Funny how a few finds, like the ones above, can stir up old memories.  
Hot summer afternoons on Short Beach in Stratford: 
gentle waves
cool clear salty water
and treasure hunts for starfish, hermit crabs, and tiny smooth bits of
cobalt blue glass - - just to name a few. 

Al and I spent so many childhood days exploring this tiny beach.  We didn't know until it came up in conversation.   It seems we were thrilled by the same things, including the small planes that would fly low overhead, and once in a long while a bright orange creamsicle from the snackbar.  We like to think that several hundred beach days ago and before third or fourth grade, Al and I met on the shore one sunny afternoon.  And as brief childhood friendships go, shared a treasure hunt on Short Beach.