Carpe Diem - Seize the Day

Didya miss me???  Well, I'm baaaaaaaaack!!!!

Busy, busy! 

Visiting the mine on Saturday was great!  Tiring but great!  Not a lot of walking but a lot of standing still in one place on a very hard surface!  Tough on my body, but I made it!

Mining in the area began as early as 1739, and it is the only natural zinc mine of its type and size in the world.  However, it is cheaper to mine elsewhere than NJ, so it was closed in 1986, bought by a geology enthusiast and historian, and opened as a museum in 1990. 

It also has something nowhere else in the world has - florescent minerals!  Very cool.  There is a room that you stand in it and they turn on low wave UV light and it is the Rainbow Cave.  In my pictures you will see examples of those rocks on display.  The pics wouldn't come out in the Cave itself though.

The mine has even been featured in a Travel Channel show.  Very interesting.  I took a lot of pics in the old dressing room for the miners.  You can see their lockers, clothing, and showers.  Hubby was wayyyy too tall to be aminer, as you can see he is standing in the shower!  I took pictures of lots of fossil specimens they had too.  Even a t-rex head!

I also took pictures inside the mine showing equipment, drills and shafts. 

Inside the Rainbow Cave everyone was able to chose a specimen of rock to keep that had the glowing minerals.  It is very rare to find the blue colored hydrozincite on the freebies.  Well, Pumpkin and my dad both got samples of it!  The mine guide said that if they put them on ebay they would sell for about $30 a piece!  Ours are staying in our rock collections.  My dad bought a handheld UV light for us to show them off!

After the mine and the McD's lunch on the way home, I took a nap, and rested my hip and back.  Hubby took the kids to the pool.  After dinner we rented the movie GhostRider with, Nick Cage, and it was really good!  We all loved it!

Sunday, Fuzzy and Hubby had to go to a Cub Scout ceremony for about an hour.  Fuzzy is a Den chief, and as a Boy Scout representative he has been working with a den of Webelo 1 Cub Scouts.  They had their ceremony and crossed over to Webelo 2's.  All the boys and leaders were excited to have Fuzzy there, and he handed them their awards and patches as they crossed over the bridge!  Afterward, they had a bbq, Hubby and Fuzzy mingled for a little while.  All the boys are looking forward to being Webelo 2's and all want to move up to Boy Scouts, too.

Once they arrived home we all went to the pool for a nice afternoon as a family.  Last night, my dad treated us for a dinner out.  It was a wonderful busy weekend and a great start to the summer vacation for the kids!

Today, we have been having a quiet, resting day at home.  Hubby needed the car to get to a doctor appointment.  He needs to set up having a colonoscopy because of the diverticulosis. 

So, that brings us to today!  Hooray!

be well,
Dawn

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• #21 Comment from sangrialel 
  6/27/07 7:04 PM | Permalink

  thanks for sharing the pics, they are great!  Linda
• #20 Comment from randlprysock 
  6/26/07 11:37 PM | Permalink

  Sounds like lots of fun and happy memories!!!  What a great weekend!!!!!!  Hugs,
  Lisa
• #19 Comment from luddie343 
  6/26/07 10:41 PM | Permalink

  Wow so busy busy busy!  I saw this title and immediately thought of that song, now I can't stop singing it!  "Aint nothin gonna break-a my stride, I'm runnin and I wont slow down, oh no, I got ta keep on movin..."  Stay well friend - CATHY
  http://journals.aol.com/luddie343/DARETOTHINK/
• #18 Comment from rdautumnsage 
  6/26/07 9:45 PM | Permalink

  Sounds like a wonderful expedition! Loved the pictures of the gemstones under the UV light. (Hugs) Indigo
  http://journals.aol.com/rdautumnsage/ravens-lament/
• #17 Comment from lurkynat 
  6/26/07 5:36 PM | Permalink

  dear Dawn,
  glad you had an enjoyable time! cheers
  love,nat