Luke Schlining, Author at The Ring Finders

Christmas Eve was a sunny day. The temperature has been mild for this time of year, so being outside is what us Washingtonians do on days like that. With the eight-acre park right behind Tyler’s house beckoning Tyler and his family to come outside and play, the family made their way outside to enjoy the weather. Both Tyler and his wife had the mind set to not lose their wedding rings. So, the couple took off their rings and placed them in their jacket pockets. Then the unthinkable happened. When the fun was over the pair reached inside their pockets only to find them empty. The worst present ever was given to them, the feeling of a lost ring. With a glimmer of hope Tyler knew their rings had to be sitting in the grass somewhere. After recalling his knowledge for using metal detectors in the 90’s, he made his way to Harbor Freight to buy a metal detector.  After swinging the detector around for two days. Tyler had enough and turned to Google to find a professional. After we spoke on the phone, I quickly got myself together and made my way to Tyler’s house. Tyler took me to his back deck to show me the search areas. The picture below shows what I saw, an eight-acre grass field. The half to the right of the house is where Tyler’s ring was lost. His wife’s ring was lost in the backyard which was a little triangle shape. After making our way downstairs, I set up my detector and started to look for Tyler’s wife’s ring. I don’t think Tyler had made it up the stairs yet when I opened the sliding glass door and called his name. “I have your wife’s ring,” I said as he came back downstairs with a stunned look on his face. We took pictures and I told Tyler where the ring was hiding in the grass. Then the real work was about to begin. As I set off into the park, I reassured Tyler that I would come back and search again tomorrow if I didn’t recover his ring that day. With the knowledge of where Tyler lost his ring in the grass, I lined up with the first marker he gave me, which was a blue covered seating area. My eyes quickly scanned the field of grass, and I could see the grass was flattened down from the previously melted snow. I knew the ring would be sitting in plain sight. I had the thought to just quickly walk the area to speed up the process of detecting the four-acre plot. However, I kept my head down and kept my arm swinging. Within a matter of ten feet, I saw the ring sitting on top of the flat grass. I wasted no time picking up the ring. Then looking back up towards the deck where Tyler and I stood just 20 minutes ago, I could see Tyler looking down at me from inside his house. I pumped my hand holding the ring in the air a few times to get his attention. Tyler came out to the porch, and I told him the great news. The landmark Tyler had told me about was the reason his ring was quickly recovered. That and I am blessed with the gift for finding lost items. A Merry Christmas to you Tyler and your family. May the new year bring you joy and peace and may your rings always remain on your fingers. Merry Christmas to all The Ring Finders.