Don't know if you've tried the new iGoogle "cockpit" http://www.google.com/help/ig/tour/ offering but it's GREAT!
I'm using it and just love the access to all of the detail that I need and information at my fingertips. I've got my email, maps, driving directions, blog access and more. Check it out it's a true treasure!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Back at the Crater Again...
Diamonds are a girls best friend. But why are so many men interested in finding them? For their girls?
Hummmmmm. Curious to know. OK boys, what's the real deal here? Is your pursuit of the shiny glitz really to show off and present your treasure to the girl of your dreams?
I hit the trail two weekends ago and caught a reasonable flight out of my town to Little Rock. My mission was to get off of the plane and be digging in the dirt at the Crater of Diamonds State Park about two hours south of Little Rock before noon.
If you're not familiar with the park or the only diamond mine in North America that's open to the public, then you really need to check it out.
The Crater of Diamonds State park http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/ is one of my favorite treasure hunting spots. Anyone can find a diamond at the park. Well, let's clarify that. If you're in the right spot at the right time doing the right thing then you can find a diamond. Most folks don't even know that they have to meet the criteria. They just find one as they are walking along in between the furrowed rows.
Other folks work pretty hard at it and some take it up as a full time occupation. While I was there this time I had the privilege of meeting Diamond Jim and he was kind enough to give me some pointers.
Diamond Jim has found quite a few diamonds in his relatively short time at the mine. He's had some pretty good odds but he's down in hole every day working hard at it.
Check out the site and the Crater of Diamonds. It's a great place to go and try your luck sifting or surface mining for diamonds. Maybe you will be the one to find the next "Strawn Wagoner".
The "Strawn-Wagner Diamond" is the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society (AGS) ever certified. Graded the perfect grade of O/O/O (Ideal cut/D color/ Flawless), or "Triple Zero," it is the highest grade a diamond can achieve. This is the most perfect a cut diamond can be. A diamond this perfect is so rare than most jewelers and gemologists will never see one during their entire career. And it's so rare that it's one in a billion based on color and clarity.
Cool beans. It was found by Shirley Strawn and it's on exhibition at the Crater. Congrats Shirley! Wish I could have been there to share in the excitement!
Hummmmmm. Curious to know. OK boys, what's the real deal here? Is your pursuit of the shiny glitz really to show off and present your treasure to the girl of your dreams?
I hit the trail two weekends ago and caught a reasonable flight out of my town to Little Rock. My mission was to get off of the plane and be digging in the dirt at the Crater of Diamonds State Park about two hours south of Little Rock before noon.
If you're not familiar with the park or the only diamond mine in North America that's open to the public, then you really need to check it out.
The Crater of Diamonds State park http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/ is one of my favorite treasure hunting spots. Anyone can find a diamond at the park. Well, let's clarify that. If you're in the right spot at the right time doing the right thing then you can find a diamond. Most folks don't even know that they have to meet the criteria. They just find one as they are walking along in between the furrowed rows.
Other folks work pretty hard at it and some take it up as a full time occupation. While I was there this time I had the privilege of meeting Diamond Jim and he was kind enough to give me some pointers.
Diamond Jim has found quite a few diamonds in his relatively short time at the mine. He's had some pretty good odds but he's down in hole every day working hard at it.
Check out the site and the Crater of Diamonds. It's a great place to go and try your luck sifting or surface mining for diamonds. Maybe you will be the one to find the next "Strawn Wagoner".
The "Strawn-Wagner Diamond" is the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society (AGS) ever certified. Graded the perfect grade of O/O/O (Ideal cut/D color/ Flawless), or "Triple Zero," it is the highest grade a diamond can achieve. This is the most perfect a cut diamond can be. A diamond this perfect is so rare than most jewelers and gemologists will never see one during their entire career. And it's so rare that it's one in a billion based on color and clarity.
Cool beans. It was found by Shirley Strawn and it's on exhibition at the Crater. Congrats Shirley! Wish I could have been there to share in the excitement!
Oak Tree Treasure
Today I stopped by a friend's house to ask if I could harvest the wild oyster mushrooms that were growing on the side of a dead oak tree on his property.
Not the kind of treasure that you'd expect here but there's one thing about being a treasure hunter, treasure comes in many forms and it all boils down to the hunt.
I've thought long and hard about what drives a person who is a born treasure hunter or at least is driven to be a hunter. As a woman, it's an odd thing for me to have the hunter gatherer desire. My sister tells me all of the time that I'm the hunter gatherer for our immediate family and it drives her crazy. Especially when we are fishing. She finally gives up and goes home after we've been out there for hours and I'm not ready to leave. It's not that she hasn't caught fish, she's just bored and has had enough so back down the dock she goes headed back to the house leaving the rest of the sea trout, crabs, shrimp and red fish for me to catch.
There's something to her comments; she's right. I feel the urge to find the prize and it's not specific. It's the hunt. I love it and I seem drawn to hunt all types of things.
Today it was 20 lbs of wild oyster mushrooms. I've cleaned them and have 5 plastic bags lightly filled with sauteed oyster mushroom and they are headed to the freezer. I'm dehydrating two pans of shrooms that will end up in some dish in my kitchen. Yummy!
Check out this link http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct98.html it shows great pix of oyster mushrooms and gives quite a bit of detail about them. If you're thinking about heading out there yourself, or trying some wild mushrooms, BE CAREFUL. Some types can kill and it's not a hobby that you try and see if you like it. Please be cautious when consuming wild food especially mushrooms! I want you to be around to keep reading my blogs.
It's a true treasure as long as you know what you're consuming. Happy Hunting!
Not the kind of treasure that you'd expect here but there's one thing about being a treasure hunter, treasure comes in many forms and it all boils down to the hunt.
I've thought long and hard about what drives a person who is a born treasure hunter or at least is driven to be a hunter. As a woman, it's an odd thing for me to have the hunter gatherer desire. My sister tells me all of the time that I'm the hunter gatherer for our immediate family and it drives her crazy. Especially when we are fishing. She finally gives up and goes home after we've been out there for hours and I'm not ready to leave. It's not that she hasn't caught fish, she's just bored and has had enough so back down the dock she goes headed back to the house leaving the rest of the sea trout, crabs, shrimp and red fish for me to catch.
There's something to her comments; she's right. I feel the urge to find the prize and it's not specific. It's the hunt. I love it and I seem drawn to hunt all types of things.
Today it was 20 lbs of wild oyster mushrooms. I've cleaned them and have 5 plastic bags lightly filled with sauteed oyster mushroom and they are headed to the freezer. I'm dehydrating two pans of shrooms that will end up in some dish in my kitchen. Yummy!
Check out this link http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct98.html it shows great pix of oyster mushrooms and gives quite a bit of detail about them. If you're thinking about heading out there yourself, or trying some wild mushrooms, BE CAREFUL. Some types can kill and it's not a hobby that you try and see if you like it. Please be cautious when consuming wild food especially mushrooms! I want you to be around to keep reading my blogs.
It's a true treasure as long as you know what you're consuming. Happy Hunting!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Spending Time at the Reed Gold Mine
I was driving not long ago to a customer site and just happened to notice a sign on the side of the road that read...
REED GOLD MINE
OK. Everyone who read's my blogs knows what that means...one of two things. Turn around now or make sure to hit the mine on the way back!
Yep, that's what happened. You know, I went to my customer site and on the way home my car just happened to turn right on the very same road where the Reed Gold Mine is located. Imagine that.
It's a pretty drive through the country to the mine past some old farms and fields. It looked like rain and it was pretty late in the afternoon so I was hoping that I would have some time to check things out and see what I could find.
Reed Gold Mine http://www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/reed.htm is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States and in an earlier post on mine Gold Mine Creek, I cover a bit about it but I'd never had the opportunity to visit.
The mine is operated by the State of North Carolina and it's located in Midland, not far from Charlotte. No fee is charged for admission or tours of the mine. Gold panning is $2.00 per pan. A group rate of $1.50 per pan is available.
The tour of the mine was just starting and I really wanted to go on the mine tour but I had to choose. The park was closing in about two hours and I wanted to hunt for gold!
I paid the small admission fee for panning and took off in the misty rain toward to creek and panning area.
Daniel and Norman were waiting on me with dirt and a gold pan in hand. I'm still trying to learn the art of panning and while I was there they took the time to show me how to move the dirt out quickly and make sure that the gold didn't go with it. And yes, I did find gold! I had time to empty three pans before the park closed and did find two small nuggets!
There was a guy named Luke and he was telling me while we were panning that he could remember when he was a young child that some of his family members would tell stories about panning for gold in the creeks not far from his home.
Check out the site if you're in the area. I'm going back when I have time to take in the tour. Hope to see you there!
REED GOLD MINE
OK. Everyone who read's my blogs knows what that means...one of two things. Turn around now or make sure to hit the mine on the way back!
Yep, that's what happened. You know, I went to my customer site and on the way home my car just happened to turn right on the very same road where the Reed Gold Mine is located. Imagine that.
It's a pretty drive through the country to the mine past some old farms and fields. It looked like rain and it was pretty late in the afternoon so I was hoping that I would have some time to check things out and see what I could find.
Reed Gold Mine http://www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/reed.htm is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States and in an earlier post on mine Gold Mine Creek, I cover a bit about it but I'd never had the opportunity to visit.
The mine is operated by the State of North Carolina and it's located in Midland, not far from Charlotte. No fee is charged for admission or tours of the mine. Gold panning is $2.00 per pan. A group rate of $1.50 per pan is available.
The tour of the mine was just starting and I really wanted to go on the mine tour but I had to choose. The park was closing in about two hours and I wanted to hunt for gold!
I paid the small admission fee for panning and took off in the misty rain toward to creek and panning area.
Daniel and Norman were waiting on me with dirt and a gold pan in hand. I'm still trying to learn the art of panning and while I was there they took the time to show me how to move the dirt out quickly and make sure that the gold didn't go with it. And yes, I did find gold! I had time to empty three pans before the park closed and did find two small nuggets!
There was a guy named Luke and he was telling me while we were panning that he could remember when he was a young child that some of his family members would tell stories about panning for gold in the creeks not far from his home.
Check out the site if you're in the area. I'm going back when I have time to take in the tour. Hope to see you there!
The Treasureholic is "IN"
Whew!
Sorry that its been so long since I've updated my blog. TMI for the reason's why but basically I've been very blessed! Really, I lost my password had a computer/email change and it's a miracle but when I tried to figure it all out today, my access worked! AMAZING.
Enough about me! So many exciting things have happened and I'm going to take some time over the Christmas holidays to put up some posts!
Here's where I've been and what you'll be hearing about soon...
Spending time at the Reed Gold Mine!
Back at the Crater, again.
Gold Prospecting 101
And more to follow....
Sorry that its been so long since I've updated my blog. TMI for the reason's why but basically I've been very blessed! Really, I lost my password had a computer/email change and it's a miracle but when I tried to figure it all out today, my access worked! AMAZING.
Enough about me! So many exciting things have happened and I'm going to take some time over the Christmas holidays to put up some posts!
Here's where I've been and what you'll be hearing about soon...
Spending time at the Reed Gold Mine!
Back at the Crater, again.
Gold Prospecting 101
And more to follow....
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