Gold Digger :D

That's me grinning at my first pan... every pan's a winner!
(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

How's this for a cheap hobby? Hook up with a local prospecting outfitter and ride out with them to a well-known gold producing creek and pan all day and keep what you find! That's what I did over the Labor Day holiday! I learned to improve my panning technique and even picked up some new ideas for coaxing gold out of the creek bed. There are more uses for a turkey baster than the original designer ever imagined! LOL

 

Here's a look at my first pan. Yes, we hit pay dirt on the first try!
(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

The Sunday evening thunderstorms had scared away many would-be Monday morning prospectors. I am glad I do not scare too easily! The gold was practically jumping out of the creek into our pans! 

(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

 Here is what the lead prospector coaxed out of the heavy concentrates after the excursion. One day, I will have my own extraction to get the microgold out for myself. For now, he gladly obliges himself to do it. Amazing what is not readily visible to the naked eye! He uses magnets to draw away the iron compounds and a microscope to see what he's working with. Not a grain gets by... :)

My "naked eye" picks are in the vial. Another panner's finds are in the top of the pan. See the gold chain in the corner of the pan? That is what we want! 

(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

In addition to the gold in my little pill bottle (vial), this is what was recovered from my concentrates. Nice artistic expression he has! LOL

(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

I shared all this on Facebook, and now my friends want to get in on it! There's plenty for everyone, but few will put in the work to get it.. I won't lie, it is work.. you have to find a sweet spot, dig under and around submerged rocks and shake that pan filled with mud and rock to get it down the the workable paydirt... you will get a backache, your legs will hurt from squatting for long periods of time... you will be nursing sore muscles the next day (or two)... and that doesn't cover the snake hazards, bears-deer-mountain lions-bobcats-foxes-coyotes that are meandering through the woods, the sudden downpours from summer thundershowers that leave you wetter than if you had gone swimming, falling in the mud, water filled boots, no phone reception, backpack & contents soaked from rain.....

BUT IT WAS ALL SOOOOOO WORTH IT! I am definitely going to do this again!

Many thanks to Eureka Gold Panning of Greensboro, NC, for an adventure I will remember and repeat!
(Website: http://eurekagoldpan.com/ or LIKE them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EurekaGoldPanning )

My New Job

Okay, forgive me for being behind the times.... what exactly should a person blog about? Mundane details of the day? Maybe political rants (I have seen those!)? Am I writing to myself, or to please the reader? See, that makes a difference as to what I would actually include. Hmmm... let's start from the top:

I am no longer 30-something. I have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up (any day now!). I want to be a planetary geologist. I believe that title has been reconstructed to "astrogeologist," for reasons unknown except now the title is one word instead of two. Longer titles make lower salaries? So, to get to that dream career, I learned I need at least a Masters in Geology. Wow. My Bachelor's degree isn't propelling me toward any great-paying jobs, but I CAN use it to fuel my graduate studies. Darn it! Graduate school costs an arm AND a leg! I also need to take the GRE (general requirements/graduate readiness exam different people refer to it by different names). To top it off, my undergrad did not include some of the core courses required for my new academic path. That's okay. The local universities (plural!) offer those courses, so I am safely enrolled for now. .... except I have a hard time working a 9-5 or 7-7 or 8-5 or whatever rat-race hours are out there. I need to work when I can work, and be off on the days I need to study, or go on a field trip, or visit my grandmother, or travel to visit with far away friends and family.

That's when I found PartyLite! I was a guest at a party back in the spring, with no money to actually buy anything. The consultant gave me a free "tealight" candle with her contact information and asked me to check out her website. We stayed in contact through the summer, and when I quit my second job since the party, I asked her to tell me more about this home party business. No startup costs!! I just needed to have a show at my house (or a friend's house) with $350+ in sales, and sign the paperwork! Okay, I also had to call up my friends to get 6 shows in the first month (or two months). I had 3 for the first month, and two for the second month at first, but then I discovered I can easily meet new people and get leads for new parties either at the parties or while I am out and about! If I have at least one show a week, I get a check every week from PartyLite! I control my hours and my income, and I learned quickly that (e)x EFFORT  = (e)xRESULTS!! So, if I put in only a little effort in seeking new prospects, I get small returns on my effort. Contact 3 people, maybe get one party scheduled. Contact 10 people, maybe get 4. Contact 20 people, maybe get 12!! It's not a perfect relationship, but rewarding! I earn from EVERY party, and my host earns a pile of free stuff, too! It's WIN-WIN for me, because PartyLite sends me MORE FREE PRODUCTS every time I meet a sales challenge! The challenges are ALWAYS attainable! I LOVE IT!

Oh, my!! I guess I enjoy my new job?! Ha Ha.. That's a first!
www.partylite.com/sweepstakes code: X77W9T