Wednesday, January 2, 2013

CHRISTMAS GIFTS PART THREE, A METAL DETECTOR

Here is the last of my gifts...


What is this you might ask?  It's a metal detector!  Yes, I got a metal detector.  Let me back up...ever since I was a child, I have wanted one.  I was a treasure hunter wannabe from way back, always reading about buried piles of silver, gold doubloons from shipwrecks, and treasure chests full of jewels and coins.



Sure it was the stuff of childhood fantasy but as I grew older and I had a developing interest in archeology, and digging up 'other treasures' came to mind as well...relics of old civilizations, weapons from past battles, etc.

Alas, as my career path went away from archeology and down the route of boring insurance, my treasure hunting dreams faded away.  But I've always talked about never getting that metal detector and 2nd Man remembered the stories I told of my youth and so on Christmas, he gifted me with this one.  

It's pretty nice, I can plug headphones into it, it tells me the depth of the object, can distinguish between different coins and metals and 'junk', and even has a setting for "gold" (hey, a guy can dream can't he?).  I think 2nd Man did well this year.  I was totally surprised by this and it shows me that he really does listen to my stories after all, LOL.

The interesting thing is, our farm property lies very near some interesting parts of Texas history.  In 1836, General Sam Houston led his troops through battles against the Mexican army of Santa Anna to ultimately fight (and win) at the Battle of San Jacinto.  On the way to San Jacinto, they traveled through the part of the county we are in, camping out at a nearby river.  Could they have travelled through some part of the 10 acres?  Could good old Barnabas the party tree have hosted another party of sorts, a resting point for soldiers to rest under the shade of a big tree?  Did their horses travel the same trails as my Big Green Zen Machine?  My guess is no, of course, but won't it be fun?

With most of about 7 acres of the property more or less untouched for the better part of a hundred years, perhaps there was another house or barn on the property once upon a time?  Maybe I'll find evidence of that?  Heck, I'd be happy finding an old key or a coin or a horseshoe or even nails from a long forgotten homestead.  I can't wait to try out my detector!

Wish me luck, you know this is the first place you'll hear about my finds, unless of course I find something like this...

...in which case it will be on the news!


23 comments:

  1. I'm in Tennessee and across the street from my office is a building with a plaque that states it is the site of Sam Houston's law office.

    Sam had a colorful life

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    1. Ha, that's cool! Yes, he was a very colorful person that's for sure. He's a pretty big hero here in Texas, Of course, as I type this from HOUSTON, LOL!

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    1. Now if the weather will just cooperate! Happy New Year!!!

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  3. That is such a cool gift. I was channel surfing last night and came across a program called "Diggers" on the National Geographic Channel. They were finding old buttons and coins that were not worth much but had a history that was respected. It looked like the hunting and finding were pretty thrilling. Have fun and I can't wait to see what you find!

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    1. OMG, I recorded that last night!! I haven't had a chance to watch yet, but yes, I saw that. Too funny! I saw it advertised over the weekend and went "that could be be!", ha. I would be thrilled with buttons or coins, anything lost to time and found again is a treasure to me. :-)

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  4. Oooooo! You might be surprised what you might find! Weee heee! Around here my lady has found lots of old glass whiskey bottles. heh heh heh I think the folks that lived in the old house (now just a foundation) were a bit tipsy. I think should could find some interesting things and easy digging along a beach.

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    1. Whiskey bottles are a great find. But it does make them look like they were tipsy more than not, ha. A beach is a great idea. We have one about 60 miles away. Might check that out eventually.

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  5. Hi! Just discovered you via Annie's Granny.

    Good luck with the metal detector - here in the UK the latest news is that a 7 year old was given one for Xmas and discovered an unexploded bomb from WW2 (fortunately, it didn't go off). Hope you only find safe treasures!

    Johnson

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    1. Hi, Johnson...you're going to love this place!

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    2. Wow, that IS crazy!!! I hope there is none of that out there! Although an old cannonball would be freakin awesome AND incredible, ha.

      Thank you Johnson for stopping by, we're always glad to have new friends and new friends 'across the pond' as they say, is really cool. Hey, this year I'll finally do some gardening and see what happens. Good or bad, it will all be here for the world to see, ha.

      And Granny, as always, makes me blush. Thank you dear lady. :-)

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  6. How neat! I too was headed to archaeology as a major in college but took a detour to urban studies which led to a gov't job. Then motherhood then education was the perfect occupation for when the girls were school aged. I still am fascinated by it though and enjoy reading about history. Good luck with your searching. For me it's an occasional trek through the creek in the glen to see what has washed down from someone's long ago trash pile. Hmm .. maybe I should include that in my blog one day. Thanks for your encouragement to keep on blogging.

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    1. I really almost went to archeology as a major. My part time job in insurance turned into a full time and then the more I learned the more valuable I became to my boss and so I changed to business major and I've pretty much stayed in insurance my whole career. LIke you, I enjoy history, I love going to the new exhibits at the museums and I imagine where things came from, what they were like when they were dug up, etc. It's fascinating.

      I love the idea of seeing what washed down into the creek, that's cool. Would be a great blog entry. Just blog about what you enjoy and it will be fun. You're right, if it's work and you grow to dread it or feel bad when you don't write something, then it can be frustrating. For me, so far, I'm still enjoying sharing, even if it's silly stuff like what i got for Christmas, ha.

      And by the way, anyone reading this, go visit her blog!

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  7. When I was a child, our house sat on the site of a Nez Perce Indian battle. Every time my mother would dig in her garden, she would find perfect arrowheads. At one time I had a quart jar full of them, but I have no idea what she did with them after I grew up and left home. Hey, you never know what you might unearth....

    This undated photo provided by Holabird-Kagin Americana, shows a 100-ounce gold nugget found by a man last year on his property near Nevada City, Calif. http://www.lvrj.com/news/discovery-of-100-ounce-gold-nugget-in-sierra-nevada-stirs-excitement-113157399.html

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    1. How funny, another thing we have in common. My Grandparents lived in Oklahoma, rural farm land, and my Mom said my Grandfather was always digging up arrowheads or just finding them laying around. She remembered a coffee can full of them, similar to your jar. Sadly, like yours, they were lost over time, we have no idea whatever happened to them. I have exactly ONE that she found in a drawer at their house once upon a time.

      He also had a coffee can full of rattlers from rattlesnakes, some of them huge, from whenever he killed one while outside in the fields. That too vanished.

      All I can say about that story is......sigh......if only! That's awesome! Thanks!!

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  8. We have one tucked away somewhere here... Guess we need to find it and give it a workout. We haven't ever tried it here and we are on 5 acres with more around us to search. Thanks for the reminder - hope you find something really neat!

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    1. Hey you never know! If your property has ever had someone living there somewhere, there might be evidence. You keep US posted, hope you find something too!

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  9. I bought one years ago as I kept digging up bits and pieces on this property. Unfortunately there is a ton of blue metal gravel which has a high metal reading on the detector. Blocks all other signals.....oh well, back to digging up old dog burial sites and dreaming of treasure for me!

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    1. Blue metal gravel, hmmm, haven't heard of that. I'm hoping we don't have anything like that, ha. Did you ever find anything fun at all? I'd be happy with a key or a horseshoe or some old tool, that would thrill me no end, ha. I'm easily amused, LOL!

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    2. It's construction aggregate crushed rock used in pathways or in making concrete. In Australia we call it Blue Metal. We've found a ton of broken pottery, glass, barbed wire, dead dog bones, but no treasure! Then again the area I live in is only about 60 years of the same house, so no wonder I keep finding broken plates and drinking glasses! Good luck on your endeavours!

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  10. Find any treasures yet? I bought a metal detector that looks very similar to yours last summer. The main reason I got one was to find the metal rods at the property lines. I keep buying more plants and I need ever inch of soil that belongs to me. Hope you have a great new year!

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    1. Ha, I wished! Do you know it's rained EVERY single weekend since Christmas? Ugh. I work all day during the week and my weekends are my only time off to do something creative out at the farm. Instead it's been all inside stuff.

      Hey, your yard IS a treasure. :-)

      Thanks and happy new year to you!!! Can't wait to watch your garden grow!!

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