When I was about eight years of age, a friend of mine found an old, weathered bottle that had washed ashore the Coronado beach.  Inside this bottle was a rolled up map leading to a buried treasure.  She brought the map to her parents where they decided that a treasure hunt was as must.  As the parents plotted, they allowed each of their children (three in total) to bring along a friend.  To this day, I will always be grateful to my friend for choosing me as her plus one.  

The map brought us through a series of steps that included using our math skills and being very precise with direction.  Finally, after what seemed like hours (fun hours, I might add), we approached what we hoped was was the ‘X’ on the map.  The secret spot was in the white, sandy dunes of the Coronado beach. As we pulled up the anchor and spotted our box, each kid huddled around the locked treasure on bended knee.  We could barely contain ourselves, ready to burst with excitement and curiosity. Inside was all sorts of goodies - necklaces, goblets, rings, coins, etc.

Years later, I discovered that my friend’s father had planted the treasure himself, hoping to create a fun and unusual activity for his kids.  I remember thinking how much I appreciated this man and how freaking cool it was that he buried a treasure for us to find.  Some day, I will carry on this unique idea for my kids and hope that they too will go crazy over finding a buried treasure.  I will never forget that day at Coronado beach.