Maybe next time even Mom will go with us:

It might be a hobby, but Steve Lee really knows how to spot a diamond in the rough. Lee's most recent find — a 1.22 carat, gem-quality diamond — turned up during a recent visit to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro.

We visited the place last year just before Olivia started walking. It had rained hard that morning but the sun came out to treat us with 90+ degree heat and 80%+ humidity. The "mine" is actually a shallow sandy pit, say about 200 yards to a side, that gets plowed several times a day. If you ever decide to go (or if Ellen ever wants to return), bring some sort of mud-boot gear, and don't wear anything you want to keep. That mud was some sticky stuff!