They had a great time catching and releasing toads and all manner of insects, even getting stung by a bee.
When the week was over, Mom and Pop Pop came for the family reunion.I'm told we had over 90 people there! Wow! Six of the eight kids were there and had this picture taken.
It was a beautiful day and it was great talking to friends and relatives again. And the food was wonderful. 
After the reunion we had a gathering and weiner roast at the house. Great time to catch up and talk to people before they went their separate ways.
On Monday, Glenn, Tony, Josh and I took off for Murfreesboro, Arkansas, to hunt for diamonds. On the way, we stopped at Hillbilly Hot Dogs in Lesage, WV. The boys and I were there last year and wanted to share the experience with Pop Pop.
Crossing into Kentucky
After 7 1/2 hours driving, we stopped in Bowling Green, KY, for the night. Very nice hotel with an indoor pool.
Next day off to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Another 7 1/2 hour drive. The boys watched "Shorts" on DVD in the back seat. They watched it over and over and over. When they had it almost memorized, they changed the language to Spanish, with closed-captioning in French. We were trying to figure out what they were saying in the back seat--some Spanish, some French, along with a little English.
After 7 1/2 hours driving, we stopped in Bowling Green, KY, for the night. Very nice hotel with an indoor pool.Next day off to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Another 7 1/2 hour drive. The boys watched "Shorts" on DVD in the back seat. They watched it over and over and over. When they had it almost memorized, they changed the language to Spanish, with closed-captioning in French. We were trying to figure out what they were saying in the back seat--some Spanish, some French, along with a little English. Crossing into Tennessee
Crossing into Arkansas
As we crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas, we saw fields of something growing in what looked like water. Turned out to be rice. Who would have thought that Arkansas was a big producer of rice??
Finally, we made it to the Crater of Diamonds State Park!! 
After paying our admission fee and renting tools, off we went to the diamond field. It was hot--97 degrees with a heat index of 110 on the field. I slathered the boys with sunscreen and they played in the dirt for a little while. We took a bucket of dirt up t0 the sluicing table and as they were splashing in the muddy water, I tried to sift the dirt. All the while, they wanted to go to the water park that we had to walk past to get into the diamond field, claiming it was "so hot, and the water would feel so good, Grammy." After driving two days to get there, we finally gave in and went to the water park, intending to return to the diamond field after we'd cooled down (didn't happen--just too hot). The water park was nice, but the deepest water was only three feet. Just deep enough to sit and cool off a bit. The boys loved the slides and were continuously going down, running back up and going down again. Luckily they kept the sunscreen on and didn't get burned. Glenn wasn't so lucky. Thinking he didn't need any sunscreen, he got a really bad burn.
Crossing into ArkansasAs we crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas, we saw fields of something growing in what looked like water. Turned out to be rice. Who would have thought that Arkansas was a big producer of rice??Finally, we made it to the Crater of Diamonds State Park!! After paying our admission fee and renting tools, off we went to the diamond field. It was hot--97 degrees with a heat index of 110 on the field. I slathered the boys with sunscreen and they played in the dirt for a little while. We took a bucket of dirt up t0 the sluicing table and as they were splashing in the muddy water, I tried to sift the dirt. All the while, they wanted to go to the water park that we had to walk past to get into the diamond field, claiming it was "so hot, and the water would feel so good, Grammy." After driving two days to get there, we finally gave in and went to the water park, intending to return to the diamond field after we'd cooled down (didn't happen--just too hot). The water park was nice, but the deepest water was only three feet. Just deep enough to sit and cool off a bit. The boys loved the slides and were continuously going down, running back up and going down again. Luckily they kept the sunscreen on and didn't get burned. Glenn wasn't so lucky. Thinking he didn't need any sunscreen, he got a really bad burn.
After another evening at the pool, we packed up for the return trip home. On the way, we stopped at Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue in Memphis, TN. Glenn had eaten there when he was in the area with FEMA years ago. The best BBQ I have ever tasted. They do have mail order with two-day FedEx delivery. Soon, Jim Neely, very soon. Another overnight stop in Bowling Green, then a night in WV and on home to Maryland.
It was a wonderful trip and great to spend time with Tony, Josh and Glenn. Now I need to rest up (and save up) for vacation next year with the boys.
