Every year, for the past 38 years in or around February, I rediscover a new world - my own Galapagos. A word of warning - all of the inhabitants of this world are afflicted with the same disease from which I suffer. It is extremely contagious and, once contracting it, it's there for life. I'm talking about gem disease, and this hidden place is Tucson, which comes to life each year during the annual gems and minerals festival, when tens of thousands flock in for the scores of shows and exhibitions being held around the city.
