Pismo Beach Peddling

"As tens of thousands of people left local beaches after fireworks shows Monday night, a whole new crowd headed the opposite direction.

Metal-detector enthusiasts moved in, ready to find what was left behind.

As the fireworks ended in Pismo Beach, treasure-hunter Gil Rivera was armed and ready.

The 76-year-old LAPD retiree landed with a team around midnight and sifted the sands until three in the morning."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: KSBY

Happy New Year!

Hope you all ended 2010 right and I pass on my wishes to you for a wonderful year in 2011 regarding not just the hobby, but all aspects of your life.

And don't forget... if you're looking for great seasonal deals and quick, fridnly service for hobby related items, be sure give my buddy John Tomilinson of John's Metal Detectors a call (or visit whis website). He'd be happy to have you!

Jimmy

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, hope the detector fairy was good to you.

Clad for Kids 2010

It's that time of the year folks. The time when families come together and be thankful for each other and what they have. The time when gift giving is as much a part of the season as the warmth of an open fire.

Unfortunately, there are those out there, that due to a single, or combination or circumstances, cannot provide for the ones they care about and will most likely awake to understanding, yet disappointed faces come Christmas morning.

In 2009, a hobby peer of ours sparked a wonderful movement to turn that despair into joyous smiles and endearing embraces for a number of families in his rural Ohio community.

With a great personal effort, and with the help of fellow hobbyists like yourselves, he was able to raise over $600 and provide new clothing, toys and gas cards to a handful of needy families.

Please join Jimmy's MD Blog in donating all, or a portion of your 2010 clad finds to the 2010 Clad for Kids charity, hosted by Brian Duvall.

Click the button below or the one in the sidebar to donate. You can also contact me for mailing information if you do not wish to use PayPal to send your donation.

And here are a few pics of items purchased from last year's donations :)

 

 

Happy Bday USA \ Oh How I've Missed You MD

Another 4th of July spent offshore :( We're still floating around in all the muck from the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster... for all of you out there interested in the pics I took when we responded to US Coast Guard calls click HERE.

But anyhow, winter is now many months past and it's time for me to get back in the saddle and put some time in swingin' the coil of my XLT and trying to find some goodies. I've got lot's planned, so I hope I can uncover a few keepers to make sure 2010 is not a total loss in the MD category... 'cuz I mean, I think in the two "hunts" I've done in 2010 in my front yard, I might have been able to scramble together about $1 in clad, woo, exciting!

Thanks for all my readers, and sorry it's been forever since I had something for you to read. Please make it back as often as you can :)

Happy New Year: 2009 on the Ocean Odyssey

Yay! It's a start to a whole new year, and the celebrations were big everywhere. Above you'll see a photo of New York City's Time Square right after the ball had descended. Out here on the Ocean Odyssey, though local time we are on US CST, all of our software runs on GMT. So we celebrated both New Years.

Here below is a grouping of images from our celebrations here on the boat. We had a great time both on the eve of the holiday, as well as New Years itself. Nothing spectacular, no flare gun fireworks, and sadly, no cheap flute glasses filled with 0.5% red wine bubbled up with Diet 7Up. But we had some great food!

Roast pig on the spit.


Bread... oddly shaped like breasts?


Pig ready to eat!


Watermelon carving.


Dessert spread.


Baked chicken, dressed up like a turkey w/ guitar.


New Year's cake.


BBQ Lunch spread.


Julius grillin' up some BBQ prawns.


Enjoying the New Year with BBQ on the cable deck.

27: My Birthday

Haha. That image you see just above is the first birthday comment I received when getting on the computer this morning. It was a comment left on my MySpace from one Ms. Ashley Falk, who else? Anyway, it was nice to receive well wishes from no less than 10 people today, out here on the boat, and back at home.

After waking up about 11:15am, and making it down to the galley for lunch, I was kind of disappointed not to see a cake with my name on it. I'd seen it done for damned near everybody over the last year... didn't know I had to request it. But the food was good, and off to shift I went.

Signing on the computer, it was nice to see my BDay notice from FMDF, my most favorite place on the web.

I also decided to venture out from MySpace and get on board with the whole Facebook thing. It's neat I guess. I like the fact that more of my family members are on it, as well as more of my international friends from work and stuff. That all went well.

It was an okay birthday, nothing great by any means. No cake, no presents... not much of anything really.

Christmas on the Odyssey

Hey folks! It's Xmas here in the Gulf of Mexico too! Don't have much to say, so I'll let the pictures do the talking. Hope everyone viewing had a great holiday as well.

Tera setting up our trees.


Meghan decorating sugar cookies.


Martin and John on the bridge.


Plate 'o cookies.


Gingerbread house the MMO's made.


My stocking full of treats.


Everyone waiting for gift exchange.


My present wrapped in plotting paper.


Present I received from Stig.


Roast pig, lobster tails, lamb, and prime rib.


Bread and dessert spread.


X-Mas cake.


"Happy Holiday" bread design.


Edible arrangement made by our cooks.


Our cooks with their artwork.

Meghan and Tera enjoying some fake beer with dinner.


Me and Meghan at gift exchange.

Thanks for the Cards

I'm not at home to receive them, but thanks for all the X-Mas and Bday cards that make it to my place while I'm away on the boat.

I'd personally like to thank Vlad and Carol Kononov from Tripp, SD for the great card with a silver Mercury Dime attached on the inside. Very thoughtful!

Also, thanks go out to The Arsenaults up in Maine. Great card and I was very surprised by the wheat penny. Pleasure working with you at FMDF!

Sorry pic is so bad, but it's a cell phone pic from back home.

Holidays How-Do

Just a friendly Holiday Greeting to all my readers and other interested parties. Here I am at my desk on the M/V Ocean Odyssey, where I'll be all through the holidays. So since I won't be there to wish you all the appropriate well wishes, this goes out to you. My parents, Grandad, Aunt and Brother in TX... Grandparents, Cousin, Aunt and Uncle in VA... Aunt, Uncle and Cousin in DC... friends all over the US, mostly in the North East (NH, CT, MA), Northwest (WA), and my local VA people. Also to new friends recently added to the XMAS card list our in South Dakota and also up in Maine.

The best to all of you!

Turkey Day Swingin'

Ahhh Thanksgiving... not really one of my favorite holidays, but whatever. The morning started off hectic, running around trying to get milk and garlic before heading of to the g/f's parents house so she could make the mashed potatoes before it was time to eat. In all that mess, I took the time out to swing the MD in the front and back yard.

Right outta the gate a found a few pieces of trash and a '44 Wheat penny. I was pretty stoked at that point. Not even 5 minutes later I got a signal on my X30 that was jumping around between +32 and +40... so honestly, I was thinking I found some silver. But when I dug up the item, about 4 inches down... to my surprise it looked like a button. But not just any button. I've been doing this long enough now to recognize an older military button... it was just trying to find out how old.

As you can see from the image below, the front of the button shows an eagle with an anchor, and 13 stars. What you can't see on the back, is that it reads, Benedict & Coe... which was what the Waterbury Co (known to make old military buttons) was known as from 1829-1832. And the style matches that of an 1830s Federal Navy Button. Amazing!!!!



Other than this great find, I found 2 more Wheats, a '44 and a '52, along with a bunch of clad.

After that, it was off to my uncle Dan's for TDAY #2.