Our beaches are littered with bits of seaweed. All the time. There is a rich kelp forest in our waters, something that invites all kinds of marine life and keeps the oceans healthy. But seaweed is not a lot of fun to swim with and it tends to leave our beaches looking a bit sloppier than many! I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of kelp, however, and find myself looking more closely as I move my way down the waterline.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw this one and was dumbstruck with awe. Can you see how huge this is? All tolled, it was probably about twenty feet long. There was even a small root ball with this giant. Remarkable! Do you know that an ingredient found only in kelp is part of almost every container of ice cream in the freezer section of your local supermarket? Yup. And it shows up lots of other places, too.
And here’s another thing I love about a particular kind of seaweed. Do you see that coil up there with all the teardrop shaped bulbs on it? Well those bulbs make the most delicious sounding POP when you step on them just right. SO satisfying when one is walking.
There are sweet, surprising, wondrous gifts all around us, my friends. Things that can bring us pleasure on all kinds of levels. Aren’t we blessed to live in such a world? Isn’t God good to us?
Kelp in ice cream? Who’d a thunk it! 🙂
Blessings, Diana!
Surprise!!
Interesting! Having grown up far from the beach, I don’t know a lot about its plant and animal life. It is a special place all its own though, and God has made so many special places. I liked what you said about the pods popping. I didn’t know that either. I think God does have a sense of humor–like a child…
Yes! Like a child. Where did you grow up, Elaine? Upland? And which branch of the Byer clan are you a part of? Glenn? You know that my mother-in-law was a Byer, right? Ben and Adeline’s oldest child.
Kelp! I remember body surfing during and after a storm in Baha, you’d always come out of a wave with kelp wrapped around your legs, or the stringy kind stuck in your top straps, or in your hair. And Charlie used to scuba dive off the point in Point Loma or La Jolla, in the kelp beds, where you could see the Garibaldi fish swimming in their orange-gold splendor.
Thank you for the memory reboot.
You’re welcome. Kelp is weird and wonderful stuff!