Combing the beaches and tide pools of La Jolla can sometimes produce an abundance of strange objects. Photographer Don Balch was picking up bits of trash at La Jolla Cove in late February when he happened upon what he thought was just another piece of discarded plastic in the exposed tidal rocks. Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was actually a Chevron gas card, perhaps lost at sea in 1965 or 1966. “After 46 years, it is still surprisingly readable and also shows that plastic is not good for the ocean environment, since it takes so long to break down,” he said. On a separate occasion, Balch happened across a sunfish, in the shore break at La Jolla Shores, a sighting he called “pretty rare.” “I have NEVER seen one of these things in spite of being an ocean person my whole life!” he said. “I was pretty astonished to actually see this and ran back to get my camera. [It’s] most unusual to see this on the beach. You never know what the ocean might show you at any time!” Have you found something strange or unusual at the beach in La Jolla? Send us pictures of your rare treasures at [email protected] for a chance to have your bizarre finds featured in the La Jolla Village News.