Post by Bejewelme on Apr 26, 2010 18:29:08 GMT -5
Well we had a great first meeting of East Coast RTH'ers, what a fabulous weekend spent with great rocks and even better friends! Everyone was just super we had the best times laughing and talking and looking for rocks. The weather cooperated and we had a beautiful day on Saturday to do all the outdoor activities, and the rain held off until Sunday. This weekend was so much fun we are giving everyone notice, the Sterling show is always the last weekend of April and worth the trip, the rock show at the Franklin School was the best show we were ever at on the East Coast and the Sterling Mine is very interesting. I think everyone will enjoy it! So plan ahead!!!!!
OK now for the fun stuff!
The characters!
Holiday Inn Express in Newton, brand new hotel and they had a sign for us, although no alcohol we got busted in the lounge, LOL
Mike (Mudshark) from CT
Mike and daughter Emily, and son Mike, these kids were awesome they hung with us boring adults, were never whiny, so much fun! Mike is a great Dad!
Don (Catskillrocks) from NY-a real sweetie, what a gentleman we really enjoyed our time with you Don!
Jean-(jean) from MD, another sweetie we really enjoyed,
ED-(Gemhunter) from MD, what a super guy so fun to be around, his wife wasn't in this pic but Robin was super too
Fran-her arm, she is the witness protection program so I wasn't going to blow her cover, LOL, and her hubby David, who we really enjoyed too, so fun a super couple.
Ed, David and that is Jim, Jean's hubby, another super guy, OK so you get the drift? RTH'ers are super people that are just so much to be around!
Outside portion of the rock show, rock show purchases will come later but great deals on rough and slabs, we had a blast and didn't even make it to the inside part until Sunday when it rained
Outside Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, NJ
Start of the mine tour, this was the old miner's shower room now filled with huge specimens and houses David Oreck's private B grade doubles worth $6 million that he gave to the mine, yes the Oreck Vacuum man
Sterling is known for their fluorescent minerals, they mined zinc until the price of zinc dropped, the township jacked them on their taxes so they basically walked down to the township building and folded the mine, 3 brothers purchased the mine to keep it open for historical purposes, and they were all 3 working there on Saturday.
The start of the mine tour, the miners worked a 10 hour day and for $1.00 a day and then had to climb 1200 stairs at the end of the day basically like climbing the Empire State Building, if someone was missing and didn't turn in their ID tag at the end of the day that person had to clean the can, basically 2 cans, on 50 floors of you know what, poopy cans, ughghghg.
So I started the tour which was 3 hours but was getting bored and there was a show going on that was going to be over by the time we finished and I wanted to see the rocks there, I had also ran into several members of our local rock club and wanted to blab with them, so I bailed and gave Jim my ticket to keep going, well then I run into Fran she has allergies and the mold was bother ing her so me Fran and Jean hit the local rock piles, and the rock swap that was going on. Well the one guy had a sign that said lapidary equipment for sale, just ask, so I asked! he took us over to a barn and there were all kinds of things in there. Well he moved a box and Fran said Oh my and my eyes got big there was a Genie, I said how much and he said a buck and a quarter, so I said $125 and he said yes! I barely looked at it but I knew the wheels looked really new and I knew I needed 4 new wheels, so sold. Well it turns out it is in really good shape, so when the tour was over we told everyone and they couldn't believe it, there was a flat lap that tony got and a saw that Mike got, there was a huge HP cabber, and saw and trim saw for $350 a real deal if we would have had a truck.
Our parking lot rock swap, we all brought slabs and cabs and all sorts of things to share so we had our own swap in the parking lot and looked at each others purchases. I will take more pics of gifts from people this week, but thank you everyone!
More minerals back at the indoor show on Sunday, I got some glass from the Corning factory to make a glow in the dark necklace, LOL
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OK now for the fun stuff!
The characters!
Holiday Inn Express in Newton, brand new hotel and they had a sign for us, although no alcohol we got busted in the lounge, LOL
Mike (Mudshark) from CT
Mike and daughter Emily, and son Mike, these kids were awesome they hung with us boring adults, were never whiny, so much fun! Mike is a great Dad!
Don (Catskillrocks) from NY-a real sweetie, what a gentleman we really enjoyed our time with you Don!
Jean-(jean) from MD, another sweetie we really enjoyed,
ED-(Gemhunter) from MD, what a super guy so fun to be around, his wife wasn't in this pic but Robin was super too
Fran-her arm, she is the witness protection program so I wasn't going to blow her cover, LOL, and her hubby David, who we really enjoyed too, so fun a super couple.
Ed, David and that is Jim, Jean's hubby, another super guy, OK so you get the drift? RTH'ers are super people that are just so much to be around!
Outside portion of the rock show, rock show purchases will come later but great deals on rough and slabs, we had a blast and didn't even make it to the inside part until Sunday when it rained
Outside Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, NJ
Start of the mine tour, this was the old miner's shower room now filled with huge specimens and houses David Oreck's private B grade doubles worth $6 million that he gave to the mine, yes the Oreck Vacuum man
Sterling is known for their fluorescent minerals, they mined zinc until the price of zinc dropped, the township jacked them on their taxes so they basically walked down to the township building and folded the mine, 3 brothers purchased the mine to keep it open for historical purposes, and they were all 3 working there on Saturday.
The start of the mine tour, the miners worked a 10 hour day and for $1.00 a day and then had to climb 1200 stairs at the end of the day basically like climbing the Empire State Building, if someone was missing and didn't turn in their ID tag at the end of the day that person had to clean the can, basically 2 cans, on 50 floors of you know what, poopy cans, ughghghg.
So I started the tour which was 3 hours but was getting bored and there was a show going on that was going to be over by the time we finished and I wanted to see the rocks there, I had also ran into several members of our local rock club and wanted to blab with them, so I bailed and gave Jim my ticket to keep going, well then I run into Fran she has allergies and the mold was bother ing her so me Fran and Jean hit the local rock piles, and the rock swap that was going on. Well the one guy had a sign that said lapidary equipment for sale, just ask, so I asked! he took us over to a barn and there were all kinds of things in there. Well he moved a box and Fran said Oh my and my eyes got big there was a Genie, I said how much and he said a buck and a quarter, so I said $125 and he said yes! I barely looked at it but I knew the wheels looked really new and I knew I needed 4 new wheels, so sold. Well it turns out it is in really good shape, so when the tour was over we told everyone and they couldn't believe it, there was a flat lap that tony got and a saw that Mike got, there was a huge HP cabber, and saw and trim saw for $350 a real deal if we would have had a truck.
Our parking lot rock swap, we all brought slabs and cabs and all sorts of things to share so we had our own swap in the parking lot and looked at each others purchases. I will take more pics of gifts from people this week, but thank you everyone!
More minerals back at the indoor show on Sunday, I got some glass from the Corning factory to make a glow in the dark necklace, LOL
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