The past year has been a mixed bag for me, but I am still alive and kicking. I lost a few close friends in 2013, but at my age it’s to be expected. To quote John Winter , “there’s no future in getting old“…. On the flip side my kids and grandkids are all healthy and doing well and for that I am very thankful.
In February this blog will be two years old, (the original website, four), and while it’s been fun, it’s also had it’s disappointing moments. It’s allowed me to stay in touch with old friends and meet new ones as well. Lately however I’ve been trying hard to get the spark back…to get enthused about detecting again and it’s not been going all that well. Not good when you are trying to get others excited and you are not.
Anyway I will be giving all this serious thought in the days ahead, weighing the pros and cons, the good and the bad and decide whether to continue with Stout Standards. In the meantime I want to wish you all a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year!
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A YEAR END POKE FROM THE MALAMUTE SALOON
With only two days left in the year it seems only appropriate that John Howland should wind it up with by poking his adoring fans Wally & Harry. If you are interested in what Bubba has to say about the Heritage InAction group click on the Malamute Saloon link above and scroll down to today’s date…
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IN 2014 I AM HOPING THAT….
- I can lose 30 pounds…
- Detecting becomes fun again…
- John Winter stops trying to look like me…
- Wally & Harry finally get married…
- Reality shows start being real or go away completely..
- Lisa MacIntyre joins a metal detecting club…
- John Howland finally sends me that $20 he owes me…
- Dave Wise and Todd Hiltz finally find a cellar hole that doesn’t hold a GW button..
- People who wear baseball caps backwards finally figure it out..
- One of our national organizations can get their act together and lead the way
- I can play the guitar again…just a little…
- I win the lottery and buy that house in the South of France…
- Every detector manufacturer provides wireless headphones with their models
- Tekkies start looking less like commandos and more like detectorists
- All animal shelters become “no kill”
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Stout Standards 
Happy New year to you as well Dick. I don’t always comment but I always read your blog and enjoy your take on the detecting world at large. Thank you for the many laughs in 2013 and may you find your spark again soon.
Thank you Ron…
I hope you get the spark back for detecting.. You are such an inspiration to many people. Your knowledge and candid words are refreshing. Happy New Year!!!
Thanks Susan… I think sometimes I am too candid. Happy New Year…
You have described exactly how I am feeling. On Christmas Eve, I lost my best buddy. He was my metal detecting buddy and one great person that I will miss more than I can put into words. We are getting older with the passing of each day but we must not stop doing what we like. Metal detecting takes top billing in every sport that I do. I still go fishing and hunting is now just a memory but if asked, I would gladly go. I can still do three good hours of detecting and plan on continuing to do so until I can’t walk. I wonder if it is possible to go detecting in a wheelchair???
James I am already modifying a walker….will keep you posted! Happy New Year…
◾John Howland finally sends me that $20 he owes me…LIES! LIES!
Do you recall that I let you off that twenty bucks when you found all that gold with some guy called Larry?
Happy New Year to my readers!
Yeah right…
Come on Dick! Happy New Year. I may look like you, am older than you, don’t go detecting anymore like you, but still strive to keep a positive attitude for the time I have left. Make a resolution and stick to it … no more moaning in public! It’s not good and is becoming just a little tiresome.
I thought long and hard about that first paragraph and nearly deleted it … but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. I wish I was over there to give you a wee kick up the arse instead of just a gentle virtual bollocking.
From your well-meaning friend and UK doppelgänger, John.
Hmm, seems like I remember you being in the same boat a while back, or was that just another look alike Brit?
Anyway, thanks for the advice and a Happy New Year to you also, John.
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Having ‘down’ days is part of the human condition. I may have been feeling low, Dick, but mine only lasted a couple of weeks …
Dick, I forgot to mention this: I took my 9 year old and his friend detecting. They were swinging Compadres. About 20 minutes into the hunt (yes, it took 20 minutes!) the boys came running to show me their find; a complete beaver tail pull tab. They were quite impressed with the ‘old time’ pull tab. One man’s trash… Anyway, stuff like this can be a bit contagious and now I have to smile whenever I dig a beaver tail pull tab. I know, not enough to get you back into the excitement of the hobby but I thought I’d share
Chin up! We have 2014 ahead of us!!
Will give it a go…thanks Jamie
Hoping 2014 will be a better year for all of us!!!Happy New Year.
Thanks and you too Robbie..
Dick, I dropped from 220 to 200 pounds this year (6′ 1″), and it made a big difference in how I felt and my energy level. I’m “only” 63, but I would encourage you to try dropping some weight. Best wishes.
Doug I know you are right, and I have to definitely do something about it. I have said this before and went at it for a few days and then said the hell with it when I didn’t see a lot of progress. Hopefully this time I can stick to it.
Thanks for commenting and Happy New Year…
Happy, healthy and wealthy new year to you and all of your readers! Thanks for being there with your humor, stories and connections to this crazy hobby.
My New Year’s resolution is to be POSITIVE = no negatives at all.
I will go detecting more – even if I am on my own because I too have lost a detecting pal in 2013 also two great friends in the detecting club.
Hey – maybe if I get out more this year – I can find that cash of coins I always wanted to find.
Hya BTfromB
Y’know, if there was a better hobby than ours, then I reckon the Good Lord
kept it to Himself.
All the best for 2014 and be lucky mate!
John, you are probably right about that – this hobby is the best on earth!
Tony, John has other hobbies he likes more but he can’t talk about them here…
Dick, you are probably right about John and other hobbies but he did say this one is the best!
Dick. you & the wife have a Happy, Safe and Healthy New Year.
Just keep on kicking & set your mind to continue with Stout Standards.
My wish for you is to have a mild summer, more rain and the spark to get out and DIG.
Bob
MWAS.ORG
Thank you Bob. Happy ‘New Year’ to your family as well…
I was digging today for about two hours and my back is hurting! We had nine inches of snow but the 3 feet of drifting is what did me in this time!
So, if I can dig white stuff I think I will be able to dig the brown stuff this year!
Happy New Year Dick! As some others have posted that they do not always comment but read your blog, I am in the same boat. I enjoy your blog and really hope you continue it and from what I have learned about you through your blog and comments I can say I like you as a person, find you quite humorous at times and have no problems at all with you… even though you did not want to participate in my Featured Treasure Hunter on my blog… the invitation is still there… no hard feelings. Now back to you and detecting… you have inspired a lot of people to get into detecting and you have helped a lot of hardcore detectorists with your detecting knowledge and books you have written. I have said this before and I will say it again, you are a Legend in the detecting world when it comes to coin shooting! You could ask any hardcore long term detectorist who they think are some of the top coin shooting detectorists ever and they would have to mention your name somewhere in there! The spark you are looking for could come as a challenge to yourself. These days… finding old coins is getting pretty hard, you really have to use your skills at these so called hunted out spots and you have to do your research for new spots to make these good finds. I can remember when finding a Mercury Dime was common…now finding a Mercury Dime is considered a Good Find! So, get excited and motivated Dick and put your researching and detecting knowledge and skills to use! Show everyone that it is possible to still make these great finds and why you are Dick Stout a Legend in the Coin Shooting World!
Ed, thank you for the kind words… I am working on it.
Happy New Year…