(Editor’s Note: Sue Potts is our guest columnist this month, specially asked by Carlton Hughes.)
While on vacation in the Smoky Mountains, when my daughter was young, we stopped at a gem mine. We bought our bag of dirt and took it and a sifting screen to the trough of water. The dirt washed away from the sifter, leaving behind gems and small colored stones. My little girl was delighted with each sparkle in her sifter. We collected out gems wiped them off and put them in a pouch to carry them home. We didn’t find anything valuable, but it was a fun experience.