Huckleberries: Pastor with metal detector reunites owners with treasures lost at CdA beaches

It began as a way to give back to the community.

The Rev. Mark Arbic of First Baptist Church in Coeur d’Alene wanted a means to return the gold rings, keys and other valuables he found with his metal detector on Coeur d’Alene beaches – City Beach, North Idaho College Beach and Tubbs Hill.

At first, he used Craigslist to find the owners. Then, he added social media. Now, he wants to broaden his lost-and-found efforts by starting a community of like-minded hobbyists, Craigslist followers and good Samaritans. And that’s how Huckleberries saw the photo of the stainless steel ring, inscribed “Rodney & Candy.”

Mark had posted the ring on his “Coeur d’Alene City Beach/North Idaho College Beach Lost & Found” Facebook page. He posted a simple note with it: “This was found (Wednesday) on the beach, and I have to ask: Are Rodney and Candy still an item?” If the couple is still together, Mark provided instructions about how to contact him. However, the couple may have called it quits and thrown the ring into the lake. If that’s so, Mark wrote, “Sorry I brought it up.”

All in all, Mark tells Huckleberries: “There’s nothing more fulfilling than giving back to someone a family heirloom, expecting nothing in return.”

May his kind increase.

Did you know?

The Coeur d’Alene Resort isn’t the only place that you can find a significant public boardwalk along the Coeur d’Alene waterfront. The Riverstone development along the Spokane River has one, too. But few know about it. Deputy City Administrator Sam Taylor is trying to remedy that. At 6 o’clock Thursday morning, Sam taped a video for the city’s Facebook page that shows the 3,218-foot-long walkway in the riverside Bellerive subdivision. The North Idaho Centennial Trail feeds into it. But there’s not much parking. Sam tells viewers that city officials don’t want the boardwalk to become a de facto private amenity used only by those in the Bellerive ’hood. And neither does Huckleberries.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “Toes in the sand/ cares put aside/ no schedules observed/ except by the tide” – “The Bard of Sherman Avenue: Poems by Tom Wobker” (“Cannon Beach Vacation”) … Jamila Holmes of Coeur d’Alene enjoys the way Red Robin at Riverstone handles takeout orders. You can order and pay online. And you can request that the worker bees bring the food out to you. At noon Thursday, she got another bonus – a free cup of fries while she waited for takeout. Forget the smile: Service with free fries is the way to go … An item on the Post Falls PD Facebook page: “A canoe was found in Falls Park this weekend. We’ve determined it does not belong to Lewis or Clark, so if it belongs to you, please contact the PFPD to identify and claim your canoe.” Did anyone check with Sacagawea? … Earth to undecided Spokane Councilman Mike Fagan: In a recent poll, 76.5 percent of Huckleberries blog readers say “chemtrails” don’t exist. Fagan claims the jury is out on the conspiracy theory … Which brings to mind that bumpersnicker I spotted at a Fred Meyer in Portland recently: “Bigfoot doesn’t believe you exist either.”

Parting shot

For those keeping score at home, the giant brown die with white dots that floated up on the Coeur d’Alene’s north shore during our spring floods will find a home in the next few weeks. At Independence Point on Lake Coeur d’Alene. This, according to city official Sam Taylor. The parks department crew is spotting new dots and sprucing it up. A plaque will say: “A Gift from Lake CDA, Spring 2017.” Don’t you like happy endings?

D.F. “Dave” Oliveria can be reached at (509) 319-0354 or daveo@spokesman.com.