We arrived at the site in Somerset County around 9:15 where we met Rev. Parke. I pointed out the boundaries of both sites but decided that we should tackle the old school site first. It had been planted in corn the day before and wouldn't be hurt if it was dug up and replaced. I noticed that members did a good job of covering holes and removing trash and I hope this practice continues. (If you notice someone not pulling his or her weight in this department let them know about it.) Finds were made though some people had to alternate detecting with swatting away the sheep flies which had only recently come out. The temperature was also rising and it wasn't too long before it was time to seek out cooler conditions and some tasty and refreshing food and drink.

We had lunch in Crisfield at the Circle Inn where the tables were set and waitresses standing by. The service was prompt but the wait for our food was longer than we like. Luckily for us, it was worth the wait. Everyone thought the food was good and because we had to wait a bit for it, we had plenty of time to discuss the morning's hunt. There were some nice finds made, including an 1844 Seated Liberty half dime, some Indian heads and wheat pennies and a few neat buttons. With all this talk, it was only natural that we were anxious to return to the field.

Rev. Parke joined us for lunch and expressed interest in rejoining the club in the future. Right now he's too busy working on a retirement home for himself and his family. He had hoped that he would be able to get permission for the club to hunt another adjoining spot, a vast area encompassing the site of an old church and a bygone country store, but the owner, a woman in her 90's wasn't having a good day so Rev. Parke didn't bother to approach her. I'm glad he didn't at this time but he assured me that he would try again in the future. Nevertheless, we still had our choice of the two original sites, including the one behind the 1600's church that we hadn't touched in the morning.

It had already been an interesting day but now it was becoming a hot day as well. Mother Nature had sent our her sun to see what we were doing on the hunt. Finds heated up too and I saw an early 3-cent piece which had been cut in half, a few silver quarters, a couple of silver dimes, some wheaties and an unusual amount of clad coins.

The Seekers continued hunting until 4:00 or so. There were quite a few whose finds I didn't get to check on so someone might have unearthed a real treasure. Maybe we'll all see something spectacular at the meeting on the 8th.

Land sites are scarce now due to crops being planted but I'll be out there looking and I'm confident we'll have a place to go on our next hunt date of June 13.

Don't forget to get your Christmas Club 50/50 tickets. They're just $1 each, 3 for $2 or 8 for $5. Be sure to see Julie to get yours.

I've been asked what's the best way to keep ticks and other critters at bay while land hunting. Nothing is 100% but a few suggestions are:

1. Wear long pants with leather boots. Blouse the pants like they do in the military and spray the heck out of them with insect repellant. DEET woks well but don’t get it on your skin.

2. Wear shorts, shoes and light colored stockings. Spray well with insect repellant not containing DEET. This method relies on you feeling the ticks crawling or seeing them on your socks.

Either of these methods works pretty well but the options are up to you.

Another thing that works, though your spouse might not approve, is to eat garlic. It's good for you but smells bad. This method makes mosquitoes and ticks hack and cough from the garlic odor as they attempt to bite you.

From first hand knowledge, I can report that Jim T. and I hit the beach at five different locations in Ocean City from 40th to 118th Sts. the week after Memorial Day weekend and managed to find several dollars worth of change between us. There weren't many on the beach but that should change soon and the finds should start picking up. Our big challenge is the beach machines that automatically pick up trash, along with the jewelry and coins that are trapped in the fine-mesh screens. But they can't get everything. I encourage members to check the beach as often as you can, especially in the evenings when it's not so crowded and before the machines have had a chance to sweep through.

Don't forget to take advantage of the newsletter to sell items. You can list up to three items at a time and the ad will run for two months for the low cost of $1. Items don't have to be detector-related and can include such things as long guns (no pistols), bows and arrows, hunting equipment, your wife's car, etc. As of this month, these ads will also be online where they can be viewed by many people. It's good advertising at a more than reasonable rate.

In the past, members have travelled to Jolly Old England for finds and friends. Seekers reaped the benefits at a good price. If any members are inquisitive about a return trip, contact Secretary Julie Pryor for more info.

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting on the 8th and at the hunt on the 13th. Be sure to be there.

Bill Draper,
President
(and Huntmaster)

The last meeting of the SHORE SEEKERS Artifact and Recovery Club was held on Monday, May 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mt. Hermon UMC Community Hall.

The winner of the Mexican Numismatic Collection was Keith Kalmbach.

Winners of magazine raffles were too numerous to mention. Thanks to Ginny DeVaughn and Dan Solow for donating the magazines.

Ernest Michael and his son Logan were in attendance as guests; they later joined the club.

CORRESPONDENCE

FMDAC detector raffle tickets were available: see Ed if interested. Bill passed out literature from Bill Winkler about red tide. Extra copies of The Seeker were also available.

OLD BUSINESS

The minutes were approved as distributed.

The treasurer gave her report.

Les asked for more information concerning the story Dan mentioned at the last meeting about people encountering legal trouble after picking up pottery on a local beach. Dan will try to find out more information and pass it along to members.

We haven't made definite plans about our big member's only hunt but it is likely to be on the beach at Assateague sometime in the fall. Dan mentioned that some members would like to have the hunt area a little closer to the parking lot so people won't have to walk so far. Les mentioned that another club he is a member of has their hunt on the Lewes, DE municipal beach and perhaps we can think about this as a back-up spot.

NEW BUSINESS

Al displayed a new tool that he came across that might be of interest to relic hunters. It is a small lightweight retractable saw for cutting off roots when retrieving targets, etc. He will provide more information concerning price and availability at a later time.

CLUB HUNT

There is no hunt spot yet. Please watch your e-mail for additional details.

The winner of the silver 50-cent piece during the Finds of the Month competition was Dave Smyth.

The 50/50 raffle was won by Keith Kalmbach.

Julie Pryor,
Secretary

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