March 2008

March ushered in the launch of Treasure Masters (Las Cruces’ only authorized Whites Metal Detector dealer) and the newly formed LLC of the same name and a partnership with a fine young man to support the venture when I’m out of the area. We are set up in my partner’s wife’s relative’s gun shop and run our receipts through his books. Our business profit goal is financing a two week trip to Costa Rica next winter.

My business Partner, Joe Leos, and I held a hands on Metal detector event in a Las Cruces to local park to help kick off the new business. Susan and his wife Cyndi helped. About 40 or 50 people turn out for our White’s metal detector Jamboree and we sold some stuff.

Susan and I rode our ATV’s about 35 miles on the Benson Ridge trail system in the Lincoln National Forest just south of Cloudcroft, NM. It was a great day and made me remember why we haul these ATV’s around on top of our truck all the time. We stopped by the great Mexican food place in Tularosa for dinner and watched the March full moon rise over the mountains as we drove back to Las Cruces.

We meet a dear friend, Rita Barnhart, in Bernalillo the last week of March. This little bedroom community near Albuquerque gained its fame when Coronado visited in about 1640. There was much shopping and good food involved with Rita’s visit.

Susan flew out of Albuquerque back to Eugene on April 1st. She will pick up some essentials, her car, and meet me in Espanola in a few days. Espanola is about 25 miles north of Santa Fe near the Carson National Forest. There are lots of good ATV trails in the area. Notice how we are moving north as the weather warms. We will spend the Month of April here and plan to move to Buena Vista, Colorado in early May, weather permitting.

I am healing well from the ATV accident with only a few bruises and hard spots in the left arm. I have lost some mobility in my left arm and neck. I just don’t heal as well as I used to. This getting old stuff is not for sissies.

Metal detecting this month turned up a dinosaur design sterling silver ring, a Susan B. Anthony dollar, six wheat pennies, a 1919 Mercury dime, and a lapel pen showing the Olympic symbol, the Mexican flag, and the coca cola symbol. I also found about $40 worth of current coins. I’m finding enough quarters to keep up with the laundry cost again. My favorite metal detecting story involves a lost and found wedding ring. It all started when I was lost, looking for the local Chamber of Commerce. I stopped to ask directions from a couple of guys in front of a YMCA Teen center. The Director of the center gave me good directions and we struck up a conversation about our shared interest in wheelers, rock hounding, and metal detecting. He told me about a local park that might be good for metal detecting. I ran errands around town and wound up at that park in late afternoon. I was doing my Pied Piper routine with a group of kids following me around as I showed them where to dig coins.

A guy approached me asking for help finding his white gold wedding ring lost the day before. He showed me where he had taken off his base ball glove while practicing with a team he was coaching. He raked the infield area the night before for hours searching for the ring. I found it with the metal detector in about 15 minutes. He was extremely pleased and gave me a $60 reward. I took the reward back to the teen center and bought pizza for the whole group. It was gratifying to feed a bunch of kids who might not otherwise have had dinner.

The Director of the teen center and I are planning a wheeler ride in an area north west of Espanola. This guy knows the area and tells me to bring my rock hammer for a wide variety of local minerals. I’m really looking forward to the ride.