# Dug My First Christmas Ornament



## Robby Raccoon (Oct 14, 2015)

I had to abandon this dig-site months ago due to swarms of mosquitoes and dense brush.Now that the weather has cooled off and the plants have died down, I decided to go digging a few days ago after my second class which was very short due to what are basically midterms but kind of not. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





So I'm running around, climbing up the hills and going down, finding a few spots where crap was dumped and finding shard after shard. A broken Paul's Drinks dated to 1953, an intact handle to a broken pitcher (Who'd have thought,) broken milks, intact jar-lids with inserts, an intact cup, and many broken plates with fancy, soft floral designs. Suddenly, I spot a brick.Currently, I can read "OAK HIL" on it. I also dug an interesting handle to maybe a drawer?
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




^One cap is Ball, one is Boyd's. I see their inserts a lot. ^ Not sure what the white rectangle piece was, but it's glass. I head back to where I had pulled a few good pavers out before: The ruins of a building surrounded by trees, with some shooting up from within it. Outside of the small stretch of forest bordering this area, a whitish hangar-shaped building used now for storage. Scattered around in the woods, dozens of pavers. Trapped in brush, pavers. Under cement slabs, pavers-- essentially, many pavers, but most broken up or cut. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I found a Tab bottle-- ACL condition is great, but the neck is missing. []Inside of cement slabs, embossed bottles. [>:]Broken up on the cement, more bottles. Only intact ones being slicks. [:'(] Crawling under a cement slab that overhung things, I spot pavers-- wouldn't have guessed-- and was trying to dislodge them all from both the cement hanging over me, more chunks, and dirt covering them.20th Century, Buckeye, Athens, Metropolitan, Bolens. Many pavers. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Clearing what I wanted for the day, I pilled them up near some old cans and move onto the exterior of the building where-- of course-- exist more pavers. Poking around, I suddenly turn up this glass ornament, and I stand amazed that it was still intact.Most of the paint is missing, and most of the top is too rusty to read, but hey: I'll take it. []
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Digging turned up little, but in the end I made 3 piles of stuff to put in the vehicle and drive home with-- mostly, of course, pavers. BUT, as I was coming back from my second trip to load up the stuff, I suddenly swear-- and I'm not one who normally swears. "____, the ____ just stung me?" Something was in my shirt, stinging my back. LOL. So I yank off my jacket and start trying to get whatever was in there out of my button-up shirt as I leapt over the brush and into the woods at a run. Whatever it was, it stung a lot, and it still itches and is swollen, but as usual: I'm fine. I came back home with a few cans I had taken from there when disaster struck: An armful of pavers at home as I unload them, I see one slide off and fall where? Well, naught but onto this Pepsi can:
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




What was totally round and intact now has a hole and is partially crushed.I brought back another can because of its unique-looking seam. The tops are aluminium, but the bottoms are the same as the sides. When are they from? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


Top to one. Other. Am wondering if Oxalic Acid would work to clean rust? If so, how much? I want to know what they look like under all of this.


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## botlguy (Oct 14, 2015)

Good story Bear, thanks for sharing it. The ornament is obviously fragile, a wonder it survived. My favorites are the pavers / bricks, I wish we were close enough to trade my bottles for your pavers. We like to use the few we have been able to acquire out here for flower bed liners.                Jim


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 14, 2015)

The story is a tragedy as I hate to break stuff. LOL.I have a bottle for you-- the "little," recall? I mentioned it in my last message to you. Shipping is rather high on pavers, even with flat-rate.  My friend Elmer uses pavers to line his fire-pit. I put a ring around our second pond and put 4 around each of our young fruit trees to prevent them from getting damaged by a lawn-mower. I've wanted to build a retaining-wall with them, but that's not likely ever gonna happen.


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## hemihampton (Oct 14, 2015)

The cans are from the early 1970's. Possibly upto the late 70's. LEON.


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 14, 2015)

Thanks, Leon.


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## CreekWalker (Oct 14, 2015)

Interesting items! Yellow jackets! Around here, we uncover their nests about a foot deep.


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## mikeya (Oct 15, 2015)

Nice finds.      How many names are on the bricks? In all the time I've been digging I've only found two with names on them.  I think they are cool but hard to find in my area                                                                                                                                                                                  Good hunting hope you find more good stuff                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     mike


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## Plumbata (Oct 15, 2015)

Nice finds, some of those pavers might be good ones. I found and sold a few "20th century pavers" for 10 bucks plus shipping last year. Ones in better shape are probably buried below the surface finds, people like to collect the easy to grab ones for patios and whatnot. Also, if you come across any "Culver Blocks" like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Reclaimed-Antique-Brick-Paver-Culver-Block-Pat-May-21-1901-W-G-Co-Indy-/121722262025?hash=item1c57365209 Nascar fans pay lots of money for them. I've found some but gave them to a brick collector friend.


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 15, 2015)

Creek Walker, that's pretty dang deep. Mikeya, I'd have to check my records. I know that from this site alone there was Oak Hil[l,] Athens, 20th Century, Bolen's, and Buckeye. From other sites, another 7 more or so. Plumbata, 20 Century pavers have debossing down their length which looks nice, but over here they're very common and rarely in good shape. If I don't have the brick, I bring it back. Used to be only 2-3 in my backpack on bike, then 4-5 in my bike's baskets. Now it's over a dozen in the back-end of the vehicle. There is one member here who is buying bricks off of me. Thanks for the hit on the Culver block.


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## bottlerocket (Oct 15, 2015)

great finds Bear.Yes yellow jackets are brutal.


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## GACDIG (Oct 16, 2015)

The glass ornament is Sweet.....


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 16, 2015)

Bottle Rocket, GAC DIG, thanks.


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## sunrunner (Oct 16, 2015)

ok , your getting out there and finding stuff , good effort.


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 16, 2015)

Jim, thank you. []


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## iggyworf (Oct 16, 2015)

cool stuff! I hope too get out to find some things as soon as my work ends. About Thanksgiving time.


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 16, 2015)

Not sure if I can get back out like I want next week. Seems like everyone is too busy to enjoy himself anymore.


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## logueb (Oct 16, 2015)

Great that you are out there digging and posting.  Love the christmas ornament.  Amazing that it survived.  The rectangular milk glass appears to be a lid for a cold cream.  Does it have a lip on the underside ?  Can't remember the name right now.  Buster


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 19, 2015)

It doesn't, Buster. I went back today, pulled out more pavers, 1 relatively interesting bottle in that the label looks to be actually painted and not applied, and some cans older than the ones above. Also got cut and had no bandages, so I just let it drip all over and kept wiping it on the remains of the building, bricks, logs, even bottles. :/Good Halloween theme for it now alongside the thick ground-spider webs all over. I also froze when I heard what sounded like Police Scanner right at the crest of the hill not too far beyond me...


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## logueb (Oct 22, 2015)

Next time wrap the cut with cobwebs.  It will stop the bleeding.  Old Wife Tale from down here.  Buster


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 22, 2015)

There were plenty of webs all over. Interesting idea.


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