~detail: I Thought You Left Me
~detail: I Thought You Left Me

During a vacation in Monterrey, California a morning of beach combing moved into an afternoon and there were few shells to be found.  The birds had gotten to most of them.  I guess it’s true what they say about that early bird.  By the time my husband and I found ourselves in Sand City – a determined walk from the pier at Monterrey – we had collected a few curious items off the beach.  But, no shells.  We found some fascinating stones that had been home to little clams that drilled into and eventually through the other side.  Those holes were wonderfully perfected by the natural tendencies of this tiny seafarer, creating miniature sculpted spaces.  Along with the stones, our pockets were filled with sea glass.  Glass from discarded bottles and such that had been cast seaward, only to return softer and more beautiful than the owner had originally seen fit.  The now softened colors varied from cool pale greens, ambers to cobalt blue.  What a beautiful gift.  We might have missed it all had we not thought to look.