think we still have one of KJ's old trucks to do this with....

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas is Literally Covered in Diamonds

Arkansas The Natural State is BLESSED with an abundance of geological wonders. Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond-producing SITE in the world open to the public, stands out as a unique geological "gem" for you to explore and enjoy.

Here you can experience a one-of-a-kind adventure hunting for real diamonds. You'll SEARCH over a 37 1/2-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic crater that 100 million years ago brought to the surface the diamonds and some of the semi-precious stones lucky visitors find here today.

Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The three colors unearthed here are white, brown and yellow, in that order. Crater of Diamonds State Park is a rock hound's delight since, along with diamonds, more than 40 types of rocks and minerals can FOUND here, too. These rocks and minerals include lamproite, amethyst, banded agate, jasper, peridot, garnet, quartz, calcite, barite, and hematite.

In 1906, John Huddleston, the local farmer who owned this property then, found the first diamonds near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and started the diamond mining rush. According to the HISTORY of Crater of Diamonds State Park, after a series of ill-fated diamond mining ventures, followed by tourist attractions, the diamond mine SITE became an Arkansas state park in 1972.

Many remnants of old mining ventures remain within the park boundary, including the Mine Shaft Building, the Guard House, mining plant foundations, old mining equipment and smaller artifacts. Nowhere else is North American diamond mining history as evident or as well preserved as here.

Along with the diamond search area, the park has hundreds of acres of natural forest featuring a diversity of flora and fauna and offering visitors interesting things to do. Arkansas's natural and cultural diversity evident here in the park's geology, history, plants and animals makes Crater of Diamonds State Park a unique Arkansas attraction. It is a one-of-a-kind experience in the world. You are invited to experience this unique attraction and enjoy the thrill of digging for diamonds in the rough. The park staff will identify your finds for you. And unlike other diamond-bearing sites, our park policy is "finders, keepers." Any diamonds, semi-precious stones, rocks, or minerals you unearth are YOURS to keep, regardless of their value.

To locate more attractions near Crater of Diamonds State Park, visit the Attractions, Lodging and Dining page on the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism website, Arkansas.com.

what is it with bricks and books? and why haven't I dug those old bricks out of the construction pile yet????

toy keepsake frame.

Sloss Furnace

Week day tours are for groups of 15 people or more. Docent led tours begin with a 10 minute video that gives visitors information on the history of Sloss and Birmingham. Then take a tour to the furnace, the underground railroad tunnel, and the blowing engine building. This is an unbelievable experience. See enormous machinery and equipment that was used at Sloss Furnaces until 1971. Hear about what it was like to work at a blast furnace. DURATION 60 MINUTES $ 4 PER PERSON for groups 15 people or more only- for groups less than 15, the price is $5/person TUESDAY > FRIDAY WE CAN BOOK TOURS TUESDAY-FRIDAY ANY TIME FROM 10AM TO 2:30PM

How To Make Icebox Pickles

How To Make Icebox Pickles

These are so refreshing and healthy!

6 cups sliced, unpeeled cucumbers

1 cup sliced red onion

1 cup sliced green bell pepper

1 Tablespoon celery seed

1 Tablespoon salt

2 cups white sugar

1 cup white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or crock. Cover with water and refrigerate. You can eat them immediately, but I will tell you that the pickles are much, much tastier if you let them sit in the refrigerator for a few weeks. They will keep up to 3 months in the fridge

these steps......

Bobby Mackey's Music World

Wilder, Kentucky

ADDRESS: 44 Licking Pike Wilder, Kentucky 41071 LOCATION: The Wilder city area is right across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. Bobby Mackey's Music World is located on a main artery road which is an exit off of the 275/77. Turn left and go north on Licking Pike, which runs parallel to the Licking River. This road goes by a golf course, by the turn off for downtown Wilder, by the left side of Wilder proper, by the suburbs and finally ends in Newport. When you are nearly to the outskirts of Newport, but still in Wilder, one can see the rather funky, long rectangular wooden structure on the left side of the road, which is the home of Bobby Mackey's Music World, a tavern and night club, with a rather violent past.

According to urban legends and modern folklore, the location allegedly houses a "gateway to hell" and is haunted by spirits including Pearl Bryan, whose corpse was found in a field 2.5 miles from the site in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Unsubstantiated stories include Bryan's murderers being Satanists who, according to local talk, cursed the location and vowed to haunt everyone involved in prosecuting the case.[4] Also according to urban legend, sometime in the 1930s a pregnant dancer named "Johanna" committed suicide with poison backstage on the catwalk at the Latin Quarter club, which then operated inside the building currently housing Bobby Mackey's. Rumor has it that this deed was carried out after her father murdered her lover Robert Randall, a singer at the club, by hanging him in the dressing room, though investigations have failed to find police reports of this event ever having taken place. Furthermore, scholarly research into property records, newspapers, and court files has failed to substantiate most of the fanciful claims made regarding the sanguine history of the location, and no connection between the site of Bobby Mackey's and the Pearl Bryan murder has ever been established. Most who have studied the Bryan slaying have concluded any claims to either Bryan's death or dismemberment at the Wilder, Kentucky structure are unsupported by a foundation of hard fact, and place these popular accounts into the realm of the tall tale.

A

ccording to Bobby Mackey, the site was originally used as a slaughterhouse in the early 19th century and later torn down for construction of a roadhouse that took on various names, such as The Brisbane, until he purchased it in 1978.

On television: On December 13, 1991 Jerry Springer interviewed Bobby Mackey, his wife Janet, his employee and the building's caretaker Carl Lawson, and Reverend Glenn Cole about their experiences.[5] Lawson and Cole claim that Lawson had been possessed and later exorcized by Cole for six hours on the site which took place on August 8, 1991. Lawson's videotaped exorcism performed by Cole was aired on the talk show.[5] On October 30, 1992, on his show, Geraldo Rivera interviewed Mackey, his wife, Lawson, and Cole, along with Hell's Gate author Douglas Hensley and others.[6] The music nightclub has been featured on the following paranormal television programs: A 1995 UPN special, Real Ghosts aka Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories, features recreations of the paranormal activity and interviews with the Mackeys and others who have reported paranormal phenomena. A 1997 episode (#39) of The Unexplained on A&E Network A 2006 episode of the National Geographic Channel's documentary series Is It Real? features the reportedly haunted location.[7] The 2006 episode "Gateway to Hell" of the Discovery Channel's docudrama series A Haunting features interviews with and re-enactments of the reported experiences of Bobby and Janet Mackey and Carl Lawson.[8][9] In 2008 there was a two part live interactive broadcast on livescifi.tv which claimed to show EVP and malevolent spirit activity. The 2008 premiere episode of the Travel Channel's ghost-hunting series Ghost Adventures featured interviews with former caretaker Carl Lawson, author Douglas Hensley, and some customers and staff of the club, as well as the Ghost Adventures crew.[10] The network later released a 3-part web series called Return to Bobby Mackey's.[11][12] Bobby Mackey's Music World was featured again on the program in late 2010 with the Ghost Adventures crew claiming to have made contact with the spirit of one of the suspected killers. The Ghost Adventures crew then returned in 2012 during an investigation in Cincinnati to pay their respects to the late Carl Lawson, who had died a month prior to filming. A memorial can be found inside the main entrance to the former caretaker. On November 16, 2011, the SyFy program Ghost Hunters broadcast footage of an investigation conducted by TAPS at Bobby Mackey's. Early on in the segment, on-air comments were made by a senior researcher that people have "gotten many things wrong" in their accounts of the history of the site. The 2011 TAPS investigation failed to prove the presence of the preternatural at the nightclub.

Oak Alley Plantation Amazing photo taken on Good Friday by Jeff Reese. We are so fortunate to have such talented visitors who are so willing to share their art!

someday I'll get back to Louisiana.....and I'll take my own pictures!

if I ever go Bigfootin'......going to do this! but mine won't be nearly as artistic.....

so i had this awesome idea for my adventures out squatchin ... i put my dirt and rocks from the film site in here and labeled it the only way i know how ... to squatch it the hell out !!! im gonna paint my sierras 2015 just to make it official that your ol pal Wes will be there !! — looking for Bigfoot with Rowdy Kelley and 6 others.

build a firepit