Sandi and Romin play in the mud.

Dave mans the pump.

It never got much drier than this.

Participation dropped on day two, with 20+ braving the mud and water in search of fluorite and other treasures.   The heavy equipment operator stopped by in the afternoon and scooped out a few buckets of mud from the pit on his own, sparking some renewed excitement.  It took a late afternoon thunderstorm with hail to deter folks from collecting, at least for a short time.

Hail littered the ground.

Now that would leave a mark!  We all dream of crystals falling from heaven, but this was crazy.  Most folks took shelter in their vehicles and had to listen to these guys slamming into windshields and hoods.

Some continued to collect while others headed to the museum for some snacks, camaraderie, and a museum tour by Ed Clement.  It was exciting to see the large number of recently acquired brand new display cases, a wonderful sign for a wonderful collection.

Tamparocks Saturday find.

By day three all but six had headed for home.  The weather still left much to be desired.

On day four, one couple from Kentucky arrived to collect under glorious spring conditions with sun, warmth, and best of all-no rain--honest.  

Galena and Fluorite, 3 cm x 3 cm.

Galena, 7 cm x 6 cm field of view.

Page 6

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