Other Stuff                                                     

   No rhyme or reason here; just anything that captures my fancy and seems as if it might be of interest to others. 

    The powers that be were obviously not amused, as we went home completely empty-handed!

    The past two months (April and May) have been rough going. We have been digging two to three pits per weekend for next to nothing-- suffering the honey-dipper's curse (dipped pits left, right, and center).

   One of these desolate holes did produce something of a gem: the Shaker's Sarsaparilla (pictured below) is a fairly rare item with good personality! It's a pontil-era, smooth based med with a wonderfully crude applied lip.

   Tim and I recently dug an 1825-35 privy in Paris, KY. Needless to say, we didn't get much of anything. These early pits do, however, tend to produce some interesting pottery and china--stuff that you just don't normally see. There were buckets of flow-blue shards in the layer of this pit and Tim was determined to piece some of it back together. I was skeptical to say the least, but he surprised me with his diligence and determination and managed to get two items back together. Both are Staffordshire plates dating from 1825-30. One is entitled "Dr Syntax and the Bees", and the other depicts Commodore McDonough's victory at Lake Champlain (War of 1812).

   The plates were a little rough, but nothing that Photoshop couldn't whip into shape!