Thanks for all your comments and feedback! If you'd like to see some of the stranger objects I've found back in the Thames mud, you can find the video here:- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rVxncipNvvY.html
I have walked on that beach at China Camp many times, and have found neither Chinese pottery nor clay pipe stems. I think Nicola's eyes, brain, and fingers must be especially attuned to search out such treasures!
I’ve been to a lot of beaches, in North America, Europe, Mexico, and Central America. I’ve been to Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Mediterranean beaches. I’ve also been to a lot of river banks and lake shores. Yet I’ve never found a clay pipe, or a pipe stem or other piece of a clay pipe. Meanwhile, Nicola seems to find clay pipes just about every day, no matter where she goes. I think the pipes must know she truly loves them, so they give themselves up willingly to Nicola.
@13:08 -- That's an "8 coin” Mahjong tile. Mahjong or mah-jongg is a tile-based game that was developed during the Qing dynasty in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (wiki). I would consider that find a museum piece (19th century)
Mike Schwinn What I find interesting about this piece is that it was probably homemade in the 19th Century, brought-over by the Chinese settlers of this camp. Can’t get more authentic that that! It’s priceless :)
These videos really are like a balm to my soul. That magical combination of nature, history, and art are irresistible to me. I'm so glad that you've had some video footage available to fill in during these times. I've always loved your editing, the time and care that you give your video production is so apparent. Thank you again Nicola!
So lovely to see your "return journey" to the USA, Nic! Some fascinating history, to be sure. I greatly respect your comment that you were in a National Park and nothing was to be removed. If only our own fellow citizens respected that admonition. Thanks once again for sharing the beauty and history of our country with all of us. I hope you will consider a special edition once you receive your RU-vid Silver Play award for 100K subs. Should be happening very soon now.
Well I DO hope you took a souvenir or two or three or four. A different story if you were snapping off pieces of a coral reef but a bit of an old Clorox bottle,....I say have at. ✌️😊
I mentioned to Nic that I can’t imagine the park service would be all upset if someone removed broken pieces of glass and other items they would describe as trash. I absolutely believe in taking nothing “natural” and/or living. I also agree if you do happen to come across something that could be of historical importance you should report it. All according to size, location and what it is there might be times you “should” remove it and take to appropriate authority. Just a thought.
The 4 times I visited San Fran, never once did I think that I would find anything along the shore....I guess I thought that because it’s such a big city there would only be “recent garbage”. I am amazed and delighted that you found the hidden beauty and some history as well! Thanks for going, making a video, and showing us Yanks the beauty on our doorsteps.
My dear friend Nicola, I could listen to you talk all night, especially about the history you rediscovered. I love you for the wonderful information you share with us and for the great person you are. You truly are one of those special people who loves history and sharing it with others. God bless you and stay safe my friend.
I still keep one special piece of pottery in my room. Its from a broken bits in my 4th times great grandfather's gravesites. I admire him a lot for he and his brother founded the village of Long Tri which is in Southern Vietnam. Its so good being to hold on something that has so many sentimental values. I hope he doesnt mind his 4 times great grandson taking a small bit of pottery from his place tho 😂😂
Yeah Nicola the clay pipe Queen and no we never tire of you commenting on your finds because it’s very interesting so much history, ❤️ from Ontario Canada 👍👍👍
Hi sweet Nicola. I’m still battling Covid so your video really cheered me up!! The wildlife and water lapping onto the shore was like a medicine for my soul!! I was so stunned when you found the pipe stem. I think they love you as much as you love them!!!! Please take good care of yourself and stay safe!!! This Coronavirus is awful!! Love from DeeAnn 🇺🇸
I suspect Nicola has her own personal special faerie who follows wherever she goes and plants pipe stems/ bowls etc. right where it knows she will be looking!
Hi Nicola, I loved the video! Hudson Bay company imported many clay pipes as trade goods for the native americans on the Columbia River. I have only one pipe stem marked McDougal Glasgow. The natives made beads from the broken stems so usually only short pieces are found, one to two inches in length. Please stay safe and well, I am looking forward to the pipe stem video! X😁
Snowy Egrets , Herring Gull, Grebe, Raven, Whimbrel,sanderling,song sparrow.oyster catchers, pelagic cormorant?,Dowitchwer,black necked stilt, Turkey Vultures I live in Ferndale, northern WA State now, but spent most of my life on the Jersey Shore and did a lot of birding. I didn't use my old bird books to identify your birds, so I probably made a few mistakes, but it was fun. It was amazing to find A Glasgow pipe stem, but San FRancisco was a major port for sailing ships for many years. I never visited Chinese Camp years ago , 1968-69, when I explored the country so it was wonderful to see what I'd missed through your eyes. Thank you so much, Nicola! Cheers, Rik Spector
Nicola I'm in awe. That was so thoughtful and respectful to leave your finds at the museum. I know you would have loved to keep that pipe stem but you did the right thing when you didn't have to. Love and hugs from Florida 🙂👍
The sound in your vids is by far the best of all the mudlarking and metal detecting etc vids i have watched. The wind, water, boots crunching shells and pebbles, scraping and digging...I am THERE! I
I only learned there were clay pipes here in America a week or so ago while watching one of your videos. Guess I never thought about it. Then this week you find one! At 70 I'm still not too old to learn. Thanks for being such an entertaining teacher.
Normally I watch your videos with envy with all of the London history and lovely views of the city. Thank you for reminding me of the beauty of my own country and that we have some great finds here as well. I live on the north coast near Lake Erie and right now we are in the midst of winter snow, but when the weather gets a bit more comfortable I will have to see if maybe I can find a pipe stem there as well. That would be pretty cool!
@Chad Thompson just give it a bit of time...eventually wrongs get righted...not always how we'd like, but there's always a lesson that makes us better if we pay attention
@Chad Thompson i can't know whats bothering you but i do know theres a lot of us in the same boat. right now my heart hurts for my country like never before. Take care please
Well, that was fun! When I was young we used to mudlark for driftwood in Sausalito, not too far from China Camp. I now live in Monterey, and usually find sea glass on my morning walks along the beach. Oh, and that chipmunk was certainly well camouflaged!
I saved this video for lunch time, warmth in climate and personality, glimpse into history, and the glorious wildlife. Travel, almost a long forgotten dream. My city in Canada woke to -50 Celsius wind chill this morning so savouring this was the best treat ever. Thank you for sharing all the journeys.
I found the video so beautiful but finding that pipe stem was completely astonishing. You are bound to the pipes by your sweet soul. They are always my favorites. Take care of yourself Nicola, 🥰
i really appreciate the respect you showed the parks areas here, and wish all visitors to our parks would show the same respect. I always enjoy your videos.
Next to China camp is town of Point Richmond where I grew up. Way back Point Richmond's trash dump was out there by China Camp. My grandma remembered walking out there with her mother and saw all the Chinese and all their buildings. There was also a whaling station out there that really smelled bad.
Loved the snoring seal at the end; now that is relaxed! Absolutely wonderful to find a clay pipe. I do enjoy learning about them. Keep the education coming!
I love all your videos!! This one?? Really one of my favorites!! Maybe it's because it's home!! I love our coast. 😎💚🌊🌺🏊♀️🏄♀️ The clay pipe find??!! Unreal!! 🥰
Pipe stems, not just artifacts of local history but also of international trade. Love that you were able to date it with the change from a Glasgow to a Scotland stamping. It would've been a great addition to your collection but I think it's wonderful you gave it to the museum. Your finds given to the museum are more pieces to the puzzle that's the history of China Camp. I can listen to you speak at length about your finds and the history they represent. Your passion for not just your finds, but their history really shines through. You bring the history of each item to a personal level.
That was a beautiful video Nicola, especially with the wildlife. The brass latch with the patent date was interesting, did you notice it has 6 dimples like a domino '6', so perhaps a catch to the domino case? Feel free to keep the Canada Geese, we have plenty. 😉
Oh you always make me so happy with the birds. Very soothing thank you. And then the baby sea lion at the end snoring was so cute! And of course all the treasures that you found along our coast was fascinating. Thank you for another wonderful video.
I was watching something about New York restaurant’s & Keenes came up as a topic a steak restaurant with pipes on the ceiling..! Lots of interesting smoking history.
When I saw you were on the West coast USA where I live I thought to myself - we might actually see an episode with no pipe STEMS...WRONG are you kidding me? You can't escape them Nicola 🤣😂
Thank you once again for enchanting muddy videos. I thorough enjoy yours and Simon videos so much. They are so informative and beautiful finds. It makes me wish I was in the UK muffing with you both. Xxx
Ahh San Francisco. Been there many times. Lived in San Jose and Los Gatos. Wish I had known I would love to meet you. Another Great video. Thank you so much!!
I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area and am familiar with China Camp. I love to go to our national and state parks but never had a chance to visit China Camp. It was very interesting the treasures you found along the shore, especially the clay pipe stem. I loved the fish you created as well. Great Britain having so much history, you expect to find from the 19th century and it's wonderful that in the US you can find items from the time period as well.
I really enjoyed this video Nicola absolutely loved it maybe you could visit Savanna Ga next that’s my little part of the world lots of history to be gone thru Thank you for sharing with all of us
Excellent video from a simpler time...just a year ago. Great finds, lovely videography. Thanks for sharing China Camp preserved as it is. Wow cool pipe stem!! Take care. Stay well in heart, mind and soul Nicola.
When it's safe to travel, you could do lectures/speaking tours to several places the US - I think you would sell out! Perhaps Simon could come as well. When you are making up the schedule be sure to include Boston 🌞🌞
I sit here i the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario Canada and watch you pan around the waterline and beach and scream "What was that?" "Go Back and look at that thing." My eye sees all the man made things and wants to investigate it. What is it, how did it get there and what's its story. I would be an anchor to you wanting to look at every little thing. I have never been to San Francisco or London England but I find it irresistible to look at the history or just stories that are in the mud along the water. Thank You!
There is a town called Chinese Camp on the way to Yosemite National Park as well. It was a mining camp around the time of the Gold Rush if I am not mistaken. Not much left now except a sign. If you ever come back this way, let me know if you want to see the gold rush area. I'll show you around or give you the info and you can go see it all on your own.
Hello Nicola, nice video as always! When I was a kid, we'd find clay pipes while digging at old bottle dumps, out houses, etc...! What fun it was! God Bless
Nicola, the thing i like about watching your videos is you are a true romantic... A rare thing these days. You find excitement in the smallest discovery. Where others would not even notice something, you find a history and a story...And give off a Genuine Enthusiasm!! You should be a history professor....
It would be really cool to do a stained glass project with the glass pieces with embossing on it. It would be gorgeous to have random colors and the light shining through it.
Hey Nicola, just wanted to say how beautiful your videography was of all the wildlife, I am sitting in the Australian Bush, lots of old gold rush mining camps where I live you would find some great treasures there for your enjoyment and Art. But I grew up and lived until 3 years ago by a Bay in Melbourne and I didn’t realise how much I missed the beautiful soundscape of the water lapping the pier I would sit under across the road from my house, it was always a working class Naval ship building community, also they did have a Convict hulk that was moored off the bay as originally it was going to be the first white settlement of Melbourne but the River was saltwater so they moved it to the Yarra river for fresh water. Even though I am already relaxed hanging out on a hot day with my old dog. Those shore sounds were music to my soul I think this is my first comment, I am a bit long winded (family trait). I also loved the black screen with just the sea lion snoring, Soundscapes are underrated. I used a soundscape for an Art school piece in my 30’s, it was a lot harder to climb under the pier then and there was a ladder then thank goodness I reckon I would have gone for a splash otherwise. I also lived in London in my late 30’s for a couple of years, I worked in Camden, So many things I loved about London, but it was just a bit too busy and to much human noise for me. But I still have loads of friend’s there, whom I do worry about right now. Sorry for the rambling but the sounds brought up a mid 50’s reminiscing session in my brain. Stay safe and well hope the same for all your loved one’s. Cheers.
Thank you I really enjoyed reading your comment. So interesting and full of great info. Where you live now does sound fascinating. There are so many places I'd love to explore!
