To dream of Spanish treasures lost at sea, or hear tales of a bloody fight by a bunch of cut throat pirates.

When I put on my scuba gear and drop down beneath the waves I leave the 21st century.

Whether it is at an old swimming hole, under the board walk, a settlement along the river or an active fishing pier from the 1800's I go back to a simpler time, a time when a token good for 5 cents was worth 5 cents.

A brass nail, tells me of a ship that carried new ideas to a new world and buttons that speak of wars and revolutions. Unique toys, trinkets and jewelry that remind us of past relationships and fads, or simply a class ring lost in 1939.

In this time of  "new war" I find memories of "old war". Bracelets, rings, pins and badges, even a lighter that reads "Vietnam 68-69- I am sure to go to heaven because I spent my time in hell."

A medallion from Verdun 1916.

Each piece holding a story, from the mountains in the south of France, to the jungles of Venezuela, recovering treasure off of shipwrecks or finding copper artifacts in the rivers of Northern Wisconsin......

we find history!

In my planned TV. Series, my joy will be to reconnect these lost treasures with the people or families that lost them. I, of course won't be able to return a ring that was headed for the queen of Spain in 1715, but am sure to get a smile from the prom queen when se receives back her lost class ring from 1939.

Finishing off a logging operation that began over two hundred years ago is another unique step back.

What our forefathers thought was an endless resource back then, has became precious and limited today. Fortunately for all of us, what they left behind under water has become very special. Instantly recognizable as something unique, the ancient wood quite literally speaks for itself. It speaks of a storied past of discovery, of new frontiers, of logging camps, it speaks of darkened stands of virgin timber, the sound of an ax biting into oak, the crescendo of falling trees.

It speaks of a time when the forest seemed endless.

The resurrection of these sunken logs comes at a time when we learned to cherish and value the few living relics of the past.

Today's pioneers are not those who discover ways to exploit what remains, but rather those who recover or use what was discarded, used, or thought lost.

In this age of recycling we must turn our energies to find ways of utilizing these otherwise wasted resources.

History belongs to everyone, whether it is a pirate ship, a Spanish galleon or the logs. We like to make it interesting and accessible to all.