foiled_again
Jr. Member
- Jan 29, 2013
- 85
- 59
- Detector(s) used
- CZ7a, Compadre (wader mod), Land Ranger Pro, Pro Pointer
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
With apologies to those of you who may have been bitten by rattlesnakes, fallen and broken a leg, had a car accident on the way to the field, or had similar misadventures, allow me to whine about the lousy day I had last Thursday, knocking doors on old houses and looking for a place to try out my new F75. As follows:
--I spotted an old house up on blocks on a lot that was completely torn up, all vegetation stripped off and piles of dirt all around. It looked like the house was being moved off. I asked the workmen who were there if the owner was around...he had gone to the post office. They mentioned that the house had been built in 1857 and they were just re-doing the foundation. I waited around half an hour for the owner in a frenzy of excitement...when he arrived I asked my questions and he said that, well, he has a friend who metal detects, and he had promised the friend he could have a crack at the place, so the answer was no. And he remarked that he had already found an Indian Head penny in the soil (I have found ONE Indian Head penny in my LIFE and nobody but me could even recognize it...). Well, I said, did he know anything about the house next door? It looked pretty old too. And he said that that house was actually his, and he didn't want anybody in the yard.
So I left.
--Then I came upon a rather average looking place with bungalow type architecture...1919 vintage according to the County Assessor. I knocked and the lady of the house said, well, her husband also metal detects and had done the yard very thoroughly. Did he find anything? I ask (the answer is almost always, nothing but some bits of metal and junk). Why, yes, she said, he'd found quite a lot.
So I left.
--Here and there I also knocked another five or so houses, where there were cars in the driveway and it seemed like people were home. But no answer.
So I left.
--Then I came upon an abandoned house with a Notice of Violation sticker on the door. No fences and a corner lot so the back and front were both accessible. There was a contractor's sign in the front yard, so I called in hopes they could put me in contact with the owner. It turned out that the contractor himself was the owner. He deeply appreciated my courtesy and respect in calling for permission to hunt the yard. But he couldn't grant it due to Liability Concerns (I guess he could tell my propensity for falling down even over the phone).
So I went home, never having even turned the detector on.
--I spotted an old house up on blocks on a lot that was completely torn up, all vegetation stripped off and piles of dirt all around. It looked like the house was being moved off. I asked the workmen who were there if the owner was around...he had gone to the post office. They mentioned that the house had been built in 1857 and they were just re-doing the foundation. I waited around half an hour for the owner in a frenzy of excitement...when he arrived I asked my questions and he said that, well, he has a friend who metal detects, and he had promised the friend he could have a crack at the place, so the answer was no. And he remarked that he had already found an Indian Head penny in the soil (I have found ONE Indian Head penny in my LIFE and nobody but me could even recognize it...). Well, I said, did he know anything about the house next door? It looked pretty old too. And he said that that house was actually his, and he didn't want anybody in the yard.
So I left.
--Then I came upon a rather average looking place with bungalow type architecture...1919 vintage according to the County Assessor. I knocked and the lady of the house said, well, her husband also metal detects and had done the yard very thoroughly. Did he find anything? I ask (the answer is almost always, nothing but some bits of metal and junk). Why, yes, she said, he'd found quite a lot.
So I left.
--Here and there I also knocked another five or so houses, where there were cars in the driveway and it seemed like people were home. But no answer.
So I left.
--Then I came upon an abandoned house with a Notice of Violation sticker on the door. No fences and a corner lot so the back and front were both accessible. There was a contractor's sign in the front yard, so I called in hopes they could put me in contact with the owner. It turned out that the contractor himself was the owner. He deeply appreciated my courtesy and respect in calling for permission to hunt the yard. But he couldn't grant it due to Liability Concerns (I guess he could tell my propensity for falling down even over the phone).
So I went home, never having even turned the detector on.
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