Oh, I love to beachcomb! To me, it is impossible to cross any beach without picking SOMETHING up. I’ve been well known to pick up pieces of glass, shells, driftwood, and plenty of stones. Oh, so many stones! All of these trinkets are very common items that we would never think to pick up and examine and turn over and over in our hands if we were any place other than on a beach, carrying our sandals, and wondering when we last slopped on sunscreen.
All kids instinctively drop their gaze to the shoreline bordering any body of water and become engrossed in the intricacies of whatever treasures they are lucky enough to lay eyes on. But it’s not just children–I’ve done some of my best beachcombing as an adult. I’ll bet you have too.
Everyone agrees that it is fascinating to see what water can do to something that it holds onto or that it has been able to tumble repeatedly in its waves. Glass shards, for instance, can be battered until all of the sharp edges have been worn away and its surface assumes a frosted patina from being left in salt water (less so in fresh water). Glass can take as little as 20 years or as many as 200 years to acquire the characteristic look of ‘sea glass’ or ‘drift glass’ and can be born out of any colour or type of glass or crockery that a body of water is given.
Stones go through the same treatment, and once they emerge from the experience they feel smooth, almost soft, to the touch. Skipping stones is our second favourite past time during a happy meander along a beach. The only stones good enough for this use are those that have spent sufficient time in the water being caressed and honed by the constant rolling and battering of the water. Some people take their stone skipping to extremes, as is evidenced by the fact that there is a standing World Record for the number of skips (88!). No, I did not make that up! Better start practicing.
Driftwood starts out as a piece of wood or a stick that somehow makes its way into the drink and evolves into a dramatic or artistic piece through not only the efforts of the wind and water, but also with the help of tiny organisms and bacteria that eat away at the wood over time.
In our history, driftwood was gathered by those living north of the tree line for use as precious firewood before the Europeans started showing up regularly with armfuls of wood to sell at outrageously unfair prices. Traditional Inuit kayaks used driftwood as part of a framework that seal or caribou skins were then stretched over. The Inuit actually had 7 categories that a piece of driftwood could be slotted into depending on what properties each individual piece possessed. I doubt that those categories included a Table Lamp designation, but these days that seems to be the popular classification on Pinterest.
Also found along any beach pretty much anywhere, are shells. We LOVE finding shells. We carefully analyse how intact any shell is that we scoop out of the water or off the beach, and we closely scrutinize its colours and markings. Our fingers investigate every millimetre of any shell we find, and we are delighted with the prize—until we see the next one sticking out of the sand.
Anyone who picks up a shell on the beach secretly hopes that there is a big fat ridiculously valuable pearl nestled in its clutch, and while that is a possibility in both freshwater and saltwater, the chances of finding a natural pearl of value in Canada is rather rare. But off you go and have a look anyway. Don’t let me drip all over your dreams.
Over time, shells of all kinds and in all countries, have been used as utensils, tools, adornment, musical instruments, art pieces, and currency. Crushed shells can be used in horticulture (for their calcium content) and even poultry feed—which I fervently hope is served with a generous amount of water.
The Serious Study of seashells is called Conchology. Academically, conchology is usually rolled into the study of marine biology, so there is no degree level course specifically aimed at the study of shells in Canada. It strikes me that taking a scientific approach to shell collecting would suck the delight completely out of the beachcombing that most of us enjoy while at the shore anyway.
There is a myriad of reasons for someone to while away several hours along the coast of any body of water, and the innocent joy of beachcombing is as good as any of them. Just the act of consciously searching the shallows or sands, heightens our awareness and sparks our creativity, and I am all for that. Whenever you leave your inland comfort for the interesting and unquestionably relaxing life at the shore—regardless of how long your sojourn is—make sure that you let your imagination off the leash while you put in as many hours of unhurried beach wandering as you can. Not only is it soothing for your mental health but you never know when you’ll find a lucrative pearl, a chest full of gold washed up from a shipwreck 200 years ago, or even a bottle containing a treasure map and secured by a vintage cork!
