All that glitters has to be, well diamonds right?

I have no milk for my coffee this morning, argh...

Wonderful Memorial Day weekend, just beautiful weather, spending time with family, it doesn't get any better than that, except of course, scratching off a $250 million scratch ticket, that would be a toss up.

We drove up to Herkimer New York by way of Canastota, New York to drop off a hitch hiking uncle and to visit grandma. 10 hours later, we arrive at the KOA to pitch our tent in the dark. First night was spent shivering in the tent with blankets over head. A quick trip to the local downtown Herkimer Walmart Saturday afternoon straightened us right out. Mom also joined us Saturday afternoon, driving over from Mass, bringing gifts of her, now famous outside of our innercircle of family and friends, "Boston" baked beans and chili. No matter who you meet or how long you know them, you mention that you are from Massachusetts and they automatically associate you with Boston. Which is no complaint of mine, love that town.

There were 2 highlights, besides the family time, one of which involved a lazy river and a black inner tube. We were dropped off a couple of miles ahead of our campsite, with the idea that we would float by and everyone could take our picture. There was 4 of us, me, hubby, 2 sophomores in high school. One of which would have a panic attack if we somehow managed to detach from one another. Well it started off nice, the water was a chilling um, 10 below freezing, but the sun was out. It wasn't white knuckle rapids but smooth sailing. All of a sudden we hear a crackle, look over and the top of a tree falls to the ground. Crazy. Continue on, oh look, a beaver house. Great. Aren't they vicious? Don't float to close. Panic boy starts freaking out. The 30 minute lazy river float turned into an hour, where the hell is the campsite, to a hour and a half, where is that freakin bridge we drove over to get here to the 2 hour sun setting panic point, someone get us out of here. Our rescue party came right at that 2 hour mark, I had stopped shivering at that point. Wait, isn't that when hypothermia sets in?

Second highlight was across the street from the campground- The Herkimer Diamond Mines. For a mere $7 you are supplied with the necessary equipment to harvest these jewels. So with our plastic bags and hammers, chisels could be purchased separately for $15-20, we set out for our diamonds. It wasn't a particularly warm day but after 10 minutes of the sun beating down while you kneel on sharp jagged rocks, pounding away at only the most "porous" rocks that the experts suggest into the granules from which they once came, the sweat does indeed start pouring. 5 minutes go by, oh fun, I could do this for hours, 15 minutes go by, damn, where are these freakin diamonds, 30 minutes go by, I have 4 or 5 good size chunks of earth with multiple shimmering indentations. I suggest to hubby that we can take these specimens home, purchase some chisels at Home Depot and extract them. Look over at mom, hammering away, wiping her forward. Sissie had already fallen and cut her leg. Diamond mining is no joke, no wonder they carry such a price tag.

A few more minutes go by and an angel appears out of the haze holding a diamond. "Here ya go." In the palm of her hand was a sparkling wonder, probably about a quarter of a karat. "So that's what we are looking for," I say. "You can have it," she quipped. "I'm Brendaya." She is a 4 year veteran of this very mine, her father was excavating in the adjacent mine, was named after her mother Brenda, they have 2 red/rusty colored horses, one named lady, she plays softball, her sister plays as well, they pitch both fast and slow, she has 3 scars on her forehead, one on her shin, a couple more on her knee, her sister has a good size one above her eye. She then explains to me the secret to finding the diamonds. Sift through the loose gravel and you'll find a ton. Though I didn't find the 2 karat flawless gem I was seeking, I was able to scoop up some nice specs. So it was time to go, at my dismay, and I started planning out another mining excursion around the next day's activities when I overhear a conversation about quartz. Dreams of sugar plums and gumdrops dashed instantly, comparable to the feeling a child experiences when they learn from their first grade comrades that there really isn't a Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy is merely dad putting quarters under your pillow while you sleep, when Dorothy wearily utters, "I don't think that we are in Kansas anymore Toto." The freakin Herkimer diamonds were quartz. Fraud I tell ya, Fraud.