Umm.. not sure why someone thought we needed to see that. Was amusing that flickr has the "balls stuffed in holes" set marked as falling "outside (my) current SafeSearch filter".

they look like eyes in a monster face! MONSTER!

I wonder if a corkscrew would've helped.

stuffed into holes in a wall made from lava rock

The way the rock seems to wrap around those golf balls (except in the 2nd and 3rd pictures) makes me think it's possible that they were somehow inserted into the lava while it was still cooling and not completely solid. Hmmmm ... maybe a driving range near a lava flow, which was later chunked up into building stones?

space balls of the gods.... either that or gas bubble holes that had balls pounded into them with big hitty things.

Obviously somebody hit the lava trap.

I'd like to think this was a place where the tribal rules concerning respect for each other's immediately family members were clearly understood. Otherwise it gets out of hand quickly and ends up closing the door to a lot of good posts and pictures and possible discussions on vulnerable social levels. I feel strongly about this since my urge to kill is usually only sparked by bullies and any threat to children.

@Takuan

You new to the internet? The trolls, griefers, freaks and ne'er-do-wells will always outnumber respectful citizens in any open community with something to exploit.

spanking time

@ Pugdady:

Ohhhhhhh... I was wondering why that message came up on mine too! I kept looking through the photos trying to figure out what was inappropriate. Didn't even think at looking at the title!

Thanks!

Bill

Takuan said, "I feel strongly about this since my urge to kill is usually only sparked by bullies and any threat to children."

What about really bad fashion or worse--a bad hair cut? I know you, you've probably killed dozens just because they lacked good taste in music.

stripping their guts and leaving them on an anthill doesn't count as killing - if you move away fast enough

Having attractive daugters is tough, I have also and it freaks me out. I like the Sefardi Jewish attitude which is to never discuss a friends wife or daughters, that and boys should ask my permission in person for dates. :)

Could the golf balls have been carried by lava? Is there any evidence of pyrolization on the plsatic outer shell or melting?

I once found a solid stone cave filled with very old wood punk in Oregon when I was a kid. We thought it was a lava tube and using a garden spade, string, and pan to pull the junk out cleared it hoping for a secret bat-cave. Years later I finally came to the idea that that wood punk was from a tree that was caught in a lava flow, that explained the root ball shaped dead end. Too bad we ruined without documentation what could have been an interesting scientific find for some bio, geo, or paleo major.

"I know you, you've probably killed dozens just because they lacked good taste in music."

If I ever meet him I'm doomed: I'm tone deaf. But I like drums.

Takuan, your humor is sublime.

Well, I think it's disgusting that you had to change this picture to get rid of the creeps. And sad.

I also think that a few minutes with an Xacto could clean these holes up. I'd even be willing to carry out the pile of rubberband that would result. Of course, I'd have to buy the Xacto after flying, but that's not such a hardship.

Must have been near a driving range, though I imaging driving golf-balls into lava-flows is fun in it's own regard. Poof! Pop! Spark!

The trolls, griefers, freaks and ne'er-do-wells will always outnumber respectful citizens in any open community with something to exploit.

That's why these threads are moderated. Comments are about to get radically re-numbered. Profound apologies to those of you whose comments were not inappropriate but would have acted as catnip.

The wall was very near a golf course, so I am guessing kids found stray golf balls and stuck them in the holes.

The left hand ball looks to be black outside, is that just dirt/mold? Hmmm I suddenly feel like having some hard boiled eggs, anyone else? Guess I shouldn't have skipped dinner.

Huh. I'm glad I didn't check the thread earlier, then. The same old rote vulgarity doesn't even qualify as entertainment anymore. It's like watching a retard scream the same word endlessly in a public place.

As was said earlier, I'm thinking somebody teed off and hit the lava as it was cooling. Still, it looks pretty cool. If nobody digs the golf balls out or anything, they might still be there in another couple thousand years.

ah man, now I feel bad for leaving a creepy comment. I blame Internet!

and myself

For record, How many creepy inappropriate comments did you get on your daughter?

Also, Does your daughter think its cool? I cant ever seem to wrap my head around kids and their internet celebrity gimmicks.

For the record I am an adult gay male so there are no creepy intentions behind this.

Warning! If you take one you will have bad luck in all things involving balls, and you know what that means!

I hope it was at least a good, what do they call them, "teachable experience" for the family. Creeps aren't hiding in all dark corners, but they are hiding in *some*, and it pays to teach kids early to be cautious. Not scared, but careful.

Also, the photo is even better if you imagine they're fossilized eggs hardboiled in the lava. Yolks still intact after eons!

so that's where golfers come from!

>>#20 posted by rebdav
>>
>>The left hand ball...

Oh no WAY! Now they make balls for left handed golfers?

Nah, I'm not really that stupid.

@ crunchbird:

lava solidifies at a rather high temperature (depending of course on its precise composition). if the lava was still cooling when the ball was inserted, there would no identifiable ball remaining. :)

Thank you, Rampant.

Just out of curiosity, why is Rampant being thanked for making a fairly obvious statement that is no more supported by science or research than my speculative one? Obviously it's true that "lava is very hot," but how do you explain the balls that are held so tightly within the wall that even when they're cut in half, and no longer spherical, they stay firmly in place? Do you know the melting point of the material used to create golf balls? Do you know for a fact that a golf ball struck into a cooling lava surface would be burned/vaporized, or are you simply guessing?

I'm not curious enough to spend hours researching this question, but just some preliminary Googling leads me to believe that lava's "eruption point" temperature can be as low as 600 or 700 degrees fahrenheit, and the type of hard plastic used to coat golf balls can have a melting point at least as high as 400 or 425 degrees.

If someone joins the thread with actual knowledge that can confirm or deny potential explanations for the balls, I'm more than willing to acknowledge that my speculation was off-base. I've got to admit, though, that I'm bothered by the fact that the commensensical counter-speculation of another commenter has been welcomed by a moderator as if it's some sort of definitive response. If you were thinking the same thing but didn't have any evidence to support your position, Teresa, why didn't you just go ahead and say it?