Article that W&E wanted to publish but couldn't part 1

From the land of the Bluenose....was too disappointed after all the time and effort put into this article . W&E wanted to publish this article but I had saved the photos to photobucket and the resolution of the pixes was too low for print. Not all is lost so enjoy. Had to post it this way with the direct links instead of the photos.

Enjoy

Dominican Beaches British Fields Part 1
Another day. A day just like any other but for this detectorist it was one that signified the start of my vacation and the opportunity to treasure hunt not only here in my home province of Nova Scotia but both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. All the overtime shifts of the past year were finally going to pay a dividend.

Departure date for my wife Marie and I to the Dominican Republic was a week away so I spent this time honing my detecting skills with my hunting partner "Navy Davy" (Dave Upright)as we searched various parks and old sites before the frost had actually left the ground and the yearly black fly invasion commenced. Thank goodness no one was around as Dave and I pounded the ground with pick axes trying to retrieve coins from the frozen ground for they surely would have thought that cabin fever in all it's entirety had possessed us.

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Towards the end of the first week the weather got nicer and the digging easier with Navy Davy showing progress day by day operating his new Garrett Ace 250 and finding several silver rings and a slew of coins.

The first week of vacation was over and Marie began packing bathing suits, shorts and suntan lotion along with all the other necessities for a trip to a warmer climate as I lovingly dismantled my Garrett Freedom 111 Plus and Seahunter MK11 making sure that all the nuts, bolts and battery holders were safely tucked in a ziplock bag.

After an uneventful flight where we were "unfortunately" bumped up to first class (working at an airport does have it's perks) we exited the airplane and were shuttled off to the resort which was the same one we had stayed in last year where I fondly recalled the multitude of coins and half dozen rings I had rescued from the warm tropical waters and white sand.

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The weather was a far cry from that which we had left behind in Nova Scotia and we were going to enjoy every minute of the sun and sand that this tropical island could offer. Once in the room we quickly unpacked and I went to put my Seahunter MK11 together for a swish (local term for water detecting) when my face hit the floor. I couldn't have been that stupid was my first thought with the second one being.......yes I could! I had left the ziplock bag containing the nuts and bolts for the Seahunter at home. With my head hung low I explained to Marie what I had done and she simply said you still have "Land Baby" referring to my trusty old Freedom 3 Plus which had served me well over the past 20 years. Luckily I had all the parts for it and quickly put it together and headed for the beach to recover some long and not so long lost treasures!

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For the next few hours I meandered up and down the prisitine beach uncovering one and five peso coins and having many a pleasant conversation in the process. Near the far end of the beach near a waterspot rental kiosk I had my first non coin find pulling out a silver ring with a lalamar stone which is the national stone of the island.

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Next morning at 4am my internal alarm clock went off and I quietly exited the bed so as not to wake my wife Marie when I noticed that my legs were covered in red welts that were very itchy. I knew right away that the bugs on the beach had had another buffet at my exspense as the same thing had happend last year. Undaunted I headed to the beach to hit the areas of the various resorts where the beach chairs were set out during the day which were now unoccuppied and ripe for the picking. Coins immediately jumped under my coil as well as a few more silver rings which I put in my pocket while putting a smile on my face. It wasn't long before people started appearing taking up their postions in the beach chairs that would afford the best exposure to the rising sun. which was my cue to head for the morning buffet and secure our "special" seat which we had occupied each day on our previous visit to the resort. Into my fourth cup of fine coffee Marie made her grand appearance and we had breakfast before spending the day on the beach and unfortunately for me, I too was confined to the beach. Still couldn't believe I left the bag with the Seahunter parts behind!

This routine was adhered to until we were invaded by a "sea of hunanity" as the resort had opened up to the locals who were celebrating their equivlent of our Labour Day holiday here in Canada. The beach became so crowded that there wasn't even room to spread a towel in the sand and the line ups at the meals reminded me of an inner city soup kitchen. For the next few days we just found a good vantage point and watched the festivities.

No line ups and a deserted beach signified that the local holiday weekend was over so I went back to work having my best day ever at the beach finding five silver rings. In retrospect not having the Seahunter mk11 might have been a good thing as I had only the beaches to do and that I did! Also managed some "foreign" coins from Britian, America, and Germany.

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The vacation in the lovely Dominican Republic was coming to an end and it was with some remorse that we packed up and headed to the lobby for the bus ride to the airport for the uneventful flight home.

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