Is it a HOBBY or is it a WAY OF LIFE

I see it as a healthy way of life with many benefits:

Exercise.
Reduce anxiety and stress. (unless a wild animal is trying to chew on your leg while detecting lol)
Keeps the mind busy.
Preserve the past.
A love for learning and researching history.
Teach younger generations with actual items found.
Feeling good about yourself when helping others who may have lost an item. (ex. ring)
Making friends who share the same passion.
Etc.

However, If it starts interfering with family obligations, working and paying bills, then I would see it as an addiction no different (for example) than excessive drinking.

Apparently it is a way of life! Maybe even an addiction as some call it. I don't go for numbers or even quality of finds I just enjoy learning about the history of an area and testing various brands of detectors.

When my friend got into detecting I would say was an addiction also, he would skip lunch to detect..he would find some pretty good finds and then post the pictures at night on the forums. Was a lot of fun checking what he would post on his lunch hour threads. hh

Its funny how its evolved for me. For the longest time, was just interested in finding deep silver coins. But to be honest, and its just me, but now hitting those parks , looking for a coin, bores me. Im more into the adventure. Its a thrill to read about something in a diary, narrow down the area, and then hike miles down into a steep and rugged canyon to locate it. You look for signs, keep and eye out for rattlers and grows, then try to figure where that camp would be. Discovering it, then trying to put the pieces together on the men who lived there, is truly exciting to me. Dang!! I need to get out, lol.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2015 11:43PM by deathray.

deathray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Its funny how its evolved for me. For the longest
> time, was just interested in finding deep silver
> coins. But to be honest, and its just me, but now
> hitting those parks , looking for a coin, bores
> me. Im more into the adventure. Its a thrill to
> read about something in a diary, narrow down the
> area, and then hike miles down into a steep and
> rugged canyon to locate it. You look for signs,
> keep and eye out for rattlers and grows, then try
> to figure where that camp would be. Discovering
> it, then trying to put the pieces together on the
> men who lived there, is truly exciting to me.
> Dang!! I need to get out, lol.

Yes Ray I TOO love PROVING History..RIGHT and WRONG...

Thanks for the feedback from all If I had ask this question some other forum's Im sure the responses would of been quite different...Ya'll are a SPECIAL bunch be proud of your OBSESSION!!!!

I hope maybe a Engineer or 2 looks on this thread and sees its more to US than money gains....

Companys need to realize detecting is not just a sport or a hobby or get rich quick fancy but a LIFELONG Yearning for MANY!!

Monte thank's for the detailed reply Sir!! its sums its all up quite well !!!!

Keith



and

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

If done right, a hobby full of health benefits that's one of the reasons I continue with the hobby.

Another reason, Historical part guess that would be my main reason sharing what I've learned with property owners.

Just last night, invited a newbie to the hobby he's been on a few hunts with me on several other sites. Well, last night he digs a complete powder flask minus the top. Let me say this is a remarkable find especially from our oldest settlement in my area, and he dug it few feet were I dug a powder flask top 8-10 years ago. I'm so sure this recent powder flask find and my powder flask spout find years ago are of the same flask, its bigger than normal never seen one this big.

Currently, my past finds from this settlement are at out local museum still in box waiting to be displayed in a permanent location in the museum. Have a meeting today at 3pm with the museum manager, With the property owners permission my friend will donate the recent powder flask find to be displayed with the other finds.

We stopped by the owners home last night to show him the powder flask, this flask along with my finds now in the museum are from the first 14 settlers in our area of 1850, all but three were massacred by the Indians so finding a complete powder flask is incredible especially knowing the top portion will be united with the lower portion.

Didn't mean to rant on, really excited my friend dug the flask. Now, I need to help the museum get the ball going to get these finds displayed for our community to enjoy. I'll even fund the display to get it done, so very excited.

Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2015 08:29PM by Old California.

Recently........ It has become a high-profile profession of National (Archaeological) significance.
Personally......... it's still a burning passion.............. especially with each new technological advancement.

Old California Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If done right, a hobby full of health benefits
> that's one of the reasons I continue with the
> hobby.
>
> Another reason, Historical part guess that would
> be my main reason sharing what I've learned with
> property owners.
>
> Just last night, invited a newbie to the hobby
> he's been on a few hunts with me on several other
> sites. Well, last night he digs a complete powder
> flask minus the top. Let me say this is a
> remarkable find especially from our oldest
> settlement in my area, and he dug it few feet
> were I dug a powder flask top 8-10 years ago.

Hey Paul, why do you think you did not find the powder flash only a few feet from where you dug the spout?
Surely, you looked for it.

Pleasant Garden, NC
AT Max, Nokta Impact, MX Sport, Nokta FORS Relic, GPX 4800, Infinium, Racer, Deus, F75SE, Nautilus DMC II (order of acquisition, last to first)

Does an archeologist argue with a plow? A bureaucrat with a bulldozer?

Wayne,

At the time, when the powder flask top surfaced years ago. Allot of dry brush, wild grape vines was covering this particular section of property. I worked it pretty good back then and over the years especially this year our drought has caused surface foilage and in this case some of the wild grape vines near the river to dry up, this opened up more area to detect closer to the river.

So last night, pointed to this area for my friend to hunt told him this particular area had given up several nice relics long ago, he dug the flask in an area that wasn't possible back then even though it was only a few feet from were I dug the powder flask top years ago. Because of our drought, we're finding new patches of ground never detected before due to surface foilage and such drying up.

It was 107 degrees today, Was out there again scored a few cool finds but nothing like yesterdays powder flask. Also, Did visit the museum this afternoon and seen the museum corinator, looks like I have to help with the display they are under staffed.

Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2015 04:55AM by Old California.

Lets see it Paul.

I'vedone that before Paul.....find part of something then years later when conditions are right return and dfindthe other part..sometimes the other part is the biggest piece...


I've dug a few powderflask Iin my life and they are a thrill..

Would like to see your friends..

does it have the eagle on it?

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Ray and Keith,

I'll post it later this day, took some pics hopefully the camera accepted them. Will know in a couple of hours after down loading them, the camera viewing portion is damaged so its a guessing game hoping for the best aligning the camera to take shots.

Keith, The powder flask my friend dug has two dogs on each side no eagle, Have dug several in my time and two of them had one dog each side. Never seen one like this one with two dogs per side, and never seen one this big its larger than the ones I've dug.

We're hoping it's pre 1850, this will surely help narrow it down as a possible artifact from the first settlers who were massacred. Only three three survived, This settlement was the first between Stockton and Los Angeles.

I'll post a new thread in a couple of hours, hopefully Keith or someone can date the flask. Appreciate the help, thanks!

Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2015 05:29PM by Old California.

If it's a passion it's a way of life. If it's something you like to do now and then it is a hobby. Motorcycles and detecting are a passion. Golf is a hobby.

Bryanna - Nebraska

Current - New to me but not new MXT Pro and T2 SE2 - Previous Minelab Sovereign GT, Minelab Safari, Whites DFX, Whites Eagle Spectrum
Smile its a good for you!

Way of life for over 50 yrs along with gold dreging ,prospecting, exploring the desert and studying local and western American history.

These rascals here have became my way of life I guess. I never would have thought it either. 5 yrs ago if you would have told me I'd have goats, I would have said you were crazy. There's just something relaxing to me after a long shift at work, to come home to these floppy eared things and just sit on a stump or in a chair and just watch them pick and eat. Some are attention hogs and will stay right with me and get jealous if I pet one of the others too long; some of the others are more independent and are quite content whether I pet them or not. This one is one I call ole Pete. Pete is my buddy. Wherever I go, he goes too. He follows like a loyal dog...except he eats everything in sight. Hahah. I still like digging but it's nothing like what it once was to me.

I have been doing a little hunting around the spot where they cleared for my house. I found a pocket knife the other day; missing the handles. My family has owned the land there for a long time...my great great grandpa bought it. That knife got me thinking...man that thing could have been his, or my great grandpa's...etc. Made me glad to have found it.

I hear the goats can eat poison ivy, oak with no ill effects....is that true?

Ozzie -- That is correct. It is sort of weird how they can eat things like that and it not bother them, but yet leaves from a cherry tree can poison them and make them sick and or kill them. They are browsers...and for some reason, like to eat those plants that other animals wont eat. Mine love the leaves off of briers. They will bury right up into a brier patch and in a few minutes, will have every leaf eaten off the briers...it's like candy to them. In fact, some people rent their goats out to people that want to clear out sections of their property that has kudzu, poison ivy, etc in it. One guy I know was highly allergic to poison ivy and he had it all around his house. He couldn't mow or trim with his weedeater, because it would get all that juice on him when he did. He said he had tried it once before and he ended up in the hospital because of doing it. He borrowed a goat from somebody he knew that had them and it made short work of the greenery around his house. Now he owns a couple of his own. His goats are fat and happy. And he gets to go out in the yard without ending up in the hospital.