Weekend Wanderings

It's been an awfully long time since I set out on a photo road trip. Yesterday afternoon, I packed up the camera, grabbed daughter, and off we went.

The plan:  Painted Hills, and on the way try to find a Thunder Egg mine I'd heard about. They are supposed to have the best anywhere, not sure I believed that, but whatever. I've never found my own Thunder Egg before, I thought that would be totally cool.  Awesome even.

After climbing a gianormus mountain with washed out roads of suck (I love my truck!) we finally found it. A little shack at the top of the world.  A little old man came out to greet us and tell us... they were closed.  He invited us inside and we hung out for a few with the cutest little old mining couple ever.  They explained that they had just had to run everyone off the mine due to the lightening that started right before we got there, which of course turned into a major downpour, and that we were so high up, it was just too dangerous.

Top of the world indeed.

Since we'd come all that way, the good ol' boy decided to pull out all the displays they had just packed up and brought in, and share his treasures with us. 

OMG.  Coolest thing EVER!

He showed us all kinds of Thunder Eggs, the likes of which I have never seen.

And pointed out some that were dug up that day, weighing... 20lbs!  20 friggin' pounds!!!!

As if that wasn't cool enough, there is apparently a Picture Jasper mine as well!  AweS0000ME (<---sings that part)

I have never seen such awesome Picture Jasper in my life.  The pictures on them were so clear to see, it looked like someone surely had to have painted them on! 

Some of the ones he showed us were unbelievable.  He even had one he called... King Arthur.  I'll be dipped if it didn't look like it had rolling hills, and a man on a horse, wearing a cloak, and a crown!

Awesome.

We are sooooo going back there!

After all that awesomeness, we headed back down the mountain, got lost trying to take the short cut they told us about, and made our way to the Painted Hills.

The Painted Hills, although vera cool, paled in comparison to the last time I was there, so I didn't get any photos.  I've only been out there after a rain, which seems to make all the difference.  Must remember that.

No photos whatsoever, but... that matters not.  It 'twas a vera fine day. 

Vera fine indeed.

Daughter's Latest Jewelry Piece

Burgundy/Red & White Fresh water pearls.

Beautimus.

Now I wish to go make something too. I think I shall.

Go daughter go.

As Mom Reads, Daughter Beads

As I sit here finishing my book, daughter has been vera busy.  Just beading away. 

Mah girl. 

Now I'm off to read the next bit of awesome.  Been a vera nice day so far.  Gotta love it. :)

Daughter learns wire

The little shit doesn't even like wire wrap jewelry.  I taught her last night the very basic steps of the loop wrap thingy.  No idea what that's called.  Loop wrap thingy... total technical term.

I woke up this morning to this, layed on the coffee table.

It's a Kambaba stone with a black Labradorite drop.  It pretty much friggin' rocks.  I can not make that triple wire loopy thingy to save my life.  My OCD has not allowed for success at this point.

I need to take a pic of her moonstone chip beaded necklace too, with the picture Pattern Jasper, hematite, garnet pendant.  It rocks too.

Daughter makes cool stuff.  Mama loves it.

Mama... shall master this, this day! One day in... daughter schooled me.

I made jewelrys

Mah vera first jewelrys.  Ai made 'em.

They are small-ish pendants. :D  Labradorite and a Moonstone one too, with little labradorite dangly thingies.  The swirly one isn't really a pendant, iz just practicing swirly thingies.  Swirly thingies are hard to make round, and... swirly.  

Mah jewelrys. \o/

I have no clue what I'm doing... but I'm having fun with it.  And that's all that really matters.

W00T!