I’m going to sum up my thoughts on this image.
We know that the verse scribes a line from North to South. If you follow all the markers in the verse, this line travels from (North) Mecom Fountain to (South) the Houston Zoo where the train station is. AT the terminus of that pool, is the Pioneer memorial.
The column with the ball on top looks like a water tower to me. HOWEVER, after extensive searching through satellite images, which were taken years ago–not recently–I cannot find anything that looks like a water tower. However, more extensive searching has made me change my mind on this for another reason altogether. You’ll see what I mean in a minute.
The elements in the image are: the “arab” standing inside a spout of water–geyser or fountain.
The columns.
The “track” marking.
The jewel itself.
The animal heads.
The tree at the top of the picture.
The “star” at the top of the picture.
The stone blocks upon which at least half of the columns are placed.
The “tilted” block at the base of the camel column.
The “arab” is, I have been told, similar to an “imp” that is seen somewhere in the zoo.
The columns are similiar to totem poles in the same zoo.
The track marking is, in my opinion, just that–a track. Railroad track. Not a parking lot marking. Although the parking lot marking is tempting to use, I doubt it could have been what Preiss photographed. That image from the satellite was taken and is at least 100 feet up. There isn’t a place anywhere in that zoo where he could have seen that marking at that angle from that height. Unless he was in a hot-air balloon, maybe. I do not buy that parking lot marking and never will.
The tree looks like a live oak tree.
The star looks like a compass. Maybe the “north star”, an astronomical compass in itself. From its position in the image, it would make sense to see it that way.
The tilted block under the camel column looks like the roofline of the the outdoor theater.
The hills in the background are shaped like the pavilion roofs at the zoo–i.e., wide cones.
Now here’s how I put these all together with the verse:
The verse tells you (1) it’s in Hermann Park and to travel from NORTH to SOUTH. From the “Fortress” and “Cold as Glass” you would enter the park at the Mecom Fountain entrance, the north entrance–and travel south. This is extremely easy to do, as the main path as you enter is the walkway along the reflecting pool. You see the “four alike” at the entrance to this reflecting pool. They are four small posts and the Pioneer memorial obelisk is seen smack in the middle of them if you stand there and gaze down the length of the pool.
The pool itself has stone blocks along the edges. The bottom is painted black. If you look at the image, you see stone blocks on the ground and a dark SHADOW at the base of the main, spherical, column. That shadow looks a lot like what you would see if you looked at that pool. The shape of the column and globe at the top is the same as the shape of the pool topped by the circular Sam Houston Statue area. There can be no other explanation for that globe–since there is no such object in the park or zoo that would have been there in 1981. (The kugel ball was installed in the late 90’s).
The star at the top of the globe would likely be a “north star”–and the configuration of it looks like a compass face. North-South-East-West rays and no others, inside a circle. I think it’s purpose is to tell you to stick to the North-South path the verse describes. And don’t go anywhere ELSE.
The verse then tells you to “take your task to the 982”. Well, you can’t now–because the 982 is gone. BUT–remember, it says TAKE YOUR TASK–your task is to DIG UP A CASQUE. So to me, that means go to where the train is and DIG there. Somewhere.
The rest of the verse matches other elements in the image and in the park.
“In the sky the water veers”–it’s been suggested that this is the Aqua tunnel. HOWEVER…the tunnel is small, and you don’t look UP to see the water–it flows around you. Yes, it veers–but something else also fits this description. The fountains at the Pioneer memorial. Not only do they shoot jets of water high in the air which veer this way and that, but you can actually play in them. You would be able not only to look up, you would also be able to stand under them and get drenched. The water then might indeed “fall gently” upon you. Note that the “Arab” in the image is STANDING IN THE WATER, which looks like a water spout. That water is not in a tunnel or flowing around him, it’s rising high from the ground UP.
Small of scale, step across
:
across
from the 982 was the mini-train. The station is just past the Pioneer memorial.
From studying pictures and maps, I believe the casque was NOT buried in the Children’s zoo–but near the Pioneer Memorial and the train station. You can get everything from both verse and image at that location.
I think the reason the casque wasn’t found, despite Herculean effort by Wilhouse, was that he simply went TOO FAR SOUTH. You don’t need to. All the elements of both verse and image are found no further than the end of that reflecting pool and the area around the memorial obelisk and train station. I think the casque was buried at the base of something that looks like the base of that column, not far from the tracks. Maybe a bit Northwest of them, as shown in the image.

Okay, okay…
First, I like how you’re approaching this.  We’ve been assuming all along that this verse is more or less in order.  I agree with you, though, that the verses aren’t necessarily in order — and questioning a long-held assumption is good.
A couple of thoughts:
I don’t think the north-south thing is meant to be a direction, necessarily — but maybe a kind of “boundary” to put you in Hermann Park.
So here’s a question: I think there’s pretty good reason to believe that these verses/images are constructed so that each relevant clue, once put in the correct order, gets you closer and closer to the casque until you’re “zoomed in” enough that you have a small area in which to dig.  (Call it a “trail” or not — there are broad, “zoomed-out” clues like the lats/longs, and specific “zoomed-in” clues like the exact stones to mark the casque site, and many levels in between.)
So, I like the idea that 982 might actually be a “zoomed-in” clue, rather than a more “zoomed-out” clue.  But then, what information from the verse/image do you think you use to get even more zoomed in than that?

Two points, shecrab. First, you very well could look up to see water in the aqua tunnel — the aquarium went up one wall, over people’s heads, and down the other wall, if I recall. Second, the prominent star in P8 could simply be a pointer to Texas (Lone Star).

Unknown

Unknown:
Two points, shecrab. First, you very well could look up to see water in the aqua tunnel — the aquarium went up one wall, over people’s heads, and down the other wall, if I recall. Second, the prominent star in P8 could simply be a pointer to Texas (Lone Star).

FB: yes, you’re correct. HOWEVER…there are 2 reasons I no longer believe it’s the aqua tunnel. #1 is it’s a tunnel. And the verse states that the water veers in the sky. Meaning, (to me anyway) that it’s shooting UP like the geyser fountains at the P. Memorial, or the one in the lake. #2, is that the aqua tunnel is in the Children’s Zoo–and I don’t think we have to go that far south. The points are good, however, and well-noted.  And I don’t disagree about the star, either. That could indeed mean “Texas.” So it serves as a double meaning, IMHO.
BigMatt: Zoomed in and zoomed out—I like that!  It makes some sense, though I’m not so sure every verse has both innies and outies.
In this particular verse, the only clue we have not identified is the “small, split, 3-winged and slight” one. So that one, by default, MUST be the “zoomed-in-nest” one of all. The whole area near the Pioneer Memorial needs to be photographed and examined for anything that fits that description. Also, for the base of that column that looks like the one in the image. I have looked and looked for photos of that area–and most people just take pics of that obelisk and nothing else. THe area doesn’t look like it’s got a lot of stuff in it, besides walks and flower beds, and we know the thing isn’t buried in a flower bed. (That’s the reason I’ve rejected the Garden Center and its environs–almost everything there is a flower bed or would be highly protected from digging.) THere’s a lot of land near the memorial; it’s just not photographed.
The Japanese gardens NEXT to it are photographed more, and many of the little lanterns in the JG have bases that resemble our column bases–but I didn’t see any in any pics that looked exact. In this case, I think they need to be. And in the JG, you might have an easier time digging around–it’s not as formal as the Garden center is. But I don’t think  it needs to go that far west either.  Maybe a little–the jewel is shown a little Northwest of the track marking, but also a little southeast of the base of the column.
And the other thing about that star–why make it LOOK like a compass unless that’s what it is? The only other star in any other image that even slightly resembles that one is the one in Image 11–and it’s not as pronounced. other stars in other images don’t look like it at all.
I do believe the North-South thing is definite in this case. There are too many markers that point to it being part of the main clue–and if you follow the shape of the Sam Houston statue, pool, pioneer memorial corridor, you don’t need to go anywhere else. The water veers at the memorial–and it
is
commemorating Pioneers–which in some people’s minds might be our country’s “strongest tower of delight”–a bit of a stretch perhaps, but why not? The
memorial
is a tower, at any rate.
The other line from the verse that isn’t depicted as anything is “Perspective should not be lost.” We have taken this as pretty much a throwaway line–just a phrase that points to the miniature train as opposed to the 982, which was a full-sized train. But what if it means something else? That star–it also looks a little like a SIGHT–i.e. a gun sight or telescope sight. Cross-hairs. What if there is a place to look through a telescope? or binoculars? Or what if you stand at one end of the pool and sight down to the other end–will you see the “small, split, 3-winged and slight objects? Will that become clearer? Are the stone lanterns in the Japanese garden those objects?

This should probably be discussed in the V1 thread, but… I have no problem attaching “In the sky the water veers” to this:

I wouldn’t either, FB, if that tunnel were further north.

For anyone curious about the actual 982 train, here it is in its current location (well away from Hermann Park):
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=minute+ma … 58,,0,6.46

Thanks for all the pics, Wilhouse!  I was hoping you’d have more pics of the area near the miniature trains, though, and the “4 alike” trees.  I would also be interested in hearing what you can see from the miniature train area.  I am still unclear on the layout.  The verse says “step across” and don’t lose perspective, so it sounds that it is leading you over a RR track right near the mini train.  What else is in that area?
Did you happen to see anything which resembled the raised blocks in the middle of the picture?  or the modern art sculpture on the right?  or the blue and tan stones?

Unknown

Unknown:
walk straight ahead to go into the forresty area.  go about 1/8-1/4 mile north to get to the SH monument.  there is a street separating the monument from the forresty area.  the train tracks are the LAST thing you step over before hitting the street.
the train goes all the way around and through the park. the entire train ride (which I went on and costs $2) lasts a good 10 minutes.  I have a map I will scan that shows the route.

Thanks for the description — that helps a lot.  As for stepping over the tracks, wouldn’t you be able to step over them wherever they are?  It seems that the verse wants you to step over them where the big train and the mini train are.  In your example, what about walking to your right, past 982?

that’s an interesting thought.  you can’t really step over the 982 tracks as they only exist under the train.  you can step over the mini train tracks by the 982 train.  but it is right next to the parking lot.  I will take some pictures of this next time I go.
wilhouse

there are some good maps posted in this and verse 1 discussions to get a good general image.
I plan on going back and filling in a bit.
Picture this.  Stand facing north.  about 50 feet behind you is the zoo. behind you about 5 feet and to your right about 5 feet is the snow cone stand. Directly to your right is the 982 train.  further to your right (about 50 feet) is the miniature train station. to your left is mcgovern lake. you can see most of what I just said from the first several pictures I posted.
walk straight ahead to go into the forresty area.  go about 1/8-1/4 mile north to get to the SH monument.  there is a street separating the monument from the forresty area.  the train tracks are the LAST thing you step over before hitting the street.
as you walk through the forresty area to the street, you go by the pioneer monument and it’s two fountains.
the train goes all the way around and through the park. the entire train ride (which I went on and costs $2) lasts a good 10 minutes.  I have a map I will scan that shows the route.
it will be very hard to take a picture of the 4 trees while construction is going on because the construction interferes with the view.
I saw nothing like the abstract art or raised stones.  the coloration could be the boundary between the lake and grass.
there are literally hundreds off trees in the park, many instances of 4 trees in a clump, if you will, where the treasure could be in the middle of the clump. However, I will not dig in any of these spots until I assure myself that I know what the small, split, 3 winged and spare means.
if you look carefully at the modern art in image 8, it is really a cut view of the mound / hill. Not sure it means anything, but who knows.

I’m not making a case based on the difference between a non-rigid and rigid gas type air transport…don’t know where you get that idea.  My main frame of references are A) a giant sperm whale such as moby Dick has characteristics of a Blimp-like scale and B) Lillian Schnitzer, whom has a memorial in Hermann Park, is the daughter of a man with the same name as a survivor of the Shenandoah crash.
I don’t cite these pieces of information as strong just to say they are confirmers.  My conventions explained:  weak is something that only fits one basic association, strong is something which has more than one supporting associations.
There is nothing being ignored here.  Whats important is the question of why is that shape important or how thematically connected was this puzzle conceived.  Trying to understand BP on that level puts a positive connotation on any tangent idea.  Hope that helps.

cw0909

WR you are asking a lot from a Md machine,a good two box,with an experienced operator,might find it
we are talking 3′ +,and a small piece of metal,and then your liable, to get one of those dont care detector-est
that will leave holes,and dig where they shouldnt,i belong to a MD forum,give me a PM on lat,log,gps,or
something to get real close,and ill see if i can find someone reliable,id hate for the hunt of that casque to
go sour after 30+yrs,because of a greedy MDer,i know you wouldnt think,someone would be like that,but
they are out there,and they give the rest of us and our hobby a bad name

I just joined this thread, based on an invite from WhiteRabbit. he contacted my Detector store and our local onilne detecting forum. I can assure you we won’t be digging up the park and leaving holes.Don’t know why that stereotype of a “pot hunter” would come into play here. Most of us are responsible detectorists that leave an area better than when we arrived, removing trash, and insuring that little or no trace is found of any digging.
I’m also the person who gave the tip to WhiteRabbit about historical imagery in Google Earth, hope it helps in your quest. A group of us will be going to the park to take some photos and will provide them to this forum.
There’s a lot of great conjecture here!

Qkslvr01

There’s a lot of great conjecture here!

There’s a lot of crazies here. Didn’t I warn you about this place?  😉
Welcome to the forum Qkslvr01.

Welcome Qkslvr01,
Metal Detectorists have gotten a bum rap.
With a whites coinmaster III I was not able to detect a mock-up casque deeper than a foot.
under perfect (non-mineralized) soil conditions, with no additional trash targets.

erexere

The blimp idea is going strong.  The Shenandoah Crash is still a juicy story to consider.  The reason for the disaster was storm related, something called a squall line, which in its description included such terms as tornadoes and “waterspouts”.
Maybe BP saw an opportunity to combine the idea of Moby Dick a giant white whale with the idea of a Blimp, a giant whale-like air ship.  He spins an “Ahabian” quest into an Arabian tale.
Falling Gently is what these ships do as long as they aren’t on fire.
In December night might be the idea that cold air might affect the bouyancy of an airship although they have regulators for temperature and pressure of the gas inside.

Just checking…
You are running down this tangent because the shape of the walkout spot on an airship field is round and has a straight path.  Ignoring the Houston statue and the lamps and the spheres spotted around the park.
You leap to the Shenendoah (which A was not a blimp, B, Crashed in ohio, C, did not have a walkout spot, )
and this is considered ‘going strong’?

the one that is there now was not there in 82.
according to the maps I have there wasn’t one then
wilhouse

wilhouse, where is the carousel on the park map?  or was it there in 82?  (just wondering, because of the mention of “preceded by a circus like procession” in the guide, and jimerson’s pink floyd “animals’ album)
is it still there?

I have an imaginative knack for word play…I’m sorry.
The train track stitch could also be a “seam” and the pattern in the bricks could be seen as a stair.
Seam On Stair = Sea Monster.  More Moby Dick subtlety?

I want to know what that thing sticking up out of the ground is.  It’s been removed whatever it was.  Could it have been a water spout?

Whatever it is, it wasn’t there when Google drove by (google street view).

erexere

What’s going on here? Why is the mouth of Mr. Hump the camel directly on vertical with the jewel?

Anyone have an idea for why jewel and camel are in vertical alignment? Also, what about the partial match to Atropos?

I think the lines made by the brick layout need to be followed to the point hinted at by the partial identifier for Atropos which justifies in a strong way that we draw a line off the 4-equal sided length diamond in its face. It seems this point also extends directly to intersect with the jewel-vertical axis on the camels mouth.

I was considering the idea of maintaining perspective without rotation of any part of the image.  I think there might be an occasional exception but only when justified for a reason that will be very clear and not something tailored just to make a fit.
In this next image, I rotated the map Wilhouse provided to a North is up orientation.  I noticed that the slightly curved line beneath the genie resembles a road segment on the map.  The main angle of the bricks fits the general slope of the cross streets.  If the “block” is an actual block, then the genie might be a “stand here” in the middle of the block kind of instruction.  The genie is looking in a direction towards the jewel on the page.  The relative direction of this jewel from the “block” is congruent with my theory about standing in a specific spot to look south at the Samel Statue.  This is very intriguing at this point.  Some of the observations made by WR are also helping.

You have to climb the Jacob’s ladder to get to the key.
I hear Waco got one of them ladders!

Stercox, don’t know why I didn’t see your question before this.
As to the Arab theme, there are several.  The most glaring is the Asia contact area, of course Arabia is in Asia.  Then there was a one hump camel that lived in the CZ.  Also a fox and perhaps an Oryx, I forget.
wilhouse

did that logo exist in 1982?
wilhouse

I’m pretty sure these are nothing more than the artist’s rendition of the appropriate “birth flower” for this picture’s month. Larkspur is July’s flower:
http://www.shgresources.com/gems/birthflowers/

Unknown

Unknown:
It is darned annoying that they claim a Reddit user “resurrected” this hunt a year ago. Please. We’ve been at this for far longer.

Well, really a lot of people didn’t know about this hunt until then, and a new wave came from a popular Youtuber that does top tens (which is where I came from). I don’t have a lot to say about it since I literally only got into this last year.

I’ve always pronounced it price

Is “Preiss” really pronounced “Prius”? I’ve always thought it was said as “Price.”
It is darned annoying that they claim a Reddit user “resurrected” this hunt a year ago. Please. We’ve been at this for far longer.

Unknown

Unknown:
I’ve always pronounced it price

I’ve always said it with a long E (preece), which is the Americanized pronunciation. The original Germanic pronunciation has a long I, along the lines of “price” or possibly “pri-ess”. Not sure which pronunciation Preiss preferred, but I’ll bet he was used to hearing it several ways.

forest_blight

boogie – I think we’ve all noticed the marks, but haven’t been able to interpret them. I don’t see the faces and fountain that you do.

I thought I saw a side view, or profile of the opened-mouth drinking fountain.  The bottom right of the column the juts out a little just above the jewel, is an arm with the hand adjusting eye glasses on the lower face.  The left hand and left eye.  I can’t believe you can’t see it.  The guy is even smiling!

OK I was thinking the japanese garden center. Yeah, I’ve been over at the garden center.
The trees look like oak leaves to me. There’s lots in the CZ.
If you look at my old photos there’s a layout of the old train track.
wilhouse

I’ll check my old photos but there’s a plaque honoring the opening day for the garden center after 82.  Check my old posts, it’s there somewhere.
wilhouse

WR here is some vids on the train,not sure what can and cant be seen
i think this was b4 the track was rerouted,and the smaller trian was put
in,anyway there are several vids
the last time i was at that pk was in 77,and ive racked my brain,but i still
dont remember,the layout,i do remember i was happy i wasnt the driver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ON4mVr0WwQ

Cheers cw…this shape reminds me of some kind of tripped-out locomotive…
There are various other puzzling shapes I can’t make out.

Unknown

Unknown:
The last project to be implemented before the war was the construction of the Houston Garden Center, a one story pavilion containing a meeting and exhibition hall. Designed by William Ward Watkin in 1938, the Garden Center was not constructed until 1941.

Unknown

Unknown:
But is life, indeed, a thing for all infidel levities, and we, its misdeemed beneficiaries, so utterly fools and infatuate, that
what we take to be our strongest tower of delight
, only stands at the caprice of the minutest event – the falling of a leaf, the hearing of a voice, or the receipt of one little bit of paper scratched over with a few small characters by a sharpened feather? Are we so entirely insecure, that
that casket, wherein we have placed our holiest and most final joy, and which we have secured by a lock of infinite deftness
; can that casket be picked and desecrated at the merest stranger’s touch, when we think that we alone hold the only and chosen key? Pierre! thou art foolish; rebuild—no, not that, for thy shrine still stands; it stands, Pierre, firmly stands; smellest thou not its yet undeparted, embowering bloom? Such a note as thine can be easily enough written, Pierre; impostors are not unknown in this curious world; or the brisk novelist, Pierre, will write thee fifty such notes, and so steal gushing tears from his reader’s eyes; even as thy note so strangely made thine own manly eyes so arid; so glazed, and so arid, Pierre—foolish Pierre! Oh! mock not the poniarded heart. The stabbed man knows the steel; prate not to him that it is only a tickling feather. Feels he not the interior gash? What does this blood on my vesture? and what does this pang in my soul?
And here again, not unreasonably, might invocations go up to those Three Weird Ones, that tend Life’s loom

This is Houston Garden Center at 1500 Hermann Drive, which apparently dates from 1942.
Here’s a history of the place.
http://www.houstonfederationgardenclubs.org/history.htm
(bigmattyh – BP’s replies were noncommittal – the best endorsement was “not a waste of time”. We know he avoided questions on the subject, or gave non-replies like “After 22 years all I can say is I”, and I’d rather focus on the book and the facts. A satisfactory interpretation of this verse in its entirety has never been found IMHO. It definitely involves the zoo, just as Roanoke involves the Elizabethan Gardens, but I don’t think it’s where the casque was buried. Most of the other images like New Orleans are montages of various different areas.)
In the center of four alike
We know how much BP liked pulling words off signs and buildings (FOY, Roanoke, Cleveland, Chicago, New Orleans, probably NY and others). This Garden Center shown in the images above has “Center” on it in big letters, and looks like it was an easy trip from the zoo.
One of those three (the Fates) was Atropos, which brings us back to the “Atropos Key” at the nearby Miller Theatre. That’s quite a coincidence. Lock…key…sounds reasonable.
I suspect this trail goes train -> zoo -> theatre -> garden center, maybe involving the miniature railway circuit.

Thanks Falcon.
As a follow up, it turns out that those globe lights were ONLY in the Children’s Zoo.
wilhouse

No, for some reason I have nothing of SA. However, I am going back this weekend. I plan to dig in the fountain where Brownie the elf sits. It is right under a lamp.
It turns out that there were only a handfull of lights in the children’s zoo, and only about 4 of them are in dirt. the rest are in concrete. I plan to dig in every dirt area with a lamp that exists…
The zoo director has some more shots of the 80s, I will try to see if there are some of SA.
Keep in mind the llamas were in their own pen. I will take a shot of it this weekend.
wilhouse

this gives us our egyptian connection, as houston was established around flood control measures, just like how the egyptians formed a successful society, by mapping and exploiting the periods of flooding in the nile basin.

this brings us to another columned place…the buffalo bayou park cistern…not sure if preiss would have known about it in the 80s as it was decomissioned at the time (now its used for art installations)…but columns here are similar to ones in the nasa themed park n or hermann. its the first underground drinking water reservoir (seemingly in line with montreal puzzle which also hints at an underground drinking reservoir with the backwards L rune, which takes us to McTavish reservoir on the campus of McGill).

MrSeabass

I take it someone has ran out of Abilify.

your loss not mine…

bear creek pioneer park looks similar to the rhino head as well, addicks reservoir is at the southern point, where the bayou enters into terry hershey park…so this would seemingly be where we’d make our way through houston from.

pretty sure the star on the san jacinto monument is located in the painting between the N and S in the tree.

the monument of houston in hermann points towards the monument at san jacinto.

egypt theme would take us to broken obelisk monument at rothko chapel. from here you are led to a number of monuments in houston.

your contributions are so valuable…or should i say invaluable…

the star is the shape of the ironwork at the welcome to houston portal. (this may be newer and just a coincidence, im not sure)
the cistern takes you to here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_tunnel_system
and the column theme seems to come from the bridge uprights you walk past as you follow the buffalo bayou under the raised highways.

star could also be stained glass roof of harris county courthouse:
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Histor … 95.3596833
or the floor of the hidalgo park quisco.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Histor … 95.3596833

raised stone on sand half of ground seems to indicate passage to underground, and thus a reference to the downtown tunnel system.

I looked and I dont have any good shots of the entrance. Next time I go.
wilhouse

Something from HP for people who don’t know. Pics of when the promenade at the south end of the lake were under construction n 2008.
https://mobile.twitter.com/HermannPark/ … 1333148672

jayheedan1

I get that there clues in the picture and they largely confirmed the location. I’m not exactly new to this hunt, this is year thirteen for me on the hunt and I was one of those who have been looking and using text as well as image clues for possible casque sites. Understanding that all that is required is to match one verse with one image to solve. Other than the possible coordinates for Huston, TX nothing in this image is a good fit for the Hermann park theory. The image clues exactly matched the Cleveland and chicago finds. Why would this one be different?

Image matches:
Djinn’s headpiece/MOT
Paved area in left side of ground/museum sidewalk
Background/golf course
Gorilla (which has been hotly debated in the past)/gorilla atop pavilion
Shape of pole in foreground/map of reflecting pool area
The pole has another image match, which I’m keeping to myself because it locates one of my dig sites.

Thanks for addressing my doubts.  I was a bit misinformed about a few things.  I do appreciate you clearing that up.
only too glad to help
Are you using the picture as the way of pinpointing the burial spot now?
yes
I do admit that I like this because of how oddly placed the jewel seems to be in the picture.  You know I have always felt this photo was a scaled down representation of the zoo itself.
it took me a long time, maybe a year, to realize this. partly because Brownie is no longer at this site, partly because the second pole is not there, and finally because it took DocLove to notice that if you stand in a specific spot the globe on the party room looks like it is on the pole
The only thing I have left to add at this point is if your spot is off we need to find the most secluded areas of the childrens zoo back in ’82.  Screw the verse and the pic.  If it was fairly wide open there had to be a few area behind a pen or perhaps somewhere in one of the quadrants that would put you out of immediate view.
the most secluded spots are not dirt. they are mostly pebble base concrete.  the picture I posted of the lantern in the center of the CZ shows how lush the vegetation was.  I have probably spent upwards of 40 hours digging in the zoo. I am not kidding.
Something tells me seeing the surroundings in real life gives a much better feel for what we are looking at here.  I wish I could hop a plane just to have a better understanding.  My fingers are still crossed for you, I just want to make sure you have crossed all of your t’s.
I’ll try to take some digital videos next time I go and post them. Maybe that will help.
wilhouse

wilhouse

But the image is an identical match. I know the exact spot he was standing in when he imagined the image.

Just another thought……  “if” the image is the exact representation that you have mentioned….so exact that you know where BP was standing….  Maybe this is just a possible confirmer to where to BEGIN.  What happens if you walk forward “thru” the image?  Is there a possible burial site there?  Is there anything else (either P or V related) in that area?
Just more thoughts….

Fox, I find it ironic that the verse takes you the other way. Starting in Herman Park, going through the zoo, into the CZ and then I lose the confirmers.
wilhouse

No, but I have a theory that I will check out on Friday and let you know.
It could just be a link to the train (982) from verse 1, if it is RR tracks.
wilhouse

Unknown

Unknown:
It could just be a link to the train (982) from verse 1, if it is RR tracks.

First thing I thought of was a baseball.  Or stitches, as in the ones that close a wound.

note that they appear in the area that looks like it is water.
wilhouse

Unknown

Unknown:
Nice fallback.

I’d like to think it was a clarification. But with regard to my original statement, I can think of at least 4 people (besides the creators) who have tried to actually monetize this puzzle, as in make money off of it. Without exception, their efforts have had what I consider to be a detrimental effect on this puzzle in general, and on this forum in particular. It’s my opinion, and I stand by it as far as it goes.
There is/was a casque buried in Houston. BP confirmed this. The prevailing wisdom is that it is/was buried somewhere in Hermann Park. BP might have confirmed this as well when he told Mark that he was “close”. We should be using Image 8 and Verse 1 to solve this puzzle.
There, back on topic.

dosethree

Hey William, these forums are for discussion of secret related content. gMan’s question was entirely reasonable as you have posted in every thread these image manipulations that are not helpful to people, and you responded only with insults. Reported

Tater is an old time troll of this forum that got banned a while ago. Looks like he is back with a bag of old tricks!
This forum has gone to poop.

Unknown

Unknown:
This forum has gone to poop.

It was fine until people started thinking that they could monetize the hunt. And it’s still the best resource for historical information. Which is essential if you are serious about trying to, you know, actually solve the puzzle.
My two cents

Euhirudinea

It was fine until people started thinking that they could monetize the hunt. And it’s still the best resource for historical information. Which is essential if you are serious about trying to, you know, actually solve the puzzle.
My two cents

Even before the big scandal, the forum was going down hill. It is the price you pay having an open discussion with everyone and anyone. I am sure the old timers will tell you, as they have told me, the forum got bad after the airing of EU. It did bring some good minds and insights but it also brought the same social media idiots that you find everywhere else. You are right Ren, it would be AWESOME if everyone’s attention was on solving the puzzles (maybe even together) instead of competing in an imaginary popularity contest to see who can get the most views and attention.

Euhirudinea

It was fine until people started thinking that they could monetize the hunt.

The only person I know of who thought they could monetize the hunt, is Gerald Gay.
Do you have a list of others? Of course suggesting avarice is a problem in a treasure hunt is kind of problematic in itself…

Unknown

Unknown:
Of course suggesting avarice is a problem in a treasure hunt is kind of problematic in itself…

True, if I was only talking about money. Which I am not. At least, not directly. Perhaps “profit” would have been a better to word to use in this case.

Euhirudinea

True, if I was only talking about money. Which I am not. At least, not directly. Perhaps “profit” would have been a better to word to use in this case.

Nice fallback.
Perhaps we should lets this thread go back to its intended topic though.

Guardian

I looked up Texas Antiquities Code hoping to call them out, but the scope includes “treasure buried within the earth”…Any lawyers here who know a loophole?

I’m no lawyer. But technically, there is no ‘treasure buried within the earth.” Only plexiglass and ceramic. Of no great age and with no intrinsic or archaeological value on it’s own. That’s what’s in the ground. Key/casque can only be
redeemed
for the jewel – and one could argue even that is not assured. Would the key/casque have market value because it’s a BP The Secret casque or because it’s a piece of art made by Trilling? Who knows. Any lawyers want to weigh in whether or not that’s a arguable loophole?

Kang

I’m no lawyer. But technically, there is no ‘treasure buried within the earth.” Only plexiglass and ceramic. Of no great age and with no intrinsic or archaeological value on it’s own. That’s what’s in the ground. Key/casque can only be
redeemed
for the jewel – and one could argue even that is not assured. Would the key/casque have market value because it’s a BP The Secret casque or because it’s a piece of art made by Trilling? Who knows. Any lawyers want to weigh in whether or not that’s a arguable loophole?

I think you are right not intrinsicly valueable, but it would be considered art… and art has been classed as treasure many many times before…
it all depends on the District Attorney, and if there is one thing that will make a DA stick to the rules, its publicity and value or not this will make the news…

I looked up Texas Antiquities Code hoping to call them out, but the scope includes “treasure buried within the earth”.
In other words, if you bury it with the specific intent of being found by someone in the general public, the Commission will step in and screw whomever figures it out.
Any lawyers here who know a loophole?

Not sure if this is what Undomielle was getting at in an earlier post, but here goes…
Ruby = red stone -> Mercury Redstone -> NASA -> Houston
It’s a bit of a stretch and all it possibly does is tie the image to Houston.  I feel that the casque is indeed in Hermann Park and not down at NASA.
– Jambone

Hi folks, I found our missing larkspur (which, by all rights, should be in this picture). Here is a larkspur:
For comparison, here is the bit of Image 8 from just NE of the globe, and a larkspur flower in the same orientation. Not a space shuttle after all…

The Pavilion could be an interesting area but it just doesn’t fit the visual clues of the Image in my solve. What area around the Pavilion do you like for a good dig spot?

MrBackstop

The Pavilion could be an interesting area but it just doesn’t fit the visual clues of the Image in my solve. What area around the Pavilion do you like for a good dig spot?

If it were in the same place, I’d say the western edge. But, since it’s been moved, there’s no point. First, a picture shows the entire ground was dug up
by hand
, so somebody would have found it. Second, the spot is now the center of a parking lot.

During a seance, I broke out a ouija board and Byron told me, “You’re right”.

MrBackstop

Let me add what I see as clues in the trees.
Who has noticed the mummy and shoe print in the trees?

Most have seen the “shoe print” and you see the “mummy”, but look at them together and they’re an ape. It’s on the roof of the Taipei Friendship Pavilion. One of my solutions put it next to the Pavilion, and it would have been dug up during the 2014 reconstruction, when it was moved. My other solution includes the Pavilion.

Goldengate

I just listened to the podcast and I have to say… Willhouse, you are an inspiration.
Thank you for taking the time to share your remarkable experience with the Houston puzzle.
The account of your communication with BP was entertaining… but also so heartbreaking, it was clear the two of you had connected on a range of other areas and shared a truly friendly relationship. I really felt for your loss.
Last, I loved hearing that you brought both your father and son into the search… just so cool that you got to have three generations involved. I can’t imagine a better parent / child bonding experience than to go on a treasure hunt.
If there’s a Secret “Hall of Fame”, you deserve to be in it!

Agree!

https://vimeo.com/257143430
here is a link to a time lapse video of Herman park
this one has a wider view of Herman park
I tried to draw in the old train loop

no real confirmers of the star, but how about:  star of texas, the train has a star on the engine, the children’s zoo area has the cross in the middle like the star.
wilhouse

I’ve tried reading from post one on this thread till now, and maybe I missed it, but has anyone confirmed what the star at the top of the image was?  I’m going to touch on symbols again, (until someone comes to Jersey and beats me up).  If this was talked about before, please excuse me.  Look at this symbol, and read where it talks about locamotives.
http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/26/268.html
Center of a train wheels.

Has anyone ever tried matching this image to Winston Salem, NC? Because of the RJ Reynolds connection, there’s lots of camel images around town as it’s been called “Camel City”.
The smoke stacks downtown also are similar for the columns.
I’m not intending to deter any of the Houston research at all – just a fun aside for anyone looking to try other combinations in the meantime.

Euhirudinea

Excellent question. Wilhouse came up empty, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. I do not think this is what Preiss had in mind when he conceived the puzzle, and in hindsight, I’d be willing to bet that he wished he hadn’t made them so hard to find, physically.

OK, let me clear up some issues.
I never dug in the contact areas (4 “lands”). It was hard as rock. No one would have buried anything there. You’d need a jackhammer to do it.
I didn’t dig in planters. The book says it’s not in a planter.
I dug around EVERY light pole or globe light that was in the CZ, 3 feet down.
I used a 4 foot poker to poke every 6″ in any area that I did not dig in that seemed like it was dirt. I basically did it on a grid. Yes, it took hours. Any time I hit something I used a spade to dig it out. I never found 1 piece of plexiglass or ceramic.
For information, no, you won’t convince me it wasn’t in / near the CZ unless you find it. So what? It shouldn’t be your mission to convince me of anything. Go find it, and I will be convinced. I have neither the time nor the energy to address everyone who wants to tell me I’m wrong. There shouldn’t be any satisfaction in telling me I’m wrong. If you find it I will be amazed and happy and congratulate you for a job well done. I will tell you where I think you’ve gone astray if I have something to add. No, it can’t be in Dallas because the Houston Lat / Long are clearly in the picture. Preiss told me it was in Houston and he was being honest. You want to dig in Dallas, feel free. But I’m not going to encourage anyone to do that.
Have fun, and like Preiss said, happy hunting.
wilhouse

wilhouse

I didn’t dig in planters. The book says it’s not in a planter.

This has been bugging me about the Cleaveland dig, I’m surprised it wasn’t addressed on podcast interview. Wasn’t that a planter in Cleaveland? Or was it later converted to one?
About the naysayers, keep doing your thing Wilhouse. With all the evidence, seems like 95% chance it was in the CZ. Keep up the good work.

I asked the SAME question about Cleveland and the response I get is that it wasn’t a real planter, just a dirt filled area.
Frankly, it always looked like a planter to me.
So to clarify, I did dig in a couple actual box planters just to prove to myself it wasn’t there. I dug in dirt areas even if they had been used as planters, meaning, had plants in them, well, just because.
wilhouse

Unknown

Unknown:
I used a 4 foot poker to poke every 6″ in any area that I did not dig in that seemed like it was dirt.

Like I said Mark, it wasn’t for lack of trying. It was, and I say this with all due respect, because it wasn’t there. Which, for anyone else who believes as I do, and is still trying to solve the Houston puzzle, should be positive news.
Welcome back.

danielrisk

This has been bugging me about the Cleaveland dig, I’m surprised it wasn’t addressed on podcast interview. Wasn’t that a planter in Cleaveland? Or was it later converted to one?
About the naysayers, keep doing your thing Wilhouse. With all the evidence, seems like 95% chance it was in the CZ. Keep up the good work.

We asked that question, and talked a bit about what everyone thought the difference between a ‘flower bed’ and a ‘planter’ could be, but none of us could come up with a suitable answer besides “I dunno” , so that section was cut.
One person thought that flowerbeds were on ground level, and planters were raised.
One person thought flower beds were anything that had flowers in them… planters had shrubs
One thought that Byron didn’t bury the Cleveland casque, JJP did, and was unaware of the flower bed rule.
I’d like to say the flower bed rule is still in effect, but no one knows what is and isn’t considered a flower bed ,or what may be a planter now but was a flower bed in the 80’s… so use your own discretion.

Unknown

Unknown:
and talked a bit about what everyone thought the difference between a ‘flower bed’ and a ‘planter’ could be,

Who cares? The book only states that “every treasure is buried “underground” and that “public or private flower beds” are out of bounds. It doesn’t mention “planters” at all. That information comes from an ex parte communication, and regardless of the source, should not be given the same weight as something that is written in the book.
If your solve leads you to a planter (as it might have in Cleveland), and you can be sure that the planter is in the same place and in the same relative condition as it would have been in 1981/82 when Preiss buried the casque (as it was in Cleveland), then it would be silly not to explore it.

Red oaks don’t go bare. Maples drop all their leaves. Many trees in Houston keep some leaves all year long. Most of the trees in my neighborhood do.

BINGO

Doing my due diligence, I read through 130+ pages of posts on one particular thread. There was a good 30+ pages discussing, arguing and fine tuning a location that never existed when Preiss buried the casques.

A lot of people forget that Rhode Island wasn’t discovered until 1984

Euhirudinea

Like I said Mark, it wasn’t for lack of trying. It was, and I say this with all due respect, because it wasn’t there. Which, for anyone else who believes as I do, and is still trying to solve the Houston puzzle, should be positive news.
Welcome back.

Ah, you’re too positive, IMHO.
The CZ area was reconstructed many times. They were also digging out and moving pipe and plants. It’s very possible it WAS there but got removed in the various construction activities over the 30 years.
However, it’s important for everyone to follow their beliefs and I encourage it.
btw, I never left.
wilhouse

Unknown

Unknown:
Ah, you’re too positive, IMHO.

You know me Mark. So you should know how serious I am about solving this puzzle. So, if I’m “too positive” as you say, you should probably ask yourself why.

Euhirudinea

You know me Mark. So you should know how serious I am about solving this puzzle. So, if I’m “too positive” as you say, you should probably ask yourself why.

LOL! Sorry, no real interest.
wilhouse

Unknown

Unknown:
Sorry, no real interest.

Fair enough. But IMO, you are missing out on a really, really good puzzle.
Peace.

Was looking at the new scans that Burnstyle was kind enough to post and noticed a clear number 2 in one of the columns – then an 8 next to it. (Stack of two circular patches of slightly lighter coloring). For fans of Hermann Park location, could this be a number other than 982? The 9 is hardest to find, but I think I see it. Your mileage may vary…

Kang

Was looking at the new scans that Burnstyle was kind enough to post and noticed a clear number 2 in one of the columns – then an 8 next to it. (Stack of two circular patches of slightly lighter coloring). For fans of Hermann Park location, could this be a number other than 982? The 9 is hardest to find, but I think I see it. Your mileage may vary…

I’m more interested in the numbers at the base of the column.

52 may be there

Fenix, specifically, what pictures are you looking at that you are referring to?
wilhouse

The location of some of the jewels is always something I’ve wondered about.  Some just seem so random that you would think they would be indicative of something.  If you look at the Chicago picture and then check out a map of the Grant Park and the streets surrounding, there may be a correspondence between the rounded neckline, the way the neck continues down outside of the boundaries of the picture, and the main street into Grant Park and the rounded drive/street located at the park.  Does anybody know if the fence line where the treasure was found would match up approximately with the image’s jewel?
What about Cleveland?  That appears to be a less random placement.  There certainly does some seem to be some images that may not have obvious lat/lon numbers in them.  Could some of the jewels be indicators and some not?
>>>Dan

erexere

RacerX330, thank you for the response. So you think the use of a Herman Melville quote is okay, but the use of a Hermann Rorschach visual is too abstract when designing a puzzle to do with Hermann Park?
Why do you think the artist chose to draw an edge-centered vanishing point rather than a normal centered vanishing point? Thats why I tried using a mirror approach.

Preiss was an author. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and later Stanford. He was a well-educated and well-read man. So the literary clue isn’t unexpected. The puzzles are a combination of verse and image. Based on the history that we have for the puzzles that have been solved, none have exhibited the level of abstraction that you are diving into.
Additionally, based on what we know, there are no hidden clues based on abstract mirroring, rotation or any of the abstracts that can be done easily with technology available to even the most casual computer user today, but not available to even some of the most sophisticated and wealthy computer users in 1981. The images are simply visual representations disguised in art.
The Apple Macintosh wasn’t introduced until 1984, and the Commodore 64 didn’t reach the market until January of 1982.

My premise isn’t that the puzzle requires the aid of computer technology. That’s why I took a photo of image 8 being held to a mirror at a 45 degree angle. My premise is that Preiss connected his puzzle to two well publicized people having the same name as the park. He integrated the literary author into the puzzle as a quote and he integrated the psychologist’s projective test in the visual portion.
I think the concrete evidence of the vanishing point perspective being off-center is a major clue to how this must be interpreted. Presenting the point as it runs to the left edge of the pane is definitely one way of suggesting there’s a “missing” portion of the image. Image 8 is definitely abstract in several respects, so I don’t think you can successfully argue that Preiss isn’t using abstraction. Check out this blog post for more information on vanishing points:
http://www.benzilla.com/?p=3683
Can it be said with certainty that the previous puzzles didn’t involve analysis of perspective or the use of unorthodox methods to hide a visual clue? It could be argued that anything could be replicated in terms of advanced technology, but it’s quite conceivable that he had access to tracing paper and could’ve hand rotated any reversed image, as is evident by the upside-down Terminal Tower or the centaur’s tail in image 4.

RacerX330

Nonetheless, the entire point of my post was to “bound” the discussion back into the realm of usefulness.
The solutions we seek are more than likely to be about history, than the discovery of a cryptic clue that no one has seen in the same image in 35 years. Such as discovering a lost photo of a key location, or running into the right Houstonian that has a specific memory of a proposed treasure spot.

Thank you Racer. This cannot be emphasized enough. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent searching local museums, art galleries, and the historical section of the College of Charleston, bought ’80s era brochures, pamphlets and books, talked to historians, etc, etc, etc…just so that ONE PIECE of info that I haven’t seen before might make a spot click. In the meantime, I’m looking at and probing other potential spots, so those can (hopefully) be ruled out as well.
I’ve got nothing against the abstract theorizing, but damn, it seems like all we do is debate about how the puzzle is setup/executed vs going out to the parks, visualizing, and getting our hands dirty.
My 2 cents.

Unknown

Unknown:
The solutions we seek are more than likely to be about history, than the discovery of a cryptic clue that no one has seen in the same image in 35 years. Such as discovering a lost photo of a key location, or running into the right Houstonian that has a specific memory of a proposed treasure spot.

Of the three things mentioned above (looking at the puzzle in a different manner, finding a historical photograph, or relying on institutional memory), my sense is that the one most likely to produce the result we want is the one being least considered. While we may not have all the information we need to be able to precisely locate where the treasure was buried in Chicago, we could still find the Treasure Ground today. The same is true in the Cleveland, only more so since the Treasure Ground was, and remains self-contained. Given those facts, is it so hard to believe that more than a few of the 10 remaining casques are still exactly where Preiss buried them, and that we have all the information we need to find them?

Holding a mirror to an image shouldnt be out of bounds. Thats the basis of my inquiry and though there is a degree of abstraction to that effort it is careless to qualify it as “too abstract” as if there is no basis whatsoever in how the previous puzzles were solved. After Racer declared there is no evidence, I posted a pic of a mirrored roadway in Cleveland. Racer then brushes it off by saying only rotation and a lightbulb are needed. Wrong. It is also mirrored and I showed you all a picture to prove it. Denying that visual proof is careless.
Taking care to clarify the degree of abstraction is important to solving the puzzle. These paintings arent filled with literal matches, abstraction is the root of many key visuals, whether its negative space, under rotation, or a partial outline of a unique type of shape. The degree of that abstraction should be qualified, like the example of the Melville quote where the Weird sisters are mentioned on the same page would be more removed than being in the same paragraph or it would be “too abstract” to expect the clue to be recovered from a different page or chapter. With a visual example, I’m more comfortable taking a 90 or 180 degree rotation than I am with 17 or 23 degree.
I’ve cited the techical difference between the natural “dead-centered” vanishing point and the off-centered edgewise vanishing point and that IS justification for my approach. Inquiry follows evidence and yet I see criticisms that fall far short of being pointed or correct. It would be nice to see alternative conclusions, but to brush off a show of evidence and act like youve found an optimal methodology that ignores important clues is careless.
E: tj, I appreiate your comment about historical evidence. It would be nice to see some more discussion about that and some substance to work with. I’m showing the visual contrast of a sculpture and building shape in Hermann Park as compared to the image using a mirror to privide substance. I think thats about as real as it can get without actually being there in person to see how the whole setting matches up. Maybe someone in Houston can test my hypothesis.

You have again, taken this to a level of abstraction that simply isn’t required to make a connection. the example you point out does not require mirroring to match. a simple rotation is sufficient. simply rotating the artwork on paper to match a paper map is quite sufficient. this, i might point out, is a solution one could conclude without an electronic device of any kind, except a light bulb.
My previous reply had nothing to with your premise being about technology, it was more of an expression that you wandered off into pipe dream.
There are no solutions that involve the abstract “visual cryptography” for lack of a better phrase, that you are describing. The solutions are not that complex.
Our issue in determining the location of the Houston treasure, and likely many others, is simply the passage of time and relocation of the original visual clues buried in the artwork and the textual clues written in the verse(s). We cannot travel back in time to 1982 and visually match up what existed in Hermann park and match it against the artwork, even if we have a very good idea of where the item might be. There is simply no amount of abstract image manipulation that will solve that problem.
Nonetheless, the entire point of my post was to “bound” the discussion back into the realm of usefulness. It was my attempt to bring you back to planet earth without being rude or insulting, which I do not wish to be. However, at times, it feels like your posts are more of a deep dive in cryptographic distraction than they are furthering the cause of discovery. I can nearly guarantee that neither Priess nor JJP were concerned with being that cryptic and complex. Remember, that it was BP’s opinion that the treasures would be found within a month of the book’s publishing.
The solutions we seek are more than likely to be about history, than the discovery of a cryptic clue that no one has seen in the same image in 35 years. Such as discovering a lost photo of a key location, or running into the right Houstonian that has a specific memory of a proposed treasure spot.

fox

:bang)

Yup

erexere

I’m working with a
jewel geometry idea
.
I think the rhino head is a metaphor for a nose. A nose can whistle. The line that is drawn from the horn to the jewel intersects a curious diamond shape that is partially hidden by the genie.

I’m working with a
jewel geometry idea
.
I think the rhino head is a metaphor for a nose. A nose can whistle. The line that is drawn from the horn to the jewel intersects a curious diamond shape that is partially hidden by the genie.

Ha!

This isn’t Facebook, kids!

We are both local, yes, but I’m traveling until the end of the year, so that won’t be possible in the short-term. Plus it’d be good to have them archived online someplace.

Wilhouse,
Could you give a quick run down of the items/finds in image 8 that links this to Houston,
I remember the texas map, the lat/lon, what other things were found in this image.
Did you ever find something “iconic” that says Houston?

Trust me, if  you don’t think it’s easy to dig at the zoo, try digging at the san jacinto monument.  Jail time for sure.
wilhouse

Final miscellaneous thoughts on this pic then I’ll move along…
July, Julius Caesar. Originally the fifth month, Quintilus.
Texas map in the dunes?
Possible San Jacinto references apart from the star pole – San Jacinto =
Saint Hyacinth
…known for levitation.
In Greek legend,
Hyacinth
was killed when Zephyr (wind) and Apollo (sun) fought over him.
Apollo and Larkspur are both associated with dolphins; hence Delphi and Delphinium.
Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
The San Jacinto Polona Parish Church in Camal-iniugan has the oldest
bell
in the Far East.
Map showing Hermann Park & San Jacinto St. Ends up near
University of Houston Downtown
.

I like the dolphin idea. (Thinking about “There’s the spout”.)
There’s a reference here to the “antique Dolphin Fountain” in Lamar Park.
http://www.hydeparkunited.org/lamarpark/lamarparkad.pdf
(See page 2).
Gotta love the title of that leaflet, and
Lamar
has San Jacinto connections. Gives the address as 1400 Hyde Park Blvd at Waugh Drive, North of Hermann – presumably this thing. Are those little dolphins round the edge?
Three winged and slight
(Here’s the map.)
Heading straight up Montrose from the zoo gets you close.
Climb Montrose – rose mountain – from the park…
I think the “star pole” aligned with Montrose has previously been pointed out in this aerial view, and I reckon that’s right.

McGovern Centennal Park opened in 2014 to mark the 100th anniversary of Hermann Park. The Houston Garden Center and its parking lot were leveled. The Taipei Friendship pavilion and the many statues in the garden were moved to new locations to the south side of McGovern Park near the rose garden.
Welcome to the Houston “the secret: a treasure hunt” …racerx330. There are several people who live in houston on this forum. Most notably …Wilhouse, HoustonTxDave. Please feel free to read the entire threads verse 1, image 8. We have other q4t members from other parts of the U.S. and the world who have been working on theories. I can tell you wilhouse has done the most digging at the Houston Zoo. I have done a dig there as well…a small one. It could be anywhere in hermann park or the houston zoo. The main focus the last 10 to 15 years has been near the childrens zoo (its old location…not the new McGovern Childrens Zoo) which is now had the gorilla display built over it.
Its been 33 years…so we try to focus on maps, photos and info of the park in 1981 and 1982 that Byron Priess would have used.
Happy hunting!

I’ve noticed that there’s been steady construction work going on near the Houston Garden Center. It appears that semi-circular parking lot on the north-northeast side is being turned into the Centennial Park. Just thought I’d share.
Correction. The Houston Garden Center is now gone and that entire area east of the museum is now being transformed into the McGovern Centennial Garden.

JMuehlberg

Does anyone see “Brownie” the elf in darker spot of trees in image? B-C/5-6 In Grid, immediately right of 95. I’m starting all over and after looking again I can see possibly eyes, nose, arms, hands(leafs), legs and feet(leafs). Maybe I’m seeing things. Anyone else?

I spotted it a while back, but I don’t see Brownie at all. Looks like some birdman to me.

sorry for being so vague wilhouse…..& thanks for the clarification falcon.  Reunion tower was what I was thinking “kind of” looked like our orb-topped column.  No 982 found or anything else in the “Big D” so far though….those still seem to fit Houston like a glove.  Just wanted to rock the boat a little.

Interesting. Do you remember where the larkspur tree was inside the CZ, wilhouse?

Next to the Llama pen. Somewhere I have a photo. I’ll look around.
wilhouse

Pretty sure larkspur isn’t a tree, guys…

forest_blight

Pretty sure larkspur isn’t a tree, guys…

Thank you, fb. Between Egbert asking what the sideways ghost was and Wilhouse saying they is a Larkspur tree, I was beginning to think that the old timers had all lost their minds… With hushed silence, of course.

The secret will probably be taking a back seat for a while
for another secret, but just wanted to know if more
unearthing in Houston is being planned?

all I can say is I hope so, but I have not been told.
wilhouse

Egbert

I am interested in whether you can explain some of the other things in Image 8 and the related verse. There is the funny looking leaf to the right of the rhino’s head, which looks like a sideways ghost to me, and is probably something you can see in the vicinity of the treasure. On the rhino pole, there are 2 leaves which appear to be on the tree, but also painted onto the pole. There also appears to be an overhead map in the upper right corner of the Image, and to the left of that, either a Z or a 2 in “negative space.” There is another funny looking leaf closer to the globe pole (which you say is the planetarium), which looks a lot like the other funny looking leaf. There appears to be one or two stripes under the camel. Did you see the post about the indentation at the bottom of the globe pole matching an actual indentation on an actual pole? I would think that that is an image confirmer if true.

Well, as far as the funny looking ‘ghost’ leaf…I have no idea what that is. Could it have been a visual marker? Of course. See, that’s the issue here. In the area where I believe the casque was buried, there was a sizable area of trees, undergrowth, and parkland. Again, all of this area is now gone, as the IMAX Theater and Butterfly Center are built in that space…and it’s a HUGE space. Any visual markers, then, that were onsite and also pictured in the painting, are simply gone. They are lost to us, as is (i fear) the casque.

she, a good one too!
I dug around many of the fences, but never got anywhere, obvioulsy.  I also thought about split rail fences and that sort of thing but I could never find 4 fences (or even 3) that fit the verse.
wilhouse

Oh, poo.
Durnitall.
I thought I had it this time.

Unknown

Unknown:
The last project to be implemented before the war was the construction of the Houston Garden Center, a one‐story pavilion containing a meeting and exhibition hall. Designed by William Ward Watkin in 1938, the Garden Center was not constructed until 1941. It was located on Hermann Drive, on axis with La Branch Street, at the east end of the Botanical Garden. In front of the south elevation Hare and Hare laid out the Rose Garden.

Thanks for the feedback ppl. Certain of the columns in the CZ are also a definite match, but I was interested in exploring the idea that the puzzle is referencing various small-scale things in the CZ as indicators of full-scale versions in the surrounds.
For instance, one of the things that strikes me about the image is the division of the ground from tiled on the left, to plain on the right. There’s a plain column standing in the tiled section, and a “tiled” column standing in the plain section.
The small CZ pillars are “tiled”, but the large pillars on Hermann are plain. Some of the pillars in the image are shown small, whereas others are shown large. Together with the big train, the miniature train, and references to scale and perspective in the verse, there seems to be some kind of theme here.
The Garden Center is next to a golf course.
Small, split,
Three winged and slight
What we take to be
Our strongest tower of delight
Falls gently
In December night
Leaf…snow…white foliage…snowdrop…? Or, using the zoo’s snowflake, another representation of one.
Wonder what this is, and how old the sign is.
…or there’s this star…(also visible in the top pic)…

(the good Dr is my son!)
wilhouse

nectar, can’t see your images.
wilhouse

sorry, maybe I didn’t insert them correctly…I put them in a yahoo photo album…here is the link.
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cbouchard89/album?.dir=/9c9c
I cross referenced the skull and Houston TX and found an article about the Texas Crystal Skull (in Houston TX since 1970) that was given to a woman by Norbu Chin, a former American spy turned Red Hat llama…
http://www.click2houston.com/news/1762331/detail.html
Again….this could be the result of trying desparately to match anything at all together, but I figure every little bit helps.

Photos from my dig on saturday at the zoo
The depth of the hole was almost 3 feet.

ohhhhhh…kkkk?

MrBackstop

Let me throw this out there for a little more tree fun.
Has anyone noticed the flipped over 21 at the top left of Image 8? Someone once mentioned the thought that this was a breast cancer ribbon. The breast cancer ribbons started some time in the 90s. I see this as a number 21 which represents San Jacinto Day which is celebrated on April 21st.

I always thought it was a fishhook for the fishing allowed in McGovern Lake.

I’m nervous cause that area was all dug up.
wilhouse

Yeah, I feel like it’s a slim chance in hell that we’ll ever see that casque.  It would be great if you get a chance, maybe you could go on a mission “operation spiral” and take a dozen eye level pictures or so in a 360 from a spot centered on that spot.  Maybe we’ll see something that makes sense.

Everyone, Tank and I are going to the zoo on Friday.  It might be our last trip prior to the bulldozing.  One last look around, take some pictures and maybe poke around some places with our spikes.
Tank has a digital video camera, I have my digital camera.
Does anyone have any special requests, specific areas they wanted recorded, or spots that they want poked or prodded?
Let me know before Friday.
wilhouse

Special Request:  a photo of you and the casque.

Wilhouse, just take as many pictures as your camera can hold, even of sites you may not think are relevant. Take extra memory cards with you if you have to. I have learned over and over that I overlook important things in my own photographs, and at this late stage it can’t hurt to have more pictures.
For myself, I request complete photographic documentation of the aquatunnel and the immediate surrounding area.
And yes, a picture of you with the casque would appreciated. Do that for us, will you?

forest_blight

And yes, a picture of you with the casque would appreciated. Do that for us, will you?

Unfortunately, probably not this time.  but you never know. every trip is exciting!!  even after 3 years of trips.
wilhouse

Atropos uses scissors to cut the threads of those done living.
Whose shears?  Atropos’.
“Hoosiers”?

erexere

When Miller Hill was relandscaped, Atropos was taken off the base for cleaning and restoration, whether the position if the base was physically moved hasnt been substantiated, but any testimony should be considered. Photographs of its initial installation support that Atropos Key has remained at the Miller Hill. It possibly has been adjusted in position, but whatever the case, had it actually been a factor in locating the casque somewhere on that hill, then it may be deemed a lost cause depending on how heavy equipment had been used in the landscape project.

Photographs indicate the statue was a few feet from the top. It’s now *at* the top. So, unless the pavement was placed deceptively (albeit, unintentionally) during the redisign, it’s not at the same spot.

Its hard to trust photographs because of distortion factors. That pedestal being moved introduces one variable and then the angle or new position of the earthwork also changes things when using two points to extrapolate a spot.

That road median was completely redone about 5 years ago. If it was there it is gone.
Foshizzle.
wilhouse

This median looks like there’s some hope left in it.  Same trees were there years past.  I does seem that the thingamajig piece in the middle was taken out…what is that thing?
Here’s a 73 aerial that isn’t very clear but it looks like everything was redone around it, maybe we’re in luck?
Here’s a good pic but a bad angle.  Notice the tree leaves skirt the upper left corner of the image and then there’s many more on the right.  I think that’s two trees.  Here there’s a sidewalk that might not have been there in 81, the casque could’ve been right there between the two trees.  I’m thinking the red gem at the base of the column might work with the camel as a perspective between the trees looking at Sam.  Maybe the sidewalk missed the casque.  Tree roots were well established pre-81, so if it’s in there, it’s probably not destroyed.

Here, rolling back to a 1964 aerial you can see sidewalk.  Maybe it’s been replaced, but this is an improvement of our chances!

Unknown

Unknown:
Okay shecrab…telling folks to expect me to go away is just a neutral statement then?
It just seems odd and shows a lack pf human compassion that you think its okay to go around telling people that someone has been around long enough…im not saying that about you am I?

Once again, you’ve managed to misinterpret the simplest statement to suit yourself instead of common sense.
Go ahead. When you’re done, and the dust settles again, maybe there will be space for some good ideas.
Until then, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to re-imagine MY words as well as Preiss’s.

(removed)
Telling others that they don’t know something is a wonderful preamble to enlightening them.  Simply stating that there is dust to be settled or chaff to be blown or good ideas to eventually come is seriously short of enlightening anyone at all.
I offer different ideas when possible.  When others criticism them that’s okay.  I’m obligated to whine when the criticisms are without constructive support.  Bigmatty says it’s I who doesn’t absorb the criticism productively.  I think it is important to absorb criticsm, and where I decide to whine about it, I agree that isn’t productive, but at that stage, where I’m protesting, it’s only because the initial reaction to me was “without constructive support”.  Where’s the constructive support when someone says “dude, are you working on the same treasure hunt?”  To the contrary, I am working on the hunt and I am offering a lot of ideas, maybe they are mostly bad or easily seen as lacking in basis, but they aren’t all bad.  I’m not even interested in defending the bad ideas.  I’m interested in seeing a good idea that hasn’t yet taken shape find it’s fit where nobody else has yet GOT IT or had the elusive AHA.
The trend in contrary receptions of my ideas has been that I’m L-A-Y-E-R-I-N-G and the support has been that Chicago and Cleveland solutions don’t support that methodology.  Okay, I get it.  Now get this, I’ll labor the layers as long as it takes to find some more casques.  I welcome any engagement of my ideas as long as they have something beyond the automatic Chicago and Cleveland response.  THATS getting repeated way too much.  Yes, I’m operating with thematic interest, and more importantly I’m not attacking anyone or criticizing anyone for having a different approach than mine.  I care what people think, why they think it, and hope to respect and admire them for sharing their ideas in the effort.
Shecrab, I’ll do my best to avoid interpreting your words, but I think it’s unkind of you and actually silly to say I shouldn’t try to understand Preiss’.  Who here hasn’t offered their ideas on what Preiss meant with his words?

New Idea  (Im certain someone will quickly find the right place to stand to see the perspective fit.  From where I sit, many states away and at the mercy of Google views resolution, this is as close as I get.)
Was focused on what I called the Fannin Split, still a favorite, but I had the notion that if the perspective where Sam Huston fits the spot in the image where the Camel sits atop a column, then there might be alternate points along that line perspective.  I pushed the view back to another area not more than 50 or 60 feet north where there’s a distinctive tree that might be thought of as the curve we take to be stitching or track.
The view from the Fannin Split and looking north looks like it might match the tree curve and the road edge above (straight yellow line below genie and to the right of stitch).
Standing at the green X you can look to Samuel the Camel..Samel? (orange arrow).  Facing the curved tree at a position where the fountain is directly at your back (look behind, blue arrow).  I think between that curved tree base and the fountain is where the casque (red jewel between column and genie) could be.
Here’s something I tried to work up to explain how to interpret the Samel’s location on the Image…sorry, it’s not very good, hope you get the idea.  (White lines are field of vision).
Back to you Wilhouse.

I really like the trojan bear.  That ear section shape and the stone trapazoid shape is one thing, but the center of four alike has a trojan horse kind of look to it.  Meant to look like a horse statue and hidden in the center were soldiers.  Proximity to the Cg Jung center has a point as well.

See V1 thread
here
.

Here’s a curious thing – a statue called “Portable Trojan Bear”.
http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/trojanbear.html
In 1982 it was “at the corner of Montrose and Bissonnet” which puts it close to the Glassell.
(I’ve just realised that the Glassell is part of Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts which is bound to have had fortresses, eg maybe
this one
. It seems more likely to me now.)

MERLIN

Maybe the reason nothing is being found is because the current assumptions about casque locations is wrong…..just sayin –
https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/28722/bk0016w245c/

Agreed, those looking for new/correct locations seem to be few. Love learning about new world history though, best of luck to you.

Mark said he didn’t have any pictures. Everything he knows about it moving was second hand. He said there are reports online which talk about it… he didnt give me a link though.

Getting good information is what it’s all about. I can see this going a number of ways. The sidewalk on the backside of the hill is part of the upgrade. If the casque was buried near or a small distance away from Atropos origin, I think it’s a lost cause. If it was buried on the theater facing side it’s not likely to be found because that side received even more significant grading. If it’s far away, like near a light tower on the base of the backside near the tracks, then maybe that’s a good consideration. Still not sure how the hell this puzzle reads as a whole.

wilhouse

Yeah, it’s worth a look.

I feel this image is a montage of locations round Hermann Park, including the children’s zoo, obviously, but also other stuff.
I still love the fence between the Garden Center and the golf course, which people were discussing for its sandy qualities most of a decade ago…
…beside the “genie square”…
The far end is where I’m interested in, but I can’t get to it on Google. Just here.
How about it wilhouse? Nice day out at the Garden Center. Buy yourself a pot plant.

Updated summary for this image…
Houston theory (PDF)
I’ll try contacting local metal detecting clubs etc and see if I can track down someone willing to take a look…

There was a reptile house in the cz as a matter of fact, in which they would breed reptiles including snakes.
As for Preiss, he had no pictures of the Secret areas, they were all in an envelope which he thought was in the safe with the gems, but was not and is lost.
You guys have to understand, Preiss thought that the casques would all be found in 6 months. He never thought people would be still looking for casques 30 years later. He was uninterested and unconcerned with the Secret and got to a point where he wouldn’t answer any questions or respond unless you said you had a casque in your hand.
He and I conversed for a long time about many subjects but mostly books since I am an avid sci/fi fantasy reader and he published a lot of those type of books.  My final plea to tell me his thoughts about my guess on the site was strictly based on the fact that the CZ was going to be demolished.  His response, and I took it at face value, was that I was in the right location but since he had nothing to jog his memory (ie photos) he wouldn’t guarantee anything.
As a point of info, I did once send him a place I wanted to dig with the request “should I dig there?” and his response was “no, don’t dig there”.  That’s when he told me to stop asking until I was sure I found it.
wilhouse
ps, I only wear baseball caps…

ok, I guess to be specific, I said I bet I knew where you were standing when you made Image 8. Then I pleaded with him to tell me if I was right since the CZ was going to be demolished.
His response, it would not be a waste of time to dig there (and I have always taken it at face value that “there” meant THERE, in the CZ, at the back area of the CZ), was the most straightforward thing he ever told me regarding the secret besides “don’t dig there’.
wilhouse (looking for my cap…)

which to me says its in/was in the CZ.
pretty much case closed on that.
I never said 3 winged and slight was a copyright infringement.
I said Nothing in this hunt would be based on BSG because of dealing with copyright issues.

Thanks for that Wilhouse.  I’m trying really hard to form my own ideas here.  I understand your point of view as you come across most clearly in your posts, something I seem to have trouble with.  We want to take things at face value first, especially with the circumstances.  It’s frustrating to learn BP had grown somewhat apathetic.  Having to jog his mind 22/23 years into the past to get a piece of really useful info out of him makes what you did get into a difficult thing to work with…face value has more specific meaning to you than to him.
I see I’ve hit the wall with pushing the BSG analogy, and I think it wasn’t necessary.  It’s the fun bonus to how we might look at his creative process, but it is in no way a requirement to solve this.  I have a clear view of how to look at the clues just from the literary and visual perspective.  I plead with you to give my theory a chance.  Find that split where Fanning turns to Fanning N and Fanning S and see if standing there you have a perfect perspective of the Sam Houston as a 1:1 with the camel.

erexere

Maybe we all don’t understand the difference between something preponderantly interconnected and something randomly applied based on just one trivial connection.

Yeah, I get how you’re making these connections, but I think you also get the logic backwards.
The right answer has to fit, but everything that fits isn’t right.
Trying to tie this to Battlestar Galactica is definitely the funniest one yet, though.  Keep ’em coming.

Unknown

Unknown:
WR
I’ll try contacting local metal detecting clubs etc and see if I can track down someone willing to take a look…

WR you are asking a lot from a Md machine,a good two box,with an experienced operator,might find it
we are talking 3′ +,and a small piece of metal,and then your liable, to get one of those dont care detector-est
that will leave holes,and dig where they shouldnt,i belong to a MD forum,give me a PM on lat,log,gps,or
something to get real close,and ill see if i can find someone reliable,id hate for the hunt of that casque to
go sour after 30+yrs,because of a greedy MDer,i know you wouldnt think,someone would be like that,but
they are out there,and they give the rest of us and our hobby a bad name

erexere, actually I”m having a good time.
I’ll check it out.
wilhouse

Unknown

Unknown:
It isn’t a waste of time to dig “there” doesn’t definitively imply that it IS there.

Actually, that’s exactly what it DOES mean. Because if it
wasn’t
there it
would
be a waste of time to dig there.

(Chrz cw0909, I’m not expecting anyone to be able to find it using a metal detector, I’m just trying to think of a contact who might be willing to try digging or at least looking at this precise spot
here
.)

WR, interesting theory.  I dont agree with the result any more than I like my proposed spot.  The trail really gets cold at spots.  More emphasis on a reason for each interpretation might help.  Diving too far into the Melville seems over the top as much as my over reaching into BSG…now Im thinking Adama rhymes with Llama…now thats just reaching on my part.  My suspicions that there is a double meaning in Tower and Delight to mean Giraffes and “charm” in place of delight means Finches is my current stirring.

shecrab

Actually, that’s exactly what it DOES mean. Because if it
wasn’t
there it
would
be a waste of time to dig there.

Of course.  I was trying to put emphasis on Wilhouse’s intented “there” being not the same as BP’s recollection.  The style and look of buildings in the general area around the cz and inside it shared a similar design.  If that wording is the best BP was willing to offer then he is at least confirming he remembers placing a casque in an area near a roundish building.  Perhaps the one in wilhouses photo was painted a different color or new siding had been installed.  Something clicked but not so much that he had the option to say “yes, right around that spot”.  He might have well said, “digging next to round structure sounds familiar, so its not a waste of your time, just be sure to interpret all the clues right, good luck, now don’t bother me again…”

and you know shecrab, I have honestly always felt that way.
Though he was often obtuse, Preiss never tried to trick me or steer me in the wrong direction.  Mostly he would say “I can’t answer that” or “I don’t want to talk about that”.
Our relationship become kind of frosty for a while until I picked up a graphic novel and sci fi novel that both were published by his company. I contacted about them and he was very excited to talk about his publishing work. We conversed more frequently after that, usually about an author we liked or a book I thought he’d enjoy.
I believe it was my LACk of conversation about the secret at the end that allowed him to answer in the most direct manner he ever had regarding the CZ.
wilhouse

erexere

The trail really gets cold at spots. More emphasis on a reason for each interpretation might help.  Diving too far into the Melville seems over the top as much as my over reaching into BSG…now Im thinking Adama rhymes with Llama…now thats just reaching on my part.  My suspicions that there is a double meaning in Tower and Delight to mean Giraffes and “charm” in place of delight means Finches is my current stirring.

Well, yes.
But I don’t believe in trails any more. Shecrab has shown us the road to chaos.
And I don’t believe in finches either.

Man, this blows.  My idea about following track is all wrong.  The mini train was expanded a bunch later on.
What about a tall tower filled with birds? Is that still around?  I cant recall what thats called.

Its really great that Wilhouse has been sticking around and others have maintained an indominable spirit in this.  There’s a lot of good stuff with all our ideas shuffling around in this chaos.  All we need is a really good confirmer and a bullet proof vest and a casque will be won.

the aqua tunnel is right next to the CZ entrance.  The distance from there to the elf fountain is maybe 100-150 feet max.
I’m not sure what you mean by the circular spout building.  ON TOP of the aqua tunnel is a pond.  The back wall of this pond is a rock wall / waterfall where the return line to the pond comes out of.  The pond is part of the aqua tunnel, it is a big circulating pool.  They have built a kind of fence around the pond for safety, made out of bamboo.  You can see pictures of it in one of my posts.
hope that helps.
wilhouse

Wilhouse,
When is the CZ scheduled to be demolished in 2006?

Wilhouse–
Some more questions for you—what is the distance from the aqua tunnel to where the elf fountain used to be?  Also–I am getting confused with the maps—where is the circular spout building on your map (post 134)?  That buillding is different than the aqua tunnel–correct?

rookhunter

The entire area is gone, the Houston Garden Center, the botanical gardens, the fountain that looked like the fairy in the image…all gone

The Garden Center gone…? Really…?
Bad luck Rookhunter; I liked your Houston theory. Onwards and upwards. (Or downwards.)

Back of the book is everything – image confirmations in Hermann Park.
https://youtu.be/yfnsOESVvRU

The stance of the Jinn is similar to the stance and posture of the Spirit of the Confederacy and confirmer of Houston.
Head wrap of the Jinn is similar to the Miller Theater and confirmer of Hermann Park.
Coordinates 52/30 are of Persepolis and 52 on the column is clue to the columns of the audience hall.
Jinn of Persia’s head wrap and audience hall both point to Miller Theater, an audience hall.

karleen

Back of the book is everything – image confirmations in Hermann Park.
https://youtu.be/yfnsOESVvRU

Also, anyone who follows Wit Bidder on FB, he has some interesting info about Hermann Park.

karleen

Back of the book is everything – image confirmations in Hermann Park.
https://youtu.be/yfnsOESVvRU

Thank you Karleen. I look forward to your NYC back of the book post.
The thing that I struggle with on back of the book hints is that there is SOOO much possible info there. With no clear way that I’ve seen to figure out what’s a hint, what’s not and which puzzle any given thing might apply to. It seems all so random-y that I can’t figure out a way to have any confidence that what I think might be a hint actually is one, so I tend not to lean on much there. You’ve added some interesting thoughts to what I’ve seen and heard from others. I am open to convincing.
That said, I’d like to offer you one other possible Houston/Hermann Park item. When I look at the page 65 illustration for The West Ghost – I see the hot tub and base shape as being evocative of Mecom Fountain, at the entrance to Hermann Park. It’s not exact. But it’s got similar lines and angular structure. Plus the base of the hot tub reminds me of the ledge that goes around the fountain. I’m leaning hint, but can’t get off the fence. This appears to be a Persian inspired descendant – so I’m wondering if his placement (same as fountain’s spout) is perhaps a hint that the Djinn in Image 8 also represents a fountain spout (as some believe). If any of that melds with your previous hint thoughts – enjoy…

Kang

Thank you Karleen. I look forward to your NYC back of the book post.
The thing that I struggle with on back of the book hints is that there is SOOO much possible info there. With no clear way that I’ve seen to figure out what’s a hint, what’s not and which puzzle any given thing might apply to. It seems all so random-y that I can’t figure out a way to have any confidence that what I think might be a hint actually is one, so I tend not to lean on much there. You’ve added some interesting thoughts to what I’ve seen and heard from others. I am open to convincing.
That said, I’d like to offer you one other possible Houston/Hermann Park item. When I look at the page 65 illustration for The West Ghost – I see the hot tub and base shape as being evocative of Mecom Fountain, at the entrance to Hermann Park. It’s not exact. But it’s got similar lines and angular structure. Plus the base of the hot tub reminds me of the ledge that goes around the fountain. I’m leaning hint, but can’t get off the fence. This appears to be a Persian inspired descendant – so I’m wondering if his placement (same as fountain’s spout) is perhaps a hint that the Djinn in Image 8 also represents a fountain spout (as some believe). If any of that melds with your previous hint thoughts – enjoy…

I wish I could solidify the formula used, here, but I agree with your assessment of that image…………however, I think everything is a combo. Like the Cleveland Centaur, each of these drawings has bits and pieces of locations. I will talk more about this in future but there are so many recurring shapes and they HAVE to mean something. Why would one spend so much money printing stuff that doesn’t matter? [and I do not buy into the idea that this was for another book, because too much points to the hunts in the book]
Here are just a few things that reoccur: round eyeglasses, neckties(that, at times, resemble the symbols for restrooms), shallow zigzags(like the linked arms in the image you shared), glasses that are overflowing…….and more. So why?
Other than people blatantly dismissing the idea, I’ve not heard one solid reason for these recurring shapes.

Heard from the zoo director today.  He says it will be September. We have the backhoe and an operator.  Probably make one or two trips between now and then to put together a plan.
wilhouse

That is good news, wilhouse!
By the way, I think we’re probably looking for something like this, only 8″ to 9″ on a side, no hinges, held together by sealant of some sort, and probably a little thicker. What do you think, Eg? You and Siskel are the only ones here who have actually
seen
one of these thingamabobs.

Pre1321, welcome to the board, and thanks, all input is appreciated by everyone here.
Yes, I agree with you completely.  If you look up my last post with a link (under verse 1, not under image
you can see the picture I took in front of the nursery in the zoo, to the left of the globe light.  That area was dirt in 1982, and is now concrete.  I think there is a good chance the cask is under there.  Positioning wise, it is inbetween the globe light and the elf, like the picture.
I emailed Preiss submitting it as a solution.  He is supposed to be looking up the answer (and Egbert’s gem) in the vault this month. Perhaps he will be able to tell me if it is there.
Unfortunately, if it was there, it may be destroyed now.  But if he tells me it is there, the zoo director has told me that he will try to get us permission from his boss to break up the concrete and dig there.
we’ll see.
wilhouse

just art 30/52 in the leaves

just art

I know there are those who don’t believe the jewel’s location on the Image is of significance or don’t believe that there are hidden maps in the Images. I believe the Jewel’s location can be helpful to pointing you in the right location once you have narrowed down your dig spot and I see hidden maps in many (not all yet) JJP’s artwork.
What I’m trying to ask is about the red dot (M5). It is located in the shadow of the Globe Column and just under the outermost edge of the smoke spout. I haven’t been able to find any conversations concerning the meaning of that red highlighted dot. Any thoughts on the dot, not the actual jewel.?

the red dot you speak of seems to be a part of a circle with a black dot in the center, the red dot would be at the top of the circle in this sense.

top looks flattish, like a fishbowl.

unsure whether the red dot itself is of significance, i attribute those little red/pink marks to being artifacts.

theres a gnome or elf to the left of the leftmost pillar.

the small pillar beside has a bee beside it. see it?

astronaut helmet and or one of those side eating flowers from mario lol (next section over)

king (crown) or guy with halo in next

2nd one might be bee and chimp

next section looks to have the mask that is on the auditorium

back to red dot theres a similar one in one of the bubbles on boston painting

I toy with those ideas all the time. Does the jewel placement in the image reveal a kind of real placement between two points that would be characterized in the image? We don’t know for sure yet. It’s unclear if that approach is supported by evidence in Cleveland’s or Chicago’s images, so….
Re: Josh’s comment on being told to take a train. That’s not a bad assessment, but I think the important idea is really to understand that a task is going to be a verb, an action that one must take. The 9 8 2 being identified as a train, fulfills this goal in an interesting way. It may be meant to just “go” to the 982 train, or it might mean as Josh says, “take a train, but I much prefer the fact that the word “train” itself is one of those words which happens to be capable of acting as a noun or a verb, therefore it stands to reason that Preiss wants our “task” to actually involve an action of “training” to take place, which I believe to be aiming, something like finding a point by aligning two points on the ground, because it would actually be helpful to describe some aspect of how to find the casque so as to not allow only guessing on where to dig.