Richard Browne, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 2 of 18

Hardings Beach, Chatham, MA Held a Lost Ring Overnight. Ring Found and Returned.

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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On July 21, 2023 a wide wedding band was lost at Hardings Beach. Ethan, a town lifeguard knew of TheRingFinders and had fellow lifeguard Jamieson call me and relay information about Ethan’s great-grandmother’s wedding band being lost the previous evening by great-granddaughter Katie. I was later told by Katie that “My great-grandmother, Margarita, wore the ring since the 1970s until her passing when it was passed down to my mother who was gracious enough to let me wear it. Of course I was careless one time and the one time it slipped right off my finger into the ocean. Thankfully Jamieson got in touch with you.”

Forty-five minutes after receiving the call I was at the beach getting ready for a quick search. First the slope to the water’s edge was covered until a signal was heard, dug and a ring was retrieved. Unfortunately it was a gold plated ring with a fake diamond. Ethan called Katie’s mother and it was confirmed the ring was not the one I was searching for. Back to the search…

I finished detecting over the slope with no other targets and proceeded into the water. Again no results. I increased the search areas both along the face of the slope, down into the water a bit further from the shore. Again no results. Another conversation with Ethan revealed that he and Katie had swam to the buoy and back. That was a bit of bad news as the tide was coming in and I could not wade too much further away from the beach. But I did manage to get out to shoulder depth and worked the tide back in. On the third pass I had a good signal, dang, a screw off bottle cap. About another five feet and another great signal. This one gave me a bit of challenge getting it into my scoop. I had to prevail over the cloudy water and increasing wave action which I did before seeing what had to be the object of my search. This time it was the ring of my search!

Back on the beach it was decided that I would follow Ethan to Katie’s home. What a beautiful facade awaited us. At the entrance way I met Katie. her mother and father. What a story going back 3 generations. Not sure if I would get all the facts correct I turned on a new cell phone app to record the story. I gave it a go and I think it all went well. The smiles, pictures and thanks made for a perfect ending to this return.

 

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Man’s Celtic wedding band lost in Snake Pond, Sandwich, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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July 20, 2023

Leighton Harrington received the call, took the information of the loss and called for me to set up a team hunt on Friday evening. He had text information and I was to go right and he left. The first hour went by rapidly with no sign of the band. More texting and back in the water we went. This time concentrating on and more specific section of the swim area.

Again, no good results. It was time to call the hunt off, but first one more look at the text. A new text has been received. This one put Brandon to the left of the lifeguard chair, the chair was not to the left of Brandon as we had been working on.

I was confident we had search the water area and went in ankle deep and headed toward the dry sand. One signal in about two inches of water sounded very iffy. What was there to loose, whatever it was to be it would not be in the lake any longer. Low and behold it was the Celtic Wedding Band.

A call was made and a Saturday evening meeting was set for the return. A very grateful Sharon pulled into the beach parking lot with her son who had been playing ball with his dad when the ring was lost.

Brandon was unable to make the ring return, but passed his thanks on via Sharon and their son. It all made for an understanding of why we will go to all lengths to bring a happy ending with smiles to a very stressful situation.

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Father’s wedding band found in Cape Cod Bay, Brewster, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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July 9, 2023

Jessica was spending a beautiful afternoon in the calm, cool waters of Cape Cod Bay when her father’s wedding band slipped from her finger. In an effort to enhance her chance of finding the ring she went to a hardware store to rent a metal detector. An employee knew Jessica would need a waterproof metal detector to help find the ring, which the store did not have. The employee told her of TheRingFinders and that they would help. In turn a call for help was placed and I responded.

As daylight and the tide go, so goes the opportunity to detect in the varying depths of a specific area of a beach. Jessica and I exchanged a few texts and set up a meeting to take place at 8AM the next morning. Leighton Harrington, another Ring Finder, joined me for the search. Also in the search team were Jessica and her friend Max.

To make a 90 minute search a short story Max was “eye-balling” the sandy area while Leighton and I covered the submerged area. A few hopeful signals turn out to be objects other then the ring. As often happens the ring was found a good 100 feet from the initial area we were led to were Jesica thought the ring had slipped from her finger.

It was unbelievable but Max spotted just a quick flash of reflected early morning light in the sand. Low and behold it was a reflection from the ring. What a team effort in the search and return of a very sentimental ring. The return brought tears of joy from Jessica and many thanks for our response to her request for help came from both Jessica and Max. Smiles all around and multiple photos made for a very memorable and unique return.

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NO WAY, but the Right Way to find a ring on West Dennis Beach, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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June 25, 2023

The sun had come out, the temperature was on the rise and more people were enjoying Cape Cod’s beaches. That is until a ring is lost in the sand. That’s when TheRingFinders get called. Today Ryan lost his wedding band in the warm sand and could not find it. The Dennis Lifeguard offered up the information to contact someone that could help.

Leighton was called but with the urgency of finding a ring in the soft sand and the afternoon bridge traffic he called me with the request for help from Ryan. Leighton and I have teamed up for several years and usually both of us will respond to a call for help. Anyway, I arrived and was ready to search about 15 minutes after Leighton’s call.

I met Ryan on the beach, he pointed out the area he had been sitting in and the area he had moved his chair to. OK, this should be short and sweet and it was. I was going to go perpendicular to the water only to change my mind and walked parallel with the water’s edge. The first swing I had a great signal and yes it was the ring. I said I quit! Those watching me thought there may be something wrong. No it was OK as I showed Ryan’s wife the ring in the sand scoop before letting Ryan remove it and place it back on is finger.

All were very pleased with my success, from Ryan’s In-Laws (now there was no reason for them to be an Out-Law) to his wife and young daughter and Ryan himself, not to forget myself. As this return had to hold the speed record of less than 25 minutes from the time I was called to the time the ring was back were it should have stayed.

Now for a few grateful vacationers, it is off to the Whydah Museum and perhaps The Crazy Rooster for breakfast in the morning. A trip to Martha’s Vineyard would not be complete without indulging on an apple fritter at the Back Door Donut shop.

There is always so much to do on a vacation and today just added a new experience no one should have to endure. I am thankful that a call for help was made, a vacation was not spoiled, and that great vacation memories will be taken home from Cape Cod.

 

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Ring of Keys Found Wellfleet, Cape Cod, MA.

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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June 22, 2023

A bit of help in finding a set of lost keys came from a grandmother. Her granddaughter had taken ill while hiking the trails in the National Seashore area of Massachusetts. I was told the rings were “lost” somewhere along one of the trails between a parking lot and one of three ponds and perhaps by a rock where a rest stop had been made. This was going to be a long shot at best. But a challenge I was up to.

Six family members had been staying at my home and were leaving the next day. Rain was in the forecast and the daylight was waning. It just was not a good time for me to go on a search so I put off the search to the next day. I arrived at the parking lot and the ticket agent told me a set of keys had been found and were taken to the police station. Well, that was easy and off to pick up the keys.

Unfortunately the single key was not the large set of keys I was in search of. I returned to the parking lot and got ready for a hike, and off I went. I had never been on the path before and other than the assumption that the path lead to the pond I had little to go on. About a half mile later and best guesses on which fork in the path to take I was at the water’s edge. There was no sign of a rock or the keys I was sent to find.

I started hiking, going back up the trail, and searching the other side I saw what might have been a rock, but it was only a soaking wet towel. I decided to move the towel and to my surprise there were the keys. What unbelievable luck as I do not normally move personal items. This time as it was evident they had been there at least overnight and no other person was in sight. I picked up the keys, towel and a sweat shirt and headed back to the parking lot.

Two hours later I was sitting with grandmother Janet. We swapped stories about the loss and finding of the set of keys, store ID cards, good luck charm and a few other trinkets, all very meaningful to Janet’s granddaughter who was still in a hospital. The car had been towed from the parking lot to a family’s horse farm. But it was still locked. Had I not found the keys the family would have incur further charges to tow the car to the dealer, the cutting of two car keys, two house keys, and a couple of other keys. As with most returns, the monetary value of the items returned are not as much appreciated as the special meaning of something that could never be replaced. As always I was thrilled to be able to help.

L

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Family Ring Lost in South Yarmouth Yard, Found and Returned

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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June 4, 2023

Chris’s love is gardening and he spends most every day engaged with some aspect of his hobby. While finishing up the spring clean-up and some planting prior to mulching the garden beds his father’s wedding band slipped from his finger. More than likely it came off when his gardening gloves were removed to answer a phone call.

Over the next two days Chris spent hours looking for his ring. Some of the time he used a metal detector loaned to him. All his efforts were to no avail. At this point Heather, his daughter, contacted me for help. Of course I would help. I packed a few land detecting tools into my car and I was on my way. I parked in front of Chris’s home which was adorned with luscious green grass and many plants in the process of being set along walking paths and others into the many garden beds. I was glad I would not have to dig to retrieve the ring after finding its location. Locating the ring proved to be no easy task. The first two days of searching turned up one of three old pewter Christmas tree ornaments that went missing many years ago, a wheat cent and a few other odds and ends, but no ring.

With another day of searching in mind, I was getting ready when I received a phone call. A wedding band had been lost on a sandy ocean beach. There is always an urgency to recover a lost item from a public area, open to all. Not that Chris’s ring was not important, but his was on his own private property where it was very unlikely anyone else would find his ring apposed to a lost ring on a public beach. I made the decision to go to the beach where I was successful in finding and returning the beach band. I would go back to Chris’s another day.

The “another day” came and so did the bad beach weather, overcast sky, and light rain; nothing that would daunt my spirit to find Chris’s ring. I pulled up to the search area as Chris was on his way out to dinner. No problem, I knew where to search. The front yard was searched first, the leaf piles next, the cut off hydrangea followed. All proved they were not aiding in concealing the elusive ring. The brick and stone edging was last on my list before I would call an end to the day’s search.

Chris’s son and his wife stopped by to say hello before leaving to meet up with his family at a nearby restaurant. Another fifteen minutes passed with no signal from the ring. On my path from the far side of a tool shed I headed to a patio where Chris did transplanting of flowers. I went close by a brick paved area and at the very corner and I heard the sound I had been listening for. A close look at the ground and there was just a few glimmers of gold. I had found the ring. It was now time to capture the ring’s hiding place in my camera. My searching was over and it was time for the return.

Chris, I knew, was at the nearby restaurant and I had no problem gaining entrance and finding the family dining party. I normally would not interrupt a family gathering, but I knew everyone would enjoy being a party to the return of the ring. And so it was, a quick return one picture and several hand shakes and it was done. With the ring returned, my goal for the day was complete. I left knowing that the subject of dinner’s conversation would be of the ring and family, not the fabulous clam chowder. Unfortunately Heather was in Europe and was not present at the ring’s return. Had it not been for her effort, the ring may have stayed “lost” for many years.

I thank everyone for their part in making this happy ending to a lost family heirloom and more great memories of my hobby.

 

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150th Ring Return on Cape Cod – Found on Chatham Lighthouse Beach

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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June 2, 2023

Emmie was enjoying her second day vacationing on beautiful Cape Cod. The sun was bright, the wind was light, and the temperature just right for a perfect day on the beach. Wanting to keep her wedding band clean and safe while she applied sunscreen protection she removed the ring and placed it in her pant’s pocket. She removed the pants and placed them into the safety of a beach wagon while she sun bathed. When it came time to put the pants back on…the ring was not in the secure pocket or wagon.

A call to J&E Enterprise to rent a detector was placed. Eleanor of J&E advised Emmie it would be better to have an experienced detectorist do the search and gave Emmie my phone number. Within the hour I was on the beach and in a search mode. I detected the area parallel to the water and then perpendicular with not a signal from the ring. I then searched in a diagonal pattern. Again, no signal. Another diagonal perpendicular to the first was about 50% complete when I heard an iffy signal. A signal, the result caused by a beach chair in close proximity to another signal. I reduced my detector’s sensitivity and interpreted its visual display as a target of interest and decided to take a scoop. From under a piece of seaweed a brilliant glimmer could be seen as a ring of diamonds slipped into the scoop.

That was the end to my searching and the beginning of the ring return. I kept the ring in the scoop as I love to see the emotions of the owner as they remove it and place it back on the finger where it belongs. Emmie had gone to the car and was on her way back. That gave her “friends” and husband time to conjure up a plan for the return. I would be handing out cards to those around, all except one for Emmie. I had a special Thank You card for her. This return was a special moment for both of us. For Emmie as she was to be reunited with her wedding band of two years and for me because it was my 150th return since joining TheRingFinders in 2011. Emmie’s card had a Thank You note on the reverse side and a Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) token made by another metal detectorist, Jim Wirth. A more perfect return I could not have hoped for on my 150th return.

Many photos were taken, thanks were given and received. Of course a few stories of past returns kept everyone’s concepts of metal detecting intriguing. Everyone could now leave the beach in a joyful spirit. The beach goers headed off to a lobster feast and I to a peaceful ride home. I took the time to reminisce over the past 12 years of putting smiles on the face of so many and how fortunate I am to have done so. What a perfect way to live in vacation land and enjoy retirement. Thanks to all those who have trusted in me. Yes, it really has been my pleasure to help when one needed my expertise the most. Again; Thank You all.

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From Mombo Beach, Curacao to Denmark, an unexpected return!

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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November 15, 2022
My vacation in Curacao ended with an unexpected ring return. While detecting at Mombo Beach I found an initial ring, my second ring found on the first day in Vacation Land. No one around had lost or knew of anyone losing a ring. Five days later Leighton, my RingFinders traveling companion, was asked to help find a ring that was just lost. Two minutes later he had found and returned the ring. As it usually happens a happy commotion of joy was spread along the beach when a return is made. One of the onlookers, Jordan, was among the onlookers and when he had a chance, he asked Leighton if he had also found an initial ring, he had a picture of. Leighton said no but he took a look at the picture and would ask the other detectorist who was some distance down the beach.

Leighton’s description from the photo he viewed sounded like I had the ring I had found. A walk back to talk with Jordan took a few minutes. When together we were told the story of the ring’s loss and history which verified the ring’s ownership.

Jordan’s girlfriend, Anne, had been swimming when the ring slipped from her finger. The ring was her great-grandfather’s ring with two dates engraved on the inside of the ring and initials for DH on the face of the ring. It was her ring. But she would have to wait until January to wear it again. Anne had returned to The Netherlands and Jordan would not follow until his return in January.

Now back on Cape Cod, I have great memories of a wonderful vacation and an unusual and unexpected return.

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Found Ring Returned: Hyannis, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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October 4, 2022

Hurricane Ian had been making its way northward keeping the Hyannis sky dark and misty. But a daily walk through the woods Avery and Bigelow made their way peacefully until an exposed root tripped up Avery. In the incident a ring left Avery’s finger an landed in the overgrowth along the pathway. The ring was Avery’s mother’s and is only one of very few pieces of jewelry that Avery wears.

Looking for help via a rental business that rented a detector. A call to J&E Enterprise was answered and Avery was given a phone number and was told Rick is the one that could help. Unfortunately, I was at a doctor’s appointment and did not return the call for a couple of hours. In that time Avery had rented a detector and was back in the woods searching for the lost ring. Rentals usually do not come with detailed operation notes. Most detectors take several hours of practice before one can become proficient in its use. Even locating an object on the surface can be a daunting task.

When I returned the call, Avery was in the woods and said she would welcome any help I may give. About a half hour later I was involved in the search. The area was littered with very old and rusty cans, and other debris. Many trash signals and not one that was worth digging or keeping. After two hours we left the woods as the sun had set, it was time to give up for the evening.

The next morning, I replace my mid-sized detector coil with a small 4-inch coil that would allow better separation of the pieces of trash. Another hour past and I was re-searching over the original area Avery had heard a signal the night before. I was able to determine several distinct targets, all were too deep to be the ring but might be masking a small ring. Therefore, I started to remove each target one by one and had a total of 4 shotgun cases and a long rifle casing. But no ring. As another aid, I tossed a similar ring with a visible string attached to see just how far a ring might travel and then restarted searching from that point.

Oddly enough, I was very close to the area the four shotgun shells were dug. Ah, another signal this time about two inches away, with a detector indicating a surface target. I reached down, moved a few leaves and there the ring was laying, but not for long. I picked it up, turned off the detector and headed back to the car before the rain intensified. A call to Avery and we made a meeting point. Twenty minutes later her ring had been placed on the pinkie finger and there was a wonderful smile on Avery’s face, not to say the one on my face was any less wonderful.

It is always amazing how an object is lost and in the case of a lost ring in the woods that a person can travel miles, search a vast area full of trash, put a 4-inch coil over a 1-inch ring, hear a signal among all others, then make a conscious decision to stop detecting and do a visual search to ultimately find the ring. Knowing one’s equipment, persistence and determination and yes, luck all helped in making the loss into A Happy Ending.

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From Sesuit Harbor to Corporation Beach Dennis MA Wedding Band Lost, Found and Returned

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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September 25, 2022

Just as I was putting the finishing touches to the previous posting, my phone rang and much to my surprise Sean was on the phone. We talked about last night’s ring return at his wedding reception. Then he dropped the news that he had his ring that had been on his finger just about a day before it slipped off and buried itself into the dry sand. Yes, of course I would be right there, how could I refuse such a bizarre set of circumstances.

How could this repeat? I got to the beach and did not see Sean. Just like the night before no one was there to greet me. I called and sure enough Sean had not yet arrived but did so in another minute. Then a short walk to two circles in the sand. The smaller one was Sean’s best bet but said it may be out as far as the second circle. On my second pass there was on iffy signal but was too deep. Continuing onto my third pass, there it was the wonderful sound in my ears of a ring. One scoop and a few shakes to rid the scoop of excess sand and I saw the glitter of a ring.

Sean, with doubt, looked into the scoop and retrieved the ring. After a bit of being unsure it was his as it was still covered with sand. Then when all the sand fell away and the Celtic Knots glittered in the flashlight’s beam the smile came. I wish I had my camera ready at that moment, but I did not so the picture of the smile will have to live in my memory, something I cannot share, sorry.

A brisk walk back to the parking lot a few pictures and Sean with his ring was off to his mother’s home and his new bride whom I am sure will have an equally wonderful smile tonight. What a story, what a beautiful, dark star lit sky, soft gentle breeze and swish of the incoming tide and another Happy Ending. I am sure that both Sean and I will remember the night for many years. I am also sure we both went home to our bride, and before going off to dream land we would reconcile any of the day’s tense feelings with our wife, say an “I Love You” and give a good night kiss. Bless.

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