Nature Study Discoveries September 9

Ocean discoveries this weekend on the South Carolina coastline....

My husband loves the ocean.  He has instilled that love in our sons who are 10 and 7.  I cannot get this man out of the water when we are at the ocean.  Swimming in the ocean is something he loves to do.  He also enjoys diving for sea creatures while chest deep in the water.  He will search for sand dollars, shells and other things.  On Friday he found a starfish.  Our youngest calls it  a " sea star".  I like that name.  My husband was so happy to have found this live one. We kept him in a bucket with salt water for a little while and then took him back out to sea.  The boys liked its little "suction cups" and how it attached itself to their hands.

A very cool find....

Not long after my husband made this discovery, he came back with something else.  A Channeled Whelk shell.  No live animal in it this time, just the shell, but it is not very often we find a whelk fully in tact.  These are typical whelks found in South Carolina.

There was an abundance of dried grasses and reeds on the beach this year, almost creating a little barrier to the tide when it comes in.  Since this part of the beach is actually one side of a barrier island, there are copious amounts of grasses growing on the inter coastal waterway on the opposite side.  I'm wondering if these grasses have washed up on shore due to the turbulent weather activity this year.  I'm not sure, but I did notice grasses washing up while we were there.  It's another good teachable moment about weather, hurricanes and how they affect sea life and our beaches.

My last discovery for the beach.....  It's not really "nature study" so to speak, but it is related to the reeds which are a part of the beach right now.   At one point this particular afternoon, I looked out towards the water and saw this.....  Is that what I think it is?  Did the tide just do that?  Did the Lord just do that for me?  Is that a cross I see made out of the those reeds?  Really??  I'm not trying to make something out of nothing here.  Truly I'm not.  It was there in plain view.  Thank you, Lord.  I'm grateful.  Another of those, "I love you too." moments.  No sooner had I walked up to take a picture of it and the tide washed the crossbar away.  It was just for that brief moment I saw the cross in the sand.

I love when little things like this happen. I love these little reminders from God who shows me He is so much bigger than me, is in control and has created so much beauty for our eyes to behold.

Whether it be the image of my husband with a secure hold on our youngest son in the thick of those unpredictable waves telling me, "I've got a grip on you too, do not worry so much about the turbulance of life."....

.... to a sea star, a simple sea shell or the grassy reeds.

So much to appreciate right before our very eyes.

This has been a great 3 days.