ruby, ruby, ruby, ruby

 

ok...so there are no pictures of a ruby here, but we'll get to that story in a minute!

we were in TN this past weekend...felt like the fastest trip of our lives! it was consumed with time with brian's extended family & those who live in the area, as well. the snodgrass (that's right, snodgrass!) family reunion was on saturday night, the main event! it's always great to see many of the family we don't see throughout the year & to listen to stories about those who have passed on, as well as have the opportunity to make memories with the newest & oldest members of the clan.

the above collage highlights some of our time there this weekend. you'll also notice brian panning a bucket of gems at gold city (in nc). we pass this place every trip back to TN. it's somewhere west of asheville. brian's been consumed lately with panning for gold (seriously) & we needed to feed garrett, so this seemed like the perfect place to stop for a bit. we bought a bucket of dirt & started looking @ the rocks. (decided not to the do the gold as it takes a while to pan the entire bucket.) to my astonishment (& i think brian's as well!)...

we came out with several cuttable stones (rubies, emeralds, sapphires, amethyst, topaz, etc.). i have to say, it really was fun to play in the dirt & the water & see the amazing colors that came alive as that red clay washed away. made me wish i had been a bit more attentive in my earth science & geology classes in college. as corny as i thought this little adventure might be, i'm really happy we did it. brian & i both learned some interesting facts about the local area, as well as the geological factors that contribute to the formation of gold & gems. i think gold city might well become a tradition on the white family trips to/from TN! we're having a 4 ct. ruby cut now...can't wait to see how our little find turns out!