Cash and Treasures, Part Deux (or Emerald Hollow Mine)

Transferred from another of my blogs:

Originally posted on January 10, 2009

I'm still addicted to watching Cash and Treasures on the Travel Channel, even if Becky Worley is gone (wah!) (enjoy the new baby, Becky, we understand) and now we have Kirsten. The show has gone from showcasing the treasure to an attempted star vehicle for Kirsten Gum. Suh-weeeeet!

Not so sweet, actually. For some reason she just rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it's the way her front arrives in the frame before the rest of her. Tain't necessary, Travel Channel! Hey G2, do you like the way I'm not using actual sailor-type descriptive language here? Can I get a Suh-weet!?

Anyway, back to the Emerald Hollow Mine. What, You didn't know that we were talking about emeralds here? I'd say that this mine was one of our favorite places in North Carolina, for sure. We took a long side trip to get out to Hiddenite, which is where the mine is. About a mile out of town (teeny town), we turned right at a dirt road, and drove down a ways. The worst thing about this place is that we got there in late afternoon, so our time was very limited. Yes, we did find some emeraldy kinds of things, and some other things too. Now that I have them home, the orangey clay they were born in still clings, making it hard to tell just exactly what all we have. Except, I know we have star sapphires, those I can pick out of the pile, with their sort of octagonal shape. And some of the emeralds are clearly that, emeralds. I don't think we found anything cut worthy, but we didn't hang around to find out. By the time we left we were pretty much sluicing in the dark. I loved it there. I wished we went there first. Next time, first, and we dig some instead of just buying buckets, OK? But we'll buy some buckets, too, cause at the heart of it all, laziness wins out. You know it does.

Watching this episode of the show, I really did have to laugh. Kirsten wasn't finding much, and what she did find, she was trying SO hard to make that teeny tiny piece of green seem like a real find, I had to hand it to her. She ended up not finding anything cut worthy, and turned in her pieces and traded up to a nice piece that could be cut. Her emerald ring is gorgeous, and I really really want to find a nice hunk of that for myself.

This time we have jewelry made for ourselves, hey G2? I really enjoyed gifting my daughters and granddaughter for Christmas, but gee...I want some too. A garnet crucifix, topaz earrings, and a ruby necklace. Not bad, not bad at all, and it felt amazing to give those presents. How special was that? They have lovely jewelry made from stones that I myself found. Totally cool. Suh-weeeeet!!

In case you wonder, Kirsten exclaimed "Sweet"!!!!!! just about every other word when she first started. I started throwing things at the TV (soft things)...it really drove me crazy. She's doing better now...you can almost see "Sweet!" forming on her lips until she throttles it back. Someone must have told her, just stick out your chest, honey!

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

Most frustrating: The Travel Channel has removed the Becky shows from the website. Arghhhh! When my DVR croaked, all of the beloved Becky shows went with it. I just liked to watch a few of them from time to time, and now I can't. Sigh. It's not sweet.

But the traveling and the digging, the miner's manicures, those are the best, and we need to be talking about where to go next. Idaho, for star garnets? Southern California for tourmaline? Or just back to North Carolina (or maybe even Georgia) for more mining there? North Carolina stunned me...I loved it so very much.

And the place where the Emerald Mine was? That was in Iredell County, where my Scott ancestors first owned land in the New World. This time I'd like to find the land they once owned, just to walk upon it, or perhaps scoop up a little bit of earth.

Well, off to check some blood sugar (no, not mine) and then to bed. I can't believe I'm getting this posted while it is still January 10! And oh, dear Barbara, happy birthday. She was my mother in law, and is still missed (and I'm not even married to her son any more, how about that?)

S2
(who is caring for a couple of handicapped young ladies, too far from my own home to get at the photos that surely would have gone with this article).