Christian and Ana have known each other all their lives. They grew up together, if you saw one you saw the other. They were like two peas in a pod. Always getting into trouble with each other over bets yes bets. Everyone knew they were meant to be together. Let's read and see what happens. Totally OOC. No cheating ever. Just some fun watching them grow from children to adults.
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"Alright I have my pictures now. Let's go and see the Fossil and Gem Mine Captain Nick." She tells all of them.
"Yes ma'am. Let me tell you all a little about it. It is a seventy foot wooden rail that is called a mining trough. You get a sifter, a bucket and a trowel and you take your gem bucket to a designated sluice where you can sift through the dirt and rocks to find semi-precious gems. The sluice carefully washes away the dirt so you can see what you have found. Now don't forget you have a bucket for fossils as well. Everyone just has a lot of fun. Whether you get anything or not." He tells all of them.
"What kind of gems have people found there in the mine? Luke asked him.
"Luke, right?" He asked him.
"Yes sir." He replies.
" There are all kinds of gems in the mine. I am not going to give away what they are because you might not find them and then be disappointed."
Luke looks disappointed.
"Oh cheer up big guy this will be fun." Annie tells him.
"That sounds like fun. I can't wait to get my hands dirty and hope I find some beautiful gems." Gail says smiling.
"I agree with you Gail. Let's go and get our hands ooey gooey and have fun." She tells her laughing.
"We will be back at the docks in a few minutes." Captain Nick tells them.
"Christian and Annie we have a sunset tour if you two would like to go on it. You can see more wildlife and beautiful sunsets and maybe some more alligators. It is just a suggestion." He tells them.
"Let us think about it and we will let you know before we go and eat." He tells him.
"Sounds good." He tells them speeding the airboat up again.
They arrive back at the docks and everyone gets out and stretches their legs. Captain Nick leads them down the walkway to the Mine.
"Now over here is where you all will get your gem buckets and fossil buckets. Don't worry they are marked so you know one from the other." He tells them.
"Janice, how are you today?" He asked the young lady behind the counter.
"Captain Nick I am doing wonderful sir and you?" She replies.
"Couldn't be better thank you. Now I have some very important VIPs here and I want them to have the VIP buckets for the gems and the fossils." He tells her.
"Yes sir. I will make sure they are very well taken care of." She tells him.
"Thank you Janice and I will leave you to it." He tells her.
She hands out the buckets marked gems and fossils.
"Thank you ma'am." Annie says.
"Yes ma'am and good luck." She tells her.
"Good luck everyone and have fun. That is the name of the hunt." She tells all of them.
"Jason, are you going to be on duty after you all leave here?" He asked him.
"No, after we leave here and go back to our rooms we say goodnight unless they need us." He told him.
"Well I was wondering if you and Gail would like to have a little get together with me and my wife later." He asked him.
"Let me run it by Christian and Annie and I will let you know. I don't think it would be a problem. I have guys at the house that will take over after we all get back."
"Sounds good Jason. It's just been a really long time and I miss my friend, my brother." He tells him.
"Yes Nick I know and I have missed you as well." Jason tells him.
"Alright are you going to mine or just keep watch?" He asked Jason.
"Oh you get out of my way I am going to have some fun too." Jason tells him laughing.
They walk back over and see everyone standing at the troughs playing in the water and dirt.
"Gail, this is so much fun. Have you found anything good yet?" Annie asked her.
"No but it's not from trying and I still have more than half a bucket of dirt left. I'm determined to find some gems." She tells Annie.
"You and me both." Annie replies.
You can hear someone squeal down the line.
"Y'all okay down there ladies?" Annie asked them.
"Yes, yes it's..I think I found a ruby." Dottie tells her.
"Oh my lord really?" Annie asked her running down there.
"Captain Nick come quickly." Annie says all excited.
Him and Jason run over there.
"What in the world is wrong Annie Rose?" Jason asked her, catching his breath.
"Damn Jason you didn't have to run." She tells him rubbing his back.
"Well you sounded like you needed Nick pretty quickly and we were talking."He tells her.
"Oh okay anyway Dottie thinks she uncovered a ruby. Nick, will you look at it please?" She asked him.
"Sure where is she at?" He asked her looking around.
"She is at this sluice." She points to the one beside her.
"Young lady let me take a gander at that gem." He tells her.
She hands him the gem and he looks at it very closely and knows she has a ruby.
"Yes young lady you have uncovered a ruby and a nice one too. It would make a beautiful ring or even a necklace." He tells her.
"Congratulations sweetie. I am so happy for you." Annie tells her, hugging her.
"I get to keep this Captain Nick?" She asked him.
"Yes, whatever you all find it is yours to keep." He tells everyone.
"Annie Rose, Annie come here and bring Nick with you." Gail yells down the line.
"Come on Nick let's go see what Gail discovered. Jason, come on." She tells them.
They all laugh and hightail it up to Gail.
"Gail what on earth have you found?" Annie asked her, walking up to her and looking in her hand. She gasps.
"Well Ms. Gail, may I see what all the fuss is about dear." He asked her holding his hand out for whatever she found.
"Ms. Gail, do you know what you have unearthed here?" He asked her, looking at the rare gem that not a lot of folks find as quick as she did.
"I believe it is an amethyst Nick or a very pretty purple shiny rock." She looks at the gem and then back at him. "Am I right?" She asked him again.
"Yes ma'am you are right it's an amethyst and this color purple exhibits an intense uniform purple color with red flashes in don't have a lot of people finding them. They are rare. Congratulations now Jason can have you a beautiful ring made from the gem and maybe have a necklace made out of it too." He tells her smiling and looking at his friend.
"Oh my Gail it is gorgeous and look how it shines. You are so lucky." Annie tells her, hugging her tight and both of them looking with the light that Nick was carrying.
"Well my sweet girl it is your turn now to..what did Nick call it..oh yes unearth one or two." She tells her hugging her again.
"Christian have you found anything worth hollering about?" Nick asks him.
"Not yet sir but I am not giving up. That word is not in my vocabulary." He tells him as he is sifting through the dirt and water.
"Come on Annie, find something beautiful." Gail tells her, leading her over to her sluice where her buckets are sitting.
"Okay, okay give me a minute." Annie laughs as she is walking up to her sluice.
Christian walks over to her and kisses her temple.
"Come on baby girl my Rose, find yourself a beautiful gem and we will have it made into whatever you want." He tells her as he kisses her on her lips.
"Okay my Boo give me a minute to set up." She tells him.
She takes her bucket and pours some of the dirt out in the sluice and sifts it the sifter. One time, two times and a third time. Nothing so far.
"Come on my Little Annie Rose, try it again. A little slower this time and try with less dirt." He tells her.
She looks up at him and over to Gail who is smiling at her.
"You can do it, I have faith in you. You always accomplish whatever you set yourself to doing." She tells her encouragingly.
"There are gems in that there sluice Annie Rose. Sluice for them." Ryan says as he walks over to her laughing.
"You are not a funny man. Haha." She tells him.
"Alright y'all leave me alone. Go and sluice your own." She tells them.
Christian stays by her side, not leaving her.
She pours a small amount of dirt in the sluice and uses her trowel and sifter. She sifts some and then some more. Still nothing.
"Annie Rose, look what is that?" Christian asked her, pointing to the shiny piece that doesn't have dirt on it.
"What, what Boo, what did you see?" She asked him, looking down at her dirt and water.
"Annie wash that dirt again and look really carefully at it." He tells her.
She looks at him like he is crazy but does as he says. As she is washing hers really well cause it has so much caked on dirt and it looks like just a rock to her. They hear another scream down the line.
"Who got something this time?" Annie yells out.
"Mary got a ruby and Justin uncovered a ruby and amethyst." Josh tells them.
"Way to go y'all happy for you both." She said as she went back to cleaning hers up.
"Oh damn now I have to find something, anything I don't care even if it is a tiny gem. Just something." She says, sounding defeated but she is determined to find something.
Christian knows there is something there if she would just continue washing and sifting and washing as he tells her to do.
She is looking down and sees the edge of something and washes it away with her hands. She continues to wash the rock harder until she starts to see something blue coming through the dirt.
"Oh my god Christian look tell me I am not dreaming and this is what I think it is?" She pulls him closer to her and they look at the gem together.
"I believe it is but I want Nick to clarify it for you? It is a big piece." He tells her.
"Captain Nick please come over here and tell me what I have unearthed. It could be one of two things: the light is not quiet that good right here sir." She tells him.
He walks over to her and Christian and takes the gem and looks at it with the light he is carrying.
"Oh my goodness this is a first for this gem. Do you have any idea what you have here young lady?" He asked her looking at her and holding the gem up to the light so she could see it better.
"Is it a sapphire? Or is it a blue topaz?" She asked him.
"Annie look at it up close. Do you know your gems? If you do, you will see the difference between the sapphire and the blue topaz." He tells her.
"Yes, I know most gems well: the sapphires, the emeralds and the diamonds. The sapphires are known for their rich dark blue color. The blue topaz is blue to deep-blue-green with sky blue color." She tells him letting that sink in.
He waits for her to answer.
"Oh my god Christian I have a sapphire. I have a sapphire. She gets louder and louder. Oh lordy Gail I have a sapphire." She tells all of them jumping up and down.
You would think just because she is a billionaire that she wouldn't be this excited over a sapphire but she is and it's because she found it. It wasn't bought and given to her like so many other jewels are. She is proud of herself. This is something she did on her own and it shows from her excitement to her smiling face that is glowing from her accomplishment.
"Yes young lady you surely do. There is enough there for you to have a whole set and then some. A bracelet, necklace, ring and maybe earrings. You have unearthed the largest gem I have ever seen come out of here." He said, smiling at her. He was very happy for her.
"Oh wow Christian I know you know someone who can do all that right?" She asked him, looking up at him.
"Yes love I do. I will call him before we leave here and make an appointment for us to see him after we get back home." He tells her looking at the gem in her hand.
"That will work because I am going to use some of this beautiful sapphire for gifts to our family." She says looking at the sapphire like it is the Hope Diamond.
'Well damn she is not thinking about herself she never does. She always thinks of to himself damn that is half the size of her hand. She can have all kinds of jewelry designs made out of that sapphire.'
"Christian did you find anything to show us?" Nick asked him.
"Just a ruby and an amethyst. Oh I found a sharktooth and a fossilized piece of amber and it has a plant in it. Never saw that before." He tells him as he is holding it up for him to see.
"Yes I see that and it's a very nice piece of fossilized amber. They have frogs, insects, flowers and some customers have found feathers in the amber." He tells them.
"Do you all know what fossilized amber is?" He asked the ones that were around them.
"Yes sir." They say.
"Nick, would you tell us how it is formed please?" Gail asked him.
"Of course I'll be happy to explain." He tells her.
"Amber fossils are the remains of plants and animals preserved in a hardened tree resin that has fossilized. Amber is a valuable tool for paleontologists to study the ancient past because it preserves organisms in stunning detail."
"Amber, fossil tree resin that has achieved a stable state through loss of volatile constituents and chemical change after burial in the ground."
"Amber has been found throughout the world but the largest and most significant deposits occur along the shores of the Baltic Sea in sands that are forty million to sixty million years old."
"Good lord that is..my goodness that is a really long time." Annie tells them.
"Yes, that is true Annie. Nearly all of these fossil bearing deposits are about one hundred twenty five million years old or younger with one known exception: a two hundred and thirty million year-old-amber deposit in the Italian Alps that preserves a species of and two species of mite."
"Resin production"
"Amber fossils are formed when a tree is injured and it oozes a thick sticky resin to protect itself from disease and insects."
"Entrapment"
"Now if an organism falls into the resin it becomes trapped in a biologically inert environment."
"Hardening"
"The resin hardens and becomes amber through a process called polymerization. This process takes more than forty thousand years.
"Preservation"
"The organism is preserved as it is with only slight alterations."
"There are many different types of organisms as I said earlier that are found in the amber. Like flowers, plants, animals, insects and feathers."
"Amber has been valued for its beauty since Neolithic times and has been used as gemstones and in jewelry. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed amber had healing and magical properties."
"Wow that is very interesting Nick thank you." Christian says.
"You are quite welcome. Sorry I tend to get carried away when I talk about it." He tells them.
"Oh please don't worry, we all enjoyed hearing about it and you were so excited as you were telling us. Do you have any brochures about the fossils? I would love to read more about them." Annie asked him.
"Yes my dear we certainly do. I will have Rhonda give you some before you all leave later." He tells Annie.
"Thank you sir." She says.
"Is everyone finished with their buckets? There is no rush. I just thought you all might be done and we can mosey on over to the Butterfly Garden and then onto the Native American Village." He tells them as he is looking around.
"A few more minutes and I will be done." One of the ladies says.
"Hang on a second I am finishing mine up now. I'm working on my fossil bucket." One of the guys says.
"As I said, no rush, take your time." He tells them.
"Christian and Annie would it be alright after we all get back to our rooms if Gail and I take our leave and come back and go with Nick to meet his wife for a little while? There is security that is resting and will take over for the guys and girls when we arrive back at our rooms. Now if you need us we will be glad to stay." Jason tells them.
"Of course y'all can. We will be fine, we are going to stay in the rest of the night. If we need anything we have the team there. Go and enjoy ourselves for a while. By the way, we are sleeping late in the morning. Making sure Elliot gets the memo please." Annie tells him.
"Yes ma'am I will make sure he is made aware of it. Thank you both." He tells them.
"Oh Jason, no need to thank us. You both deserve time to yourselves and away from us." Christian tells him.
"Mr. Nick, we are already to go now whenever our bosses are sir." Luke tells him looking at Annie and Christian.
"Very good. Let's go and see some beautiful butterflies shall we?" He asked Annie.
"Yes sir we shall. I love butterflies, they are so many different sizes and colors." She tells him.
"Well my dear before you all leave you need to ride down to Interstate 95 South to Coconut Creek it is located between Miami and Palm Beach is often called
"The Butterfly Capital of the World". "The title is not only due to the famous tourist attraction but also to the city;s strong commitment to environmental preservation." He tells all of them.
"Oh wow if we have time we will but I am not sure. I do know that we will be back down here sometime. We are going to do some traveling later." She tells him.
They all walk over to the section where all the butterflies are.
"Oh my goodness aren't they beautiful y'all? Look at all the colors. There are blues, purples, yellows, oranges, pinks. Oh look at that one their wings are spreading open. Wow, it looks like a rainbow with so many vibrant colors." She says.
"Look Annie there are some Monarch Butterflies. They are so pretty with their vivid orange and black markings." Gail says pointing to her left.
"Yes wow I see them and yes they are very pretty." She tells her.
"Nick, what country has the most butterflies?" Annie asked him.
"Columbia has the most butterflies in the world. Columbia is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world with habitats that support the world's richest butterfly faunas. Columbia has a detailed list of three thousand six hundred and forty-two butterfly species and two thousand and eighty-five subspecies makes up to twenty percent of all species found on the planet." He tells them.
"Someone has been studying and doing their homework." Jason says, teasing him.
"Hey now J. I need to know all this especially if I get a guest in here like your lovely boss wanting to know about butterflies or anything else." He says.
"Yes I know I was pulling your leg." He tells him.
"Alright you two let's go to the Native American Village. Can't wait to hear the history on it. I am sure it will be amazing." Annie tells them.
They all walk off and head on over the village.
"You know love when we tell Elliot about this adventure I bet he will be kicking himself. I know Carol would have loved to come and do the gem and fossil dig. She will probably kick his ass herself." Christian says laughing.
"Well I just hope they are having as much fun as we are."She tells him.
"I am sure they are and no telling what Elliot has decided to get into. You know he is the clown of the family." He tells her.
She laughs as everyone else does.
"Yes you are so right but you have to admit there is never a dull moment with him." She tells him.
He smiles and kisses her temple. "Truer words have never been said love." He tells her.
"Amen to that." Someone says.
As they are walking over to The Native American Village they are all looking around at the sights and see the alligator pond. Walking further they see The Native American traditions leading into the village. This is a live Native American Village.
There they see demonstrations of traditional indigenous lifestyle practices like cooking, tool making and weapon crafting. They all learn about the "Forgotten Tribe of Florida" (the Jororo Tribe).
They will see authentic Native American artifacts, see traditional dwellings like chickees and potentially experience presentations on how the local indigenous people thrived in the Central Florida environment; all the while gaining an understanding of their cultural heritage and history in the area.
Living history demonstrations
They got to see how Native Americans primarily used cooking methods like roasting over fire, boiling in clay pots (ollas), drying meat in the sun and steaming depending on the region and available food sources with notable dishes including "Three Sisters" stew, pemmican (dried and pounded meat), frybread (a later addition using introduced wheat flour) which is often deep-fried.
These techniques were adapted over time as Native Americans interacted with European settlers and incorporated new ingredients and tools into their culinary practices.
Annie, Christian, Gail and some of the security got to pound meat and try the "Three Sisters" stew. which was made of corn, beans and squash. This is a Native American meal.
They all walked around talking to the Jororos there and looking at all the authentic Native American huts, handmade knives, clothes and so much more.
Christian bought Annie Rose a beautiful Native American white dress with precious stones around the hem and the neckline.
Before they left the village they met Little Big Mountain and had the opportunity to witness Little Big Mountain describe how the Jororoans lived through the village walk- through. Little Big Mountain demonstrates and explains the evolution of the Weapon. Gator Hunt techniques and examples of tools and techniques from the old ways.
"Wow, that was very interesting wasn't it? I want to know more about the Jororos." Annie tells them.
"We will love but let's go and eat. I know you are hungry as well as everyone else is. Can't wait to taste that wonderful BBQ I have been smelling for the last hour." He tells her, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the village. Well practically having to pick her up because she doesn't want to leave.
They follow Nick over to the huge outdoor patios and take a seat. A waiter comes out and takes their order and delivers their beverages of tea and lemon water.
They have BBQ that is mouth watering with all the spices that the cook adds to it. Baked beans with pork and a touch of molasses with ketchup and mustard. Chopped grilled onions. Slaw made with sweet pickles, mayonnaise, sugar, touch of vinegar and milk that was creamy and delicious. They had BBQ Stew that the Jororos added their special touch to with their ingredients.
Some of them opted for hamburgers and cheeseburgers. When they got their burgers they had to cut them into. They were so tender and juicy. The guys raved about them. They had hotdogs, corn dogs, real sausages and fresh irish potatoes for french fries.
For dessert they were served homemade lemon meringue pie and chocolate cake. Christian's favorite.
Nick walks over to them. " Would you all like anything else?" He asked them all.
"Oh good lord no I am full and can't eat another bite." Christian tells him and Annie agrees with him.
They all say they can't eat another bite.
"Well I take it you all like the BBQ and all the fixins?" He asked them.
"Yes, the BBQ and everything was very delicious." Annie tells him.
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Hope you all enjoyed that tour. All the information on the Jororo Native American Village was found on Google. Some were put into my words, others were from Google.
Yes I left Elliot and Carol out of this one. Had too much to tell about the tour.
Until next time. Hope you all have a wonderful day or night. Always remember to love one another.
Chapter 23 right around the corner.