Uncategorized Category | Page 4 of 497 | The Ring Finders

Before noon, I received a message from Jason on Facebook. He was in a bit of a panic, asking if I could help find a lost ring. I asked him to give me a call so we could talk through the details. During the conversation, Jason explained that his fiancée’s engagement ring had somehow ended up outside the back door of their house, ricocheted off a post, and vanished into the unknown.

On my way over, I said a prayer, asking God to guide me in finding the ring. When I arrived, Jason was busy removing boards from the back porch floor in search of any clues. I pulled out my Minelab Manticore metal detector and got to work. The yard was a beautiful, lush garden, with patches of grass scattered among palms, aloe, and other greenery. In addition to the plants, there were also numerous potted plants, a well, and a gravel driveway—all potential hiding spots for the lost ring.

I began scanning the grassy areas along what seemed like the most likely flight path of the ring. I found a few targets, but nothing resembling a ring. With each fruitless sweep, I became more determined. I prayed continuously, asking for guidance, and hoping to find the ring. After about two hours of searching, I decided to move outside of the original flight path and check possible ricochet routes.

While scanning the grassy area on the north side of the house, I suddenly got a strong hit on the detector. I dropped to my knees and scanned the grass carefully. There, shining through the blades of green, was the ring.

Hiding the ring in my left hand, I walked back to Jason. I shook his hand and said, “I think I’ve done all I can.” He looked at me with understanding. Then, without a word, I placed the ring gently on the top of his hand. Jason’s face lit up with a huge smile, and he immediately called his fiancée, Morgan. Kneeling, he asked, “Will you marry me…again?” Morgan leapt into his arms, and the yard was filled with joy and laughter. It was a moment of pure happiness, made even more special by the ring’s safe return.

I was contacted by Nick, who had lost his tantalum wedding ring while playing with the dog. He was in the backyard and gave the dog toy a toss; when he let go of the toy, his ring flew off and cleared the fence. Although every situation is unique, I had run into this scenario before, so I’m thinking “No problem! I’ll get the ring back in no time!” Nick had said on the phone that there were some briers and I again thought “No problem!” I got to Nick’s house and he pulled up a video from his house camera that showed him losing the ring. With the whole thing on video, I’m again thinking “No problem!” The area that Nick showed me (where he thought the ring had gone) was about 60′ x 60′.

I searched for maybe 30 minutes and gained a whole new appreciation for briers. I promised to return with thicker clothing, a machete, and a friend. Between my two visits, Nick and his wife had cleared a portion of the briers, so when my friend John and I got there, we alternated searching for the ring and hacking/clearing/hauling remaining briers. By the time we finished, probably 40′ x 40′ had been cleared enough for us to use our detectors, but no ring.

In a last-ditch effort, I searched an area that was far to the left of where Nick thought the ring might have gone. After several beer and soda cans, I managed to turn up the ring for him. As I’ve come to understand, it’s not just “A” ring, it’s “THE” ring. In this case THE ring decided to hide in the briers but is now back where it belongs!

The first photo shows the general area where the ring was. The second shows the ring after I pulled it out of the mud in which it was sitting. The third photo is a very happy Nick!

On Christmas day at around 5pm I received a call from gentleman named Andrew who informed me about his wife losing both her wedding band and engagement ring.  She went to feed their livestock some hay and her rings came off as she was shaking the hay around the stall.  That’s where I come in…We met up the following day and got to work on finding those lost rings.  The first ring to surface from the hay was the wedding band I believe and then after some time the engagement ring was found.  I’m always happy to see the smiles on  the faces when they see that ring again.  I’m sure this Christmas will be remembered for a long time to come.

Thank you Andrew and Brook….and I can’t forget Josh, Andrew’s friend who helped us out during the search.

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Last night around 9:30, I received a text message from Joe, who had been referred to me by my nephew, Jason. Joe wanted to know if I could help find his lost keys. He’d spent the entire day clearing a lot and splitting wood, only to discover he couldn’t locate his keys when it was time to leave. Luckily, he had a spare set delivered, so there was no rush. We agreed to meet the next morning around 10.

I arrived early, greeted by a steady drizzle. Prepared with my rain gear, I suited up and headed to the area where the wood was piled. Hoping to spot the key fob in the daylight, I carefully walked around the piles, but no luck. Realizing I’d need my detector, I went back to my SUV to grab it.

I began searching an area where the tall grass was matted down, marked by splinters of wood from splitting. Just two minutes in, my detector gave a strong tone. I moved some grass and leaves aside—and there they were: Joe’s keys. He hadn’t arrived yet, so he missed the quick find.

I returned to my SUV and waited for him to show up. When Joe arrived, he took me to the spot where he’d spent most of his day. We were just three feet from where I’d found the keys. As he described his activities and scanned the ground, I pulled the keys from my pocket and asked, “Do your keys look like this?”

At first, he looked puzzled, then recognition dawned. “Yes!” he said, clearly amazed. The moment he realized they were his keys was priceless—a mix of shock and relief.

It had only taken about five minutes of walking and searching to locate the keys. Without a detector, though, Joe never would’ve found them. They were pressed into the mud and hidden beneath leaves.

As a bonus, I now have access to some firewood for my fire pit—a small token of appreciation.

I Love My Hobby!