JUNE 24TH UPDATE


Been awhile, huh?  I've been crazy busy with only a little time here and there to do any type of digging. My coolest score since my last report was quite fun to find. I was working in a residential part of Pasadena, California for the day and found myself wandering up an alley from crew parking toward the Production Motor Home.  As I was bouncing along I noticed what appeared to be an old rusted battery half buried in one of the grass/dirt borders that ran up either side of the alleyway. I was soon kicking at it to get it out. It bounced down the way as it freed itself. I followed behind and gave it another good kick noticing it was more peculiar than I'd thought. After picking it up I thought this can't be a gun part…? I cleaned it off a little and sure enough it was a 5-shot cylinder from some small caliber pistol. All the scenarios you can think of went through my head. "Murder weapon, robbery weapon, was part of fill dirt used to create alley, on and on my brain went." Eastern Pasadena where I was, was mostly covered in avocado groves back in the 1800's, so there were limitless possibilities.  The "on location" jobs I work on have police for traffic lock-ups and such, so I was all over those guys trying to date this thing. One cop said "they don't make them that small anymore, so you've probably got something from the turn of the century." COOL!! The dig spirits came and found me this time!

I spent time in Pittsburgh, Pa as well as Tonopah, Nevada this year. With minimal time to dig in either place both spots yielded some as far as artifacts/bottles. I mainly scouted out Pittsburgh for future digs (as long as my Brother continues to live there). The stuff I found was mainly post 1900 to present. I always scope for milk bottles when this happens. My best finds there were a glass cobalt eyewash cup in perfect condition and some poor souls hunting knife. It was explained to me by a native Pennsylvanian that when hunters make a hit they chase the wounded animal swiftly through the woods all the while losing cell phones, pagers, knives, etc… I felt kinda bad for whoever lost this because you could see they really took good care of this knife.  It was just laying between two bushes in it's sheath.
My Granpa always says "Pay Attention" no matter what you are doing.
Anyway, Tonopah was an old west mining I'd heard about through the grapevine. My wife and I were camping out thataway so we decided to swing by there to quench the bottlelust. I'd heard of tokens and other artifacts being found there so off we went. WE drove through town and saw a few antique places and tourist traps which left me wondering where the bottles were being found. As luck would have it we ventured down the correct side street and came to a dump area that stretched out for a couple miles. Wow!! There was the speckled glint of broken glass and rusty cans all the way across the area. Upon a closer look I noticed hundreds of holes and piles of dirt which turned out to be from people out there screening and sifting. This place was so picked over!! I found one little brown applied lip bottle I kept and a few pipe pieces and a neat little metallic whistle embossed  "ERIE P.A.   R.E. BYRD." Loud as anything too!! I'm sure ole Mom had a hand in the disposal of that one.
I did score an intact "OAKLAND CHEMICAL COMPANY" bottle in an L.A. construction site a few weeks back that was laying top of ground. There is a security guy on duty there now who put a stop to a few Cali diggers I bet.
I'll be on the East Coast again in July So I'm hoping to grab some dig time there.
Thanks Again Eddie!

Till the next time!
Patrick

p.s. I did dig in the same hole Eddie did on Nov. 16th of  2003 AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS!!