Treasure Hunting

Okay, I confess... I have a new favorite TV show. It is the Travel Channel's "Cash and Treasures".

I have always loved rocks and gems. I remember playing "rock quarry" in grade school. My friends and I would find different stones and pound them into pretty colored chalks. I also remember having a rock collection when I was young and I'm still a sucker for bins of polished and colored stones in tourist shops. This season's shows are feeding the treasure and rock hunter in me.

So far they've done Herkimer Diamonds in New York, Emeralds in North Carolina, Agates in the MidWest, Morel Mushrooms in Wisconsin and Michigan, and Turquoise in the South West.

I am so ready to go hunting! Only the thin layer of snow and ice is currently stopping me.

My middle daughter and my son think it sounds like fun. My oldest daughter likes the idea of finding the treasure but doesn't want to get dirty doing it. My youngest loves rocks of any type so I think she'd have fun. So this spring watch out: we will be agate hunting, petosky stone hunting and will try Morel mushroom hunting as well.

Supposedly you can make money doing this. Well, we'll see about that. I just think it would be fun hunting and could be a fun family hobby. (Except for the mushroom hunting... there is no way my oldest is going traisping through the weedy woods in search of fungi.)

I'm sensing a rock tumbler and metal detector in my future. My husband politely told me that only old people own metal detectors. Need I remind him that gray hair is creeping onto our heads.

You can get inspired by this show on Tuesday nights on the Travel Channel or check out the website at http://travel.discovery.com/tv/cash-treasures/cash-treasures.html .