Message Board

Gold for the gold lovers.

Miner John — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:44:49 GMT

10 grams. It adds up fast.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o144/Bama_bigjohn/Mineral%20Specimens/10GramsofGold.jpg

Neat digital camera trick.

MinerJohn — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:40:23 GMT

Ya'll may know this already but I was so thrilled it worked I thought I'd post it anyway. I don't have an expensive digital camera and can't afford fancy lenses either. My camera wont focus close up so I tried something. I put a small magnifying glass over the lens of my camera and it worked like a charm! Doesn't seem to hurt the camera any. Here are two of my Wulfenite specimens I photographed.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o144/Bama_bigjohn/Mineral%20Specimens/Wulfenite4.jpg
#2
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o144/Bama_bigjohn/Mineral%20Specimens/Wulfenite9.jpg

Newbie in Western Maryland

Jay — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:34:15 GMT

Hi all,
My 10 year old daughter has actually gotten me interested in rock hounding. I live in the frederick/Hagerstown area and was wondering if anyone new of a good place close by that would keep a 10 year old (and father) interested. We have done some digging and found what may be a meteorite and some nodules.

Jay

New Design - Carl's Delight 08

Gemfaceter — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:06:51 GMT

Hi every one,

I just finished a new Gem Design for Quartz and I'm naming it Carl's Delight. The light return is great on this gem design. There are only 48 facets in this one.

http://www.huntforgems.com/faceting/pictures/2008/img8.gif

I can't facet for a while yet so I'm doing some new designs instead.

KOFaceting Carl in WI

A Fiction: The Old Man and the Mountain

John Cornish — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:50:26 GMT

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you well and rested after a wonderful Holiday weekend (for those of you in the States). It's been a busy time around our house of late, lots going on, and the dust has had to find another place to lie. Below you'll find my newest offering. This is the first "story" I've written with a mineral theme and truly, I hope you enjoy.

All the very best,

John

A Fiction:
The Old Man And The Mountain

John Cornish
cornish@tfon.com

It was a somber morning. The sky was heavy and black and the rain dumped in cold cascading buckets. Unheeding, I pulled my coat tighter and trudged up the trail, my pack heavy and dragging me down. The slap of the rain and the squelching, sucking cry of my feet pulling free from the mud accompanied my harsh breathing as I struggled through the dark woods at the flank of the Mountain. Higher ever higher, endlessly I climbed. Scrambling upwards, entangled in branches and ragged clots of brush, my feet twisted and ensnarled until gracelessly, I'd be forced to exert my every effort, ripping myself free, to continue climbing higher, always higher.

In the deep woods, the air was close and cloying and oppressively damp. Rich, thick, luxuriant carpets of moss were everywhere, they soaked and dripped amidst the dark stands of brooding, massive trees. Old as time, silent as the tomb, until a bitter wind rattles their lofty crowns, then they'll begin stirring, creaking and groaning, whispering and calling, their unknown language eerily echoing across the flanks of the Mountain, while still I climbed.

Dawn comes and goes and the hours fall away. Still, ever my guts crushed and my spirit ached with desire. Tirelessly, flailing, my heart bursting, my legs burning, I climbed. Until finally, I began to notice the trees thinning, the light becoming. With a final desperate lunge, I burst/fell through the last thick barriers of vegetation cloaking the Mountain's lower slopes. Free, I'd finally escaped...

To find, like Heaven spread before me, the barren rocky exposures of a vast, gigantic granitic field. It stretched all about, seemingly right to the very crest of the Mountain itself, to its most lofty crags and peaks. Great jumbled fields of broken stone, and with them before me, finally, I knew I'd made it. I'd climbed the Mountain and was here. Finally. He'd whispered, that old man, that broken ancient old storyteller/liar, he'd told us... "Climb the Mountain, boy's, make for its highest reaches and there you'll find the treasure you're seeking, there you'll find crystals and glories and more. There you'll earn your keep and learn your worth. Heh, you'll start out children, but gain its heights and wrest free its treasures, and you'll leave that Mountain so much more. Aye, boys, you'll leave that Mountain, men!"

************************************

That old bugger, sitting smug and happy, his accomplishments all about him, memories with form, every perfect flawless crystal group glittering in the wan light of his cluttered and hermitic life. Cackling, mad as a hatter and make no doubt, sharp as a tack and alive, while his body decays about him, his eye's focused and clear like a hawk, fierce with pride, as he recalls the adventures he's had wresting his treasures from the cold still Earth. And Tommy and I, wide eyed and all amazed, we hung on his every word. Our hearts thumping in our chests feverishly as he'd retell old lie after old lie, obviously embellishing every word, making fantasy until, with a sweep of his now taloned claw-like hand, he directs us to pull open a drawer in his cabinet and there before us, cushioned and carefully kept, lay the glittering incredible treasure of which he'd just told!

Breathless, we looked forward to these visits at the Home. Our Grandpa was there too, and he was really old too. And, he didn't like kids very much. Grandpa always stunk funny and he was always cranky. Not being much fun, while Mom and Dad visited, Tommy and I would wander the bright white halls of the Home, peering into the partially curtained rooms always drenched in a pallid twilight-like gloom offset by the flickering flashes of televisions. It was while we roamed, that we'd first met Mr. Parbles. He caught us dead to rights one day as we snuck a peek into his room, he stuck his head right out at us and said, "Ha!" Just that, "Ha!" And his big bristly face erupted into a horse-like grin of brown stained teeth and merriment. Both Tommy and I liked him immediately.

Every visit we made to the Home after that, after our prerequisite mumbled hello's to our own always seemingly bitter Grandpa, Tommy and I were off and down the hall to visit Mr. Parbles, Mr. P as we came to call him. Over the several months we'd been visiting, Mr. P had begun spinning stories of his younger days, stories filled with outdoor adventures and hidden glories. Mr. P was a mineral collector. Mr. P dug crystals. Mr. P found treasure! And rich as our young imaginations could conjure, Mr. P filled our afternoons with the experiences and memories he'd had over a lifetime.

These were not stories of War or of careers, for Mr. P was passionate for neither of these things, these were stories of a man and his desire to explore the World about him and, of his eventual discovery of those things crystalline and mineral. "That's when things changed", Mr. P would always say, "That's when I found focus for my wandering soul, that's when I found my purpose and my love."

Then if we were lucky, that's when he'd say, "Softly boys, gently, open that drawer over there. Softly, gently, pull it open and hand me the third box in the second row, left of center." This we'd do, for Mr. P was broken and it was difficult for him to get about. An accident he'd said during one of our earlier visits, a split second where he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd described a beautiful day and a wonderful, monstrous crystal lined pocket that he'd just found at a place he'd mysteriously call the Mountain. There, one day a long time ago, while recovering his breath after a lengthy assault on the rock with hammer and bar, a falling pebble from above, a small thing smaller then a hens egg, had hit him a glancing blow on the shoulder, knocking him from the hard rock ledge from which he'd clung, so that momentarily, he'd seemed to fly, before all too soon, cascading down and down in a twisting tangle of broken limbs, before coming to an abrupt and crushing end. Mr. P never walked again.

Oh, luck was with him that day... He'd had a collecting friend there, working lower on the Mountain, who had witnessed Mr. P's rag-doll descent. He'd saved Mr. P and had brought him down, and the experience haunted Mr. P's friend, the sight of his friend falling, it haunted him. After awakening, Mr. P had tried to share the location of his incredible find with his friend, who, broken in spirit, never did make the return trip and over time, drifted away, finally loosing contact with Mr. P altogether. Sometimes, when he aches, his bones and joints raw with pain, during these days, Mr. P always seems anxious and restless, it seems as if it's more then his body that's crying out in pain, it was like something had been left unsaid, or worse, something had been left undone...

************************************

But that was a long time ago, Mr. P is dead now and so was Tommy, and Mom and Dad too. Mr. P had a heart attack one fresh bright Summer morning in July, and then seemingly moments later, Tommy died in August, lost on an oil slickened highway. Mom and Dad were lost in another accident two months later. It's just me now and me, my World is crashing down. I honestly wasn't prepared for anything like this. I didn't think, I couldn't conceive, that anything could hurt this much. That I could feel so empty. I could hardly breathe, let alone maintain. I lost my job and then, again, seemingly mere moments later, I lost my girlfriend. And spinning out of control, I wondered what I'd loose next. And somehow, intuition I guess, I knew what next I'd loose, I knew I'd loose me. That's when I cried for the first time since all of their deaths.

Afterwards, still raw with emotion, I began to think back, trying to focus on the better times, on those times when we'd all been a family. Because Barry, that was Mr. Parbles first name, Barry became our second Grandfather. No one knew that's what would happen, it just did. Curious as to where their kids were always escaping to during their visit's to the Home, one day, Mom and Dad sought us out and there found us sequestered with Mr. P, listening to him telling his mineral collecting stories and sharing his incredible crystal collection.

Mom and Dad had already suspected something as previously after visits, on our drive home, Tommy and I would always be so excited, all a' twitter talking of crystal this and mineral that until eventually, our parents decided to search out our new found friend. And like I mentioned, that's where they found us. After introductions were made, and they too became entranced by Mr. P's World, we all would slip away from Grandpa, and down the hall, we'd all enjoy a wonderful pleasant visit.

We feared this would stop, Tommy and I, on the day our Grandpa passed away. But, realizing the importance of an older person in their young children's lives, Mom and Dad unofficially, officially adopted Mr. P as our family's new Grandpa. These were magic years for Tommy and I. We visited often, especially once we'd both gotten our drivers licenses. When this happened, and after Mr. P had talked at length with Mom and Dad, Mr. P shifted his story telling to not include just the fantastic, but rather the real and the accessible too. I think I'll always remember that special day when Mr. P told Tommy to open the closet (we'd never been told to do this before) and pull down the box from the top shelf. Tommy did so, though not without a grunt as he pulled it free, dropping the box down heavily into his arms. I'd pulled the table beside Mr. P's bedside as I'd been instructed, so Tommy could set the box down. With shaky hands, Mr. P opened the lid and reached inside to grasp and pull free a series of leather bound books. He pulled two free from the stack and handed one to each of us. As we opened the books, we found them to be journals... Mineral Collecting Journals!

Mr. P had recorded all of his adventures into a diary-like format contained within the pages of these books. We flipped through kind of aimlessly until it dawned on each of us, these weren't just books, these were treasure maps to treasure! Watching as our delight dawned, the magic of the moment was mirrored in the eyes of Mr. P too. And that's when it happened, that was the first day we, all of us, Tommy, Mr. P and I, that was the first day we ever really talked about mineral and crystal collecting. We weren't just retelling old stories any more, now, and it lit all of us up like nuclear powered Christmas trees, now we were making plans to go off, to begin our own adventures!

We were all so excited. And then came that sad July and the horrific months that followed. And two seconds later, I was lost. Everyone gone.

************************************

My World falling apart, like a scared child, frightened, I reeled everything in closer, always closer, madly trying to block out all reality so I'd not be hurt again. In this semi-functional state of existence, hopelessly trying to find something to hold onto while spinning further and further out of control, I rediscovered Mr. P's journals. This was a true God-send. I hadn't been eating or sleeping and I was both physically and mentally falling apart, and then I found the journals and a reason, or maybe a second chance. First I read one page and then two. Then one journal would follow another. And the hours passed. At some point, I began taking notes, compiling information, a little scrap here, a little clue there, over time, I'd come up with an idea and one of these, I'd not had in weeks...

I would go to the Mountain. I'd go and rediscover Mr. P's lost crystal pocket, his last pocket and maybe, if I could find that, reaching for stars, maybe I could find myself too. And the hours passed.

Using clues captured from his many entries collecting on the Mountain, I slowly began to construct a path at whose conclusion, I hoped to find a trail, vague and treacherous though it may be, leading up towards the place where one man had nearly lost his life and where now, I hoped to find my own.

Washington is a wild State. The weather hits hard and fast here, wet and cold, our mountains, they're dangerous. Still, locked within these buttressed peaks, treasure lies awaiting discovery. Mr. P had sought it and now, I would seek it too. From my observations, I'd figured that Mr. P had been working high in a remote area of the northern Cascade Mountains, near an area called Washington Pass. This area has some of the most beautiful and exotic minerals that have ever been recovered and yet, it is such a wild and inhospitable place, that most collectors never venture far from the safety of their vehicles, collecting float material in the highway's road cuts. While good for the masses, Mr. P had left these haunts far behind and looking for something more, he pioneered a route to the lofty heights far above.

And now, before me, next to an old blazed tree whose northern side had been stripped of branches, there was the trail Mr. P had mentioned in his journal's. It lay a faint depression slicing the greenery, a small nearly invisible space where he'd squeeze his body through, one moment there and the next gone. And here it was...

Time to pack. That accomplished, I slipped my pack onto my shoulders as a cold steady rain began to fall. No one was around, maybe not for miles, just the way Mr. P would have liked it. I shivered a bit and then closed and locked the truck. I hit the trail....

************************************

According to Mr. P's journals, now that I'd left the forest behind, I hadn't just left one environment or elevation, I'd also climbed into a higher zone where another, older type of granite had formed. This was where Mr. P had found many of his most precious treasures. Here, spread before me, the entire boulder field held untold potential. My mind whirled in a giddy rush as I thought of all the fine specimens Mr. P had shown my brother and I, many of them had been collected here, from this very place.

Still, in the end, this wasn't where Mr. P had been on that last fateful trip, this was only the beginning of Mr. P's collecting kingdom.

Back at home prior to leaving, I'd sketched a rough map, coordinating points recorded by Mr. P. With this as my guide, after a quick break, I reshouldered my pack and again began ascending the Mountain. This time, I'd be climbing towards the south. I was searching for a small, steep walled cirque somewhere up above me. It'd be hidden from this lower vantage and it'd only be by climbing that I'd find it.

As I climbed amongst those monstrous house-sized boulders, I found myself first going over one massive giant and then next, I'd have to drop, to slither and crawl my way down, sometimes deep in the shadows, to find my way past another. After a time, I came across the first of what would eventually become a growing number of emptied pockets, once rich, their treasure chambers had been emptied long ago by Mr. P. I found it comforting in those cold places to find evidence that I'd indeed deciphered Mr. P's notes correctly and was on the right path, retracing his steps from all those many years before, inspiring me to push on, working harder to find Mr. P's lost pocket.

Eventually, the rocks began to noticeably thin in both size and number as the way before me grew ever more steep. Cracks and fissures in the rock gave adequate hand and foot holds and while a test of my strength and will, I found myself becoming more and more exhilarated with each passing minute as I worked my way closer towards a dream.

************************************

To learn more about the Washington Pass area of Washington State, please consider the following...

Anonymous. 1985. Washington Pass, Washington : Mineral News. Vol. 1, July, pp. 6

Becker, R. 1985. Mineral collecting at Washington Pass, Okanogan Co., WA, Part 1 : Mineral News. Vol. 1, nos 3- 6

----------------. 1991. Minerals of the Golden Horn Batholith, Okanogan County, Washington : Rocks & Minerals. Vol.66, pp. 450- 459

Boggs, Russell. 1980. Okanoganite: a new rare-earth borofluorosilicate from the Golden Horn batholith, Okanogan County, Washington : American Mineralogist. Vol.65, pp. 1138-1142

-----------------. 1988. Calciohilairite: the calcium analogue of hilairite from the Golden Horn batholith, northern Cascades, Washington : American Mineralogist. Vol.73, pp. 1191-1194

Dunn, Pete J., Rouse, Roland C., Cannon, Bart and Nelen, Joseph A. 1977. Zektzerite: a new lithium sodium zirconium silicate related to tuhualite and the osumilite group : American Mineralogist. Vol. 62, pp. 416-420.

Howard, D. G. 1990. The Golden Horn batholith : Micro Probe. 7 (2)

Mindat. Washington Pass, Golden Horn Batholith, Okanogan County, Washington USA. http://www.mindat.org/loc-4220.html

FIELD TRIP AND CLUB SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mike Streeter — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:30:37 GMT

FIELD TRIP AND SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS
Click on the following links to go to directly to announcements about future field trips and club shows.

All questions about a field trip or club show should be directed to the author of the announcement or other contact person(s) indicated in the message.
Greensboro Gem & Mineral Club
Christmas Gem Show
Greensboro, NC
December 19-21, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Gemhunter — Thur, 27 Nov 2008 08:30:37 GMT

Hi every one,

Happy Thanksgiving every one from Tigerton, WI. I'm thankful that my dad is still here with us all and that he heath is still good, and for all my friends new and old on this great board. I'm all so thankful for our freedom we have here in the USA.

KOR Carl in WI

A real Rock Hound Camper

Stan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:13:23 GMT

Now here is a real Roch Hounds Camper!

http://www.unicatamericas.com/

Interior Photos:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/garbagecamper.asp#photo2

Stan

Turkey Header

Phil Koble — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:28:05 GMT

Hey Mike Is that the BEST looking Turkey You could come up with??

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone on McRocks
KOR Phil

I Redid My Main Page

Gemhunter — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:47:15 GMT

Hi every one,

I redid my main page on my site so it would load faster for those still on dial up. Let me know how fast this loads on your computer. Hunt For Gems

My right arm is still very sore and I can't facet yet so I am working on my site to tweak it up some. I hope this next week I can get back to faceting.

KOR Carl in WI

My New MT Sapphires

Gemhunter — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:13:41 GMT

I think I need help ! I'm addicted to Sapphires. It's all Wa9nes fault to LOL. :D:D;):lol::lol: I just got these this past week.

http://huntforgems.com/faceting/pictures/2008/11-22-08.y.s.0002.1.JPG
These are the Yogo Sapphires from Yogo Gulch, MT there are 40.97 crts here.

http://huntforgems.com/faceting/pictures/2008/11-22-08.m.t.0002.1.JPG
These Sapphires are from Gem Mountain and there are around 44.50 crts here.

http://huntforgems.com/faceting/pictures/2008/11-22-08.m.t.0003.JPG
Here is a close up of some of the MT Sapphires.

KOR Carl in WI taking care of dad.

"Rare Snoopy Rock" on eBay

Jim Adams — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:15:03 GMT

Being a long time Snoopy fan I got a chuckle when coming across this on eBay.

Click Here

I know a guy's got to make money any way he can but..., oh well, good luck to 'em.

Bismuth

ken — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:43:04 GMT

Hello all. My friends daughter needs the Fracture prop. if Bismuth. anyone know?

carving techniques for jade inlays

Paul Knudsen — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:12:48 GMT

This is my first visit here... Thirty-one years ago my wife and I had some jewelry artists design gold wedding rings with Jade inlay that was slivered and placed in a channel around the perimeter of the ring.

Many of the jade pieces have fallen out of both rings, and I'd like to see what it would take to re-inlay it with new jade. Anybody have any experience carving and inlaying jade who could advise me?

I've never done anything like this, but I'm willing to give it a try. Otherwise, I'd like to find someone locally (DFW area, TX) who could do it for us.

spring mtn.

Jason — Thur, 20 Nov 2008 04:51:21 GMT

Does anybody have any info on the Spring mountain mica mine in Fannin county, Ga? I hiked on Spring Mtn. years ago and had no idea there was a mica mine. I wanted to check it out but can't get any info.