Hello White's:

Sometimes you're the windshield...Sometimes you're the bug!

Spent some time in a campground in New Mexico recently.  While there, I noted that one of the employees was a fellow MDer.  He offered to take me out to an old homesite in the desert where he has found goodies in the past. It was originally the home of one of the individuals whose job it was to provide water for passing trains. It was situated about 75-100 yards from the old railbed \& about 5 miles from anywhere/anybody. We rode the 20+ miles from his house in my truck with him filling me in on history of the area.

Armed with my trusty White's 6000 Di Pro SL, digging tools, \& plenty of water, I walked with him across the desert to where the house had been...now only a stone foundation with more than its share of rusty tin cans.  It wasn't long until I dug an old .44 rimfire case...then another...then a 1917 Mercury dime.  Meanwhile, he found a Barber dime \& more old shell casings.

I moved closer to the foundation \& soon determined most of the layout of the house \& 2 outbuildings.  The entrance to the old place was evidenced by a step, which was really just a long, thin rock showing lots of wear.  As I passed my 6000 over the rock, I got an unexpected, strange signal at one end.

I moved the big flat rock, then a smaller one \& found the battered end of a pipe about 5" in diameter that had been driven into the ground, then covered by the rocks.  I looked down into it, but couldn't see much, except that it was deep, old, \& had been put there for a reason.  Knowing that there might well be something in it...treasure/rattlesnakes/scorpions, I went back to my truck for a flashlight.

At arm's length deep, was the top of an old cold cream jar \& nothing else.  Now knowing that there weren't any critters in the pipe, I reached down \& pulled out the jar, completely intact!  Gold nuggets or coins?  Barbers?

I hollered at my buddy to come over for the "opening" of the "bank".  We opened the jar to find...NOTHING! Did somebody beat me to it?  Probably not.  I would rather like to think that the individual responsible for this home bank took the contents with him/her when they left \& replaced the jar with a grin. 

But, you never know unless you search!

Sincerely,

Dick R