Day 6 of Trip - Tucson Gem & Mineral Show - J.O.G.S.

Today was a recoup day from shopping yesterday. Clint placed many of the new items up for sale (yahoo!) and I did some cleaning. After a morning of chores, we checked out the J.O.G.S. Show. Nope, I don't know what it stands for, nor do any of the buyers standing in line for the free champagne lunch. Ah, the liquid refreshment at the free meal was good, yet the exquisite lunch of sushi, fancy dishes, etc. pictured on the buyer's ticket miraculously turned into chips, rolls, bologna, carrots, celery and beans. After shopping for hours, we were grateful for the snack and a place to rest. We may have just missed the sushi part.

This largest geode in the world pictured here with a person standing beside it did an excellent job of hiding from me. Well, it exists at the show. I looked and looked for it so I could have a photo here that I took. Yet I never found it. To my embarrassment, Clint informed me that I walked right past it when I registered to enter the show and never realized what was beside us. I recall seeing a rope and security, but no geode. I think it may be possible that it was just TOO big to see.
Here's a photo of the venue we visited today. It's not the largest one out of the 40 here. I scoped out some of the areas and spent a lot of time looking at the Sterling Silver charms and pendants. I did enjoy meeting with people. This venue appeared to be mostly American sellers.... or at least all of them could understand English unlike most of the rock & mineral vendors. This show was primarily finished jewelry.

Personal - We relived our childhood memories by eating at Whataburger and Furr's. Deciding to lose weight - bummer - I said no to banana cream pie and free desserts.

Day 5 - Tucson Gem & Mineral Show (1/30/09)

We've been enjoying the beautiful weather - sunny and warm 70+ - while walking miles and miles to view different vendors at the Tucson Show. Instead of just being one large area, the Tucson Show is spread out among 40 different locations throughout the city. And with all the highway construction and limited parking, we've had PLENTY of opportunities to walk. The shuttle bus won't be operating until tomorrow.

Highlights of the day: I met a vendor who says his bead display will look like a volcano by tomorrow - today it looked like a giant rainbow tortilla. I did see a new stone - Specularite, which is micaeous hematite, that was in a slab cut with one side polished - very pretty. The beautiful museum quality pieces aren't available for viewing yet. And topped off the evening with a visit to the local Wal-Mart.

The photos are of specimens on display at one of the venues. The vendors literally take over the local motels such as Motel 6. They sell out of their hotel rooms and set up tents outside the back door. The larger ones will set up in the courtyards. The expensive guys set up inside the meeting rooms.

Personally - I'm having a very hard time being here Show and to support . I'm torn cause I want to be with my kids to enjoy the Pine Derby, the Art Show and to comfort their sorrows.

Day 4 - Tucson, AZ - Thursday 1/29/09 (5)

I'm trying a new technique of keeping my family updated on our travel adventures. Not that we did any travel today, but we did see some new sites. Mainly because I couldn't locate the local Wal-Mart and cause we did some sneak previews of the wholesale rock show.

Here's a photo of the Beaudry's RV Resort ...minus our RV...that we're staying at for two weeks to attend the annual International Gem & Mineral Show in Tucson. A few of the dealers were finished setting up and allowed us to take a peek at what they had to offer. I like the $5,000 wand the best! It was made of diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones on a very high quality quartz crystal surrounded in 14K gold. I LOVED how it felt.

My next favorite would be the unique one-of-a-kind jewelry presented by the artisan himself. Nice man. His craftsmanship was beautiful and I loved how the metal swirled around beautiful gems. Of course I always enjoy the crystal spheres that are as tall as I am...and fortunately much wider. I need to obtain a small camera to share these special pieces.

Oh....and we finally bought a mattress topper for our bed. It took a year, but I'm looking forward to not sleeping on an air mattress nor on springs. I also purchased a thought-provoking journal to assist with daily writing. I risked today.... hey, it is for me.

Good night.
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PS for me - Record start of Trip: We started our journey Monday 1/26th from Elk Grove, stayed a night behind the gas station at Newberry Springs off of Hwy 66 & I40 with a few other truckers. Tuesday night I enjoyed the Milky Way from BLM property at Quartzsite and toured the left-over dealers and flea markets. Wednesday late we arrived in Tucson. So far, Quartzsite has been my favorite place to sleep. No noise, no lights, no electrical interference. I felt connected to earth and loved the peace. Dry camping definitely has its benefits. I want to take advantage of the heated pool here to appreciate the amenities of a resort.