I have started metal detecting. My interest in detectoring was rekindled when I found Where to Find Treasure by Dick Stout at a local estate sale. This book got me thinking about all of the exciting history in and around Atlanta, where I live. I have only just begun, but have already found some interesting items, like a 1948 D Wheat Penny found on my first day.

I am still getting used to my detector, an old Tesoro Sabre II. This machine seems to do a very good job pin-pointing targets. On my second day, I found two horseshoes about 20 feet from Peachtree Road. The bronze key seen above was found on Valentine’s Day. The key measures 3.875″ long and was found only 3″ deep next to the sad trunk of an old, dead oak tree.

The lead fragment above is still a complete mystery. It is very interesting, because it is highly detailed, and two-sided. I have no idea what it is from. There is a lot of Civil War history in this area. I live about a mile from the Battle of Peachtree Creek. This piece may have been broken off of something to melt into bullets. The lead fragment clearly shows evidence that it was melted on the edges.

I have been very inspired by fellow relic hunters on YouTube. None more so than the “Aqua Chigger” himself, Beau Ouimette. Check out his YouTube Channel.

I have long been a student of Civil War history. I do not know where my interest came from, but over the last few years I have read a number of books on the Civil War. Thanks to my grandmother “Oma” Vihlen, I recently became the recipient of the entire Time Life Civil War Book Set. Every volume is packed with amazing imagery from the war between the states. I discovered this image in a volume called War on the Frontier. The picture shows Captain Samuel J. Richardson, commander of Company F, 2nd Texas Cavalry (2nd Mounted Rifles). He was evidently a man of means, appearing decked out in chaps made from the hide of a Jaguar.

For the last two months, I have been working hard on my thesis. The progress is good and I hope to finish by March 13th…the end of the Winter quarter. I am really looking forward to completing my project and my graduate studies at SCAD. Yesterday, I went to Savannah for SCAD’s annual Career Fair. Meeting with some pretty awesome companies got me really excited.

School has made it hard to spend much time on my other passions. However, I have found a little time over the last year to work on my remote control models. You can follow my model airplane work at my RC Groups blog page. I hope you like it!

Well, it had been FOREVER since I flew a sailplane. I have about 250 hours in gliders, but I have been too consumed with graduate school to have the time or money to fly. It just so happened that my wife and I were able to visit my family over New Year’s. My Dad and youngest brother were planning on spending the last day of 2011 flying gliders at a private airfield in Western Tennessee owned by JimBob and Val Slocum. I decided to come along in hopes that I could get some flights in… my last logged glider flight was all the way back in 2008.

There was so much activity at the field and it was exciting to be a part of it all. My youngest brother, Preston, flew a Schweizer 1-26 for the first time. However, the biggest thing that happened was the first solos of both of JimBob and Val’s teenage daughters, Heather and Holly! Congrats to them both! They both flew exceptionally well.

My Dad gave me my BFR in JimBob’s 2-22, and then I flew two flights in the 1-26A, the “Golden Flyer”. It was great to get back into soaring again, and I hope to fly more this summer if I get a chance.

A few months back, a neighbor at our condo complex started a big push to clear the building’s bicycle parking area. She was convinced that many of the bikes had been abandoned. She asked for all bicycle owners to claim their bikes by October 15th. Before that date, I talked to her and hinted that I was interested in one of the bikes. When the date had passed, NONE of the adult bikes had been claimed! My neighbor was authorized by the condo’s board to remove the bikes or give them away. She told me that I could have any of the bikes. So, I ended up with ALL THREE adult bikes!

I am most excited about the Schwinn Super Sport road bike from the early 1990s. It’s going to be a great bike for commuting to work. The other bikes are a Specialized Rock Hard mountain bike, and an unidentified beat-up road bike from the 70s or early 80s. I’ll probably fix up these other two bikes and sell them. It’ll be a good project to have over the Winter break. I have a history of getting nice bikes for next to nothing. Back in 2006 I found a neglected Lotus at a thrift store for $10. I converted it into a fixie (see above) and rode it in Savannah for three years before selling it. These three bikes will certainly continue this legacy, and I know just the person to help me out: Scott Walker. His shop, Atlanta Bike Tech, is by far the best and friendliest bike shop I have patronized. I refuse to go anywhere else. His prices are fair and he knows his stuff. If you ever need bike work look him up!

As the Fall quarter is winding down, I am looking forward to spending time with my family during the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, we will be traveling to the great state of Texas. My uncle’s family lives in Fort Worth, home of the world-famous Angelo’s Bar-B-Que. This place started serving delicious bar-b-que and Budweiser in 1958. They are especially known for their beef brisket and pork ribs. They use their own seasonings and cook their meat in specially designed pits. I am from Memphis, a town known for its bar-b-que, but I have never tasted anything as good as Angelo’s. I really love the atmosphere of this place. The walls are covered in wood paneling, and decorated with taxidermy of every imaginable variety.

This is my destination anytime I am in the Lone Star State.