Glass Treasures on the Beach

Whenever I visit the ocean I turn into a beachcomber. Like a magpie, my eyes search the ground for a twinkle of glass or a pretty pebble with an unusual color or markings. Sometimes I see dead crabs or starfish but I leave those where they lie.

I have never found a message in a bottle, though I know some people do pick up these mysterious (or funny) messages from the seashore.

What I didn't know was that along some beaches you can, if you are fortunate, find even more interesting treasures. One of the most unique articles I read this week was titled The Glass Floats in Lincoln City, Oregon.

If you are wondering, as I did, what a glass float is, the author of this piece has the answer. ArtbyLinda explains that glass fishing floats have been around for more than 150 years. While they served a essential purpose in keeping the fishermen's nets afloat, surprisingly not all of them were made from the cheapest glass. Indeed glass floats were over the decades produced in a whole range of colors.

As Linda explains, the glass floats had a tendency to 'escape' and many of the floats that wash up today are many years old.

However, in Lincoln City, Oregon, there is a much more modern project involving these glass spheres.

"Every year they place glass floats handblown by local artists along the shoreline of Lincoln City beaches.

They call this "Finders Keepers", because if you find one, you get to keep it.

What a lovely tradition to start, and a wonderful way to encourage people to explore their coastline. For those who don't strike lucky, there is also the option to buy a float or even blow your own. Linda shares a video of this fascinating process, in which you can see not only how they get those colored streaks in them but also get a glimpse of just how pretty the end result can be.

As for me, I'll have to be content for now with bits of broken glass, but maybe one day I'll find a glass float of my own!

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Image Credit: Japanese Glass Float stamp by deegolden