Saturday, March 27, 2010


bottled up...

today i am grateful for...

chelsea's treasure map

an adventure to dead horse bay with sweet friends. chelsea rose cook and peter hale cooney III researched tide charts and even managed to wrangle up directions to the secretive bottle beach. chelsea designed a treasure map, pieced together by bits of cryptic, neverland-esque instructions, transmitted over the phone, by a mysterious woman.

after a near-apocalyptic ride on the 2 train, a fairly tame ride on the Q.35 bus, and a 3/4 mile hike to floyd bennett field beneath circling buzzards, we approached an unmarked, winding pathway flanked by cattails and creeping, thorny brambles. this pathway then lead to a three-tined fork in the field. still nary a sign or marking in site. scratching our heads we chose the middle path which crooked and bent so much we figured we were walking in circles.


heart stop
we finally saw the first good sign. it should be dubbed, "heart marks the spot"!

sweet friends

after several more paces, matt released a cheer, and we knew we had arrived!

matt's boots

armed with rubber rainboots and work gloves, we set to diggin' and collectin'. we divided and totally conquered that little beach! i could hear little gasps and yips of excitement and wonderment from my pals at all points. discovering little treasures all about.

bottles mixed

we unearthed so much milk glass, cobalt glass, brown apothecary bottles, handled jugs, coca- cola bottles, ponds cold cream bottles, tea cups, chunks of horse bone, and doll parts. such a treasure trove! we filled our satchels to the brim, and waddled away with heavy arms and numb fingers and noses.

white bottles

white bottles 2

rose cup

doll arm and shell

now our kitchen table is littered with my new(old) loot and our bathroom smells like a drip castle. my tub, is dusted with a layer of sand, sea sludge, and unappetizing bottle innards. but hey, now i have vessels for any and every occasion. and a really lovely memory with good friends. hooray!


23 comments:

Elle said...

sounds like a really good day :)
i love your wellies!! and your entire blog!
please check mine out, im new to all this
lots of love xxx

tamerajane said...

whoa!! why is it all bottles and things?!

"hi, i'm ginnybranch stelling and i love love." said...

verhext: it's unreal! miss amy merrick first told me about this place years ago, and it is old debris that has washed up over decades. it's really creepy and wonderful and interesting... google dead horse bay to get the full scoop!

p.s i introduced one of my best friends, chelsea rose cook, to your blog and tumblr, and i think you two could be sisters on opposite coasts!!! so similar, you two!!!!!

amy merrick said...

Did you carry all that loot back on the bus?! Looks like a ton of fun, I'm glad you finally got to go!

Peter Hale Cooney III said...

One of my fav days in NYC ever! An unbelievable adventure filled with great treasures, barrels of laughs and even better friends, could not have asked for a better time! This is a memory I will treasure and retell in vivd detail forever!

Nyrha said...

lovely pictures!

My Handmadehappiness said...

this look's like the best day out :) my kinda day :)
x

Six Six Sick said...

WOW! This is amazing. I want to make a trip out there. I can't believe you found all those amazing vintage bottles~and all in pretty decent condition!

xx
Tiffany

Faux Naif said...

did you really find all of those bottles on the beach? that's mad! i pay small fortunes for them at junk sales and summer market! (silly, i know, but they're just so pretty!)

"hi, i'm ginnybranch stelling and i love love." said...

miss faux naif! yes! all these bottles and bottles! if you go to NYC, you must schedule a trip to dead horse bay- it is so worth it!

Turquoise Flamingo said...

Love the cobalt and turquoise glass, really good idea, i may need a trip to the beach soon!

Becky said...

Wow, amazing! Love how you found so many different colours of glass!

Lexie said...

what a fun expedition! i looove old glass bottles!

wrangler said...

gorgeous bottles

Antonella said...

sooo gorgeous.
I definitely have to go!!!
what a loot..

Anonymous said...

so fun! did you leave any goodies for the rest of us?

"hi, i'm ginnybranch stelling and i love love." said...

oh my gosh, tons and tons of treasures waiting for all y'all to snatch them up! getting there is a little tricky, but between bloggers chelsea cook(cookie crumbs), jay chen(mystic domestica), and amy merrick (an apple a day), y'all will definitely be able to get you some bottley goodness!

Liane said...

i really really really really wanna go there. really.

Aron said...

oh, and I love the title of your blog.

Aron said...

that is awesome!

Anonymous said...

thank you SO much for posting about this place. I finally made it there!
It was more incredible than I'd anticipated. http://moreplease.posterous.com/dead-horse-bay (My pics aren't as gorge as yours, I'm afraid.)

jenna said...

Wow, this is extraordinary! It's making me crazy with bottle-(and wander-) lust!

You wouldn't be willing to part with the super-secret directions, would you?

"hi, i'm ginnybranch stelling and i love love." said...

not at all! the best directions i have are the ones above, that my friend wrote out. happy hunting!

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