Okay, it's been awhile. I'll start at the first and add some blogs of the later stuff on another day.
Our vacation began with a trip across country dragging our 5th Wheel and boats behind the truck which was loaded with boxes of stuff for Kim. ( We were glad to unload it all after toting it for 3 1/2 weeks throughout our trip.)
We got away late and so only had a brief stopover at our friends house in Texas. On Mother's day we traveled the upper part of Texas, in communication with Eddie and Kathy traveling above us through Okalhoma. Bryce, Kate, and Kimball were flying overhead, landed at Little Rock and drove down to our campground at Lake Greeson, a beautiful, wooded lake that we had all to ourselves for the first week. We all got there within an hour of each other.
The adventure began the next day with our diamond searching. The last five minutes of the second day, Eddie found a beautiful 71 point yellow diamond. Mother Nature formed it perfectly and it is ready for mounting in a ring for Kathy.
Bryce, Kate, and Kimball stayed 4 days, Derek joined us on the way home from his own adventure seeing the space shuttle take off in Florida. Kathy left when he did to visit her sisters in Pittsburgh before leaving for the Marshall Islands today (June 14.) We stayed a total of 12 days in Arkansas before leaving for Texas, and Eddie stayed for 14 days.
Besides diamond searching, we all took our turns on the Kayaks, went on nature walks, (one into a swamp in the diamond park,) Ed and I rode our bikes, got in on a "Diamond Days" celebration where a family sang gospel blue grass music, and we enjoyed several butter pecan ice cream cones at a little shack in Murfreesboro.
First stop on the trail: Gene and Teresa's in Belton, Texas.
First day in Arkansas, 2nd part of our adventure. Camp is set up!
Lake Greeson, Arkansas
Ducks by the lake
Funnel Spiders behind our trailer, after a rainstorm
Spiderweb hanging from a tree. Impressive!
Morning and off to a good start!
At the diamond field.
Troughs where we clean out the dirt!
It's a process!
Kimball gets into the act!
It begins with a shovel of dirt.
After it rained, it got very muddy. The boots helped some.....
I liked the solitude of a mud puddle near the river bed better than the troughs for sifting my dirt. But it was a mucky affair--like making mudpies!
Ed helps with the shoveling.
Which bit of dirt holds a diamond? (Only Eddie knows)
The guys liked to take an extra bucket back to camp to finish off the day in the lake.
There's more to life than digging for diamonds. The boys take out the kayaks!
Tarzan vine in the swamp by the diamond mine.
Nature trail at camp. Eddie's on his unicycle.
Resting on the lush, green trail.
"Arki", the turtle we rescued from the road....
....then released him by the lake, where he hurried into the water,
and we watched him swim to the other side.
Early morning mist on the water.t
Eddie's perfect yellow diamond! Sigh.....This is what the trip was all about!
