The words of the song that I quoted yesterday about wanting Jesus more than silver or gold became a cause for me to laugh at myself today. For part of the morning I have to admit that I really really wanted gold. Not more than Jesus, of course, but if there was a piece of gold of any size in that pan I was going to find it!'

As you can see Megan has joined us here for a few days, and she and I drove out to the Reed Gold Mine, where gold was first discovered in the United States. An underground tour and a look at the exhibits greatly increased our knowledge of gold mining. The mine along with its visitor center was a much smaller tourist destination than I expected it to be based on the reading I had done, but it was great to be outside in a rural spot about 20 miles east of Charlotte.

One part of the park had a place to do some panning. It was a bit of an artificial set-up, but there was actual gold to be found. The opportunity to play in the water with a bowl of rocks was the best part of the day. One of us found gold. It wasn't me. How big? Just about the right size to cover the period at the end of this sentence. I got a rock.

There is one more day of class for Rev. tomorrow. How quickly a routine sets in -- we stop here on the way to RTS each morning. I understand that a certain amount of caffeination is required for a full day of Puritan theology.

And with Megan along we were able to get a photo together by RTS before class started. Please notice -- no umbrellas!