We have been having a good time hanging out here in Florida. Some good friends of ours arrived Saturday night to spend some time with us. We rented a car and drove to Ft. Lauderdale to pick them up. They had gotten some really inexpensive airline tickets to come and visit us. They flew on Allegiant airlines for $30.00 each one way.
While taking a walk along the seawall close to the marina we found the JAR. The mysterious jar kept us entertained for a whole day. We found this jar on a beach close to the marina. It was just lying in the sand at low tide. Our first thought was to throw it in the trash but then our curiosity took over. The jar was clear and the lid was sealed with heavy tape that was starting to come loose from being in the water. Inside we could see something wrapped in cloth and tied with twine and rubber bands. We procrastinated about the contents for hours after carrying it back to the boat. We had all kinds of thoughts running through our brains. It obviously was something of value to someone because of the way it was secured. A few days earlier there was a boat carrying 35 Haitians that capsized off shore and several people drowned and several were lost. A few were rescued so we surmised that it was something they had brought with them. We set it on the boat and went about our business for the day, deciding to wait until after dark to open it just in case it was something really illegal or weird. We had dinner with John's niece and sister that evening so we decided to open it after when we returned. The lid came off quite easily but the contents had an odor that smelled like diesel or oil. It was then dark and we didn't we did not want the smell on the boat so we set it on the dock and decided to wait until morning and daylight.
Bright and early the next morning the package was opened and the contents were revealed. It was really a disappointment after all of the theories and such that we had come up with. So here is the solution. There was a kitchen towel inside the jar bound in twine and rubber bands. Inside the towel were several red hot peppers, some small green peppers cut in half and crystals of rock salt. There were also a couple of candles wrapped up with this stuff. Our assumption is that these spices were for seasoning fish at sea and they were put in this jar to stay dry. They came into this beach with the tide because this is the direction the tide flows from the inlet which is a short distance from our marina. They either got into the bilge or somehow exposed to salt water and fuel or oil which caused the odor. We were hoping for something of more value but it did make the day more interesting. We discarded the contents and the jar after our discovery was complete.
We don't know when we will be leaving this area as there is some nasty weather offshore for the next couple of days. There are high seas and strong winds along our path to North Carolina associated with another cold front that is passing through and a low pressure area over the Bahamas. But we are having a good time with our friends and our family. Besides we aren't supposed to be in a hurry because we are cruising.