We're looking a little differently at our three-and-a-half miles of beach after visiting with marine geologist Dr Leslie Sautter, from the College of Charleston. During a pre-walk presentation at the Oyster Catcher Community Center and, later, walking along North Beach with Dr Sautter, we came to appreciate how the beaches of the Seabrook/Kiawah formation dynamically change and re-shape themselves from year-to-year, and the importance of remodeling the cut at Cap'n Sam's Spit once a decade to maintain the ecological integrity of such an important habitat for migrating birds like the red knots that will be arriving soon on their annual northward migration. And those black streaks we always notice in the sand? It's titanium, an abundant metal widespread in the Earth's crust, commonly found dispersed in sand, and noted for its resistance to corrosion from elements like seawater.