Home 2003 Stories 1-10-04 2004 Stories

 

10/19/03    

    

Steve writes:

Hey Dave,
      Today Craig and I went to a place in Racine that I had dug at after I
first got bit by the bottle bug. I probed a pit that felt pretty good. There
was a good size root right down the middle of the pit. Craig was digging one side and I was digging the other side. Craig said what ever we dug on our side we get to keep. Well we both kept a whole lot of nothing! We filled it in and took a drive to see what else we could find. I ended driving past a house that Jeff and I had knocked at and got a no. It looked like there had been some changes so I turned around and decided to knock. As I pulled over I saw someone unlock the side door and go in.Perfect timing! I went up and knocked and the guy said Come on in! I talked to Baltazar about the house a little( he was remodeling) he told me the house was built in 1847 I went into the digging schpeel and he said go ahead. The whole yard was a gravelly type soil.Kinda reminded me of Rock county! LOL, after some probing I thought I had located a pit. Craig and I opened it ,we hit an ash layer with a few screw tops and some bim bottles. I uncovered a large jar that I thought was a kerosene jar. Craig said it's a Horlicks,I said no I think it's a kerosene jar.Craig said no it's a Horlicks,"I know my Horlick's" ( He does have a few of them) well it was a 1 gallon Horlick's,but the bottom was broke out. Craig uncovered a "SAINT JACOB'S BITTERS" but sadly the top was
broke off,and we couldn't find it. There were a few other bottles but
nothing spectacular.
      I probed another spot that felt like a pit. It is very hard to tell,so
we opened it.We hit shards at about 2 feet. When we got to the four foot
level Craig uncovered a blob soda that turned out to be a C.F.Bliss
Celebrated Mineral Water. This pit produced very few bottles also. I probed one more spot in the yard,but we decided to wait until next week.
Steve

1847.jpg (37635 bytes) start.jpg (45447 bytes) saint.jpg (48996 bytes)  craigbliss.jpg (44202 bytes) Stuff from Baltazar's property

saintbliss.jpg (53219 bytes) take.jpg (60194 bytes) take1.jpg (60963 bytes)

OK, It is my turn to gripe about my luck. I have complained in the past that I knew they would find blobs and hutches as soon as I wasn't able to dig. Low and behold, every week they have been finding them. A wise man once told me there is no such thing as luck. "Luck" is where opportunity and preparation meet. Let me tell you, I am always prepared to dig and have plenty of opportunities, why do I always get screw tops and milk bottles? Why when I have a 50/50 chance I am wrong 90% of the time? Why do I always get last pick when we have a coin toss? . . .

Just kidding! I have one more weekend of work and I will be back in the game and ready to tear into some good stuff!