I think we enjoy searching for things as mudlarks, rockhounds, and such because it quiets the brain. You are engaged in an activity that focuses your brain away from all the usual worries. That coupled with the joy of discovery and the wonder at the treasures found makes the activity extremely pleasurable.

You both so comfortable chatting and laughing together, you could be sisters🌸

I think that the joy of searching for stuff is ancient hunter gatherers memory. The way ancient humans survived. Our brains developed that way. Love your videos.

I find searching for shells or shark teeth on the beach very relaxing, not only the sound of the surf but the thrill of the find. Thanks Nicola!

My neighborhood was built in the 1940's. The area and the woods behind our house were an old dump site. As a child in th 1960's I would go "treasure hunting". The thrill of finding decades old ornate bottles and beautiful pieces of ornate plates, vases, cups, old coins, etc. I found a metal decoder toy dated 1936. I found several glass objects that I couldn't figure out and 60 years later YOU let me know that they are bottle stoppers! So thrilled! I have my colorful glass bits, small porcelain dolls heads, and assorted marbles in apothecary jars on shelves. As welI as my bottles. I inherited the house and I still go out back and search for treasures and am in my 60's. Your channel is a joy to watch. Your animal skulls, not so much. 😄 Many thanks from Fort Worth, Texas. 🇺🇸

In the early 1970 I was a bottle collector, I amassed over 12000 bottles all pre-1910. I was a heavy equipment operator. When bottles would be found, the men on the ground would run up and say 'another one". One of the biggest finds, but not the only one, was we were preparing the ground for a high school running track. The area it was to be built on, was an old 1900s garbage dump for an area just outside of Annapolis MD. I had a flea market set up, where everyone into bottles in the Baltimore area would come and trade bottles. We even started a bottle club, called 'Baltimore Bottle Hounds. ' We even had a special bottle made for our members (Log cabin bottle, and it was hand blown) I'm going to do a series of stories on my Facebook page, about my days as a heavy equipment operator. A large part is going to be about the bottles, and thanks to my bottles and the research that went into collecting, I'm a glass artist and a glass studio since 1981.

Curious people enjoy it as a plus to being outside, in the moment, enjoying good weather mostly. Its a laugh, a lark, puts one in a good mood. Finding something connects you to the day, the weather, the location, fellow larkers and the memory. It gives a story to be retold. It does everything your videos do! Nearly like being there ourselves. ❤

Humans are programmed to keep things, and I guess searching is very therapeutic, whether it's a Carboot, a boutique, a foreshore, even children do it , pebbles, shells etc . ❤

I grew up in the Bay Area around San Francisco/San Jose for 26+ years. Yes, I remember Ken's House of Pancakes!!! I don't remember any particular meal there, but their logo presence was definitely part of my childhood. In fact, you can find Ken's Salad Dressings in stores in Texas, where I now live. I always assumed the dressings were related to the restaurant, but I may be wrong. Love your posts, Nicola!

You found a piece of pottery with the word Souvenir: 1:20. California has several areas that are filled with fossils, so I could easily see the Trilobites being part of a souvenir dish sold at road side motels, and tourist traps.

I think today the world is so ruled by money , to find something that brings you joy ,that didnt cost a penny , just the enjoyment of been outdoors in your own little world. You couldn,t put a price on. Thanks Nicola you brighten my days. ❤X

Relic hunting on the shore must be like a meditation with the sound of the surf being your mantra.

A Facebook post says this: Maritza Perez In 2006, an artist and college professor named Casey O’Connor made hundreds of them in his garage, then dropped them in a spot near the Iowa Hill Bridge Road in Colfax, California, for locals and tourists to find. The porcelain bits got into the American River and some of them washed up on Tepco Beach.

Can’t help but think of the jewellery that could be made with those little faces etc, lovely!

In 1992 I moved to a town on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, one of Canada's Great Lakes. Not long after, I met a woman who collected beach glass, and when I saw some of her exquisite pieces, I decided I was going to start beachcombing. Some years later, it occurred to me that narrowing my focus down to the sand beneath my feet was actually a very Zen-type of action. Walking meditation, as it were. I don't beachcomb much anymore, but that interval in the 90's and early 2000's was instrumental in vastly improving my mental health and calming my reactivity to the circumstances of my life at that time. Watching mudlarking videos, beginning in 2019, has a very similar effect. So that's why I subscribe to your channel, Si Find's, and several others in the U.K. 😁 Now you know. 😉😂 See you next time, Nicola. 🥰😘🤗💖👌👍👋

Thank heavens for the Casie O’Connor’s of this world! I’m sure that the original creation of the heads took a great deal of time and effort, but what a huge amount of pleasure they are providing! I loved the trilobites, and would have been ‘tickled pink’ to have found one, but having you discover them Nicola was a real joy. Finding the unexpected is always such a delight, and I think teaches us to keep out eyes, ears and hearts open to what we might come across, rather than being pre-occupied by what we think we need out of life. Your delight at even the smallest discovery is a complete pleasure - just keep up the good work, and continue introducing us to things we never even knew existed! Sending love to you,and all your followers from Leicestershire.

Looks like you both had a wonderful time. Nice to have a change of scenery finds!

It's all about treasure hunting; be it on the beach, in a charity shop or at a car-boot sale. Not much of it is worth a fortune financially but the sheer joy of connecting to the past is priceless. Cheers Nicola. x x x

Hi, Nicola. Susan here. I know it's the flavour of the month as far as words are concerned, but searching for shells - for me the miniature perfect shells found on the beaches of North Carolina - seems to me the true definition of "mindfulness". I am fully in the moment, conscious only of that for which I am searching - and forever uttering the words "Just one more and I'll stop"!

Well for me it's foraging. It's so deeply rooted in our DNA don't you think?. Way back we foraged to feed our children, our families. And when we found food sources we felt good. Kind of like today when we have enough to pay the grocery bill and even acouple chocolates. Yes, I think it embedded in our makeup. I love finding things. Nowadays I forage on ETSY from the comfort of my couch.❤ love watching you❤

I live in El Cerrito and have been to the Tepco beach. Oh how I wish I had chosen that day to go back! I would love to have seen you in person!!

Beachcombing, fossil hunting and searching for unexpected treasures in second-hand shops/fairs etc.brings feelings of anticipation, excitement and a deep peacefulness and calm that is an ancient human sense. The pleasure is real and often free. What can be better!? I also get huge pleasure from watching your videos and the way that you share your interest and enjoyment with us. Thank you😊

Wonderful. Didn't want the video to end. Loved the laughter and excitement. Another one bites the dust. Being out in nature. Sending muchlove.

Curiosity is my pleasure, awesome finds Nicola. X❤🍁

Now that I have finished watching this video,it thrills me to know that these are also near Colfax-only twelve miles from where I live! I like to collect rocks.I have a slicer and a cab machine,and enjoy smoothing the rough stones into smooth pendants for necklaces.The rough rocks looks so amazing inside,and it is a fresh thrill to see them at last,showing their true,gorgeous colors! Just recently I sliced and polished a dull looking white stone.There are vibrant colors of red,black streaks,gold splashes,and moody grey patches that look like an abstract painting of scenery,or a vase of flowers! The irony is that it is a very common stone,one used for making gravel roads,and I don't know the name of it at all! It is kind of a victory to make something mundane into something beautiful-that is what drives me on.

The little round clay piece you found looks like a parachuter. You can see the goggles and harness. And the clay background is almost in the shape of a parachute itself.

I think you could write a book about the psychology of looking for things! I have been fascinated all of my life with treasure hunting, though I have not done it on a large scale. For me, it can be as simple as finding what I was looking for in a drawer full of junk or uncovering a special trinket at a flea market - the thrill of the hunt is always fun!

It seems that searching for treasures is similar to searching for photos to take. I find nothing more relaxing than wandering around with my camera.

I am a Californian. I hope you had a pleasant stay here, the Americans you met were kind and welcoming and our weather was mild during your stay.

What a fun lark with Jan. I think the joy of finding treasure never goes away and brings out that childhood magic.

Kens house of pancakes of Menlo Park Ca. Closed in of the 1990’s. I used to go there often.

The hunt is the challenge of life ❤

Even in America you managed to find the bird!!! A pelican!!!! 😊 Great episode as always!

Love searching, treasure, shells, rocks. I think while searching we are hyper-focused on it and it clears the brain of logical, worrisome, complex thinking. I feel so good looking🥰🥰🥰

A rare old bird is the pelican. His beak holds more than his belly can. Great video thanks Nicola

It's not knowing what you find next! So exciting! Could be a coin, could be a bone. You never know ! ❤ UK 😊

What a great spot ❤ I love finding stuff too

Hi Nicola, what another wonderful mudlark thank you very much for taking us on your trip,i thoroughly enjoyed it. I find looking for treasure outside within the natural world seems to me like opening a new book and losing yourself in the first chapter. I get lost in my own little world for a short time and its great. Wishing you a good week.

I live near San Jose and did not know about this place. Definitely going on my "to do" list!

😊❤ awesome findings " Buddha Heads " . Lived the information 👌 👏 With love from SAM Guwahati, Assam , India 🇮🇳 ♥️

Searching for things definately appeals to our hunter, gatherer, ancestry. 🥰

The little man looks like a diver with those old fashioned divers helmet?

It is the only time that my brain concentrates and blocks all the regular stressful thoughts of life ❤

Yep, right across the bay from me. Enjoy your stay. Cheers!

What a great time! If I had been there, I would have begged for another 10 minutes. At least 10 times 😂. I play hidden object games on Google Play Store, way too often. I have developed an eye disease in my old age, Best Disease, and I am determined to keep fighting center blindness. I REALLY have to look, but the joy I get when I spot the treasure is wonderful! Thank you for another great outing, Nicola!

Thank you for the fascinating video. How interesting to find such a strange little things. Cheers.

Thanks for the video, Nicola. They brighten my rather boring Sunday, doing laundry. I think a lot of the comments hit the nail on the head with why we enjoy searching for treasure. You focus being on something with no worries, the thrill of the find, along with the soothing sounds of the water and nature around. I think it also stimulates the ancient part of the brain left over from our time as hunter/gatherers. And i think all of us watchers get to have that feeling vicariously through the videos as we anticipate your next find.

I believe it is a distraction from the reality we live. You don’t have to think about anything just keep your eyes 👀 open and look. It’s also fun to see different things you would not in your ordinary life. Sometimes distractions can be a great thing especially for those who have a lot of anxiety about what is going on around them. Great video Nicola and fantastic finds ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💜

Nicola, Mindlessly searching for objects is the best relaxation I know of! I could go non stop looking for shells or shark’s teeth! Fun adventure!!❤

I think it’s the purpose, the engulfment, the mission, the surprise, the reward; the FUN of it all❤ For me it’s never been possible to go for a walk, just doodelin around , putting one foot in front of the other until I FIND something (like mushrooms or pebbles!) and it’s a hunt and an adventure!

I think it’s fun to connect with the departed through the items they discarded or lost. Discovering objects I didn’t know existed, researching the bits and bobs. Having the internet is such a boon compared to having to search in a library. It’s like being on an archeological adventure. Of course the natural items are also a delight. Then the environment is wonderful always. I’m sure we all love hunting antiques too, but unlike in a shop (or at work ) we have the sound and feel of the water and the weather, sunny or cloudy, misty, traipsing through the mud, very meditative, relaxing, monkey mind more at rest. As always it’s a pleasure watching.

Great haul ladies 💜🇨🇦☮️

Such a nice way to spend time on a beach with a friend!! We can all use more smiles and laughs🥰🥰🥰

Searching for different things take us somewhere else, forget your problems, and you, like when l draw doodles, fun, 😊

Faces are the people of the factory that worked there. I can't wait to go there to look.

I lived in H.M.B in California, now I live on Kauai, I love looking for sea glass and seashells and whatever, it's so relaxing and brings me so much joy!

Thank you for another great video with something different. The state of California was host to many potteries in the last mid-century. A lot of it very sought after by midcentury collectors.

We used to live at the other end of the Bay from there.

Waht a fun episode with you and my dear friend Jan Bishop. The two of you make a great team.

Hello Nicola, un petit coucou de Nice, south of France, let me tell you that I appreciated A LOT this video, mostly for the good moment with your friend, your laughs, and your touching founds.. As you said, every little moment of Grace and Joy is sherished, with this sad and bad times we are all going threw.. Buddha's heads, sooo charming!!... As a big fan of fossils, please would you mind to let us know. If you discover something, about these trilobites figurines,..? (perhaps another clay worker fan of crétacé,?.. I don't know.. 😅❤) excellente journée à vous, et continuez à nous passionner avec vos jolies découvertes 👏👏👏👌💋👍👍Valy)

This is within easy driving distance of where I live!!! Planning a trip now! Thank you for sharing this.

Dont know about this Nicola, maybe just abit of fun, glad you enjoyed your day,

I so loved watching you search a beach I lived 6miles from my entire life. The historic news from El Cerrito was a great surprise. Thank you, such a joy. No I've never heard of Kens ,I thought I new everything about my cities so great to learn more.

Hiya Nicola , you picked up a ceramic model of a fossil trilobyte, early on , it showed the roundish head and the start of the thorax ie main body area.

The Faces of California.....one of many and what a neat adventiure.

Well I never heard of the Buddha Rush and the artist Casey O'connor so thank you for showing us the buddha heads. It is such an interesting story.

You reminded me that my father's favorite coffee mug was a Tepco piece, light brown, and very heavy. I grew up in California, and Tepco ware was abundant, but I never knew much about it. Thanks for reminding me, and I might be searching for pieces online.

För mig har det alltid varit lycka att gå efter stränder och söka efter fynd som drivit i land,jag är 56 år har gjort detta sedan barnsben, kommer fortsätta med det så länge jag orkar, älskar att se dina filmer/ love from Sweden ❤

Love the little Buddha faces and Tribolites -what an exciting place to search! For me the joy of searching the Thames foreshore mudlarking is you just never know what you are going to find if, anything at all. Some finds are just the ordinary, -the ones that you'd see on every lark and sometimes leave for other mudlarks to find, other finds present themselves when you least expect them to and completely change your lark by finding them xx

I bet you could find a whole plate in pieces and glue it together!

What a fun video Nicola !!! Those little faces were so cute. I think 🤔 when we look for things rather it be at The River Thames, the beach or used things in a thrift store or Goodwill store we all get a thrill, to feel excited, shiver or tingle with strong feelings !!! I know that's how I feel !!! I'm like a little child with a new toy 🧸🪀 !!! Looking for treasures or what we think is treasures !!! Really enjoyed your video Nicola & I've missed you & your videos !!! Much love to you !!! ❤️🙂

I think most people enjoy looking for treasure. Even if what you find doesn’t have a lot of monetary value, it enriches the soul. Thank you for sharing this with us.

What a lovely lady you are Nicola more power to your elbow 😊😊❤❤

Thankyou for making my sunday better . love your vids and your voice is always so soothing :)

Loved this video, so intriguing! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Delightful video! I do have a thought about searching small objects. I am a graphic designer and artist, and I specialize in "stipple" - drawings made from very fine dots. I am blind in one eye, and suffer migraines as a result. As a child, I spent hours searching pebbles at the rivers edge, making collections of the ones that pleased me. Now I produce pen and ink drawings and photorealistic paintings in stipple, because focusing in on the fine pattern of dots calms my mind, helps me focus, and relieves my headaches. I still search pebbles when I have an opportunity!

Oh! I would have loved to be there with you both!!!!❤

This was so much fun,finding all the little faces!❤

I was looking forward to the link.She were going to post but I don't see them.I've lived here since 1993.Have never heard of Tepco Beach... That will be my next adventure.Thank you for sharing!

It's an ancient gen that keeps us searching and collecting for things. It brings you knowledge, communication with other people of the same field, like mudlarkers, for me it's relaxing to walk on the foreshore never knowing what you find or see. It's a joy that makes you happy!

Hi Nicola, just loved all the little heads and weird thingys you two found. It is really relaxing and exciting at the same time to go and find things. Have done it since I was a kid and have collected anything I found worth collecting😅. It's the adventure and the result. And the joy. Cannot really explain it actually 😅, but know the feeling very well.❤ Have a good week. Love, Nicole.

The one trilobite said "souvenir" so maybe it was part of a collection of casts of different trilobite specimens sold as souvenirs at a local museum or fossil park? Those are so cool. I love trilobites! All the other stuff was great too. Thanks Nicola!!

Omg, Nicola .. my kids are military and stationed near there. Now that I've seen your video I'm going to have to have them take me there on my next visit. Loved your video and the fun you gals were having on your outing.

What great fun! I think I would have stayed until dark, wanting to find just one more! I suspect we like the hunt more than anything, I think some people are just more aware and awake than others, and we have curiosity about the world around us. I've learned so many things, watching these mudlarking type videos, and twice now, it even helped me get the correct answer on Jeopardy! Sending you thanks and big love ❤️😁 🇨🇦 .

Nicola, humans have a tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities. Some go shopping, some become workaholics while some have hobbies (and eventually find others of like minds). If we didn’t have pleasurable outlets we would be in a constant state of our minds blowing up. Sort of like an unwatched kettle, it isn’t a matter of whether or not it will boil over; it is a matter of when it will erupt. It just seems to be part of an animalistic condition of finding others like ourselves. It is about building communities, finding our niche in life and taking lovely walks down to the foreshore to release a bit of steam and energy. Thank you for asking the question.

So many faces at Tepco . The pottery is very lovely . I have the "oriental" series design tea pot and 2 cups with saucers. i bought the tea pot at a rummage sale for 50 cents for each piece. California has many beaches with deposits from former industry. Hunting for "treasure" esp by water soothes ones senses.

Your videos make me happy and emotional Nicola .. on your travels, you meet all these beautiful people that become your friends .. it's wonderful ❤

I’m always amazed by the extent of your travels Nicola. What a lovely way to spend time with a friend. It has always been a source of pleasure and relaxation for me as well.

Hi, what fun you both had , its wonderful just being able to watch you , I like mooching in charity shops, that's the nearest I get to mud larking. keep it up love it 🙃.x

Wow what a fantastic place and great finds 🎉

😁 Hi Nicola. To hear you and Jan giggling at the Tepco beach like two teenagers, instantly made me smile as well. That made my day even brighter 🤗 And for me, it is not the search itself that triggers me, it is the finds. They have histories need to be told. 😊

Ha! I just asked my husband ( whose name happens to be Ken and who grew up here in the Bay Area) about Ken’s House of Pancakes. He said when he was a kid, they were in the San Mateo area (a few miles south of San Francisco). We are researching for more information.

we get pleasure from pretty little bits-n-pieces. i have a collection of cat salt-n-pepper shakers circa 1950's which give me enjoyment. thanx

The intrigue and mystery of an old find, be in on the beach, dump, charity or book store let's my brain escape to a world never to be seen again other than through the relics left behind

It’s a kind of a personal connection from someone not only unknown to us but who lived decades or even centuries before us that gives me a buzz with my finds. They being the last to hold and me to be the first to touch an object with such a long space of time between us. Thanks for sharing.

Searching for and finding pieces or things from another time and another human being and their history and time, guessing how it was like to live there and then, opens up a lot of immagination and thrilling adventures to think about...🤗you could have much more boring time...🙃 Greetings from Sweden🇸🇪

A found object. The experience of the find,the processing of the find,the very idea of a seemingly storyless ,lost object,now held once again in the palm of one’s hand,it stimulates imagination in a way that is indescribable! It begs for its story to be told. The O’Connor pieces are lovely! I am obsessed with the Trilobites,surely they are O’Connor,too? At any rate,Nicola,you MUST frame all of your finds from Tepco bay,they would look incredible together,all telling a story or keeping a secret. A frame of bits,playing truth or dare,some telling all,some clutching their secret,perhaps forever.

Kens House of pancakes hawaii, circa 1971. Kens house of pancakes, 937 Taraval Street, San Francisco.

I live an hour north of San Francisco! I have never heard of Tepco bay, but now I may have to go there.

Just the exitement of not knowing what you will come home with! A piece of a really old bottle... Iridicent colours, nice blobs in the glass... Or crystal clusters... Old pottery... Some items ending up at the museum. Other items going no further than being cleaned up to be used in my kitchen(!) I will sooner or later have enough handmade bricks to go with some old floor tiles at my door... Add a heap of other weird and wonderful bits and pieces... Love it! Love seing what others are finding as well! Thank you so much! Love your videos!