July 5, was the first of two rest days.  Art and Jim took a road trip to see Brett and Betsy in Redding, California.  Barb Gerspacher returned from Bend where she was visiting her sister Linda, and Teare, Hal and I stayed in Eugene and enjoyed the parks and bike trails.

I will provide at least one more recap of the action from Eugene.  Until then, we hope everyone is well.  Thanks for joining us at the Olympic Trials!  Here are a few photos of our time in Eugene.

    

                              Decathlon 110 High Hurdles

Hal, Bill, Teare, Art, Jim, Betsy and Brett

Women's 100 Meters

Women's 800 Final

Various photos from Pre's Trail and Bike Path:

                                                                 

                                   Autzen Stadium - Home of the Oregon Duck Football Team

The Lonely Wolverine surrounded by Ohio State fans in Eugene

We completely blew the O-H-I-O!

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 30

We are going out with a bang on our final day!  We climbed the tower at 12:40 AM to see the stars.  We had to wait until after midnight since this is when the spotlight which illuminates the lighthouse goes off.  We saw the stars in between flashes of the beacon light.  The reflections of the lights from the city also posed an obstruction.  Still we had a great view of the big dipper and the most recognizable constellations.  

The day dawned perfectly sunny and getting more windy as the day goes on.  I was up early and took some morning photos of the lighthouse and surrounding area.  As I crossed the tidal basin and rounded the corner to climb up the ramp by the parking lot, I came upon a raccoon.  We were both a bit surprised!  When the racoon was satisfied I was just moving through, it went on about its business.  On the way back, I pushed a few large rocks out of the path I plan to take when I bring the ATV to the mainland later in the day.

Next, I raked all the gravel on the walkways as it tends to go down over the embankments and gets into the flowers and ice plant.  Fred waddled along side of me as I raked the area close to the lighthouse.  As reward for his help, I fed him.  Again, he hung out after his modest meal of cat food, and we talked.  

We had breakfast and used up more of our remaining food.  Afterward,  I packed everything I would need for Oregon into one bag and everything that would wait for our return trip to Ohio in the other bag.  

After breakfast, I cleaned the tower glass inside and out.  With our work over the past month, I can plainly attest we are leaving the lighthouse in better condition than we found it.  Once Teare had packed, I fired up the ATV and took a load to the car.  This way, we will only have to make one trip tomorrow morning when we meet the new keepers.  At that time we will transfer all keys and leave the ATV in the parking lot so they can use it to move in.  Fortunately, the couple coming in for July have been here several times before, so we will not have to orient them like new keepers would require.

After I took the load to the car, it was time to straighten up for our tour schedule.  We wanted to have this done a bit early so we could visit a bit with the Schmidts who we have worked with the most on tours.  Since it is unlikely we will work with them in the future, this will be our last chance to visit with them until we return to Oregon where they live, or they visit us in Seville.

Our tours ran from 1:00 - 4:00 today and all went smoothly. Afterward, I played sheep dog a bit warning tourists about the incoming tide.  

We had dinner, and then visited with Teare’s sister Norleen and her husband Jim Hoadley via Facetime.   Afterward, I swept the stairway and Teare vacuumed upstairs.  Now it is time to make this final post from the lighthouse.

It has been a great experience and we will take these memories with us from this time forward.  It has been a stretch role for two people from Ohio to assume the duties of lighthouse keepers simply because it was our month!  Learning the history behind every stick of furniture and the lighthouse, supervising volunteers, running a gift shop, and changing beacon fuses and lights were all new to us.  Visiting with every new tourist was the easy part!  Thanks to the Del Norte County Historical Society for their faith and confidence in us.  Thanks to the many volunteers over the past month who have worked with us on tours. Special thanks to Dottie and Karen who mentored us and taught us how to run the lighthouse, register, and kept us supplied.  Finally, thanks to all who joined us on this journey.  

If you like the sport of Track and Field, you are welcome to continue to monitor this blog as I report highlights from the US Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon.  We will be there from July 1-10.  We will drive our car to Redding, California, and fly home from there, leaving our car with Brett and Betsy.  I call that phase 3 of our adventure.  Phase 4 comes in September when we fly to California and drive back across the country taking a different route!

Signing off from Battery Point Lighthouse where the light is operational, tide is rising, and visibility is estimated at 5 nautical miles.

Bill and Teare

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 29

I swept the walkway first thing this morning and met a nice couple from Switzerland.  I invited them to return while we were open for tours.   They did!  I also swept the stairwell from top to bottom and Teare cleaned right up until the time the first tour started at 12:00.  

We conducted tours until 4:45 with the help of volunteers Bill and Gretchen.  I was in the tower all day. The morning fog gave way to beautiful sun shine during the early afternoon.  In addition to the couple from Switzerland, we had a number of families from Washington state today. 

It is ironic that water was a concern before the days of pumped city water given that the lighthouse is virtually surrounded by water!  As you know, you can not drink sea water, nor use it for baths.  When in the tower, I point out the pile of timbers that are the remains of a water tower that was installed sometime after 1907 when the upstairs bathroom was built.  The water tower was built so that it was higher than the upstairs bathroom so that it could be gravity-fed. Originally, all the water was gathered off the roof and stored in the 1200 gallon cistern under the kitchen and the 5000 gallon tank outside.  There was a hand pump that would pump it up to the kitchen.  Everyone took a bath Saturday night and used the same water.  The water was heated by firewood which came by horse and wagon up the ramp.  In those days, the ramp was built of wood and stone and had to be rebuilt several times a year.  They also gathered driftwood and stored it in the shed on the north side of the lighthouse.  This is just one of several aspects of life in the early days of the lighthouse to illustrate how difficult life was then.  

The other visible illustration of life in the 1850's is when we point out where the original outhouse was located.  It was perched litterally on a cliff and accessible via a wooden ramp that you would have to walk from the very top of the point.  If it was windy or stormy - and especially if it was dark, it would have been a treacherous ordeal simply to go to the bathroom.  This is when I remind them of the value of the chamber pots they saw in the Piland bedroom. It was the children’s duty to take the chamber pot down the spiral staircase and empty it.  That’s what I call earning your allowance!     

After the tour day was done, the clean up began.  Once again, I swept the stairway.  We used up a variety of foods for dinner as Teare made a farm scramble   Egg, bacon, cheese, pepper, and toast.  I know this sounds like breakfast food, but we used up the last of the pancake mix at that meal!  We are trying our best to use up all remaining food.  

After dinner, we took a break and went outside to soak in the sun.  Fred was waiting for us!  I fed him and we sat down on the picnic table.  Fred joined us from an adjacent rock.  We decided that we needed to climb on the rocks around the lighthouse.  The photo below is from our rock scrambling.  The area to the west of the lighthouse has a natural rock cove and the waves thunder and spray high in the air.  This is the what we hear from the lighthouse that sounds like explosions.  I also took various other photos from outside the lighthouse.

This carving is made from part of the old cypress tree!

Here is a view of the lighthouse from the base of the rocks.

High tide slamming into the rocks.

A different view from below showing the old cistern.

A close up of the volcanic rock.

A view of  the rock as we scrambled down.

Geraniums are starting to bloom in the flower box.

Soon it will be time to start packing for the next phase of our adventure. Tomorrow is our last full day as lighthouse keepers.  We hope you have enjoyed the Lighthouse Blog.  Thanks to those of you who encouraged us and supported the blog through your reading of our posts and your comments! For those interested in continuing to follow our adventure, I will publish periodic highlights from the US Olympic Trials of Track and Field from Eugene, Oregon on this same blog.   Look for our final lighthouse post tomorrow.  Our best to all!    

Keeper’s Log Battery Point Lighthouse June 28

Since our first tour was not until 11:00, we had a more relaxed morning.  I fed our pet gulls, and completed one of our exit tasks.  Namely, ensure the gas cans are full for the next keeper.  I emptied the current can into the ATV and mower and filled it along with our car for our trip to Eugene, Oregon.  While at the gas station, I saw the father of a family from Utah and he expressed his thanks for the tour.  I remembered he had three little girls.  As I walked to my car, I heard my name called and it was the girls excited to see the lighthouse keeper that they knew.  This is just one of many interactions I will recall with fond memories.  With three days remaining, we have identified what we need to do to transition and now this list was one task shorter.  

Volunteers Bill and Gretchen were here a little before 11:00.  We were open until 2:30 and at the last minute a couple came in and the guy begged to go to the tower.  He claimed that he wanted to propose to his girlfriend.  I followed them up and they wanted me to be with them (probably for photo taking).  In any case, I was witness to a proposal in the tower today!    

I took a little rest after the tours as this involves being on your feet  and speaking the entire time.  I find it is nice to just sit in a quiet room for a while after these sessions.  Afterwards, I mowed the entire grounds.   From time to time I would take a short break and just look around and soak in the views.  Where else are you mowing grass on a cliff overlooking the ocean while pelicans glide by at eye level?!? I took a break and placed a couple model ships on the rocks or picnic table and shot photos of them as if they were ships at sea.  Below is one of those photos.  Teare moped all floors that needed it, including the second floor bathroom.  She also did a lot of laundry.  

We had dinner and it was back to work.  I went out and weed-whacked everything I could not access with a mower and Teare continued to clean inside.  Whew!  When all was done, we sat on the bench on the high point of the island and watched the sun go down.  Who should come along and join us for the sun set?  FRED!   He just hung with us!   It was a beautiful sun set.  We had worked our tails off today.  I asked if she thought it was worth it and without hesitation we both said “YES”!   

Well friends, we are down to our final two full days at the lighthouse.  As you can see from today’s events, they are not days filled just looking out over the ocean or strolling the redwoods.  At the same time, our days have been filled with such simple pleasures.  Some of our best friends are sea gulls.  Some of our best moments are just in being observant of our surroundings.  The people we have met have been a pleasure to know.  The families have been respectful and appreciative. Today a lady went out of her way to tell me that this was the best lighthouse tour she has ever been on.  She went on to say that lighthouse tours are her hobby and she has visited every lighthouse on the Oregon coast.  I call that out just as an example of the kind of appreciation we have experienced.

My last task of the day was this log.  I wish everyone a great night/day!