A chance meeting with Trey Wallace, a fifth grader, was impressive. Trey is an inquisitive lad, and has a quality not all his age do — he can carry on a conversation with adults.
When the weather is nice one of my favorite pastimes is to pick up metal detector and hunt for coins. Sunday I was hunting on South Kentucky and the belltone the detector emits — triggered by metal in the ground — was loud enough that Trey noticed and came wheeling up on his bicycle.
He had seen me a few days earlier, when I tossed him and a buddy a couple of pennies I’d found. They seemed delighted and I figured I’d seen the last of them.
Trey remembered, and even carried a little garden spade to help me with extractions. My first thought, I must admit, wasn’t altogether receptive — I like the private time the hobby gives me.
However, he was courteous and in no time we were pleasantly chatting. Trey was interested in what I was doing, and I didn’t mind telling him about my detector and what I had found, as well as give tips on how I decided whether to pursue a target. He was careful to stay out of my path, standing off to the side, but watchful and eager to learn.
He also offered to help when I decided to dig. I cut through a layer of Bermuda grass — its roots were too tough for his spade — but once into fresh dirt, he went to work. I was impressed how careful he was with the little tool, quickly learning from our conversations that a misstep could harm a coin.
Most of the coins we found, probably five or six pennies, went into his pocket with my blessing.
A detector would be the cat’s meow for Trey, although he paused when I mentioned what fairly sophisticated ones cost. A kid’s model, which several companies make, would lead to some finds, I said. His eyes brightened. He lives in a two-story house and thought his yard held coins. Of course it does. I hope he finds out someday.
TREY REMINDED me of myself when I was his age. I always was outdoors and liked nothing better than nosing around to see what I could find. One day while digging a hole in a corner of our garden — wasn’t much else to do in late-summer Humboldt — I found an old V nickel, one of those minted more than a century ago. I don’t remember what I did with it, though it probably is still around.
I bought my first detector better than 40 years ago, and over the years have had many adventures. I hope Trey can tell the same story years from now.
