Notes in Bottles –

Here’s a photo of me preparing Notes-in-Bottles, at Midway.

I was a little younger and a little slimmer. My coworker (Joe) and I had the idea – to collect bottles from the beach – cleaned them up – put notes in the bottles – seal them with wax – then toss them into the ocean. We each prepared about ten bottles, with notes that included our return addresses.

We took a fishing boat outside the reef and tossed the bottles into the sea. I remember our biggest concern – worrying if the same bottles would wash back onto the shores of Midway – and being considered the clowns of the island – but that didn’t happen.

Nearly two years later, I received a letter from a school teacher in Japan. She had found one of the bottles. In her return letter, she explained how she took the bottle and note to her classroom, and used it to demonstrate how long things can float in the ocean before washing up onto shore. To this day, I still have the note that she sent me. After I receiving the teacher’s note, I sent her a second note (in a bottle) – but I’m still awaiting her reply. These sort of things require a lot of time and patience..

Mike Daak – Midway Island – 1983 – 2002