Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov |
Welcome once again to the Treasure Beaches Report where treasure is mind.
This morning we have two tropical storms, Harold and Franklin, a topical depression that was a tropical storm, Gert, and two other disturbances.
So Gert is going nowhere. At least that is the prediction.
Harold is going to Mexico, and Franklin is headed into the middle of the Atlantic. probably like the other two disturbances.
The GFS model has Franklin developing nicely, however it will be pretty far from us. GFS does have it producing some good north winds for us Sunday.
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Predicted Position of Franklin Sunday According to the GFS Model.
Source: windy.com. |
Other models do not show Franklin developing so well.
Overall, at this point, it doesn't look like the Treasure Coast will be affected a lot for at least a few days. There is the possibility of some north winds by Sunday, and some east/northeast winds up until that time, but not real strong.
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If you must make mistakes (and if you are like me, you will make plenty of them), you might as well learn from your mistakes. There are many ways to do that, but one good method is to look back to see what happened and why you made your mistakes. I'm going to do that today for one recent attempt at object ID.
Dan K. sent the following photo of his mystery find. You'll probably remember it, because I wrote about it a couple of times. I was not successful in identifying the item, although Dan figured it out. The mystery object is shown once again below.
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| Santeria Tool Found by Dan K. |
As is usually the case, I learned a lot by researching this mystery object even though I didn't discover the identity of the item before Dan figured it out.
As is so often the case, and as I often preach, goals are very important. Well defined goals are beneficial for any search. In this case, I wanted to learn the identity of the mystery item, as well as its age.
So where did I go wrong? Why didn't I discover the identity of the item?
I hope you'll see the more general applicability of the processes and procedures I'm talking about today.
While I originally set out to discover the identity of the item, I had other interests, unacknowledged as they were, that took me down another path. I ended up spending a lot of time investigating crucifixes, which are very common metal detector finds and are of much interest to me. I've personally found Christ figures that were once attached to a cross but were not attached when I found them.
Since crucifixes are such common finds and since they are of so much interest to me, naturally I noticed features of the mystery object that seemed to be consistent with that identity. My previous experiences and continuing interests provided a bit of a distraction, although not a totally unwelcome of or unfruitful distraction.
I was grateful for what I learned from that research, but I did not accomplish my original primary goal, and I received an email of gratitude from another author and researcher of religious artifacts for posting what I discovered.
Could there be a deeper leading that takes you where you are supposed to go even when you set out with another goal in mind? At times, it seems so.
Given my aforementioned predilections, of course, I noticed the holes in the hands being much like those found on some crucifix figures. The object also had a cross-like structure or shape, although the arms were not as straight or outstretched as is typically the case for a crucifix. Those are two features I gave too much weight.
The bent arms did not support a crucifix interpretation, even though I did manage to find one rare ancient crucifix sculpture showing arms bent even more. Even though I did find one example, that feature was extremely rare on crucifixes.
And the holes in the hands could be for something other than attachment to a cross. There were no such holes or indication of any attachment at the feet, but I could not definitely see that on the photo, but the apparent absence of that feature was something I did not correctly value as evidence, perhaps because I could not see it for sure.
The most glaring oversight on my part was the neglect of the fact of the figure being female (something I couldn't see for sure on the photo but was informed of later by Dan). I did, however, find mention of females associated with crucifixion, and the example of Mary associated with but not apparently attached to a cross.
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| Mary and Jesus Child With Cross |
That is a beautiful image I discovered while researching the mystery item. It is packed with meaning and significance as an object of contemplation. In fact, as I write, the power of the image caused me to pause and contemplate it transfixed before continuing.
So what did I learn by analyzing my failure to discover the identity of the mystery item?
1. My search was heavily influenced by my previous experiences and interests despite my intention to remain objective.
2. Very rare examples (such as the bent arms and gender of the figure) may be found but should not be overly valued as evidence in favor of an interpretation especially in light of other more typical missing typical (connectors at the feet) or the presence of features that do not provide a good fit such as the bent arms.
3. Failure to ask for clarification of features not available from the photo as presented was critical. For example, the back of the object could have provided strong evidence against the figure being from a crucifix as could a closer view or more information on the feet.
In summary, you might not find what you are looking for but you will usually find something when you search. That seems to be as true when metal detecting in the field as it is when researching a found item.
Make the best of your mistakes.
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The old treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com is still attracting a lot of views. I noticed thousands of hits yesterday, for example.
I'll keep following the storm situation. There is a good chance something will develop to rip our beaches this summer.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
