Gregg Larabel, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 8 of 16

I got an email from Erik G. yesterday about him loosing his Tungsten wedding band while  « picking up sticks » in his yard. After getting a handful of sticks he threw them in the field of high grass next too his drive. Shortly after throwing the sticks away he noticed his ring was missing. Timing, as it may, he found out about the Ring Finders from a friend and looked me up on the Ring Finders directory. Because of my schedule I emailed Erik and asked if I could come out Thursday afternoon or wait until next week, Erik called me and we made arrangements for today.

Dave Boyer, my Ring Finder partner, and I met Erik at his home. Erik pointed out where he might have lost the ring and we began our search. Erik was walking back to the house to stay warm while we searched and before he got to the house the ring was recovered. It was in the tall grass where the sticks ended up after being tossed. This was a quick search although ending just like any other ring recovery, it ended with a Ring and a Smile.

It was nice meeting Erik and seeing the relief in his eyes as his wife Chris will be happy upon hearing the news.

I got a laugh about a post from Shane G. on Facebook to Erik, « Dodged a bullet right there ».

Ann T. called me, while I was assembling the Christmas Lite Show in Comstock Park, MI, about her ring that she lost last Friday. Ann is a photographer and while taking family pictures in Prairie Wolf Park, Ann picked up a handful of leaves to use as a prop for her picture and noticed her ring was missing. Her ring was designed by her husband and was a one of a kind very heavy Platinum ring with a diamond center, she was very upset about the loss and posted the loss on Facebook. She received a reply to look up The Ring Finders. This is where I was referred to her by Tom Townsend another Ring Finder.

I set up an appointment for today to meet her at the park and search for her ring. Ann laid out the process as to where leaves were picked up and the walk down the hill where the pictures were taken. I searched the area to begin with at the starting point while my brother Doug searched the bottom of the hill. I joined Doug at the bottom of the hill shortly after coming up with nothing at the starting point. A thorough search was made at the bottom of the hill so we made our way up the hill to the starting point being joined by Ring Finder, Dave Boyer, a strong signal was received just to the right of my original search. The ring was found and a phone call was made to Ann.

Amazed that we found her ring we joined her at her home for the presentation.  Ann is a very happy and relieved woman and thanked The Ring Finders.

Jeremy B. his wife Rebecca and their three children live on a little piece of heaven on earth, a 3 acre parcel with a 100 year old barn and room for their young children to play. Jeremy was gathering leaves and filled 28 drums of leaves the other day and dumping them in the back of their property in a four foot tall pile. After he was finished for the day he noticed his gold wedding band, that Rebecca had designed for him, was missing. It could have been lost in a couple of places on the property. Jeremy googled lost ring and found The Ring Finders and my name in Grand Rapids, after a call to me I made arrangements for my detecting partner Dave Boyer and myself to come out and search the next day.

We met Jeremy, his wife and the children and got the layout of the land and decided to search the leaf pile as the first logical place to look. We were on the leaf pile and after knocking the four foot pile down to two feet, a strong signal was detected, brushing away a few more leaves was the gold ring. We thought it would be nice for Jeremy’s young son, Corbin, to find it so we walked up to the front lawn where they raked the leaves the other day and placed it under some grass and gave him my pin pointer. When the pointer beeped he reached in the grass and picked up the ring and ran out to his dad with the ring waving in the air. Jeremy was all smiles walking up to thank us for finding his ring.

They were a very happy couple and invited us to come out anytime to detect the property and as legend has it, there might be a civil war cannon buried in the area somewhere. Jeremy is putting a new foundation and restoring the old barn creating a new use underneath the barn.

Mike S. called me late Sunday evening asking if I could find a diamond ring in about 5 feet of water that His wife, Beth, accidentally dropped off her finger while untangling the tubing ropes. She was holding the ring on her finger for a family friend, Megan P, who didn’t want to loose it while tubing. Dave Boyer, my Ring Finder partner, drove 40 miles North to Hess lake Monday morning and met Patrice P. who showed us the area that she thought the ring was lost. Patrice had been riding in the boat as the kids were tubing so she was sure about the area. Dave and I searched the lake in a triangle shaped area about half the size of a football field. The lake had zero visibility at the bottom because of the silt that was knocked around as we swung or detectors. There were dozens of hits but after 4 hours we gave up the search and said we would come back. I called Mike and asked him if he could meet us at the cottage the next day and reenact what had taken place. Mike agreed and said he would cook up some hot dogs and hamburgers for us.  We got up to the cottage and added another Ring Finder, Fred Johnson (Fred was going to be our ringer). It was around 4 PM so we got into the water and started our search. Mike backed the boat out and showed us how things went and that gave us a different perspective of an area that we had not searched. After an hour we still had nothing to show for our efforts so I started to search an area that we looked at yesterday and got a pretty good hit but was searching in a large hole that was dug the day before. I dug about three large scoops and checked in my scoop after clearing away decayed wood chips and a glob of sand, there it was. Mike was sitting on the dock and Dave and Fred was still searching and I started walking towards the dock and asked Mike if we could have those hot dogs and hamburgers (like I was giving up). Mike said « sure let me fire up the grill » and then I said is this the ring?  Mike was so happy he couldn’t believe it, he immediately got on his phone and said « they found it »!

Mike started up the grill, the food and conversation was great and stories were exchanged and pictures taken. I am happy for Megan, she got her ring back and happy for Beth to be relieved of such an unfortunate accident. Have a great Labor Day everyone!

Fred Johnson,  a Ring Finder, got an email today at 3PM from Eric R., « last night my wife lost her rings while swimming…somewhere in 4-8 feet of water off our dock…possible area of perhaps 1000 square feet…only 3-5′ visibility at present…sand and silt bottom…is this something doable for you or is the depth an issue ». When it comes to ring finding we have few issues and dept of water is one but we have a fellow Ring Finder, Chuck Raison, who is our diver and who we can call on. Fred gave me a call and asked if I was available to help him find these rings. I called my brother Doug and headed down to Gull lake to meet Fred at Eric’s house.

After Eric had taken us out to the dock and showed us a buoy that his wife, Martha, swam around and then back to the dock. She was swimming back stroke to avoid their dog, Lucy, who was swimming in the lake too. When Martha got up to the ladder on the dock she noticed her rings were gone. The rings were an engagement ring, white gold with diamonds and a ten year anniversary ring, white gold with diamonds.

It was a beautiful afternoon to go out in the water so we started from the shore and made our way out to neck deep water with no signals. I got my life vest on and extended my detector shaft as long as it would go and checked out the deeper water around the buoy. Had I got a good signal we would have called in Chuck R. to dive for it. I made my way back to shallower water where I could just stand up in and got a good signal with my CZ21 and tried to scoop it but was unsuccessful so Fred got his Pin pointer and mask and went down under my coil and scooped up a handful of mud and the engagement ring came up sparkling in the water. I continued to search for another signal as I was sure it wasn’t too far away. After a few more dives by Fred and a good scoop we got the anniversary ring. This was truly a combination effort between Fred and myself.

A little before we got the good signal Martha came out on the dock and thanked us for coming out. Then we started back to the dock and told Martha it was pretty deep and we might have to get our diver. As I got on the dock I reached into my net with my finds and Martha saw something shining and started yelling and could hardly control herself. I said is this it? Fred then reached out his hand with the other ring and Martha hugged Fred, Doug and I as wet as we were, she couldn’t believe we found them. Martha said a prayer last night to Saint Anthony patron saint of lost items.

Eric and Martha’s daughter turned them on to The Ring Finders through Googling « lost ring ». Thank you webmaster for putting us on the top of the « lost rings » site.

 

My detecting partner Dave Boyer was contacted today by email at 5:30 PM from Adam N. He dropped his wedding ring while playing catch in the surf at South Haven, Michigan near the south pier. He said he was in ankle deep water when he caught a pass and the ring fell off. The ring is gold with 3 diamonds in it. On the inside of the ring is his grandparents initials (WEG and E_P). The ring was given to Adam after they passed away and he felt awful that it slipped off his finger. Adam and Diana are from Fort Wayne, IN and was going back soon so time was of the essence.

Dave got a hold of me right away and at 6:30 PM we started the 55 minute drive to the beach. We met Adam at the parking lot  and after introductions we got our equipment out and proceeded down to the water. The weather was cloudy and a storm had come through the previous night and morning. The water was cool and the waves were from 1 to 2 feet making it a little harder to stand up and swing the detector. Dave went ankle to knee deep and I started a grid from shore to waist deep then I turned to go back to shore, at waist deep, and got a good hit which I was sure it was the ring. With the waves it was difficult to make a good scoop but after the third scoop I looked in it and there was gold. I told Adam to reach in and check to see if that was his and his face lit up like the blazing setting sun. His wife Diana was walking down the beach towards us and when she got to us Adam said « they found it!!! ». « Big Boys Don’t Cry » but he could have, he was so relieved that he didn’t have to tell his mom that he had lost grampa’s wedding band.

Diana said, « Grampa was looking down and guided us to the ring ». Diana and Adam shook hands with us and hugged each other and then mugged for our Book of Smiles.

Dave and I have made a doubles team worthy of the Ring Finders Hall of Fame. We love our job.

Dana C. emailed me the other day asking me if I could help find her nieces husbands wedding band. I immediately returned her email and the process was in the works.

Cody A. was visiting his wife, Nicole’s, aunt and uncle Dana and Mike C. They live in a condo that has a small rock lined lake behind their home that they kayak, paddle board and swim. While everyone was out in the water Cody decided to remove his wedding ring and put it on a chain that he was wearing so he wouldn’t loose it. Murphy’s Law, he lost it!! Cody was standing in about chest deep water and the ring went straight down to the bottom in about an inch of silt. He immediately was put in the dog house and the only way to get out of it was to contact The Ring Finders of which they knew nothing about. Fortunately for Cody the neighbor heard of TRF and told Dana to look us up.

So here it is the following weekend and my partner Dave Boyer and myself are at their condo. After introductions were made we got out our equipment and in about 5 minutes in chest deep water a beautiful white gold ring with 3 diamonds was recovered. Mike was flabbergasted that we found it and so quick. The neighbor came out and was equally impressed.

Because Cody works and lives in Indianapolis, IN he was not available for a picture in our book of smiles so we got a smiling Mike to show the  ring. Cody will send us a picture when he receives the ring. Oh, by the way Cody is no longer in the Dog House.

I received an email from Noor M. July 6 to see if I could help her after she asked another Ringfinder to help her find a white gold band and a yellow gold band in about 2 to 4 feet of water. Because his water detector was in for service he was unable to effectively us his land detector from a kayak.

Noor was celebrating the fourth with hundreds of other boaters on a sandbar in Cass Lake. This is and area about twice the size of 2 football fields. While standing in the water she gave a High 5 to another celebrator and off came her rings. Noor immediately looked at the shore to get a point of reference as to where they were lost. There was about 19 people in her party and everyone started looking for them but just clouded up the bottom to no avail. I called Noor and said I could come out Thursday and help her out. She would be at work but her dad could take us by boat out to the sandbar.

My brother Doug and I arrived after the 144 mile trip and met Noor’s father Alla. We jumped on the pontoon and traveled a short distance to the sandbar. Doug and I got our scoops and water detectors into the water and I gave her dad my pin pointer. He started diving in the shallow water pulling up beer caps just like we were. There is a saying among water detectors that « when you find 100 caps and pull tabs you will find one ring ». The picture says it all. Noor gave us an approximate area where she remembered where the rings came off but wasn’t exactly sure. We covered at least a football field size area for about 3 hours. The water was warm, the sun was hot and the conditions couldn’t be better. After 3 hours+ of hunting, Doug made his final pass and jumped on the pontoon and I needed to make one more line based on Noor’s recollections. I got a signal like the 100 ones before but this time a shiny white gold band appeared. I searched the area more and about 3 feet away the yellow gold band appeared in my scoop. I yelled out to Dad and Doug then headed back to the boat. I feel I was guided by God’s hand as this was a needle in a haystack search.

It didn’t end there however. I texted Noor and I got back an « OMG ». She immediately left work to come home. We got back to the dock and we met Noor’s mom and she said I have lunch almost ready. Wow! It was delicious I have never had this meal before. She made white steamed rice and an eggplant dish with colored peppers, onions, jalapeno peppers, spices and more. After hugs where made and pictures were taken we jumped in the car for the 144 mile trek back home. I want to say that Noor’s father is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He is soft spoken and has a real story to tell. He is surrounded by 5 women who manage to keep him humble.

Thursday June 30 2:00pm, on my message machine: « This is John J. and I lost my wedding band at Oval beach and the Park ranger gave me your number ».

Thursday June 30 10:00pm, I listen to my messages. Feeling heart broke that I didn’t get this message sooner I called John right away. John explained to me that he was playing catch with his young son while John was standing in the sand and his son in the water. John felt the ring slip off his finger but didn’t see it land . He remembered not seeing any ripples in the water so he assumed it fell into the soft sand by the water. After searching to no avail he mentioned it to the ranger and the call was made. The water that day was very calm but a storm was brewing that evening, this is why I was heartbroken, had I answered his call when it came in I could have searched right away.

Friday morning 10:00am, we made plans to meet at the spot the ring was lost. There John and his young family sat with their coats and a blankets wrapped around them as the storm came in and made the weather very cool. The waves were 4 to 6 feet high and the place where John was standing the day before was now under 2 feet of water. I did a grid search of a small area where their blankets were the day before but I knew the ring was now under churning waves. They had to leave that day and go back home to Illinois so I told them I would be back tomorrow when the lake calms down.

Saturday morning 10:00am, my brother Doug and I went down to the water and in the area where the ring should be the water now receded and the sand was wet from the waves rushing to shore. About 10 inches down I recovered John’s platinum wedding band. Inside the ring was inscribed « All our dreams and wishes ». I called John and said « your dreams have come true ». I made arrangements to send it to him and the smiling John is proof that he has it with him again. I love this Job, thank you Chris Turner for making it possible.

 

Got a call from Sarah C. today asking if I could help her find her ring. She and boyfriend Scott A. were at the park, while playing around with her ring it popped out of her hand and into the sand. They frantically searched to no avail and told the Park Ranger about the loss and was referred to me. After a call to me and me eating my Fourth of July steak dinner, I  proceeded to drive the 45 minutes to North Park.

I met Sarah and Scott  at the park and proceeded to search the area with my Fisher F75 after the second 10 foot grid search I found her ring. It was a pretty silver ring with a heart shaped pink stone, a promise ring to a future for Sarah, Allan and a baby on the way.

Happy Fourth of July to all and one Sarah and Scott will always remember.