Searching for Sea Glass In October- Part 2

On Thursday, I arrive to a little different landscape. Some of the smaller walls were wiped out by what must have been a more extreme high tide. Tire tracks from the fisherman were a little bit closer to the ocean than a couple days earlier and much of the sand was covered in tire tracks... so the fisherman traffic was greater than what I found earlier in the week.

The shell bed areas were still prevalent and large gatherings appeared in areas that had none earlier in the week. Again, footprints in the sand let me know I was once again, late for the party. The trip north up the beach, examining the high tide leftovers, was nothing special. More under-cooked pieces and a few mediocre browns, greens and a white. I was a little disappointed that the area where the Coke bottle piece was located two days earlier, had nothing but a couple of undercooked pieces (this area had been the ONLY area where we had found anything worthwhile all summer) and I continued my trek north on the beach.

This day, the high tide was already turning into low tide as I arrived, so my walk back to my starting point, allowed me a bigger search area near the surf. As I approached my little "hot" area, I noticed footprints in the wet sand. Someone had been there, as I walked further up the beach?

The mystery person was nowhere to be found, as the beach was desolate, but the prints in the wet sand were there and they were fresh. I actually thought to myself, "oh well, if it was meant to be, it would be" and less than a minute later, right in front of the house that I use as my bookmark for my little "hot" spot, I saw something yellow, glimmering in the sand. Not more than 8 inches away from a footprint, was a piece of sea glass, laying by itself. In the sunlight, it was almost a golden color, a small nick in the bottom, but otherwise, nicely tumbled and it had the typical frosting of a NJ piece of sea glass.

Further down the beach, near the jetty and within a few feet from another footprint, was a brown piece of sea glass. Nice size, nice frosting, well tumbled and sparkling from the water. I love older pieces of brown sea glass because their colors are so much richer than the newer glass being used today. They frost differently...and this one was well-tumbled, it's edges were smooth and rounded.

I wondered to myself as I shared the story with my family...was the person on the beach walking a dog and maybe not looking for sea glass? The footprints stopped shortly after the jetty and headed up towards the dunes. Or could the ocean have popped these two pieces of sea glass on the beach just prior to me walking up on them? They both were still wet from a wave that could have gone over them...or brought them onto the sand.

Seaglassing, is a funny thing. The only thing we are in control of, is the time we arrive, which way we choose to walk and how long we plan on staying. The rest is up to the ocean. Has she pulled everything back, left a few gems up in different areas or plan on putting a few pieces onto the sand, for the sun to heat up, before she reclaims them. Are you in the right place at the right time?

On this day, for me, it was meant to be. Of course, the ocean may have thrown a couple reds and blues up on the sand right after I left. She can be that way...hahaha.

For those that search in the fall and winter, please take heed...many times you are out there searching all alone. The beaches are no longer tourist friendly. They are now back in the hands of Mother Nature. The 3-4 foot walls that the ocean has created, are difficult (if not impossible) to climb. So please, pay attention to the time, the tides and the waves. The conditions will only get more difficult from this point. Take care!!

'til next time...
R