Background

In March 2008 I began Finding Pennies. In December 2008 I began sharing these "Penny Tales" with a few close friends. They encouraged me to blog the Penny Tales such that more people could enjoy the Adventures with Penny Angels.


Please visit the website: http://www.pennyfinders.com

Joyfully, Tina


Monday, February 28, 2011

Day #801 - Accuracy

This morning we quickly stopped at the Civil Engineer’s office to deliver the Soils Compaction Report for his review. We will meet him on site tomorrow morning.

We stopped at a different Starbucks (for some variety in life). There was a garden plaza fountain with hundreds of coins in it; some within reach. Off limits according to Penny Protocol.

Next, we met with Daryl at the jobsite. After a walkabout with him, we went for lunch. In the short time we were together, Daryl found two pennies, Doc found four and I found one. Seven is a nice number. (Coins #1-5 for us).

Back to the job site to speak with Concrete Rick. He was beginning to chalk the foundation lines. Picture perfect weather for it.

Next, we headed to the hospital to visit Grader Craig. (Coin #6). Found a penny when entering the lobby. Craig was asleep, so we left a Penny Card next to his cell phone and quiet prayers for his speedy recovery.

Doc headed for Starbucks - visit #2 for the day. I found a dime, he found a quarter which I had overlooked! I walked next door to the del Taco and collected another quarter. (Coins #7-9).

A quick stop at a 7-11 yielded a penny. (Coin #10).

For dinner Doc went to McDonalds. He did not see any coins, but was “nudged” to open the van door before arriving at the window. He did, and to his surprise there was a quarter in a crack next to his door. (Coin #11)

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This evening has been calls and emails regarding Soil/Termite Treatment, Sprinkler Heads, Trenching, Edison Service … I think this will make for about a 15 hour work day!

Just got off the phone (9 PM) with Carlos regarding details on the Foundation staking. He staked to the Property Line whereas today we were measuring to the Block Wall. Not the same thing. Accuracy is important!

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The Certificate of Occupancy Challenge started this morning. Fun to hear some of your “Bets”.

Penny Pal Chaz writes: Disneyland was built from groundbreaking to opening day in less than a year. It has 5 lands. You have just Pennyland.

Somehow I think Regulations and codes have changed over the past half century.

Noah would definitely NOT be allowed to build the ark in today’s world! (See the movie “Evan Almighty”)

Total: 11 Coins P (7), N (0), D (1), Q (3) = $0.92

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Day #800 - Safety Second


This morning Doc and son, Brian met at 7:30 AM for coffee. I walked the parking lot and Target store for a dime and three pennies. (Coins #1-4)

We then went home where Brian and Doc installed seatbelts in the 1938 Chevy since the original car did not have such gear. Doc said, “Safety First”. I replied, “Coffee First, Safety Second”. In 1.5 hours they had all five sets of seatbelts installed and they were off for round two of coffee.

Around noon Doc and I took a load of donation items to the Goodwill store. Doc was in the mood for new clothes, so he bought a new, used shirt ($4). We could not resist stopping at a 7-11 store on the way home. We collected a penny in the parking lot and then a nickel and 7 pennies under the counter inside). (Coins #5-13)

Couldn’t resist looking at the self serve car wash next door. A dime and penny there (Coins #14&15). Then a penny at a Mexican food place. (Coin #16)

Doc really wanted a quarter, so we stopped at another car wash. I looked in all the bays and only found one penny. (Coin #17) Doc walked up behind me and found a penny plus his quarter right next to the trash can where I had just looked! (Coins #18&19).

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Doc’s Priorities today: Coffee first, Safety second, Coffee third, Lunch fourth, Errands fifth, Coins sixth, Nap seventh. Newton’s Law of Motion comes to mind, “A body at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an external force”. My priority today - to be that other force!

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This evening the wife of Grader Craig called. He has been at the emergency room of the hospital all day. Very serious pneumonia. Healing needed.

Total: 19 Coins P (15), N (1), D (2), Q (1) = $0.65

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Day #799 - Clear Views

Doc obtained the first coin of the day (a nickel) at McDonalds where he got breakfast. (Coin #1). After that we went to Cal Poly Pomona to return all the props we had borrowed to use in our Kiwanis talk last Thursday. There were no coins found at the vending machines or in the study rooms which I searched.

Our next stop was an Open House at the newly-constructed home of our friends, the Stewarts. Their craftsman style home is very similar to what we have planned. I had the tape measure working full time and was investigating everything from concrete staining to lighting controls. It was fun and inspiring. The view from their home was gorgeous. The snow capped mountains today were breathtaking. You could see for miles.

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Doc said we needed to obtain coins before going home. We stopped in one shopping center and I had a penny within 10 ft. of the van. A very dirt-crusted penny. (Coin #2)

Doc was not satisfied with the day’s low coin count at that point. He insisted upon strolling through the high school parking lot. He spotted a nickel almost immediately and didn’t even bother to get out of the van to retrieve it. Sit-N-Find (Coin #3). Then he spotted a penny for me to hop out and fetch. (Coin #4).

Doc walked the parking lot and collected 4 pennies and one dime. (Coins #5-9). When we reconnected he said, “I hope you have a quarter.” Sure enough, I did! In my travels I had collected a penny and a quarter under a vending machine. (Coins #10&11). What a team! Hit for the cycle. Then Doc found another nickel and a penny as we were walking back to the van. (Coins #12-13). That man is talented!

Total: 13 Coins P (8), N (3), D (1), Q (1) = $0.58

Friday, February 25, 2011

Day #798 - JOY Ride

So much happened today ....JOY ride!

Yesterday the rough grading was compeleted (over-excavating and backfilling the house and garage pad areas, cutting the driveway, compaction, hauling off rocks).

Surveyor, Carlos, has a full time job elsewhere, so we expected him to work on our project this weekend. Since the weather predictions indicate a major storm, we were nervous. It turns out that Carlos has every other Friday off work, so he went to our site this morning and had his work completed by noon! He also met with the foundation subcontractor. Thank You Angels!

Now the Civil Engineer needs to review the data and provide his certification.

The Geotechnical Engineer completed his compaction testing and called us around noon. We went to his house and obtained four copies of his report and Certification.

Next we met with the concrete subcontractor. He is ready to begin formwork as soon as we get the OK from the City.

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We visited Lowe’s strictly for a quick potty stop. I claimed two dimes in the garden area. The cashier was my witness, so I gave him a Penny Card. (Coins #1&2).

At our lunch stop, Doc found a penny. (Coin #3).

We came home to check emails, make some calls, and check on a few other things, then it was back out on the road. Our stop at Trader Joe’s resulted in two pennies. (Coins #4&5).

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Today things were moving so rapidly on the project, it was tough to keep up!

Total: 5 Coins P (3), N (0), D (2), Q (0) = $0.23

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Day #797 - Special Penny


This morning Doc and I gave a talk to a local Kiwanis Group. Topic: “Solar Car Raycing and Brain Sports”. The audience of 40-50 persons was spirited and we all had a fun time. Good thing I didn’t know the titles / occupations of some of these people. I would have been much more nervous! (There was a city mayor, directors of hospitals, city council members, etc.) Doc was calm, cool and collected as usual. He made a great, technically competent “Vanna White” and deftly displayed our various props.

This afternoon Doc and I visited the job site. Not sure why the equipment was all neatly parked and there was no activity. It looks like the majority of the grading is ready for Certification.

Needed to find a coin, so we stopped at a CVS store. Searched dligently throughout the store. Finally, upon leaving, Doc glanced back and spotted a dark blob in a busy check out line. I investigated. A quarter! (Coin #1).

Outside the store Doc found a dirt penny in a planter. (Coin #2)

We were being playful and searching in the concrete cracks. Found one penny there. (Coin #3). I was using my pocket tool to pry out the coin when the shopping center patrol officer came by. He asked, “Did you find something there?” I said, “A penny”. He replied, “Must be a Special Penny”. Yes sir, they all are.

Total: 3 Coins P (2), N (0), D (0), Q (1) = $0.27

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Day #796 - Brain Sports



Tonight I “gave at the office” and don’t want to write any more. Doc and I have been asked to give a talk tomorrow morning. Topic: Solar car racing and the encouragment of Brain Sports. I just spent a few hours doing the rehearsing and last minute, fine tuning for that talk, so my “creative writing” reservoir is now empty.

The earth moving equipment on our construction site does not quite have the same, sleek, light-weight, energy efficient design of our solar cars! J

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Doc got the first coin for the day (a Sit-N-Find shiny penny) at Johnny’s Burgers with his breakfast. (Coin #1). Another penny (and also a foregone quarter embedded in a crack) at Chick-fil-A with his lunch. (Coin #2).

Next, Doc wanted his Starbucks coffee. The store he chose did not have a drive through, so Doc tossed me out of the van to walk the nearby Burger King. No coins. As I walked across the parking lot to rejoin Doc, I thought, “This parking lot has been repaved recently. I am not very likely to find a coin between here and the van”. Wrong! Within seconds I found a penny! (Coin #3)

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We visited the construction site. Grader Craig, waved as he drove off to dump another load of rocks at the local rock site. I sure hated to see Big Mo sitting idle. Now just HOW does one operate this device?

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On the way to the freeway, we stopped at the 7-11 station to fuel the van. I collected a dime, penny and nickel from under the counter. (Coins #4-6).

Then I walked next door to the car wash in search of a phone book for the local area. Two pennies en route there. (Coins #7&8). At the car wash the rack of phone books was empty, so I questioned the cashier about it. She was absolutely delightful. A person with a great smile who seemed to glow. As I exited the sales area, I spotted a penny in the planter, then another and another. 7 dirt pennies. (Coins #9-15). The cashier noticed my strange activities through the glass doors. Of course, I needed to go back to tell her about Penny Tales and give her a Penny Card. Shared JOY.

Meanwhile had Doc fuelled the van and was getting impatient for my return. So he hunted at the 7-11 and found three pennies which I had overlooked! (Coin #16-18) 15 at that stop make it a Coin Mine!

Doc stopped to buy a pair of school shoes for when he begins teaching again. He got new shoes while I got the bill for them and one penny. (Coin #19)

Total: 19 Coins P (17), N (1), D (1), Q (0) = $0.32

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Day #795 - CPP

CPP Today

For me: Constant Positive Progress

For Doc: Cal Poly Pomona

We had a 9 AM meeting with Daryl and the framer, Danny. Of course Doc stopped for coffee at Starbucks. We collected two dimes and a nickel. (Coins #1-3) A good start for the day ... 25¢ (again that number).

As we emerged from the Starbucks driveway and pulled onto the busy street, Doc said, “but we still need a penny”. He looked at the median strip to his left and said, “There it is!”. (Coin #4). Talk about Manifesting.

In the afternoon, Doc went to school for various meetings while I went to the job site. Grader, Craig was explaining the progress and what he was going to be doing next. For starters -- hauling tons and tons of rocks away! I was wishing Daryl was there to hear the plans. I turned around and there he was! More manifesting.

My next stop was a linen and bath store. I was looking at shower curtains (much cheaper in cost than installing shower glass in the new bathrooms).

The next stop was Target. Instead of fancy (expensive) kitchen cabinets and drawers, I’m planning lots of open shelves with various baskets to hold contents. One penny there. (Coin #5)

Total: 5 Coins P (2), N (1), D (2), Q (0) = $0.27

Monday, February 21, 2011

Day #794 - Holiday

On the way to campus today, we stopped at a CVS store where Doc collected a dime while I bought cough syrup.

We expected the campus to be closed for the holiday. I had 8 things on my To-Do list and planned to complete them in an hour. Surprise! That was not the case. The campus was in full operation, so that meant speaking with at least a dozen persons.

I found a dime at the vending machines, then a quarter and three pennies at the campus Marketplace. (Coins #2-6).

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As we were stopped at a red light, Doc instructed me to search outside my car window in the dirt. There were two pennies! The light turned green, so Doc shouted, “Out”! I obeyed and he drove off. There was no stopping on the streets nearby, so he kept driving. I searched and searched for those pennies. Finally found one of them. “Mushroom Coins” are coins which suddenly appear. What shall we call those which suddenly disappear?

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Doc and I planned next to head out to the construction site. Daryl called to say there was no activity - guess Grader Craig took off for the holiday.

This evening Doc and I worked on contracts, the lumber list, and various other activities.

Total: 7 Coins P (4), N (0), D (2), Q (1) = $0.49

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Day #793 - Adopt Me

This evening we visited our usual three grocery stores for our weekly shopping. At the first store I found a penny at a closed register. (Coin #1) Two young employees gave me a questioning look as I dove for the coin on the rubber floor mat behind the counter. That act warranted an explanation, so I gave them each a Penny Card and 60-second story. Shared Joy.

At the second store while I was paying for the groceries, Doc wandered off and found a dime. I collected two pennies from under the coin return. (Coins #2-4)

At the third grocery store, there were four shiny new shield pennies and a quarter at a closed check out line! Then penny and a dime elsewhere. Then two more shiny pennies at check out. (Coins #5-13)

Total: 13 Coins P (10), N (0), D (2), Q (1) = $0.55

This afternoon I did a “Boulder Layout” for the property and diagramed where to put a few “big rocks”. I found places for maybe 40 of them. Additional ones will be up for adoption.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Day #792 - Go for It

Around noon we headed out to check on the lot. Doc stopped for coffee and I got my penny outside at the patio tables. (Coin #1)

We met son, Stephen and grandson at the lot to show them the progress. Stephen was the one who told us the lot was up for sale 1.5 years ago and encouraged us to “Go for It!”

On the way home Doc insisted on stopping for a hot dog at a 7-11 store. He found some sort of coin in the dirt planter on the way in. (Coin #2). Inside I found a nickel and two pennies under the counter. (Coins #3-5). Then Doc spotted a penny behind the counter on the floor and asked the cashier if he could have it! (Coin #6) Shared Joy,

The mystery coin was the size of a dime, but the color of a penny. After some washing, it turned out to be a copper-colored dime!

Total: 6 Coins P (4), N (1), D (1), Q (0) = $0.19

Friday, February 18, 2011

Day #791 - Big Mo

This morning I noticed a penny in the coin tray of Doc’s van and asked him about it. He found the coin late yesterday and forgot to tell me about it. Do I really need to correct yesterday’s blog and email and spreadsheet and ...? Let’s just say it was an early find for today. (Coin #1)

We had an 8:30 meeting at the construction site. Another day of playing in the dirt. Big Mo was in action scraping the lot, spitting mouthfuls into the separator, sorting out the good stuff, and then stomping it back in place at the proper elevation. Fun to watch. Here is a photo of Big Mo in action.

The second photo is of the guys performing their roles: Grader Craig was measuring elevations, Project Manager Daryl was overseeing, and Doc was drinking his coffee!

Daryl brought his wife Daniela along today. She had heard about our house and about our Penny Finding. After the meeting as we were driving to breakfast, Doc remembered the foregone penny from earlier in the week. It was in the median about four car lengths back from the intersection. This morning we were stopped at the red light there and we were the fourth car! Doc spotted his prey and went for the kill. Daryl and Daniela were in the car behind us and laughing at Doc’s antics. (Coin #2)

After a huge breakfast, we were at the register to pay. Daniela exclaimed, “Look at that!” I replied, “That coin is mine!” as I dove for the dime she was nearly stepping on. She looked puzzled, “What coin? I was looking at the pies!” (Coin #3) Shared smiles.

As we exited the freeway on the way home, Doc claimed another Median penny. Seems to be his specialty. (Coin #4)

Doc went out shopping this afternoon. He found one penny at Home Depot and one penny at WalMart. (Coins #5&6)

Total: 6 Coins P (5), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.15

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Day #790 - Solid Support


The weather was perfect today. Grader Craig accomplished much. He has dug out the dirt from the pad area, removed “a few” rocks from it, and then recompacted it. A house needs to be built on a “solid” foundation, but these “little stones” are not quite what we want the support piles to rest on.

Doc and I did some interfacing with the various utility companies and the City as well. Doc found a penny under a bench when we arrived at City Hall.

We turned in some cans and plastics at the recycling center. Found a dime and penny there.

No time for Penny Tales. I have other things to do. Currently writing a letter to all the new neighbors to say hello and let them know how to contact us if needed.

Know anyone who needs a few rocks?

Total: 3 Coins P (2), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.12

Thought: How do you perceive the “boulders” in your life? Are they obstacles in your way or decorations for you garden?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Day #789 - Move That Dirt!



We had gorgeous weather for the past six weeks. Today there was light rain most of the day with rain expected off and on over the next two weeks. But that did not stop Grader Craig. He was out there Moving That Dirt!

The City Inspector arrived around 8:30 to see that Craig had dug to the necessary depth. Then the soil engineer dropped by to check on things.

I couldn't resist getting out in the mud and standing in the Master Bedroom. (More visualization).

Dig Alert came out yesterday to mark incoming utilities. A rep from the gas company was out yesterday and a rep from the water company visited this morning. Good News! There is 8” water line running just outside our lot. (So we don’t have to worry about hitting that line). Edison was out this afternoon to talk to Neighbor Craig about putting in the Temporary Power Pole. At least one tree was cut down today.

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Oops! I forgot this is supposed to be Penny Tales, not Penny Palace Update. I know we found coins, just trying to remember where? Ahh yes…Penny at McDonalds with breakfast (Coin #1). Then we went to the construction site and tramped through the mud. Before getting back on the freeway we stopped for petrol, three pennies, and one dime. (Coins #2-5).

Doc wanted Starbucks coffee, I wanted to go home. Told him I was tired of going to the same Starbucks - so he drove me to a different one! It was a station within a Target store, so while he got coffee, I cruised around the cash registers and service areas. Collected 5 pennies in various spots. (Coins #6-10).

Total: 10 Coins P (9), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.19

Recapping:

Sunday: Surveying

Monday: Mobilization of equipment

Tuesday: Turning over the dirt

Wednesday: Witnessing by City Inspector and Soils Engineer

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Day #788 - Ground Breaking

Doc and I were very anxious to get out to the job site for Ground Breaking. But of course first he had to stop at Starbucks. I found a very shiny penny at the Chick-fil-A drive through. (Coin #1) As I walked away saying Thank You to the Penny Angels, there was a quarter in my path! (Coin #2). Doc also found a penny (Coin #3). Off to a good start for today.

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Next we headed to the construction site. Grader Craig had already scraped off the entire top layer of vegetation and was beginning to dig. Impressive. Jewelers have been advertising “rocks” for Valentine’s Day. Here’s a picture of one of the rocks that I got today!


Doc thought it was fairly large. We were told, “No. Large rocks are the size of a pickup truck!”

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On the way home Doc spotted a potential quarter while stopped at a red light - Median Find It turned out to be a Veinticinco Centavos from the Dominican Republic. (Coin #4)

I had some business at the City and took Norman (my Dachshund) with me. He insisted upon stopping for dog food on the way home. I collected a penny at that stop. (Coin #5)

Doc got a dime and dinner at McDonalds. (Coin #6).

Total: 6 Coins P (3), N (0), D (1), Q (1) + 1 foreign = $0.38 + Dominican Republic coin

Penny Palace Update - Groundbreaking!

What an amazing week!

Wednesday, February 9

Signed loan documents after some last minute glitches on Tuesday.

Thursday, February 10

Doc and I left town to help friends

4 PM Escrow officer called to say “Loan is funded and Deed is recorded!”

Friday, February 11

Daryl made lots of arrangements for things to happen on Monday.

Sunday, February 13

Carlos surveyed the lot and placed the corner staking.

Neighbor Craig cleared some bushes.

Monday, February 14 A series of updates to us from Daryl:

5:45 Heading to jobsite

6:30 On site

7:00 Fencing arrived

7:30 Sandbags and load of gravel here

8:45 Metal mud plates laid down

10:30 Fencing installed, porta potty on site, tractors/equipment now here

Noon Locking gates and here is the combination!

We arrived at 4 PM WOW!

Tuesday, February 15: Groundbreaking

Craig scraped off the top layer of vegetation and began digging. We need to dig down several feet and then re-compact the soil. Tomorrow is our first inspection with the Soils Engineer and then the City inspector.

The Penny Palace is becoming real!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Day #787 - Construction Begins


Our work day began very early in Vegas. We ripped out carpeting and padding, washed walls, masked off windows, painted, moved furniture and more! We left our hostess grateful, but exhausted!

At 5:45 Daryl sent a text saying he was on the way to the Penny Palace job site. At 7:30 he called to say the fencing had arrived. He continued his updates throughout the morning.

We needed to fuel the van for the drive home. Of course I searched the gas station. I spotted two pennies in a crack by a pay phone. Doc also spotted a penny in a crack. We collected 10 pennies and two dimes (Coins #1-12) out of the cracks there using various tools. There was something which looked like a nickel, but it is too mangled to be sure. (Coin #13). Coin Mine. They say the Slots in Vegas pay off - so do the sidewalk cracks!

Doc wanted a snack before we got on the freeway, so a quick 7-11 stop. There were 3 crack pennies outside, two pennies at the Jack in the Box next door, plus a dime and 8 pennies inside the store. (Coins #14-28). Another coin mine!

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By 11:30 we were finally on the road. At noon Daryl called to say he was “locking up” the jobsite! He gave us the gate code. Our goal was to arrive at the construction site by 4 PM. We arrived at 4:02. Wow! Could not believe how much had occurred in half a day.

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When we arrived home, there were messages from school, so we needed to go there. We were doing work in one lab when I told Doc I ‘felt’ a penny in there and was not leaving until I found it! Found that penny in a cabinet, then a penny in the study lab when I stopped to say hello to some students, then a penny at the vending machine (tool needed) and a dime. (Coins #29-32)

The fridge was empty so we stopped at a grocery store on the way home. Six pennies and four dimes there. (Coins #33-42)

Total: 42 Coins P (33), N (1), D (8), Q (0) = $1.18

Thought: We should leave town more often. With us out of the way, stuff happened!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Day #786 - Staked and Stoked


God’s 2¢ worth. Nothing more, nothing less.

We were still in Vegas doing construction work. My run to Home Depot yielded two pennies stuck in a crevice at check out. Needed to use a paint stick for retrieval.

I was not really thinking about the Penny Palace, so I was caught a bit off guard when Carlos called at noon and said, “I am finished!” He had just completed the placement of all the corner stakes and marked key elevations for the rough grading work to begin. We were Stoked.

Our new neighbor was observant and realized that once the foundation was in place, it would be difficult to get out the shrubs from behind the house. So he and son-in-law spent their afternoon clearing our lot! Yes, our project is in the hands of Angels.


Total: 2 Pennies


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Day #785 - More L.O.V.E.

We had urgent deadlines to meet, so there was zero time for doing anything which was not contributing to that goal. No time for going Penny Hunting.

This afternoon we made a trip to Home Depot. There was a penny when I walked in. (Coin #1). Thank you Penny Angels. Doc was waiting for me at check out and found a $1 bill!

Our host insisted upon getting a rental movie for after dinner (the Karate Kid). We made a quick stop at the video store. He got the video while I found a penny as I hopped out of the van, then 3 pennies near a pay phone, then 4 more pennies in the lot. (Coins #2-8)

Total: 8 Coins P (8), N (0), D (0), Q (0) + $1 = $1.08

Friday, February 11, 2011

Day #784 - L.O.V.E. Session

Today we had planned for an all-day work session at the home of some friends in Vegas. Knowing we would be ‘captive’ once we arrived there, we did a bit of Penny Hunting on the five mile stretch from the hotel to their house. We found 6 pennies, 3 nickels, and two quarters in those few minutes. Not bad. That is a Finding rate of 11 coins/hour.

L.O.V.E. Sessions = Laughing Over Virtually Everything. That is our nickname for our work weekends. Today we scraped popcorn ceilings, patched drywall, removed carpeting, demolished the closet, etc.

This evening we made a run to Lowe’s just before closing time. We bought supplies for tomorrow’s work session and found one penny. (Coin #12) That was our hot Friday night date in Las Vegas. We returned to the house for warm tea and some pain killers.

Total: 12 Coins P (7), N (3), D (0), Q (2) = $0.72

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Day #783 - Meeting Leslie

How can I consolidate today’s dozens of wonderful things into one Penny Tale? We have driven to Nevada to do some construction work with our friends for the next few days.

For the past year I have been communicating with Leslie Stein of The Penny Project. Since she lives in Vegas, we could not pass up the opportunity to meet her. We met Leslie at 1PM and let the Penny Angels “nudge us”. My goal was maybe 25 coins in 2 hours. We did much better than that!

We visited Fremont Street, Starbucks, several 7-11 stores and numerous other places. Let’s face it, I lost track of all the coins. Between us, we found 120 coins.

There were some really crazy finds today. The big find was 63 nickels at one slot machine. Then there was the penny Doc spotted behind a Red Box video kiosk. There was a dead pigeon between Doc and the penny so he deemed the coin as a ‘foregone’. Leslie (who was an army helicopter pilot) is definitely not squeamish. She claimed that coin!

Right in the frenzy of all this intense Penny Finding we received a call from the escrow company. The loan funded and was recorded at the County today! We may now proceed with construction. Daryl has ordered the fence, sand bags, porta potty and more. We are under way!

After hearing the happy news, Leslie treated us to dinner at the Blue Martini. That was a unique experience. Someplace Doc and I would never have gone on our own. And we ate early enough to take advantage of the 50% off meal deal!

Back to Penny Finding … Nickels are typically the most difficult to find. I collected 69 in one casino! We found a penny by the schmush penny machine, so I couldn’t resist stamping it as a souvenir. Doc and Leslie actually pulled up a metal grating around a tree in order to get to three pennies! We passed out numerous Penny Cards and business cards. Shared a lot of smiles today.

Leslie uses her penny stories in her teaching and training sessions around the country. There was so much to learn from her. The time just flew! She is changing lives with her penny project.

Total: 90 Coins with Leslie + 3 earlier in the day P (18), N (69), D (2), Q (1) = $4.08 + 3 foreign coins: Canada, Panama, and Cayman Islands

Leslie had 30 coins as well!

Lesson: Earlier this week I was ‘coached’ to ‘release’ and let go of the Penny Palace. “Try not to be so controlling of the details and timelines”. Look what happened today when I left town and left it to the Universe to take over!

Thought: Do you ever have days you KNOW will alter the course you are taking? This was one of those days.