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I’ve come full circle drifting with the tide.
An adolescent during the SIXTIES, my family would frequent Wickford Cove at low tide, prime time for the pursuit of digging up quahogs. Adopted as Rhode Island’s official state shell in 1987, the bivalve is commonly referred to as a clam.
Not a glamorous undertaking by any means, I recall slipping into a pair of old laceless sneakers to trek along stones as I ventured into the muckety-muck. Then, I’d use my bare hands to scrape the surface, getting a feel for retrieving an edible treasure I don’t think I could stomach anymore.
Now, past my own prime time, I’m drifting with the tide for the pursuit of scrounging up sea glass. Living along the East Bay, I don’t have to travel far to find a craggy segment of the shoreline. Sabin Point, located on the east side of the Providence River, is on point! Part of a shipping channel used by large vessels going to and from the Port of Providence, it’s perfect for wash-ashores. As the saying goes, “One person’s trash is another’s treasure.”
Not for fair-weather beachgoers, the solo endeavor of sifting through rocks and shells with a spoon is far from glamorous or conducive to socializing. To my delight, recent weekly forages have yielded numerous smooth, frosted specimens which I display in a clear jar.
Because each piece took at least 20 – 40 years to shape up, I’m hoping those who “pick up after me” will toss them back into the ocean so they can further undergo the processes of physical and chemical weathering.
As I continue to drift with the tide, my rough edges have become a little smoother through the realization that many things are not worth the emotional investment of getting riled over. Optimistic I have many storms to weather in this lifetime, I’ll rely on my sharp wit to see the journey through.
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But you have shown how you have weathered and prefer seeking out bits of refuse that has weathered, just like you and I, the misfortune, generally, to have been broken from its original state and then gained a fine patina with age. It's nice to be adrift these days without serious obligation.
Ron
collecting stones, shells, fossils and sea glass...
You paint an atmospheric picture...I could hear the sounds of the sea, and feel the salt spray as I read your words...
Your last paragraph struck a real chord too...and I agree...that many things are not worth the emotional investment of getting riled over...and drifting with the cadence of the tides helps this process enormously...
Great writing...!
Diana...
I remember I only see my own sister once a year, or sometimes once every two years when she came from England to visit us. My sister and I were never close due to the age difference. There was supposed to be another sister between us but she died before I was born. No one has kept any of my second sister's photos in the family.
My eldest sister would come to visit us and we would go to Edward's Garden where there is a stream. We would pick out some beautifully shaped stones and bring them home with us for rock painting, and sometimes when the stone itself would offer us a visual artistic value we would put it on a wood stand (something we could buy from Chinatown) and put that on the centre of the dining table as an art object. That helps with the conversation when visitors come to visit us. :D
It was so much fun. I miss my sister. She passed away several years ago from cancer. Cancer seems to run in my family. :(
Great story and it has inspired me to talk about my sister.
Sandie
I have a balance and ankle problem, so while walking the beach in search of frosted glass sounds like a fascinating thing to do, actually for me I would rather the clams, as I do like clams; raw or steamed.
Interesting view of, for me, the far side of America.
Mark