Frodov
Bronze Member
Well Hi there! How are you? Me? Oh I'm fine, really. I finally got out and did a little detecting today. The day after Memorial Day and I figured the local parks would be ripe for the picking. Especially since the forcasted rain showers hadn't materialized this morning. So I loaded up my detector, lured my better half into the car with promises of a picnic lunch in the park, and away I went.
The skies were overcast, and there was a rather damp breeze blowing at the park as we dined on our fried chicken and fixin's. But no rain, yet. I began detecting not long after our leisurely lunch, around the picnic shelter, then around the many trees and picnic tables across the park, making my way to the woodchip oasis of the tot lot. With her I-pod cranking out the tunes and her book to read, my dear wife watched me wander about stopping and poking at the ground now and then, digging up coins and pull tabs. And one large iron ring.. looks like some sort of horse tack left over from when the park was part of a farm.
It may not have rained, but after an hour or so I was dripping with sweat all the same. It was the humidity! Lord! You'd have thought it was the middle of summer already. Alas, after digging up an assortment of pull tabs and bottle caps, and a handful of clad coins, not finding but a couple of pennies in the woodchips, it was time to go. My wife had a function to attend with her volunteer organization this evening and had to go home to "get ready". (translation: change clothes, fix her hair, put on make up, pick out the right shoes, change her mind.. and clothes..) <ahem> Before leaving the park however, I pulled some change out of my pocket and attempted to purchase a soda from one of the "caged up" drink machines by the parking area. A whole $1.50 for on 20 ounce bottle of pop? Oh well, I was thirsty. I put in my money, made my selection and was promptly informed by the little LED screen that it was "SOLD OUT", noting that there was NOT a coin return button on this machine (there was a hole for it though), I made a different selection... "SOLD OUT"... so I tried yet a different selection.. again "SOLD OUT". GREAT! I was about to walk away frustrated when I saw a wrapper in the drink dispenser tray, it had a dime on it. What the..? I pulled it out and discovered more coins under the wrapper. A quarter, another quarter, another quarter, a dime, another quarter, and ANOTHER quarter. Well...! Then I noticed a quarter hung up in the coin return "drop chute" in the coin return tray. For a moment I sat there replaying my coin feed into the machine and realized that it didn't sound right, as if the coins were not falling through the counter.. they weren't dropping. Out of curiosity I gave the coin in feed "area" of the machine a quick flat handed jab.. jingle jingle.. I heard a couple of coins drop.. so I tried again.. some coins fell into the coin return.. and a few fell into the drink tray. HUH? Jab! Jingle! Jab! clink clink.. Jab! Jingle. Apparently, not only had all the drinks been bought out of the machine, but the change bucket had backed up all the way into the coin feed slot, jamming up not only the feed but the coin return as well. I probably could have pounded on that machine a bit more but I really didn't see the need to do that. Upon returning to the picnic table where my wife was watching me with amusement, I learned that she too had tried to buy a drink out of the very same machine.. and lost her money. Then it was my turn to laugh, handing her her money back. I not only got my change back, but hers as well, and sixteen cents more. Someone had tried to put a penny into the machine. <shrug> Home.
After getting home and moving my detector from the car to my truck, I relaxed and cooled off in the airconditioned comfort while my wife got ready for her function. A little TV, a little iced tea, a short nap, and I was raring to go do some more detecting. The skies were looking darker all the time, but it had yet to rain. I decided to check out a couple of elementary schoolyard playgrounds. School was out for the day and I've not been to these two outlying county schools for some time. So I hit the road and hoped the rain would hold off a bit longer.
The first schoolyard was, as expected, deserted. There was a soccer game or practice or something underway on one side of the school though. I detected from the parking lot, to the woodchips, around the equipment and from island to island. Some schoolyards and playgrounds have "islands" of woodchips around groups of playground equipment rather than one large continuous sea of woodchips.
This school had "islands". I found the usual pencil heads, hair clasps, buttons and snaps, and pull tabs and can slaw, zipper pulls.. and some coin, a battery and a key.
:
Not a lot, but not bad. Unfortunately, by the time I finished the last island it had begun to sprinkle. Here comes the rain. I headed back to my truck and then towards home. Realizing, after a few miles that I had outrun the rain.. or rather the rain was blowing in the other direction. COOL! I made a slight alteration of my route towards home and made a pit stop at another schoolyard.
Again, pull tabs, a few coins, pencil heads, zipper pulls, cans and can slaw. Then... My detector nearly pegged out! I was getting a HUGE signal. According to my Prizm IV, I was looking at something in the 50 cent piece range at about 8 inches deep. It was right up against the plastic retaining wall that held the woodchips in the "island", so I figured it was more likely a can or some other piece of metal fence post or something like that. Oh I DUG! You bet I did! I scooped out the woodchips down to roughly 8 inches down, then used my Bullseye pinpointer in the hole. There was something there, but it was deeper yet. I dug some more woochips out of the hole.. now down to about 12 inches deep. The bullseye was still vibrating like mad, but I couldn't see anything. I was just about to call it quits thinking I was picking up a false signal or something, but for the hell of it I dug a little deeper yet. That's when I found it. A candy tin, about 14 inches deep in the woodchips. And it wasn't empty! When I picked it up it rattled. Carefully opening it up I found it was full of coins and three glass "stones". I had found some kid's buried treasure.. a CACHE!
:
I also noted that it was getting dark, early.. due to the overcast skies probably. Those very skies were again beginning to pelt me with the forcasted rain that was supposed to have fallen earlier in the day. So I called it a day and headed towards the house. When I got home and started going through my finds for the day I finally counted not only all my other finds for the day but the loot in the candy tin. $2.41 and three glass "stones".
<shrug> Combined with all the other coins found today I made out pretty well with a total of $7.66 all told.
:
Along with all the other finds, and a wonderful time just enjoying the hobby, I had a great day. I hope everyone got to get out and enjoy themselves this weekend as well.
As always..
Happy Hunting Everyone !
Frodov
The skies were overcast, and there was a rather damp breeze blowing at the park as we dined on our fried chicken and fixin's. But no rain, yet. I began detecting not long after our leisurely lunch, around the picnic shelter, then around the many trees and picnic tables across the park, making my way to the woodchip oasis of the tot lot. With her I-pod cranking out the tunes and her book to read, my dear wife watched me wander about stopping and poking at the ground now and then, digging up coins and pull tabs. And one large iron ring.. looks like some sort of horse tack left over from when the park was part of a farm.
It may not have rained, but after an hour or so I was dripping with sweat all the same. It was the humidity! Lord! You'd have thought it was the middle of summer already. Alas, after digging up an assortment of pull tabs and bottle caps, and a handful of clad coins, not finding but a couple of pennies in the woodchips, it was time to go. My wife had a function to attend with her volunteer organization this evening and had to go home to "get ready". (translation: change clothes, fix her hair, put on make up, pick out the right shoes, change her mind.. and clothes..) <ahem> Before leaving the park however, I pulled some change out of my pocket and attempted to purchase a soda from one of the "caged up" drink machines by the parking area. A whole $1.50 for on 20 ounce bottle of pop? Oh well, I was thirsty. I put in my money, made my selection and was promptly informed by the little LED screen that it was "SOLD OUT", noting that there was NOT a coin return button on this machine (there was a hole for it though), I made a different selection... "SOLD OUT"... so I tried yet a different selection.. again "SOLD OUT". GREAT! I was about to walk away frustrated when I saw a wrapper in the drink dispenser tray, it had a dime on it. What the..? I pulled it out and discovered more coins under the wrapper. A quarter, another quarter, another quarter, a dime, another quarter, and ANOTHER quarter. Well...! Then I noticed a quarter hung up in the coin return "drop chute" in the coin return tray. For a moment I sat there replaying my coin feed into the machine and realized that it didn't sound right, as if the coins were not falling through the counter.. they weren't dropping. Out of curiosity I gave the coin in feed "area" of the machine a quick flat handed jab.. jingle jingle.. I heard a couple of coins drop.. so I tried again.. some coins fell into the coin return.. and a few fell into the drink tray. HUH? Jab! Jingle! Jab! clink clink.. Jab! Jingle. Apparently, not only had all the drinks been bought out of the machine, but the change bucket had backed up all the way into the coin feed slot, jamming up not only the feed but the coin return as well. I probably could have pounded on that machine a bit more but I really didn't see the need to do that. Upon returning to the picnic table where my wife was watching me with amusement, I learned that she too had tried to buy a drink out of the very same machine.. and lost her money. Then it was my turn to laugh, handing her her money back. I not only got my change back, but hers as well, and sixteen cents more. Someone had tried to put a penny into the machine. <shrug> Home.
After getting home and moving my detector from the car to my truck, I relaxed and cooled off in the airconditioned comfort while my wife got ready for her function. A little TV, a little iced tea, a short nap, and I was raring to go do some more detecting. The skies were looking darker all the time, but it had yet to rain. I decided to check out a couple of elementary schoolyard playgrounds. School was out for the day and I've not been to these two outlying county schools for some time. So I hit the road and hoped the rain would hold off a bit longer.
The first schoolyard was, as expected, deserted. There was a soccer game or practice or something underway on one side of the school though. I detected from the parking lot, to the woodchips, around the equipment and from island to island. Some schoolyards and playgrounds have "islands" of woodchips around groups of playground equipment rather than one large continuous sea of woodchips.
This school had "islands". I found the usual pencil heads, hair clasps, buttons and snaps, and pull tabs and can slaw, zipper pulls.. and some coin, a battery and a key.
:Not a lot, but not bad. Unfortunately, by the time I finished the last island it had begun to sprinkle. Here comes the rain. I headed back to my truck and then towards home. Realizing, after a few miles that I had outrun the rain.. or rather the rain was blowing in the other direction. COOL! I made a slight alteration of my route towards home and made a pit stop at another schoolyard.
Again, pull tabs, a few coins, pencil heads, zipper pulls, cans and can slaw. Then... My detector nearly pegged out! I was getting a HUGE signal. According to my Prizm IV, I was looking at something in the 50 cent piece range at about 8 inches deep. It was right up against the plastic retaining wall that held the woodchips in the "island", so I figured it was more likely a can or some other piece of metal fence post or something like that. Oh I DUG! You bet I did! I scooped out the woodchips down to roughly 8 inches down, then used my Bullseye pinpointer in the hole. There was something there, but it was deeper yet. I dug some more woochips out of the hole.. now down to about 12 inches deep. The bullseye was still vibrating like mad, but I couldn't see anything. I was just about to call it quits thinking I was picking up a false signal or something, but for the hell of it I dug a little deeper yet. That's when I found it. A candy tin, about 14 inches deep in the woodchips. And it wasn't empty! When I picked it up it rattled. Carefully opening it up I found it was full of coins and three glass "stones". I had found some kid's buried treasure.. a CACHE!
:I also noted that it was getting dark, early.. due to the overcast skies probably. Those very skies were again beginning to pelt me with the forcasted rain that was supposed to have fallen earlier in the day. So I called it a day and headed towards the house. When I got home and started going through my finds for the day I finally counted not only all my other finds for the day but the loot in the candy tin. $2.41 and three glass "stones".
<shrug> Combined with all the other coins found today I made out pretty well with a total of $7.66 all told.
:Along with all the other finds, and a wonderful time just enjoying the hobby, I had a great day. I hope everyone got to get out and enjoy themselves this weekend as well.
As always..
Happy Hunting Everyone !
Frodov
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But us guys.. unless we've been laid out a particular "outfit" or suit, just throw on a pair of slacks or jeans and grab a shirt and we're good to go.. oh we might shave and even put on some cologne or aftershave <grin> but that's about it.. hell, most of the time we don't even dry our hair. <laughing> That takes all of what? Maybe ten minutes if you don't have to shave? Whereas the ladies may take upwards of thirty minutes.. an hour.. more?? I'll never figure them out. *sigh* but then if we ever do completely figure them out.. what's that say about us? <shuddering> No my friend, some things are better left alone and remain a mystery. "<ahem>" indeed! 
