My beach

This morning I watched a documentary about pirate treasure myths and after lunch I rode my bike to my secret beach in search of treasure of my own: shark teeth! Actually I was hoping the tide would be low so I would have firm sand to ride on for some needed exercise but it wasn't. I should've checked before I left but I was in such a hurry, I forgot. I wasn't too disappointed when I got to the beach. Why would I when I have all this to myself?
Exercise is overrated anyway.
I call it a secret beach but it's not really a secret, it's just hard to get to since there is no parking and up until 2 years ago the entrances were blocked by some stingy oceanfront home owners. Someone ran for city council and promised to enforce the law that those entrances are for the public so the home owners had to remove the fences and whatever vegetation they purposely put there to block the walk ways so now it's all mine! Only a few people know about these entrances and I hope it stays that way because the last secret beach I used to visit for shark teeth hunting now has a big parking lot and is full of trash and cigarette butts. This is why I sort of don't blame the home owners. It breaks my heart just thinking about it.


I started looking right away and I have to say, I'm the best shark tooth hunter I know. I've found shark teeth in some of the most picked over beaches. There are a couple places where it's actually impossible for me to leave without finding any. I won't say I don't have a method because I do(which I will keep secret dammit!) but it's 75% luck and good eyesight. There were only a few people there and every time someone passed close to me I would I would pretend to just be looking for shells lest they figure out just how many shark teeth(and bones) there are on that beach(or my secret method of finding them) and tell all their damn friends and cousins. I don't want the whole damn town coming over here pillaging my hunting grounds.




I was doing pretty good. Look at all these, a couple of them are pretty sharp.


Then I saw something shining next to my big toe and found this one!!! It's the biggest one I've ever found. I was so happy I started dancing!

The funny thing is, as soon as I picked it up I looked towards the water wondering if whoever's mouth this tooth once lived in was there ready to pounce on me. I know that shark is likely long passed away(otherwise the tooth wouldn't be gray and black) but still, looking at this tooth I imagined what a jaw full of these teeth would feel like and almost felt like throwing it back. But how could I? I sat there for a long time staring at it.

After a while I took a break to lay down and watch an osprey(probably my favorite bird) hunt fish. He did end up catching one, a pretty big one. But I was too slow with my camera to get a good shot of him flying home with it.

I also waited around to see if the resident of this crab hole would come out and say hi but no luck.


Ever since I got home I keep going into the kitchen where I put that bigmomma tooth to hold it, look at it, and hover over it like Gollum! Myyy Precioussss!



*Update: Oh man! I just found out this tooth is from an extinct Tiger shark!!!