Ever watch people at the beach sauntering along the wave line–occasionally bending over to pick up something out of the sand–and think, “What a waste of time!”?

Think again.

Or better yet, try it.

Let your eyes wander over the smallest details of that amazing place called “the beach,” and discover gems of glass, edges softened by the pounding surge.

With such a simple task assigned to your eyes, the rest of your body, mind, and spirit is free to simply soak in all the beauty and healing that can be absorbed there.

Plus, it makes for a great team sport.

It’s especially wonderful when you find exactly the right hunting grounds that are ripe with gems for the harvest, allowing you to get your fingers wet while not putting you in the line of fire for a class-A soaker in your new boots.

Actually, I got the soaker anyway about ten minutes later while taking this next shot.

That kind of thing can sneak up on you when you’re concentrating on aperture settings and composition.

Not all the treasures we find are cool shells, rocks, and glass bits that can be tucked in a pocket and taken home.

At first, Rick thought this was a sponge. At the size of a large tangerine, he didn’t expect it to be a HUGE ball of fish roe. We left it there, on the theory that the incoming tide might take it back out to sea and give those 1467 seedlings a shot at life. But trust me, the opportunity to take it home and conduct experiments with $1467 worth of generic-brand caviar was a grave temptation indeed.

Sometimes the free gift is an unexpected opportunity to strut your ability to fly in front of your new friends, MiniMe and MicroMe.

Winnie can be such a show-off.

Occasionally the prize is an exquisite pendant just waiting to be strung. This one even came with a pre-drilled hole.

Coming across a piece of brilliantly polished glass gleaming happily against the neutral tones of sand and gravel is almost as good for the constitution as an out-of-control belly laugh.

Rick and I aren’t the only ones who enjoy beach combing. Can you see what Winnie was keeping an eye out for?

As in all other things, the joy of discovery is in the eye of the beholder.

While he doesn’t display much enthusiasm for glass bits, he seemed delighted by his free hacky-sack.

We try to keep an open mind on what counts as “cool.” Anyone know what that stone might be?

All the baubles and sunlight and beauty aside, the very best part of walking the beach together is the together part and knowing that the gentle hand and guitar-calloused fingers holding out 10-minutes worth of poking around in the tidal pools belong to your best friend.