Loss & Profit

Over at the College, the big graduation tent is once again set up and Sam and I once again headed over with his metal detector to see what treasure we (he) could find. 

We made two trips over there - three, if you count the time we first noticed the tent. But on that initial trip, we were only going to the College to go on a walk and we were unprepared for this tent situation. We were therefore metal detector-less and ended up only going for our walk.

We returned a few days later, this time armed with Sam's metal detector, but the tent, unfortunately (as we soon found out) was (still) packed with unfolded metal folding chairs.  It turns out, it's pretty much an exercise in frustration trying to look for metal coins around metal chair legs. The metal detector never stopped beeping. 

We gave up, again went on our walk, then headed home. Sam and I re-grouped and a day or two later, we made another attempt. This time, thankfully, all of the metal folding chairs were gone to wherever it is they go and there was nothing but wide open spaces under the tent.

On this second trip, "we" were way more successful - two dollars and eighty-six cents more successful.

But the funny thing is, when Sam finds change on our other walks, it's almost always around benches or picnic tables or the like. Our theory has always been, this is because some rube (my word, not Sam's) is sitting down, enjoying some probably undeserved relaxation time and all the while, unbeknownst to them, change is spilling out of their pockets. 

This carelessness always seems to work in our favor (Formula: Rube minus coins = Sam plus coins.)

However, this time, under the Big Tent, where all those metal chairs once were, almost no change was found! All the coins Sam found were at the perimeter of the tent! (You: "Weird!").

Now, some might say that maybe this is because the aforementioned rube (or some rube like him) may be locating a landmark so that if they were dropping some coins, they would have a general idea of where to go back and look for these coins. 

But this makes no sense at all. Only a fool would purposely be dropping coins only to go back later to try and find them.

Whatever is going on, in the end, I guess it really doesn't matter. 

Either way, the bottom line is, the formula still holds - and this time, at least, Sam is two dollars and eighty-six cents richer.