Beachcomber Teaches Lessons with Stones

Another beautiful day! We have had a string of such days, real explosion-of-green-leaf days, and only hope the early heat does not mean more risk of hurricanes over the summer. Yesterday Sven and I walked from Gull to Slough Pond, a short walk along a narrow dirt road only used by seasonal residents and the occasional fisherman. It was almost ten degrees cooler in spots hit by the ocean breeze, and the leaves had not unfurled, much to my surprise. Earlier we had visited LeCount and been discouraged by the brisk wind, so different from Friday when large numbers of people were out walking barefoot. On Friday morning we met a couple down the beach, collecting stones, at low tide. Each person had a plastic pail, so I asked what they were doing.

“These stones are for my pre-school class,” the woman said. “To show the kids how stones change color in water.”

Many of our guests like to collect small stones on the beach. Often they end up in a basket on the cottage deck. It’s true that there’s something magical about the way stones change color in water. Shelly Daly, in Baltimore, makes jewelry with pretty stones. Have you ever heard of another use for beach stones?