Local Man Finds Message In A Bottle While Cleaning Beach

Skagit County, WA – A local man from Big Lake, Keith Kirchgesler, also known as the friendly local pirate, “Captn Seaglass,” enjoys spending time at local beaches collecting sea glass. He also volunteers his time helping to keep local shorelines clean by picking up items washed ashore as well as trash and debris left behind by beach-goers.

One of Keith’s recent shoreline trips yielded quite a surprise while picking up trash and mourning the loss of his father.  On that day, he found an old wine bottle with what appeared to be a message tucked inside.

After deciding to keep the bottle, Keith contemplated opening it.  After a couple days passed and having been urged to do so by friends, he finally opened the green bottle and found inside what he described as three “scrolls” with writing on them.  While it is unknown from where the bottle originated, it appeared from the messages on the scrolls that those writing on them were also missing a loved one.  Each of the scrolls were addressed to a person named Mary and contained messages of mourning, loss, and sadness.

The first message, pictured below, was written on a piece of stationery with the printed heading that reads, “Make each day your Masterpiece”.  The handwritten message says: “Mary, I feel so lucky and blessed to have known you in (my) lifetime. I miss you (so) much already nana. (unknown) and I will never forget you, you will always and forever be in (our) heart!  We Love You. Amanda”.

The second scroll,  pictured below, was written on the same stationery as the first and says: “I miss you so much and love you so much. I wish you were here. Love Hayden”.

Pictured below is the third and final scroll.  Also written on the “Masterpiece” stationery, it says: “I love you Nana and miss (you). I cry everyday about you. I can’t live without you. I remember all the fun things we did together. Love you”.

Kirchgesler states he has a desire to try and find both Amanda and Hayden in order to return the bottle and their messages as well as find out more about Mary and when she passed away.  He also would like to know where and when the messages were placed in the bottle and put into the sea in order to determine how far it traveled before his shoreline discovery.

For his commitment to community volunteering, Keith has been nominated for several awards in the past.  His volunteering activities include the local food bank, cleaning beaches, and  picking up trash along our highways.  Among these activities, he is known for dressing up as a pirate for local events and parades.

Below are photos of some of the trash Kirchgesler collected along the quarter-mile long stretch of beach where the bottle and its messages were found.  Keith notes that roughly 90% of the trash he picked up was recyclable.  Because of this, he urges citizens to carry out what they carry in and recycle everything they can.

Among several Facebook comments at Keith’s page regarding his unique beach discovery, a friend noted there, “Finding a message in a bottle on the beach was most likely a once in a lifetime experience.”  Indeed, Skagit Breaking agrees!

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