Carter's Collection

Today, after his preschool, Carter and I walked down to the beach. It was brisk, but not too cold and the sun was shining bright in a clear blue sky. One of Carter's favorite things to do at the beach is walk along the shore looking for rocks and shells to add to his "collection". His collection consists of dozens of rocks, shells, and the odd pine cone, housed in a blue, faded plastic beach pail. This afternoon was an exceptional day for collecting. The tide was low and came in gently, shying away slowly after wetting the sand with its lingering kiss. As a parting gift, the tide left treasures of tiny little shells and smooth, shiny rocks. Yes, this was a perfect collecting day.

The shell beds were littered with an innumerable amount of miniature muscles. These little shells are common at Redondo Beach, so adults tend not to notice them. To children, these little shells represent a bounteous treasure. When Carter sees all these little shells strewn over the sand, it's like he's hit the mollusk jackpot! He runs up to a pile, crouches down, grabs a little handful, and hands them to me to put in my jacket pocket. I have to be conscious of what pocket I'm putting them in, lest tiny grains of sand violate my cell phone and car keys.

Wet rocks are also a prized beach find for that guy. Shiny black stones, smoothed over by the continuous caress of a salty mistress find their way into Carter's little paw. He grabs one excitedly and runs over saying, "Mom! Look at this interesting rock!" Then, he places it in my hand, and off he goes to the next one. When my hand is spilling over with slippery stones, I tell Carter that I've got enough and it's time to throw them. He loves throwing them into the waves, then watching them splash and disappear. Anthony has even shown him the proper way to throw--stepping forward with his left foot, and throwing with his right arm. He's got quite a rock throwing arm, for a three-year-old.

By the time we were ready to go home, my hands were nearly numb from plucking icy wet rocks and shells from their seashore garden. It was mostly a catch-and-release harvest today. However, I did come home with a few "interesting" rocks and several dainty little shells. As soon as we got home, I emptied our loot into the faded beach pail, and smiled. Carter's collection is not only shells, rocks, and the odd pine cone--it's a bucket full of blissful moments no material treasure could ever match.