- April 24, 2024
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Illinois resident Mary Nuckolls found a message in a bottle in Ormond-by-the-Sea. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Illinois resident Mary Nuckolls uses scissors to cut the tightly-wrapped ribbon on the note. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Illinois residents Judy Larsen and Mary Nuckolls hoped for the note to be a treasure map but decided its contents were still a fun find. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Illinois retired pre-K coordinator Mary Nuckolls was picking shells on the beach in front of her holiday condo in Ormond-by-the-Sea on Wednesday, Oct. 24, when she spotted something reminiscent of times past in the sand: a message in a bottle.
Nuckolls, along with her friend Judy Larson, also a retired pre-K coordinator from Illinois, contacted the Ormond Beach Observer to open the mysterious bottle together. They debated on what the message would be, imagining things like love notes, a coupon for free drinks or even something a little bit more magical.
"I'm hoping it's a treasure map," Nuckolls said. "I told my husband if it's a treasure map, I won't be home for a while."
It wasn't a treasure map, but it was a love story. The bottle hadn't been drifting for long — the note was dated Oct. 21. It was written by a New York couple visiting Florida. They wrote they had just gotten engaged.
Nuckolls is thinking of writing her own message once she returns back home to Keensburg, Illinois, and shows her granddaughter. She would put something positive in if she did, Larson said.
"Be kind," Nuckolls said. "That would probably be what I would put."
