 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I got back into my truck with a sense of well being, wet and covered with sand. It felt so good just to sit, I was exhausted and sore. I still had to deiver the tools to the rig, so I headed back down the beach. The beach was so wild, I had to keep two wheels almost in the Gulf of Mexico to keep from getting stuck. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
I was about two miles down the beach, when my headlights picked up a bright reflection. It was really bright, so I stopped to investigate. When I laid eyes on this gem, I was not sure what it was. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
It seemed to be some kind of glass ball, wrapped in cord. The cord was wrapped tight in such a way as to resemble a net. It had a long neck, cylindrical, that was attached to the rope. This was the reflective part that caught my attention. |
|
|
|
The glass was dark green, although I couldn't tell until I held it up to the headlights. It was dark and heavy. I could tell how it floated in the water, as the bottom half was covered in barnacles. |
|
|
|
It was much bigger than a basketball, 13 inches in diameter. I later found out that this is a glass fishing ball, used to float fishing nets, that had floated from some other country probobly Japan. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I remember thinking, at the time, that the way this night has been going, if I rub this glass ball, a genie just might appear and grant me a wish. But on the serious side, I felt it was a gift from Her, and the Old Man in the Sea. |
|
|
|
|
|
What spurred me to write this story, 21 years after the fact, was the incredibility, the improbabilities, and the magic I felt that night. What are the chances of finding and saving a live dolphin,watching a meteor shower, and finding a japanese fishing ball, on a wild beach on the Gulf of Mexico, all on the same night. It was truly Gulf Magic. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
I've told this story to family, and a few friends, but never in the detail written here. It has been a true joy to relive this story in the telling of it, and to share it with all of you. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Click here to go back, sign my guestbook, explore my links etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click here to see my awards page. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|