We have all read stories and seen movies about locating the strange message in a bottle, perhaps thinking that somehow, someway, someday you would really be so lucky as to find a cast-off bottle. But this happened several months ago to a local lady, Karen Barton.
Karen is well known throughout the area for her talent in sculpting unusually beautiful crosses from driftwood she has found on some of our beaches. Many of her items are on display for sale at The Treasure Chest in Port O’Connor. Karen finds much of the driftwood she uses on Sunday Beach, and one day, she really found a bonanza.
“Well, is that all you’ve got?” was the reaction of Karen’s son and friends that day when she showed them the bottle she had just found. But it was not just an old bottle; there was a message inside. It was beautifully written on graph paper, in French. Translated to English it read:
“Dated April 1, 2010
SHIP BRO CECILE
COMPANY, BROSTOM AB
My name is Jean-Paul Sundstrom; I’m a sailor on board a commercial ship. We’re heading from HOUSTON (U.S.A.) to SANTOS (BRAZIL).
To all of you, I hope that you can live in a better world, without war, without misery, where everyone has enough to eat.
Refuse all forms of slavery, keep your dignity, and listen to your heart, which alone holds the key to happiness. A successful life is a life led following your aspirations, always acting in accordance with your values, giving the best of yourself in whatever you do, remaining in harmony with who you are, and, if possible, a life that has provided the opportunity to transcend ourselves, to dedicate our lives to something other than ourselves and to contribute something to humanity, even very humbly, even if it’s very small.
Man is made not to drag chains, but to open his wings.
The most beautiful projects are from the heart, and it’s from these projects that we keep the most beautiful memories.
My God protect you.
To my son Kevin, born September 12, 1987.
My address is Saint-Martin-de-Re, FRANCE”
Karen graciously welcomed me to her Swan Point area home to discuss the bottle and its message. She also spoke proudly of her family and their accomplishments. Karen is one of the owners of Dick’s Food Stores along with her brother, Ronnie Hyak, with one store that has recently opened here in Seadrift, from its home base in Victoria. The family that operates these stores includes her father, George Hyak, and her uncles, Albert and Bill Dick. These were the gentlemen who began the original group of stores, forming their partnership with a handshake in 1936. The first store was located in the south end of Victoria and operated for several years, until the floods hit that area and caused the relocation of many of its shoppers. That left the store on Crestwood, which is still in operation today. These stores are known throughout Victoria for the excellence of their meats and produce, having a vast display of many other items, and the friendliness and cooperation of their employees. Dick’s Seadrift store has continued their excellent reputation in their meat market with an incredibly friendly butcher. Karen’s son, Colin, is managing the store, but “Mom” does keep an eye on operations.
Karen was proud to tell me more about her father, George Hyak. George served in the Second World War, as did many men from the Victoria area, and saw far more of Europe than many of us will ever see. He participated in the landing at Normandy on D-Day in 1944, fighting his way onto Omaha Beach, and continued with his unit, where they were part of the stalwart Americans in the Battle of the Bulge. From there this portion of our Army fought their way into Germany and liberated one of the concentration camps, before turning it over to Eisenhower.
Karen is planning a visit later this year to see her daughter who has just relocated to London with her family. She intends to retrace the footsteps of her father from his service in the Military during the Second World War throughout France and Germany. She is also planning to try and locate the writer of the “message in the bottle” in his area of France. What an incredible trip she will have! And I certainly hope that we will hear from her following her trip.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with Karen (and her friendly Schnauzer, Buddy). She is not only an extremely artistically talented woman, but friendly and charming as well. I ran into Karen later that afternoon at the store where I found my dinner for later that evening and received another warm greeting.
Karen Barton & Buddy
The Bottle
The Message
Driftwood Cross by Karen Barton
Photos by Sue Kubecka
