|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 16, 2021 12:55:26 GMT -5
I remember that episode. I always liked the Twilight Zone.
As for going up in the Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket last week, Shatner could have gotten to the stars even sooner if he had gone along with an offer from Richard Branson, boss of the Virgin business conglomerate and its space tourism arm Virgin Galactic.
Back in 2013, it was claimed that Branson had once approached Shatner to ask him if he wanted to go to space aboard one of the company's new spaceplanes—the SpaceShipTwo, which at the time had recently completed its first powered flight. The company would not reach space for around five more years.
William Shatner said he turned down that offer because he SAID he was frightened of flying. Later he admitted that he didn't want to pay for it, lol. Word is, he was a guest (read, did not have to pay) for the Blue Origin spaceflight.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 16, 2021 12:35:01 GMT -5
Nice pics, jamesp. Methinks you are having too much fun with that toy, lol. You are lucky those wasps did not send it crashing to the ground! Like the pics of the quarry operation, too. That lady had a smart lawyer.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 16, 2021 12:29:10 GMT -5
So sorry for your loss, Tela. I know the pain you went through to make that decision, had to do that for my 21+ year old cat. She also had kidney failure.
If we could only help our hoomans out the same way, instead of allowing them to suffer.
Hugs, Tela.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 13, 2021 19:31:52 GMT -5
Thanks for the comment, Robin hummingbirdstones . I'm not usually much of a purple fan, but that Imori really does take the cake. I was quite surprised to find it there. There were maybe 15+ cabs in the case. Besides the Bot I got, a few other cabs I noticed, but passed on, were a snowflake obsidian, a crazy lace agate, and a unikite. There was more, but after seeing the Imori, I wasn't really capable of noticing too much else, if you know what I mean... The way this mall is set up, people have their alloted spaces/booths, which they pay rent on, to put their offerings in. They may even have to give a percentage of their sales to the mall. Everything is supposed to be marked, but the Imori cab was not. The bot actually had an orange $5 sticker on the back. The young man I asked for help had to go get a key to open the case. I had him fish out (the case was pretty much packed with stuff) the two cabs, he said $3 each. I had to do my happy dance inside my head only. While shopping there, we'll see people cleaning/sprucing up/adding inventory to their spaces, but they don't have to man their booths unless they want to. Most do not. I have pics of a few more things I picked up there, I will have to get those uploaded to Cloudinary. The cactus buds have opened up, they are glorious, and smell intoxicating, reminding one of honeysuckle! Took the pics, have to resize and upload. And for jamesp , I took pictures of some of the surface roots. Being a plant guy, he is concerned with those little details.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 12, 2021 14:26:07 GMT -5
At the end of last month, my sisters and I went to a "Vintage Mall" in town. They have everything there! While much of it is overpriced junk, IMO, one can still find some surprises and bargains. This seller had a glass case full of cabochons. I had a guy give me prices on them, and had him take two of them out for me, then they were held up at the cash register for me. I thought this botswana looked fine. And even though the cabbing on this one leaves a bit to be desired, could not pass it up. Surface scratches, among other things. More of a flat than a dome. The girdle was pretty bad, varying angles down the side, chipped along the bottom. But because of what I am 99.99% certain it is, I will rework it into a work of art! How much did you pay, you ask? The suspense builds.... I paid three dollars each for the two cabs. The purple Imori stone, aka, Victoria stone, being the rarer find and sweeter deal. You all know I am the queen of cheap when it comes to finding bargains when buying rocks!
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 11, 2021 12:30:57 GMT -5
Rockpickerforever, you brought up some interesting points about what is needed when rules are used for judging cabs. I use a 60 grit flat lap for my initial shaping and then finish the cabs in a UV-18 vibe for all remaining steps. This method produces a different (more rounded) girdle when compared to a wheel finished cab. By the way, your Brenda plume finished extremely well with this method but I assume if a contest required a crisp girdle I would need to recut and polish the edge to meet the rules or points would be deducted. I cut for artistic enjoyment and luckily don't need to sell so I can make any shape that pleases me and not worry about the rules. It is my opinion that the older members are dying off and the RTH expansion includes many that are tumblers and not too involved in cab making from a competition standpoint. Victor, glad to hear the Brenda material that you won worked up so well. I don't care what machines you use, flat lap, genie, tumblers, dremels, whatever you have, whatever works for you. I feel some here may think I am being hard on... let's see, how shall I say it... younger, poorer people, that maybe don't have room or the resources for this hobby, or are just getting started down this slippery slope (aka, rabbit hole, lol)? There have been many folks that started out on a low budget, using inexpensive tools, or even making their own machines, then as time and money allowed, moved upward with better machines and better skills. And some are still doing it how they started. I will admit, I have a hypercritical eye: surface scratches, internal cracks, uneven radii or irregular bends, just don't sit right with me. But hey, if you aren't looking for perfection, then you have certainly achieved that. What mostly bothers me, is for instance, when I take the time to make a nice, well-proportioned low dome on a hard stone like agate, while someone else cuts a rectangle out a slab, rounds the edges over, and polishes it (or tumbles it). The two just cannot be compared. Not talking about the work you put into your cabs, victor1941. I know you put in the work.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 11, 2021 9:42:25 GMT -5
Rockoonz I hear you, Lee. For me, it was not the fact that some people had less to work with - less equipment, less room, less spousal support, less time. It was that they did not want to even attempt to make a cab as they were conceived. Did not even know there was a set descriptionn of a cab. I guess they just don't like rules, will just do what they please.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 11, 2021 9:23:00 GMT -5
jamesp, I will get pics of the flowers, fruits, and some surface roots soon. The roots of the large cacti are huge, can probably give some trees a run for their money when it comes to damaging concrete and brick work.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 11, 2021 9:05:25 GMT -5
San Pedro Saguaro Cactus. What on Sam's hill are you fertilizing those beasts with rockpickerforever ? Must have a lot of phosphate to promote so many blooms. Will they form sweet fruits similar to Opuntia Cactus ? Tequila fruits ! James, they actually thrive on neglect. I don't do anything special for them. About the only fertilizer they get is excess from when the nearby orange tree is fertilized, and even that is done rarely. Trying to think of what the fruit on these look like. Believe they are kiwi sized, they go from green to a darker green. I'm sure I have photos in my desktop computer. Another columnar cactus I have the fruits turn bright red, before they split open and the birds then have a feast. But yes, much like opuntia. I don't know how sweet these are, as I have never eaten them. However, thinking about it, those cactus have some pretty substantial/intrusive roots. There is an easement for a sewer pipe that runs down the length of the back of the yard. If they tapped into that, that could be their source. They put on bigger and bigger shows every year. The thunderstorms a few weeks ago probably provided some nitrogen as well. It's all about the timing.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 11, 2021 0:54:18 GMT -5
The San Pedro cactus are getting ready to put on their show! They were starting to bud, but the recent rains have really given them something to crow about. When the flowers open up, they are huge. I have photos of them in their full glory from previous years, but I'll take new photos. I only hope they didn't drink up too much water, or they fall down and go boom! They are loaded for bear! And for a little bit of color, a dragonfruit that is up in my avocado tree. There's actually another one on the opposite side of the tree. This is about 4 by 5 inches, and ten feet up! This one has white flesh.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 11, 2021 0:13:43 GMT -5
Haven't done any cabbing for some while now. It depresses me to see what people consider well made cabs. (Why I rarely comment on - or enter - the cabbing contest. Sorry, that's just how I see it.) Some of you are really getting better at it, though. Y'all have fun! That's what it is all about. I don't get the sense you were referring to me, but if my cabs depress you, that's why I'm here asking questions. Because I want to improve, and I'm willing to put in the time and effort to do so. I've never been very good at anything when I first started doing it, but with practice, perseverance, and asking questions, I've mastered things at least as difficult as make good cabs. So there is hope for some of us. No, Jonathan, definitely NOT referring to you. That really wasn't fair to throw that out like that, it actually refers to a discussion long before you became a member. And no, it's not any cabs that depress me, it was certain people's attitudes about what makes a perfect cab. Flat back, girdle, domed top. That's the basics. There are actually criteria called out. I searched different club's websites online, looking for guidance to make the perfect cab. Some clubs held regular cab making contests, they were judged (point system) and critiqued. People learned by the process. When I presented this info here on RTH, I was surprised by the amount of negative feedback I received! Some just wanted to keep on doing them the way they always did. Until people can agree on what makes a perfect cab, and everyone is playing by the same rules, it is kind of pointless to pick a winner when everyone's ideas are different! Apples and oranges. Competition is okay, if you are aiming for the same completed product. Now, if anyone just wants to make them for fun, that's fine. As mentioned previously, MANY of the newer members are getting better and better at cabbing, just as the tumblers are also getting better with their tumbling, producing nicer and shinier rocks. Keep it up, holajonathan . Improving one's work, and having fun are the two most important things
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 10, 2021 22:00:03 GMT -5
That's what I have, a stupid phone, an old flip phone! This is the first and only cell phone I have purchased. Although my sister gave me an old phone of hers that I use as a camera, and for the internet, using the wifi at home.
It doesn't have a sim card, so can't/don't use it as a phone.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 10, 2021 21:38:33 GMT -5
holajonathan I don't have a cell phone. Yeah, I know I'm the last person on the planet... but I don't need one, so I don't have one.
I think you got it. The point where I work around the point is hard to describe, but I think you got the gist.
I prefer to work angular pointy cabs. When I first started that was all I did- just about. I don't sell anything anywhere anymore, but I have a lot of pictures. I'll find some in the morning for you. I use a dop, too. I don't know if that makes any difference.
Addressing the cell phone issue - We didn't get ours until after Bob's parent's died, and we needed a way to keep in touch with his younger sister, who was still living in the parent's home with her older sister. She could lock herself in her bedroom, but we felt she was in danger from the older sister, who would sever the phone cord going to her room, she had no way to communicate with anybody, call the cops, nothing. After the home was sold, and the estate settled, she (the good sister) lived with us for several years. Met up (through the internet, of course) with an old classmate. Has been living with him since moving out of here. Lives a half hour north of us, still close by. The other sister is OCD, psycho, no income, and not very nice. She's been in shelters on and off, don't really know (or care!) what she is doing now. The two sisters do stay in contact via FB. Good for them. Tela, just so you know you are not the last person in the world without a cell phone - my brother, who turned 62 last March, has never had, nor ever will have, a cell phone. He has no need. Plus, he would have to pay for it. Separating him from his money is like pulling teeth, lol. ETA - sorry to stray so far off topic, but you were mentioning not having a cell phone, right? Haven't done any cabbing for some while now. It depresses me to see what people consider well made cabs. (Why I rarely comment on - or enter - the cabbing contest. Sorry, that's just how I see it.) Some of you are really getting better at it, though. Y'all have fun! That's what it is all about. I can always delete this post if it triggers anyone......
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 10, 2021 20:52:41 GMT -5
My husband stole my old ones from the kitchen so that was my excuse to go buy a really nice set for the kitchen Yep...same thing happened in my house! She didn't mind getting a new one though! LOL You want to talk about husbands stealing things out of their wife's kitchen - you need to talk to jamesp about that, lol. He stole dishtowels for packing rocks to be shipped, he stole his wife's plastic cutting board to use on his monster grinder as a shield (good thinking there, at least it was for safety equipment). These things Denise never got back. And lastly, that I am aware of (I'm sure there is much, much more!) he used her teflon griddle to heat up his plastic (HDPE?) to fuse ends for his home-made tumbler barrels. What else, James? BTW, your wife is a saint fir putting up with you, lol.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 8, 2021 19:00:05 GMT -5
I've posted pics of these guys before over the last couple of years, but I really do like seeing them... miket What is it? New to me. Nice photos. Thanks. Nice pics of the moths, miket. I love the red (and white) of the petunias! Pat , I'm sure you have seen them in their larval stage before - they are tomato horn worms before becoming moths!! They are also known as sphinx moths. As a kid, I used to enjoy watching them visit the flowers of citrus trees. They do totally remind you of hummingbirds as they sip and pollinate the flowers. We would sometimes catch them, tie a thread around them, then let them fly around. They were then released unharmed... Not PC now, but hey, kids do what kids do, lol.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 8, 2021 14:16:05 GMT -5
Took a pic of this flamer in my yard a couple weeks ago. He is perched on a "shephard's crook" hook. Very nice of him and his ilk to reduce the mosquito population!
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 8, 2021 14:13:09 GMT -5
If I didn't know better (and seeing the white stenciled size markings on the bottom), by their color, I would think that these are teracotta. That's a lot of work. And more to do to get them to their forever homes! I do love how you can do an easy inventory with your drone. Work smarter, not harder.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 8, 2021 1:02:49 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 8, 2021 0:49:57 GMT -5
Thanks Lunk! When I first started working that sponge, I wasn't sure it was going to take a shine or not. But it kind of came alive on the 1200 disk. And I'm really enamored with that first unknown. LOL Jason, you've been extra busy lately! Have enjoyed seeing the progress you have been making with your cabbing, and loving your work. You just keep getting better! I've always loved the syringopora. It is for sure a fossil, but it is not a sponge. It is actually an extinct genus of phaceloid tabulate coral.
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 7, 2021 23:09:00 GMT -5
rockpickerforever . Not so. I typed Joke thread Jokes Using both upper case and lower case. I spotted it after someone just posted a joke. I didn’t spot the joke thread; the joke thread spotted me. Must be another SEARCH area, or my joke didn’t make the grade. That's funny, the joke thread spotted you, lol. Pat, looks like I actually typed "Joke thread" into the Google search box, which is located at the top left side of the home page. Type whatever in, hit the Go button! Screen shots are from my (commie Huawei phone). I figured out how to resize them in cloudinary, but still having issues with the phone for pasting. So a brief stop in my desktop computer to paste the links. Whenever on RTH on my phone, I am always in desktop mode. Hope this makes sense.
|
|