finding cross rocks

We did a little exploring this weekend, right in our own neck of the woods. We camped a few nights in neighboring Little Falls and played tourist. We had donuts at a local bakery, wandered a pretty little park on the Mississippi, and searched for cross rocks, or, Staurolite at Blanchard Dam in Royalton, MN. 

I hadn't even heard of cross rocks before this weekend, but a search for "rock hounding, Little Falls MN" turned up one result...cross rocks. Naturally, we had to check it out. After a short drive and a short hike, we found ourselves at the river's edge at the bottom of the dam. We weren't really sure what we were looking for, or where we should be looking, but once we found our first piece we were off and running. Each of us found at least one cross, and gobs of straight pieces. We had a blast!

This was my best piece:

E had a good selection of her own. Her favorite being the one that looked like a little plane:

I found two heart stones, but this one was my favorite:

We also found this little friend and the kids loved on him for a minute before we set him back in the water.

We cooked our meals on the fire and I read aloud 'Ronia, the Robber's Daughter' to eager listeners who didn't even seem to mind that their tablets and phones were nowhere around. I felt connected in a way that I've been missing lately, with the busy-ness of work and life. Good stuff, all of it.

Have you been exploring lately?

new

A new lathe, on loan to us, that has been keeping my husband's hands busy.  A step up from our small lathe that has opened up new possibilities.  I am very excited about this, and not just because I collect wooden bowls, (though that might be a small factor), and not just because I get to keep all of his "proofs of concept" (though I do enjoy that too).

Last week my friend took me to a lecture on Hinduism, something new to me.

Today I'll be teaching her how to nuno felt, something new to her.

She's bringing some Starbuck's pumpkin spice lattes with her, something new to both of us.

I have some stones bundled up in leaves, inspired by the inimitable India Flint, whose book I treated myself to a few weeks ago and have been ogling ever since.  She's an alchemist, to be sure.

This world is so big and there's so much to learn.

Have you done anything new lately?