Photo By Lorne Neff | Kevin McGouey shows off his bottle collection he's recovered from the beaches,...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - David McGouey is a collector. His office is lined with treasures he’s found along the beaches here since 2008.
“I picked up one of the bottles that had the Cuba embossing at the bottom with a ‘38 date, and since then, I was hooked,” said McGouey, remembering his first snorkeling experience at Girl Scout Beach.
Now, he has more than 500 pre-Castro revolution bottles he’s collected or traded for. And his passion for “junk” has turned into a treasure hunt – for artifacts and people.
“I’ve met and hunted with some really good people here at Guantanamo who love this hobby as much as I do, and who also enjoy helping out other collectors to land that rare bottle they’ve been hunting for since they started,” he said.
For five years, he’s been on the hunt, searching the shores, mangroves and old car wrecks that lie about. It started on his first tour here as a Navy corrections specialist. Now, as a quality surveillance representative for fuel contracts on base, he continues the hobby he picked up in 2008.
“I consider myself one of the last diggers left here,” said McGouey.
But he doesn’t always have to dig. Back in the ‘50s through the ‘70s, McGouey said it was common practice for Cubans to toss junk over the fences. One man’s trash is today’s treasures.
“Around Grenadillo and Bargo housing areas are the most interesting,” he said.
It’s where he’s found lots of old records, clothes and car parts. He doesn’t collect those but the car parts do pique his interest, since the classics are another one of his passions. And for someone who appreciates the nostalgia of old cars, GTMO has a story to tell.
A story that McGouey tells through photos. A junkyard filled with old automobiles is a favorite of McGouey’s. He takes photos of the old cars, and even won a photo contest with a picture of two of the classic cars, a 1959 Chevy Impala and 1956 Chevy Bell Air.
“I tracked both of the original former owners of the vehicles on the GTMO Facebook page,” said McGouey. “It seems the cars became GTMO specials as they passed from owner to owner and finally wound up in the scrap yard.”
McGouey owns two classic Volkswagens back at his home in Florida and hopes to purchase another.
“I hope to soon have a ‘73 or ‘74 VW Thing as soon as I get back home,” he said.
McGouey says his family does not share his passion for collecting. His huge toy car collection and comic books, old metal signs, old license plates and other items are kept at his Florida home.
| Date Taken: | 07.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.19.2013 14:10 |
| Story ID: | 110490 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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