Glass Beach

there is a little known beach on Kauai known as Glass Beach so called because for years the residents threw their trash into the sea there. over the years all that is left from the action of the waves is ground up glass which covers the beach at low tide. i have collected beach glass for years but did not know that it's OK to take it from there. most beaches you can't even take shells from anymore. so this time i scooped up a bagful and after rinsing it and letting it dry in the sun i hauled it home and sorted through it. mostly it is white, clear or brown as are most glass bottles but i did find quite a bit of green and i was very happy to see blue and aqua in the mix and most fun of all i had a piece each of purple, yellow and red, which are quite rare. this is my favorite souvenir of our recent trip. the black that appears in the photo on the left is finely ground up lava rock which i left in for contrast. that and it would be a huge task picking it out. i found a cool old bowl from Malaysia at the Goodwill (to keep with the recycling theme) and how i spent my first vacation in three years souvenir project is complete!