Day #216 - Penny Mining

This morning I had cereal and milk for breakfast and was ready to go to work. Doc insisted upon going to Starbucks for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. The drive through line was super long. I was able to walk through the nearby IHOP and other lots before he even placed his order! It must have taken 15 minutes from that point to the window. So I added 1000+ steps to the pedometer while walking and doing curb step-ups during the wait. At least that is how it looked to the other drivers. I was really searching for coins. There were 21 very dirty and muddy pennies found in the planter while I was out there “exercising” (and penny mining). When we got to the window I paid the cashier and scooped up 3 pennies, a dime and a nickel! (26 coins total).

Note: After writing that first paragraph, I figured I’d better go wash the dirty coins to verify the count. I gave them a basic scrubbing to get the bulk of the dirt, counted 21 pennies and left them soaking. Doc has just yelled from the kitchen and found that after further cleaning we have 20 pennies and one dime. J

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This afternoon was our Play Time with the kids. They asked about today’s pennies. I told them we had 26 pennies so far. They said we should try for 30.

It was really hot outdoors so Doc and the kids wanted to play inside. That of course, is another way to say let's play at “Chuck E Cheese's!” I dread the place on regular days, and today there were huge groups of kids, lots of trash, and an unbearable level of noise and commotion. I had to escape. I went Penny Hunting. One penny at Rite Aid just sitting in the aisle. The next one at Whole Foods near the register. (Coins #27&28).

I returned to CEC to fetch Doc and the kids. They still had tokens to spend L So I walked up and down the aisles working on today’s 10,000 steps. There was a penny about

1” from a little girl’s foot. She was involved in her game and didn’t notice me retrieving it. More waiting, more laps. There was another penny which I had not seen on any of the previous passes. It was under a table, against the leg, and up on edge. Like me - on edge in that place! (See photo of Tina’s playing at CEC). That made the 30 coins as requested.

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We next headed for the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market. I told the kids to keep their eyes open for a quarter so we could “hit for the cycle”. We sampled fruit, had a nice Peruvian meal followed by a walk around the Metro station and other areas. Doc and Nicolas went strolling and found a schmush Quarter between the railway tracks! They showed it to me and I thought it was a slug. It was so smooth and out of shape. (See photo). So we “hit for the cycle”. I was disappointed that we had not spotted any other coins. With hundreds of people walking and shopping, I expected more finds. Finally a dime just as we exited the festival area. Nice.

Today’s Total: 32 Coins Q (1), D (3), N(1), P (27) = $0.87