Memorial Service about Japan and the Earthquake

At ten o'clock on Saturday there was a memorial service at Tacoma's Thea's Park in honor of Japan and the Earthquake victims. Mayor Strickland spoke remembering Tacoma's sister cities and past-mayor Baarsma also spoke, remembering the previous sister city Kokura. Geese rose from the water and flew along in the sky. The priest who explained that the chanting would be a sutra reminded the audience that we live with nature. While the priests chanted a sutra, from time to time there was a chime as a priest struck a small metal gong that rested on one hand. And while the priests chanted the sutra a large dog went into the water after a large stick. He came to the stick and he turned and swam back and the stick was thrown again and then again. She threw a rock in to where the stick landed again and again. The water is always very cold. I walked back along Schuster Parkway past a growing huge dandelion plant and the beginnings of horsetails.