# The prodigal water bottle



## cnycharles (Jun 27, 2018)

Two years ago a few of us went to a new spot for a very tiny orchid

Malaxis brachypoda var something or white adders mouth



It wasnt quite flowering yet. While searching before, I set down my water bottle. While wandering a bit remembered the bottle, and couldnt find it. Time was short and we had to leave. I thought about that bottle, wondered if someone else would find it or ... we were orchid searching in a place called nine mile swamp, which literally is a nine mile cedar swamp in which the infamous Loomis gang would hide in after thefts and raids. If the authorities couldnt find big men on big horses likely the bottle was in for a long rest 

This weekend we went back finding the orchid in flower. After a few hours a friend said *hey anyone missing a blue stainless water bottle* ? People laughed ...



This bottle was originally my nephews in south orange nj. He used a lot until paint started peeling off. I used it a lot also and it had been on many orchid and biking trips. After a two years rest in upstate under deep moss and at times deep snow, its action time again!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 27, 2018)

Ha, ha, nice story. Did you take a swig after all that time?


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## Lanmark (Jun 27, 2018)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Ha, ha, nice story. Did you take a swig after all that time?



Yum!


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## cnycharles (Jun 27, 2018)

Haven’t cracked it yet, a little curious what it looks like


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## Ozpaph (Jun 27, 2018)

dont!


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## NYEric (Jun 29, 2018)

Cool. just clean with bleach. 
Let me know of any trips; if I'm not at a tournament maybe I will join you.


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## John M (Jun 30, 2018)

Cool story. A little scrubbing and bleach and it'll be good as new! Recycle, recycle, recycle!

When I was a kid, my father, brother and I were using a backhoe to build a gravel and dirt dam in our stream. There was a big barn beam across the narrowest part, where we were dumping the fill to create the dam. My brother took off his Timex watch and laid it on the beam. In no time, dirt and gravel had been dumped on top and then scraped off the beam, taking the watch with it. We didn't realized until the work was all done. My brother's watch was deep inside the dam, under rushing water, by that point.

About 10 years later, I was crossing the stream, on the beam and I saw a reflection. The dam had settled a lot and much of the soil had washed away, leaving a pile of gravel across the bottom of the stream. The flash was the face of my brother's watch! I fished it out, cleaned it up, wound it (not a digital watch) and it began ticking away. I wore it for many years after that. It kept perfect time, even though it had spent about 10 years under water, in a pile of gravel and dirt and through hot summers and bitterly cold winters.

I wouldn't be surprised if millions of years after humanity has disappeared, our "stuff" will still be visible, all over the planet!


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## cnycharles (Jun 30, 2018)

NYEric said:


> Let me know of any trips; if I'm not at a tournament maybe I will join you.





Ok
I plan on going to the pine barrens with 99* temps and parboiling myself looking for orchids
(just kidding! Elmer nj is supposed to be either 97 or 99 tomorrow depending on which forecast you believe). 
Laying on a pile of damp cool moss tomorrow might be very inviting. Maybe I should make the trip to cape May and swim in the ocean

Very cool john! I used to make dams in the stream across the road. Many Years before people used to dump garbage into the stream so lots of interesting things on the steep sides to dig out, but never found a watch

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## troy (Jun 30, 2018)

Clark lives in jersey, you should hit him up


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## NYEric (Jul 2, 2018)

cnycharles said:


> Ok
> I plan on going to the pine barrens with 99* temps and parboiling myself looking for orchids
> Maybe I should make the trip to cape May and swim in the ocean


Nude beach.


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## cnycharles (Jul 6, 2018)

NYEric said:


> Nude beach.




Whats funny is I remember reading a botanical society report about how some people were looking for this one orchid growing between or behind dunes, (cape May general area) and they happened upon a newly opened nude beach. I guess it makes it easier to spot the inevitable ticks...  but not for me


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## cnycharles (Aug 21, 2018)

I did open the bottle gingerly a few weeks ago, but inside the water looked clearer than most of my other used water bottles, (but I still dumped it out)


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