Wednesday, December 20, 2023

“What do you see?”

Zechariah 4:2, 5:2

For most of our life together as a family, our children lived somewhere between 800 and 2,800 miles away from their grandparents. That was not something that we ever felt good about, but that was the reality given our particular set of circumstances. So, we made every effort to be with the children’s grandparents as much as we could. That usually meant getting on a plane or taking a very long car ride. So, those times were limited in our busy lives, and we liked to make the most of the limited time that we did have to spend with family who lived so far away.

When visiting in California, that meant spending as much time as possible with Grandma and Grandpa Wimpee in their San Jose home, playing in the pool, and enjoying adventures in and around my wife’s hometown. But almost every trip that we made to California also included a day when we would spend time in Monterey Bay visiting with Barb’s sister, Marge Ann.

I loved the Monterey Bay Day. It was always great to reconnect with Marge Ann either at her home or at her newspaper office. We would establish a home base, and then walk or drive to a variety of spots. We might take a look at an area museum or historic lighthouse. Often, we spent time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium enjoying the fish and other sea life from a close perspective. And, of course, we would spend some time looking at the shops near the aquarium or, my favorite, the candy shop on Cannery Row (a location made famous by the John Steinbeck novel carrying the same name). The Monterey Bay Day was truly a special day on the Spies’ itinerary. It was always worth the extra few hours of being on the road in order to experience those adventures.

But, of all of the wonderful things that we did over the years, the one thing that I begged to experience each and every trip was the half hour or so that we would spend driving to a place along the coastal road where we could park, get out of the car, and walk on some of the rocky area that was exposed by the low tide. The times for low tides vary every day but there are generally two such tides in a 24-hour period. We would try to find the one that would take place on the late afternoon or early evening of the day of our visit, and make our way to our favorite spot before the high tide started to make itself known once again.

When the high tide was in effect, most of our favorite area was covered in water and unsafe for certain adventures. When the low tide was in effect, we could walk across the exposed rocks and venture several feet into the ocean. We could even climb some of the higher peaks that might spend most of the day covered in water.

Water often scares me. I don’t enjoy swimming. I would rather not put my feet, legs, and body into a body of water where I cannot see my feet, legs, or body when they are covered in unknown waters. But being near water, being surrounded by the sounds and smells that the ocean delivers, is something that I love very much. I find it calming, relaxing, and inspiring. I was always happy that my wife and kids would honor my request to spend a little time walking on the exposed stone areas during the low tide.

During those moments, I would spend some time looking at the tide pools. As the waters recede during the low tide, some water is left behind in troughs until the high tide comes back in to cover those trapped waters. Any animal life that doesn’t make it back to sea during the time of tidal transition also gets left behind, trapped in the small pools of water that remain until the high tide can bring them freedom once again. I loved spending time looking at the tide pools. The ultimate joy came when I could spot a colorful crab of some kind and watch it move in the limited spaces exposed during the low tide. Not every tide pool had such wonders, so we had to do some searching. And, thankfully, my family was willing to accommodate my obsession and would let me know if they found anything interesting lurking in the area.

Every time we went, there was something different to see – even though we generally went to the same location. But no two tides were the same, and no two effects from the tides were identical. Each time we went was different. It was unique. It was diverse. But each time we went it was also wonderful. It was exhilarating. It was beautiful. God gave us something new to see every single time. And I learned to appreciate God’s creation and God’s creatures in new ways because of that stunning spot on this globe.

Generally speaking, when we were done playing in the ocean, we got back into the car and made the hour and a half long drive back to Grandma and Grandpa. There Barb and the kids could get into the pool. There I could get into the hammock. And there we could reflect and rejoice over all we had seen on our Monterey Bay Day.