12/16/17 Report - Transforming the Ordinary. Posts and References. More Info About EOs.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

There are times in life when ordinary things are transformed by something special such as the Magic of Christmas.  One example I'm thinking of is an old orange buoy that I once found that was laying around with a lot of other junk but was recently transformed by a coat of reflective silver paint and black tape into a shiny Christmas bell highlighted with a red ribbon bow and is now a bright focal point between colored lights and blinking snow flakes.  So it is in the lives of men who on rare occasions are momentarily transformed - or so it would seem.

I always remember the time many years ago when I was in Pensacola on business and after work I went out to a remote beach to do some detecting.  It was an isolated beach.  The small parking lot was nothing more than a packed surface big enough to hold maybe six or eight cars at max.  There was only one other car there when I arrived.

I just got out of the car and started towards the walkover  when I noticed an elderly couple and a child leaving the beach.  They had their hands full with beach blankets, a cooler, toys and I don't know what all. 

I saw them struggling and took one of the items ( I think it was a cooler), and took it to their car.  As I returned to my own business, I remember the man commenting to his wife something about how surprised he was at my actions.  In retrospect, I find it a little surprising myself - not that it was any kind of big deal or something that should be surprising.

Having helped them to their car, I headed towards the beach but soon became aware that they had a problem.  They couldn't find the car keys.

I don't know what all transpired, but I ended up following their tracks back to where I could tell they were on the beach and started detecting for the keys.  It didn't take long until I found them.

It would have been a problem if the keys were not found.  It was a remote beach away from businesses, homes and traffic, and since this was in the days before cell phones, they couldn't just call for help.

If I put myself in their place I night think about how unlikely it was, and how fortunate it was that a fellow came along at just the right time  with a metal detector to find the keys.  I would have wondered if it was just coincidence or something more.  And being the type of person I am, I'd wonder if it might be something spiritual in one way or another.  It was definitely out of line with my normal or natural behavior.  Was it more than coincidence?

I didn't tell you what I did so you would think that I'm a good person.  Quite the contrary.  The good deep was not the norm.  It was the exception.  That is too bad.  It need not be so.

There are many opportunities in daily life to transform unexceptional moments into memorable mements.  One way you can do that is by responding to some of the many opportunities to lend a helping hand.  The Christmas season is an especially good time to try it.

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There is only so much I can do in a blog post.  Posts are short and I write one almost every day.  That means that I can not say everything that needs to be said or even everything I might want to say about many topics.  I can't even take the time I would like to take to refine my posts like I wish I could. That is just the nature of a blog, especially one done on a daily basis by a single person with a lot of other more pressing responsibilities.  That is just one important reason that I usually post my sources as references.

The sources that I post provide many details that I don't include in my text.  A perfect example was my recent post about encrusted object.  At the top of the post I provided an illustration showing the stages of development of an EO taken from a thesis for a Master's degree.  A thesis like that is much more lengthy and detailed than any post that I might provide and will usually answer any questions you might have about the topic to the est have been answered in academic circles.  A thesis like that normally takes close to two years to complete, will include a comprehensive overview of the existing academic literature on the topic and is completed with the assistance of an academic team of professors in the field of study.  Therefore you might expect the thesis to provided the best scholarship on the subject that exists anywhere.  That is why I provide the sources and references.  If you have any questions, you can consult the original sources, not only the one source, but also those listed in that source.  An academic thesis must contain a review of the relevant literature, which you will find near the end of the thesis.

The illustration I provided at the top of the post from the thesis on EOs was good, as far as it goes, however the thesis also acknowledged that things are actually more complex.  Here is a paragraph from the same thesis as the illustration commenting on that.




As you can see, there is more.  You can use the following to link to continue reading.

When you have questions about something I post that is from another source, I usually give you a link so you can check the source for more information.   You will often find tons of additional good information.

Here is the link to the thesis on EOs that I talked about in my post a couple days ago.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Rash-MA2012.pdf

You should note that the thesis was based upon a survey of 2000-year-old items - not 300-year-old items.

I often get questions about cleaning objects.  I know it can be too detailed or difficult to understand at times, but the best over all resource that I know about for information about cleaning and conserving objects is the Texas A and M Nautical Archaeology Conservation Laboratory web site.  I think I've mentioned that web site several times.  There you will find extensive discussion about cleaning and conserving almost every type of material.  The main problem with that web site is that it has too much information and would take a long time to master.  I will therefore continue to provide brief instructions, but you should realize that there is always more that could be said.  When you need to know all the ifs, ands and buts, you might want to consult the best academic resources.

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If I judged my posts on the number of emails received, I would have to say that the recent EO posts were popular.  They are certainly interesting objects that inspire a lot of questions.  I will be doing more posts on EOs in the future.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/20/14 Report - What You Can Learn About Beach Detecting From Hunting Gold Nuggets, Great White and Magic Grapeshot

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.


The higher surf didn't help conditions any.  It was hitting the beach straight on instead of at an angle, which resulted in more filling.  It wasn't that much higher anyway.

One Treasure Coast Beach Just After High Tide Monday Afternoon.

I showed this beach the day before yesterday.  There isn't much left of the cuts now.  Notice the sea weed, which indicates that the beach is filling.

Another Similar Treasure Coast Beach Monday Afternoon.

This one is filling in too.  Again, notice the sea weed.

It just goes to show once again that the direction of the surf is as important as the size of the surf.


I've often said how good it is to try different types of detecting.  Most people who read this blog detect beaches or shallow ocean waters a lot.  Although I know there are some, most of this blog's readers do not hunt gold in streams, however, if you ever get the chance or opportunity, try it out, because you'll have some fun, might find something, and perhaps most importantly, will learn something that will open your eyes to new opportunities and supply you with new useful skills.

There are many web sites dealing with hunting gold in or around a river or creek.   Here is a little one that in a few short paragraphs provides some helpful tips.

http://voices.yahoo.com/where-look-gold-streams-5724340.html?cat=11

I'll summarize a few of the key points from this article that apply to beach or shallow water ocean detecting.

1. Look around bends in the stream.  Why?   Because the water slows and gold will settle and collect there.  

Notice any familiar principles?   Yes, the same thing happens on a beach.  Where the water slows, gold and other heavy items will settle. 

Understanding the movement of water and where things will collect will help you on a beach too.

2.  Work the banks, not just the water.  Why?  The stream bed and water level will change over time and flood waters can drop gold on the banks.

That happens on a beach too.  The same basic forces are at work, the force of moving water, changing water levels, and don't forget gravity.

3.  Hunt around obstructions, such as boulders or cracks in the bedrock where gold will accumulate. 

Do the same in the shallow water or on the beach, especially in the wet sand or where the water has once been.

In the water or on a beach, rocks or other obstructions such as jetties or sea groins will also collect targets.

4.  The article also says, The most important step in panning a stream for gold is to develop a plan. Looking for gold in random place after random place can be frustrating and is an inefficient use of your time.

That is something I always teach here.  Randomly hunting is what many beginners do, but if you are going to become more effective, you'll develop a plan that guides your hunting.   As you hunt more, your plan should become more detailed and systematic.

I know the above web site is not the best site in the world for giving the details on how to find gold in a stream, but it quickly shows how one type of hunting can help you better understand forces and develop techniques that will help you become more productive no matter where you detect.


Here is a video of diver who encountered a Great White Shark off of Vero.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/Scuba-diver-takes-on-great-white-shark-in-Florida/260293699851/Comcast/TopVideos/?cid=sf_vidtray


Here is a web site showing the excavation of a 1700s pirate hangout up the Belize river called the Barcadares.   This is a new piece in LiveScience but is actually a rehash of previously published material.  Nonetheless, you might want to take a look.

http://www.livescience.com/15865-photos-pirates-caribbean.html


Magic grapeshot?   Archaeologists imagine that 18th century grape shot found buried in post holes under a foundation of a Caribbean plantation were magical in nature.  That seems unlikely to me.  What do you think?

Get the details here.

http://www.livescience.com/45696-artifacts-unearthed-in-caribbean.html


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/24/13 Report - Night Before Christmas Edition PLUS Afternoon Update

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

UPDATE:  This afternoon evidently a front came through.  The wind picked up and was coming strongly from the North.  There is a very good chance that there will be some action at the beach today and/or tomorrow.  I probably won't do a post tomorrow, so wanted to alert you to the possibility of some erosion.  TG.

Child's Book That Survived
From the 1930s.

Did you ever give any thought to what treasure is and what makes it treasure?   What are the most important things to you?

This article tells how one man's treasures were stolen and returned after they were found in a recycling plant.

http://on.aol.com/video/stolen-photo-album-found-at-oklahoma-recycling-plant-returned-to-owner-518059325?hp=1&playlist=127155



It seems to me there are magic moments in life.  They are times when it seems something special happens.  You might call it magical.   Those times stand out.  They make you feel more alive somehow.  They are intense and memorable.  They are different for different people.  For some it might be when their first child was born, or it might be a special childhood Christmas, or it might be when a loved one recovered from a critical injury or disease.   Or it might happen when you gaze upon a marvelous scene of creation.

Those special moments are experienced more intensely than others and are remembered unlike any others.  Those special moments change lives.   They are more felt than understood.  

I hope you can think back and identify some special moments in your life.  I can.  And strangely enough they aren't always the kind that can be described in a way that makes them sound special to anyone else.  In fact some of them are times when nothing much happened at all.  They were times when there was no big event - no accomplishment or unusual happening - nothing much at all to really separate them from any of the more common moments in life.

Those uneventful magic moments seem to come from within rather than from any thing that happened.

Too often those moments aren't really acknowledged at the time and you only realize how special they were when you look back in time.  Maybe to Christmases past or something like that.

Maybe you can recall the magic of one or more Christmases past.  Maybe you can recall being so excited to see what Santa might bring that you couldn't go to sleep.  That kind of magic seems to get lost with age, and maybe it should, but maybe not.

I think magical moments should be fostered.  They should be planted, fertilized, and most carefully  encouraged and maintained.  They are far too rare.

I don't think those moments come from events even though they might be associated with events.  They come more from  inside.  For me, and I don't mean to offend anyone that doesn't believe similarly, they come more from spirit than flesh.  You could call them supernatural, but to me there is nothing more natural than spirit, and so there is nothing supernatural about the supernatural, as contradictory as that might sound.

\I believe those special moments have very much to do with the spirit of man being revived and refreshed by a fresh breath of Spirit, as quick and fleeting as it may be.

I believe it is not so much what happens as what you bring to it.  You can only find the magic in life to the extent you are able and willing.  A lively spirit and soul will find much more magic in life.

What is more magical than life itself?  The fact that you get to open your eyes and look around.  The fact that you can make decisions and take action.  The fact that you are here, alive and aware at this time and place in history.  The fact that you can interact with and influence the lives of others.  The fact that you can interact with, know, support and encourage others.

There are many who won't feel those magic moments this Christmas, or much of any other time either.  I don't condemn them.  There might be very big reasons for that.  Hurt, loss or sorrows.  Heaven knows we've all lost too much of life.  It seems that magic is a real rarity these days in most lives.  Crudeness is the norm.   Something has been lost that needs to be found and returned.

What I hope you find this Christmas, or anytime you can, is that deep appreciation for the magic of life.  And when you are touched by it, try to spread it around.  I can use all of it I can get. That is real treasure to me.


And now, here is a picture of the TreasureGuide and some of his family and friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-BgvYkv76I&feature=youtube_gdata


May you have the true spirit of Christmas everyday.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net