New Day

Whatta day.

Soon the medications will kick in and I'll be feeling mellow again.

The day was spent with my Grandson (age 8) and I (he and his older sister spending the night last night), gathering up all the accouterments of a traveling junk buyer, loading them all into the truck and setting out.

First stop Monroe, GA.

Now if any of you have or have had an 8 year old boy along with you for a ride, you'll have likely have noticed 2 things............their mouth is either yapping a mile a minute.....or they're asleep because the whine of the tires on the asphalt is like a sleeping pill on them. You just have to get them to stop talking long enough.

We talked of ships and shoes and sealing wax........and the latest bloody violent X-box game he has played. While we were in the shop in Monroe, he wanted me to buy no less than 6 different games and 4 DVD's that I wouldn't watch. (If it looked like there was war or destruction on the cover, he wanted it.)

Then it was off to Gainesville, GA. There to wait for over an hour while the owner picked out stones that mostly weren't worth much. I waited until he had finished and then told him that next time I'd be glad to separate and return to him within 3 or 4 weeks, the next time I paid him a visit. After weighing it out and paying him, I asked to see a ring he'd shown me on 2 previous visits.

An 18kt antique ring set with an approximately 1 carat Rose Cut diamond. (follow the link and scroll down.

The supposed history of this ring (if true) is quite interesting.

About 20 years ago near Dahlonega, Ga. the current (now former) owner was using a backhoe to dig the trench for a septic tank. Noticing a golden sparkle (Dahlonega was the site of the first major US gold rush back in the early 1800's and for a while the home of the Dahlonega Mint who's coins are today some of the most valuable around) he got off the backhoe to investigate and found a group of old Dahlonega gold coins and this ring. 18 kt gold with the stone of course on top. Still in good shape (perhaps as much as 150 years old, the color of the gold is spectacular. The stone has a slight bluish color and looks very clear but there is some dirt or grease behind the stone and it's hard to tell since the back is enclosed. Was it hidden from the blue bellies during the war between the states or just stored away in case of burglars or muglars and forgotten through misfortune or misadventure? If only it could talk.

Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to meet with an expert in antique jewelry and get his opinion of worth. He'll likely own it if he wants it enough. I have another antique platinum ring with old mine cut stones I'm sure he will buy.. If not, well then I've got a couple of conversation pieces that will turn quite a few eyes.

After that little stop we found a McDonalds and partook of some of their chicken nuggets, while we motored on over to Toccoa. A friend there runs a small jewelery store and has an attractive assistant (female for those of you who might question which way I swing). We bought some more scrap metal and picked up a few repairs for a friend of my daughter.

Then back home.......listening to an excited little boy tell me all about war and soldiers all the way.

He's been wide open every since we got back about 4:30. I wish I could bottle some of that energy and put it into pill form so I could take one every day. Might have to cut it with Valium so I wouldn't bounce off the walls too much.

And soon to bed......strapped onto the CPAP machine whose soft whine will gently ease me into the arms of Morpheus.

To sleep..........perchance to dream.......