Old Buoy Found on Beach Gets New Life as Treasured Gift

There's nothing I enjoy more than a walk on the beach with my husband, especially since he has cardiac problems that often make it impossible for him to walk with me. Probably because it's an infrequent event that we can walk on the sand together, I've learned to cherish the times he's feeling well enough to join me. On one such walk he found an old, seaweed and shell encrusted buoy lying on the beach and started carrying it. Though it was light it was so dirty that I couldn't imagine what he wanted it for but he insisted on carrying it back to the car where he put it in a plastic garbage bag.

"Aren't you going to clean it first?" I asked, scrunching up my nose. He'd dipped it in the ocean but it was still slimy and crusty.

"No place to do that here. I'll clean it when we get back home." I shrugged because I've learned it's best not to argue with him when he makes his mind up about something even if I think what he wants to do is foolish. I doubted that the buoy would clean up well enough to be put on display and even if he did get it clean it wouldn't be very attractive with the nicks in it.

When we got home he left the buoy out in the shed and said he'd clean it the next day. A few days later, I asked if he'd cleaned it up and he said he'd tried, but had to throw it away because he couldn't get the encrusted sand and seaweed off it without chunks of the buoy falling apart.

Ah, yes, my hubby can keep a secret well even if it requires a small white lie to do so and it was a good thing that on this particular occasion I didn't tease him about lugging that old buoy home just to throw it away. I didn't know it yet but he still had big plans for that buoy. He knew I loved nautical decorations but this one was to be special because we'd found it together on a most romantic walk on the beach.

Months went by and I forgot all about it. On my birthday, my sister handed me a beautifully wrapped gift and when I opened it I saw an intricately hand painted buoy. A nautical boat and nature scene had been lovingly painted by her own hands and she'd even inscribed my last name on the boat. After oohing and ah-hing and giving my sister a great big hug and kiss, hubby asked if I recognized the buoy.

"It can't be that old thing you picked up on our beach walk, can it?"

He laughed. "Sure is. And I have another surprise for you, here open it." Inside was a nautical base that Fred had made for the buoy to sit on. It had 3 round pillars held together with white rope that was tightly wrapped around them. "Oh wow, I really love it," I said, giving him his own big hug and kiss.

I still treasure that buoy and have it on display in our guest room. My sister is a talented artist but that was her first time painting on a buoy. She later told me that Fred had given her a photo as a guide and she'd added more to the scene so that no matter how the buoy was turned there was always something to look at. As you can see, my sister is a talented artist. I, on the other hand, have the painting skills of a 7 year old child, so I'm really in awe of her work.

Readers like myself who aren't very artistic can still clean up old buoys or buy small wooden ones at a hobby craft store and paint them solid colors or add stripes to them. One project that my husband and I worked on together hangs in our bathroom. I painted the buoys and he painted and hung the display shelf. We purchased the boat, but some might choose to build their own model boat. If you have kids, you can also let them help you make a buoy display for their room.

Another good use for buoys, especially if you live near the ocean or a lake, is as yard or garden decorations. Add an anchor and wooden boat planter and you can create a nice nautical scene.