|
|
||
Chicago man finds message in a bottle sent by Fredericksburg couple on their first wedding anniversary Date published: 7/9/2008
By CATHY DYSON Clint Buffington is searching for a couple who married in Fredericksburg, then tossed a bottle into the ocean on their first anniversary. Buffington found their message eight years later--more than 1,000 miles from where it was released. "The bottle was, literally, right there on top of the sand like somebody had just put it there," he said. "It was really exciting." In May 2007, after Buffington graduated from college in Illinois, he went with his parents to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The chain of 40 small islands is in the Atlantic Ocean, about 550 miles southeast of Miami. Buffington, a 23-year-old Chicago resident, always hoped to find a message in a bottle. The idea of someone tossing a capsule into the water--and someone else finding it on a distant shore--intrigued him because it seemed so improbable. But not impossible, as he found out last spring. After he spotted the green wine bottle on the white sand, he popped the cork and chunks of something fell out. Once the letter dried out enough to be removed, Buffington realized the couple included some of their wedding cake. The note was faded, but still legible. It was written on hotel stationery and read: "Carol and Ed Meyers celebrated their first wedding anniversary at the San-derling Inn Resort on Feb. 14, 1999. They were wed on Valentine's Day 1998 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA." The note was smeared with cake icing and ended with: "Peace and love to you. We wish you happiness. Ed and Carol Meyers." The Sanderling resort is in Duck, N.C. As the crow flies, Duck is 1,051 miles from the island where the message landed. The bottle probably traveled even farther, said Arthur Mariano, a physical oceanography professor at the University of Miami. Ocean flow is highly variable, but, if the bottled followed a subtropical current--which is Mariano's best guess--it bobbed in the waves for about 8,000 miles. Buffington found two other messages in bottles on his 2007 trip and went back this year to search for more. He also regularly scans the shoreline around Lake Chicago, where he's working on a tour boat this summer. He's found 12 bottles and has contacted five people. Most are thrilled to hear from him. "Generally, anyone who is whimsical enough to throw a message in a bottle is pretty excited to hear from someone who found it," he said. Buffington likes the message from the Fredericksburg couple so much--because it's the first bottle that contained wedding cake--he had it framed. He would like to contact Carol and Ed Meyers, and asks that anyone with information call him at 618/967-7108 or e-mail him at He plans to keep looking for bottles when he can afford to visit other remote islands. Eventually, he'd like to open a museum and set up a database for anyone who has ever tossed a message into the water--or found one. "I know that sounds kind of weird and far-fetched," he admitted, "but finding a message in a bottle is kind of weird and far-fetched." Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Date published: 7/9/2008
That Cathy Dyson follows up on this very human interest story and let us know if young Clint makes contact with the Meyers. I suggest that she search the archives of the newspaper for the wedding story and print that as follow up.
I am a true romantic at heart and this article melted my heart. It's nice to hear a sweet romantic story when the world is full of evil and crime. I hope he find the couple!!
Man I hope to marry one day and do the same. Cuz it is so romantic to me!
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
