May 8, 2010

The Search

All summer long it was you and me. All summer we combed that beach looking for precious beach glass gemstones. Ever since my neighbor Michael said red beach glass was the most rare and difficult to find, we were on a mission. The search was on.

All summer we stooped and plucked stones from the shoreline, where the freshest batch rolled in every day, smoothed by the water and sand. We found loads of brown and green and clear glass, and some blue. And we looked and searched for the red. And we did not find any.
                                                                                
When late summer arrived, we wondered if we'd ever find any red. We even found pink, but no red.

Summer began turning toward autumn. The youngsters disappeared from the beach. Our backs were especially strong from so much stooping. My dog was chasing sea gulls when I saw it. I figured it was another teasing plastic bottle cap, but no. We rinsed the stone in the water and gazed. The legendary red beach glass! We rejoiced, dancing, and forgetting about my dog in full violation of the law flying over the sand without a leash. Our mason jar was full, but now it was complete with a tiny speck of smoothed red glass. Then a few days later we found a larger sliver of red. What a week that was.

For anyone who saw us scouring the shoreline that summer, they would have only seen me. But you were there, with me every step. It would have otherwise been such a lonely summer.

You were there, stooping for beach glass and walking my dog, every day with me.

My dear friend.

The Great Friend.

11 comments:

Ed Pilolla said...

i was again inspired to write about our intimacy with spirits, a subject first mentioned by andrea parker and picked up by alexandra grabbe. just couldn't resist a little somepin about the great spirit. thanks! i continue to get my energy right from what i hear.

Anonymous said...

oh Ed, after reading your entire blog I must say your writing just gets better and better. 'Spirits' are such a great topic that I'm not suprised that people kept mentioning it. Keep up the great work!

Alexandra Grabbe said...

This is lovely, Ed. Love that photo, too. Beach glass has become so rare on our coast, here on Cape Cod. You can still find it but have to really scour the beaches. People recycle, which is great, and that's why beach glass has become so rare, but I loved finding these treasures as a child. Often we have guests whose main beach activity is the search for beach glass. I hate to disappoint them when I explain its infrequency ...

Tori MacLennan said...

This is so touching and sweet.. You have once again moved me. :)

Unknown said...

Beach glass. We don't have that in the deserts of Arizona. It seems like a fun hobby. Lovely writing. Glad I stopped by this morning.

Chris Tine said...

This one ranks as my favorite. Could I get this one printed with a picture of the beach glass for my beach theme bathroom?

Unknown said...

This is a good one, Eddie. Nothing like the smell of the surf, the sand between your toes, and a great companion.

Ed Pilolla said...

i got that beautiful beach glass photo from westcoastseaglass.com/rare_red.html
that's the largest, most pretty chunk of beach glass i've ever seen, for sure. the photographer lives in hawaii. they said it's a perfume bottle top. searching for beach glass is such a part of the fun, and when you make some finds, it's like a discovery. i miss it. i guess beach glass is getting more difficult to find becuz of recycling, which is interesting, and good, i guess.
thanks for all the sugar!

joer223 said...

Ed, Man! you've got an awesome blog here!
excellent writing. I could almost smell the surf. Great Job! Continued Success!
joer223

thinkingtoohard13 said...

I wanna be that girl.

ed said...

tth, you mean god?
i guess we are, in some way i don't understand.