Gem Show

Whelp, despite my best efforts to get out of it, today was that gem and mineral show down in Jackson.  Grumbling and grousing the whole time, I got out of bed this morning and headed South.  Once I was there, I had a good time.  It's just getting myself going that's the trouble. 

The only thing is, I've got to figure out what is wrong with my car sound system.  It was snapping and staticky last fall, so I turned it off.  I don't know what I did to it, but now it won't even turn on.  I hit the button, and the on screen flashes for a moment, then it turns right back off.  Thank goodness for radio garden on my phone, or I'd have had to make that whole trip in silence. 

So I made it to Cody and Brennan's house, picked them up, and off to the gem show we went.  They had a guy there directing people paying the entry fee in cash to one side, and those using cards to the other.  Cody said, "What if you bought your tickets online?"  He told us to go see this one woman, who blessed us enthusiastically for pre-paying, then tried to give Brennan a discount for being under 16 years old.  "I'm 23!" she said.  

"You have good genes," the lady replied.  And with that, we were inside, and Brennan was in hog heaven. 

I was more interested in the fossils and stuff, including dinosaur fossils that were found here in Mississippi. 

These were found up near Booneville, which is north of Tupelo. 

It didn't say where this one was found, just that this animal roamed through what is now Mississippi.

This is just a bunch of different kinds of petrified wood. 

These were some more fossilized bones.  The mastodon jaw is actually behind the bison skull, because the man behind the table was showing it to someone.  

Here are some more jaws with teeth. 

And more fossils.

And even more fossils. 

It wasn't all fossils, though.  There were plenty of vendors selling stones and gems like these. 

Other vendors were selling stuff they'd made with the stones.  Carvings, jewelry, et.  

There were plenty of geodes for sale as well. 

There was even a table where you could buy a geode, and they'd break it open for you right there.  That was pretty cool, but that line was very long, so we passed it on by. 

Me, I didn't buy anything, but here is Brennan's loot.  

A giant geode, pens filled with stone fragments, and a couple of pendants made to look like keys. 

After leaving the show, we ran back to Cody and Brennan's house to drop off her stuff and grab their fishing gear.  Alas, we never made it to the Ross Barnett Reservoir -- known locally as The Rez-- to fish.  We were going to grab a bite of lunch first at a place right on the Rez called Shaggy's, but when they told us it would be an hour wait just to get a table, we left and went to a Mexican place instead.  

Then we went shopping.  I found a Michael's, but didn't find that Red Heart yarn I was looking for.  I don't know if you remember, but they came out a while back with self patterning yarn to make granny squares with. As soon as I saw it, my first thought was "I wonder how it would look knit up into a hat."  While I was there, I looked for some regular googly eyes for my Emotional Support Chicken, but they didn't have those, either.  

After that, we went to Bass Pro Shops and a couple of other places, but by that time, we decided we didn't want to have to rush to fish.  Cody and Brennan said they were going to go later, but by that time, I was ready to come home and still had that 100 mile drive to make.  Which went off without a hitch, and I'm sure my little car breathed a sigh of relief when I got back behind the wheel after being driven through Jackson by Cody all day.  

He drives a lot harder than I do.

Anyway, that was my Saturday, and though it was great to spend the day with Cody and Brennan, I'm tired now and ready go to to bed.

Good night.