I GOT YOUR MILK MONEY KID!

I finally got out on Saturday afternoon to metal detect. I headed over to Long Run Park and poked around finding only a couple quarters, a dime, a few pennies and a Canadian cent. I headed to the playground before I left and found a little change there, too...just some kids milk money. It is much more pleasant to hunt and dig in this weather. I hope to get out more soon even though baseball season is here. At least I'll have some Fridays and weekends to get out. I will post a picture of everything I have found since my last picture, but I want to take a few more trips first.

Baseball, Dave Matthews & the Raging Rash

First, I have deleted my sports blog. It seems everyone I have talked to has said they don't read it. I guess I was just writing it for myself. That should be enough, but I'm selfish and want people to read what I write. So if it is important enough to me, and I think someone may find it interesting, I'll continue to put it on this blog.

Baseball season has started and we are busy at working getting ready for our opening day on April 11th. We have a lot to do and short time to do it. Also, for the past 3 weeks I have been the go to guy for Dave Matthews concert questions. They will be here August 1st, 2 weeks after the All-Star Game leaves town. When it comes to the ASG, I have been put in charge of the operations at FanFest (the 3 days leading up to the game). So my plate is full and they keep dishing out helpings.

My beautiful wife had a reaction to a medication this weekend and her skin turned polka-dotted. It was really bad from head to toe (literally) and she has been miserable trying not to scratch. If she laid down in some pink flock, you couldn't finder her. She has some stuff to help get rid of it and now it's just a waiting game.

Birthday Season Snow

Here are the pictures of this past weekends snow storm from our balcony.

Weather is Fine for Derby Time!

The snow is melting and Derby is only a matter of weeks away. Place your bets, place your bets...

St. Pius Cornhole Tournament

Last Saturday Kevin & I played in the St. Pius Cornhole Tournament. This was my first year playing, but Kevin has played a few times. The tournament distance was 33' hole to hole, 3 ft longer than I'm used to. However, I did get a chance to practice and when it came time for the tourny, I felt ready. Kevin played really well for the most part and was pretty much responsible for us winning the games we did. I felt I tossed better than the results showed...just like in golf when you strike the ball better than you score. I had so many I felt were dead on, but just a little off on the distance. We won the first match against a team we had no business beating, but Kevin got hot and they played poorly. It was the same team that won the whole sha-bang last year. The second game we played Sparks' friend Nate and his sister. We ended up beating them twice...once in the first round and once in the losers brackets. It was double elimination...so we were solely responsible for knocking them out. Our over all record was 3 & 2. The two games we lost were not really close although we made a run at the end of them. I hope to redeem myself next year..............until then!

Snow at the Ballpark

Here are a couple of pictures I took today at Slugger Field around noon.

Too Much of a Good Thing

I realized the other morning Beth & I have been watching too many episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We are currently in season 5 of the DVD collection (season 4 is a bootleg from Singapore...but that is another story). Anyway, I dreamed the other night numerous family members & myself were at mom & dad's house during the evening. The house was "pre-finished basement" and the coal bin was still there. However, the coal bin was was reinforced with metal locks and steel walls. Apparently the reason for this upgrade was because Oz (Seth Green), the werewolf from Buffy, was using it to lock himself in during full moons. I remember walking around the outside of the house and hearing the bangs coming from the basement hoping he would not get out. I am sure there is more detail to the dream, but I have forgotten most of it. I hope it is not a premonition. But if I actually believed that, I definitely need to take a break.

The Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa

It is this type of phenomena that makes me so skeptical of reports of crop circles, alien spacecraft & ghosts. So many quirky little things like these happen in the world, but usually have a very simple explanation (even if that explanation has not been proven). The world is full of paranormal activity and the simplest answer is usually the correct one.

http://geology.com/articles/racetrack-playa-sliding-rocks.shtml

The Bread Paradox

I noticed in the cupboard this morning we only had a few slices of bread left. As I sat down on the couch to eat breakfast, the "Weather Hunter" on Fox 41 news mentioned a winter storm warning for Louisville. Great. Now if I stop and get bread, and only bread, it will look like I am one of "those" people wigging out about the weather ("If we don't get bread, we will all die!!!") If I don't , no sandwiches or toast for lil' Beth & Brian until after the snow moves on (thank god we don't need milk...I'd have to move out of the city). If I go before the snow, I will feel the urge to buy a lot of stuff we don't need to cover the fact I am in there to get bread. The only solution I forsee is if I go in the middle of the storm to get the bread and show my true manliness as well as satisfying the situation of needing bread. If I had a breadmaker....

screw it.

Updated Detecting Finds

As promised, I will continue to post what I have found metal detecting. At the end of the year, I will post a picture of everything I find. Anyway...here is what I have found since the last update.



Midnight Magic

Lunch Break Today

I went to Frisbee Field in Cherokee Park today at lunch. In the short time I was there, I found 4 pennies. A 1971, 1980, 2002 & 2007. The '71 is in excellent shape. It is the perfect penny. 1980 was in good shape, but a little blotchy. 2002 was barely readable and corroded. 2007 looks like it had been in a garbage disposal (Metro Parks tractor most likely). The newer it is, the worse it looks. Any way, I am getting better at listening to the detector and knowing when I have found something worth digging.

Union Forts in Louisville Area

Bingham Park between Franfort Ave & Brownsboro Road was the site of Fort Elstner, a Union camp during the Civil War. Here is more on it according to Wikipedia:

Civil War defenses of Louisville (1864-65)
See also: American Civil War fortifications in Louisville
Around 1864-65, city defenses including eleven forts, which were ordered to be constructed by Union General Stephen G. Burbridge, formed a ring about ten miles long from Beargrass Creek to Paddy's Run. Nothing remains of these constructions.[17] They included, from east to west:

Fort Elstner between Frankfort Ave. and Brownsboro Road, near Bellaire, Vernon and Emerald Aves.
Fort Engle at Spring Street and Arlington Ave.
Fort Saunders at Cave Hill Cemetery.
Battery Camp Fort Hill (2) (1865) between Goddard Ave., Barrett and Baxter Streets, and St. Louis Cemetery.
Fort Horton at Shelby and Merriweather Streets (now site of city incinerator plant).
Fort McPherson on Preston Street, bounded by Barbee, Brandeis, Hahn and Fort Streets.
Fort Philpot at Seventh Street and Algonquin Parkway.
Fort St. Clair Morton at 16th and Hill Streets.
Fort Karnasch on Wilson Ave. between 26th and 28th Streets.
Fort Clark (1865) at 36th and Magnolia Streets.
Battery Gallup (1865) at Gibson Lane and 43rd Street.
Fort Southworth on Paddy's Run at the Ohio River (now site of city sewage treatment plant). Marker at 4522 Algonquin Parkway.
Also in the area were Camp Gilbert (1862) and Camp C. F. Smith (1862), both at undetermined locations.

The one on Goddard Ave is interesting and I would like to research it more. Bingham Park is the only other one I would actually feel safe going to. I'm not sure how much foreign soil has been dumped to create this par, but it may be worth an investigation.

View Larger Map

Scary Politics

I know it is wise to stay away from politics and religion on personal blogs. You may end up offending friends or family. Plus, blogs of this nature are a dime a dozen. However, I can't help but post and bring attention to these subjects when they collide. I am writing about Mike Huckabee. I have started to think he is losing his momentum and would likely lose if he drew the GOP nomination anyway...but just for kicks, let's look at what he said in a recent speech.

http://www.richarddawkins.net/article,2130,Huckabee-Wants-A-Faith-based-Constitution,Crooks-and-Liars

This should scare anyone, including the religious.

AAARRRGGGGHHH....TIS BOOTY I BE LOOTIN'!

Well, I haven't had a chance to get out recently to hunt for more pennies, but I hope to get out at least a little this weekend (maybe mom & pop's front yard). Here is a picture of what I have so far.

3 quarters (the one on top is a Delaware), 2 dimes, 7 pennies (including a 1926), a McGregor zipper thingy, 2 chunks of misc. metal, 2 toy cars and a pot metal airplane wing (upper left corner). The airplane wing has the 5-point star inside a circle. I think there maybe a picture of Mark & Kevin on their birthday playing with toy planes in the backyard. I want to find it and see if it is part of one of those planes.
I will keep updating what I find (and Mark, I will respond to your e-mail or talk to you soon about Otter Creek...it sounds a little strange to me).

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

I cannot help but search for and watch videos like this. Maybe I am trying to convince myself that these people are joking and using satire. But alas, I am afraid no. This sends nausea inducing chills through my body and I still cannot keep from watching. Is there a word for this? Masochist?

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9bede653e94468ff8df1

Metal Detecting

I received one of the coolest gifts ever this Christmas, a metal detector from my parents (the coolest Christmas gift was my niece Jill a few days before in 2005). I have logged several hours with it now and am becoming more comfortable. I have spent most of the time in my parents yard, but have also briefly been to frisbee field in Cherokee Park and up around Hogan's Fountain. So far I have found exactly a dollar in change. My first find was a 1977 quarter in my parents backyard (pictured below). I also found a 1926 wheat penny back there, too. Besides coins, I have found to chunks of metal I want to identify before I discard, a wing of a toy airplane, a McGregor jacket zipper, two metal toy cars. I plan on keeping the blog updated on my various finds with more pictures to come.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

UK Basketball

For anyone who reads this blog and is a big UK Wildcat fan or is just plain dumbfounded by the reaction of some UK fans to the current basketball season, let me be the voice of reason.

• Tubby Smith is a good basketball coach. However, he was never going to keep UK at the Top 10 level. Top 25, maybe.
• Gillispie is not playing with the same guys Tubby had last year. Morris is gone, Meeks has been hurt & Jasper has not played a game this season and probably won't.
• Our 2 star seniors are mediocre to good.
• One of our best Freshmen and "future stars" elected to transfer6 games into the season.
• Our best player, and freshman, Patrick Patterson did not play against Houston due to an ankle injury.
• Our best players off the bench are Jared Carter, Perry Stevenson & Michael Porter!!! You can't win alot of games with that.
• With that being said...it is still disappointing so far, but anyone who understands the game won't panick until 2 or 3 years from now if things haven't improved.
• I predict Kentucky will play much better this year if they can get a full healthy starting 5 in Bradley, Crawford, Meeks, Jasper & Patterson.
• Gillispie will have several Top teams in the next 5-8 years. Just be patient.

Know Your Local Geology!!! The Tabler Quartet

Mark & Kim's house also lies atop Louisville Limestone from the Middle Silurian. However, just off to the east you will find Waldron Shale indicated by the narrow gray strip & Laurel Dolomite (pink). Both of these are also Middle Silurian. The orange is the Drakes Formation (Upper Ordivician). The small brown area east of Edgeland Road is fill. I am curious to know what the fill is...gravel?

"Drakes Formation (0d).-The Drakes Formation consists of four members: Rowland, Preachersville, Bardstown, and Saluda Dolomite Members. The Rowland and Preachersville occur in the eastern part of the Outer Bluegrass region, and the Rowland, Bardstown, and Saluda occur on the west side. The Drakes Formation is composed of dolomite, limestone, mudstone, and shale. Dolomite, dolomitic limestone, and mudstone are most abundant and are commonly composed of silt-sized grains, are sparsely fossiliferous or unfossiliferous, partly laminated, and locally mud cracked and ripple marked. The Bardstown Member, which makes up only a small part of the total Drakes, is composed of fossiliferous limestone in irregular or nodular beds thinly interbedded with fossiliferous or sparsely fossiliferous shale. The Drakes Formation generally ranges in thickness from 20 to 150 ft. In south-central Kentucky, it is locally cut out by the unconformity at the base of the Devonian rocks."

Know Your Local Geology!!! The J-Town Foundation

This is a map of our neighborhood in J-Town just off I-64 & Hurstbourne. Though fairly boring, the interesting thing about this is our apartment lies right on the edge of Sellersburg/Jeffersonville Limestones(Middle Devonian) indicated by the dark blue and Louisville Limestone(Middle Silurian) indicated by the light blue. Obviously with all the development and parking lots, you cannot notice anything. But I imagine if you were to follow the contact boundary, you would find signs somewhere in the region.