Beachcombing trips have become regular scheduled days in my daily planner. I can't go just anytime, as the tides determine the best days and times. Low tides during the daylight hours come every couple of weeks in the summer.

I have been going to the same beach on a regular basis for the past five years. On every trip I find the terrain of the beach completely different. Some days I find as much as 3 pounds of beachglass - sometimes not more than a scant handful.

Scout, my 3-1/2 year old rat terrier has been my constant companion since she was eight weeks old. In the beginning, I had to carry her the two mile hike to our beachcoming site. Much as I'd like her to learn to discover beachglass with me, she has her own beachcombing priorities - scouting out old tennis balls, golf balls, old shoes, floats, anything that she thinks might entice me to throw for her to retreive. The only thing that deters her from her own personal mission is lunchtime. No matter how far off down the beach she is, she is always promptly at my side by the time I can unpack my sandwich.

For me, ideal conditions for beachcombing are lots of beachglass, of course, and no one else on the beach. I've been getting up at 5 AM just so that I can be the first on the beach.

June 11, 2002, was one of my very best beachcombing days - beautiful weather, the beach deserted as we started out. That day I found 8 marbles, an interesting piece of pottery, several pieces of red glass and some very unusual colors for a total of over 3 pounds of beachglass. I felt like I had won the lottery!

I've become quite selective after thousands of trips to this beach, so there is lots of glass I leave undisturbed: dark brown beer bottle glass, bright green beer and wine bottle glass, clear glass, glass that has not been worn smoothly, any glass that has impurities that cause visible flaws.

After a full day of beachcombing I'm exhausted when it's time to hike back to my van. Scout, however, never tires; it's her job to keep me entertained and distracted from my fatigue. We've invented an innovative game with one of her "found" tennis balls. She drops the ball in front of me to kick it. Then she tries to block my kick. Sometimes I even keep score! After about 100 kicks we are back to the van and on our way home to sort through the newly found treasure.