Oh buoy, here it comes

Maybe this means absolutely nothing. Maybe it's like those tar balls that washed up in Key West that were from some inconsequential accident and not the looming catastrophe that is poised to swallow up the Caribbean.

But this unsettling note came in from Clyde Darville: "In July 2003, my son and I were going offshore fishing out of Longboat Key when we found a buoy that had a tag on the end of it that stated 'REWARD' and included a phone number. Attached to it was a 100-foot sea anchor that was stuck to the bottom in 86 feet of water.

"When we got back to shore I called the number and was told it was deployed off Texas from an oil well. I shipped it back to them for a $200 reward. When the check came, they included a letter that showed where the currents had taken it.

"In January 2003, it was in the Mississippi Canyon where the oil well that just blew up is located and it ended up in Sarasota in July 2003. If you go to Horizon Marine website, they say they have been tracking Gulf currents for 23 years. Why hasn't this been made public?"

Mr. Darville included a picture of his son with the buoy, a copy of the check and the explanation of the currents and the path of the buoy.

He added that the two were fishing about 18 miles offshore.

Like I said, maybe this doesn't mean anything; a buoy is not an oil slick.

I was once on a cruise with a former colleague and his wife in the Caribbean.

We spent one evening writing messages in those small sample liquor bottles and tossing them overboard. So far none of them has been recovered.

Helping the homeless

Connie Cosgrove's letter was one of a number that came in after a column on the homeless and the growing numbers of them on street corners.

"Fearing that the homeless people asking for money will spend it on other than food, I think the best way to help them is volunteering at one of the places that feed the homeless. ... I read about the Trinity Cafe in the Trib. ... I called the volunteer coordinator and she explained you can sign up online for whatever day you want to volunteer. It can be a day a week, a day a month or simply a day.

"I didn't know how I would feel about feeding healthy young men but from the first day I felt good. It's not for me to know how or why they ended up there. I just know they need a good, hot meal. And that is what they get with the great Chef Alfred there. Trinity Cafe serves the homeless with dignity and respect and a little conversation along the way."

Skunk Ape on the move?

Finally, last week I reported on a story out of Valdosta, Ga., on some sightings of the Skunk Ape, Florida's version of Bigfoot that is said to wander the Everglades.

It was the first time my favorite creature has been reported outside of Florida.

Former colleague Donna Murray sent me some clippings from Fayette County, Pa., on some new sightings.

They call him Bigfoot up there and made no reference to the creature's strong odor. Maybe he stopped for a bath on his way up the coast.

Anyhow, if you see a 6-foot-6-inch creature with a cone-shaped head, don't call me. Just give it a friendly wave.