It's rainy season again! I've scored a couple hours here and there to look around town for newly exposed areas. Of course I had to hit Santa Monica pier bluffs. There is still that one area way out of reach that kills me every time I go by. I can see plate shards, a couple bottles, and the blue tint of what I think is a bottle. The cliffs are pretty sheer in that area, so I'd definitely have to come from the top about 30 to 40 feet up. I promised my wife I'd take a climbing/rappelling course before I attempted that area.

Anyway, a little further down the bluffs I came across the exposed lip of what looked to be an Ironstone pitcher. My guess is that it was for lemonade on a picnic. I hopped the fence to get a closer look and found a ceramic doll head that had freed itself via the rain. I found a Florida Water bottle in this same area, so it's a good little spot. I then made my way out on to a peak above the pitcher rim. The incline was too intense to get right next to it. I poked at the dirt around it with my 4 foot probe trying to free it. I figured I could get the probe through handle and pull it up, but the dirt in the handle was to solid. Get this rig…I had a thin length of rope in my backpack out of which I made a noose. I began to try to lasso the exposed lip. I ended up with a husband and wife audience above watching the whole process. The wife asked me if I was insane out on the peak like that, and I told her "yeah, impassioned."  A few more tosses and I hadder hooked. I tightened the noose and began to knock away the rest of the dirt around the pitcher. It came free and I started to pull her up and noticed the whole bottom was gone. I tried to bring it up anyway after all that to look at it, but everything dropped away except the handle. That was met with a sigh from above. They were pulling for it too! I commenced to tell them about Privydigger.com and they said they'd check it out. I think the wife got some pics of me clinging to the cliff..If so, send them to my e-mail Freecrow4 @yahoo.com.

I kept the cracked doll head and headed for exposed ground in downtown L.A. I'd seen this area from the 110 freeway a couple times and finally made it down. Upon arrival there I saw BIM lips and bottle pieces scattered all around. I scoured the whole area and only came up with a few shell buttons and a super mini-mag lite that still works. I called it a day after that.

We had some more good rain after that, so I headed down to the bluffs once again. There was a lot more erosion this time. The sidewalk below was covered in silt from above. I cruised along looking through the silt and came across some old bottle pieces that had recently freed themselves. Cool! Another pocket opening up. From the bottom it looks like another Rambo mission to find the pocket and dig it. I settled with looking around the ground and Bang! A two ended bone toothbrush emerges. It looked plastic at first judging by the surrounding trash but then came to light. It's got a little split up one side but otherwise intact. I handled this thing with kid gloves after I crumbled the last one. Good Score!

I went back down by the 110 freeway spot again and it was a little more eroded. I found about the same again: shell buttons, beads, and an embossed internal screw whiskey cork. That marked my day again. I did cruise by my favorite construction site which was still heavily guarded. I can just see a prime area from the street. There will be others, huh?

Till the next time!  Patrick