|
|
Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 7, 2014 17:34:12 GMT -5
Normally, I don’t complain about snow. I accept that we all have our challenges and we all rise to those challenges accordingly. However, this year Mother Nature has dealt out some particularly cruel and unusual punishment. Grant me a little latitude as I complain. This photo is “lookin’ out my back door”. Unlike the CCR classic, there are no furry animals and no there are no trampolines. What there is … between 2 and 3 feet of dense snow pack.  The second photo shows a bird feeder on Shepherd hook and a fire pit chimney for scale. Normally, I would be raking an awakening lawn and picking up pine cones this time of year.  On a happier note, the coast is clearing for early rock hounding by the sea. I check conditions on this Webcam overlooking Two Islands in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. If you have never witnessed the Bay of Fundy tides, this may interest you. At high tide (12m elev), these are two distinct islands. At low tide (1 m) you can walk a land bridge to access the islands. Over a twelve hour period, 36 vertical feet of water will fill and empty the Minas Basin, connected to the Bay of Fundy. This Webcam is located in the Atlantic Time zone, so you may have to adjust your viewing time. If the camera is black, it is night here. www.novascotiawebcams.com/bay-of-fundy/rockcliffe-by-the-sea.htmlFor the Rockhound … you can clearly see 3 or 4 the layers of basalt. Geologists claim there are actually 11. These lava flows are miles thick and formed along a rift valley when all the continents were connected in Pangaea. The first rift formed the Bay of Fundy, but was unsuccessful. The second rift formed the Atlantic Ocean. Things worked out better. The amygdaloidal basalt (locally called “trap rock”) is full of vugs. Many vugs are filled with a number of zeolite minerals (stilbite, chabazite, heulandite, gmelinite, apophyllite) which are interest to the specimen collector. However, the real prize are the agates and jaspers which may be in vugs, or may occur in seams. Problem with this location … there is a 45 minute to 60 minute window of opportunity for collecting. If you miss that, you are either camping out for 12 hours to return on the next low tide, or calling for a boat rescue. The latter is too embarrassing to be an option. Darryl. |
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Apr 7, 2014 17:49:50 GMT -5
Darryl, Thanks for that link. Its amazing. Those of us that live in "brown" environments do indeed appreciate "green" and water. I'm sure you would love to see the "brown" of the SW. Come and visit sometime. Tom
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
|
Post by Sabre52 on Apr 7, 2014 17:57:47 GMT -5
Jeez! My wife was particularly fascinated by this pic as that's the same sort of feeder she got from Wild Birds Unlimited for our yard cept ours ain't buried by that dang ugly white sh*t. Guess she won't be complaining about Texas weather anymore. Makes me cold just looking at your yard pictures!......Mel
|
|
stephent
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 213 
|
Post by stephent on Apr 7, 2014 18:14:11 GMT -5
Seen enuff white crap this year...enuff brown too. Want some green. It's slowly coming around. Azaleas are 3 weeks+ behind blooming this year. Grass is startin to green a bit...finally.
It's a good thing Al Gore invented Global Warming or we wouldn't know who to blame all this on since it's obviously not Mother Nature's fault anymore.
|
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 7, 2014 20:00:27 GMT -5
pleasant scene from my desert rock
thought of you today
there was Yahoo article about Pangaea
or maybe it wasn't Pangaea?
but some ancient land mass controversy
about Florida and the rocks underneath
sorry for the confusion
mostly
|
|
|
|
Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 8, 2014 16:11:51 GMT -5
There's a lot of controversy in Florida, but I didn't know there was a problem with their rocks too.
Each year, we annually export thousands of "snow whimps" (a.k.a. snow birds) to Florida to bolster the local economy. Some people can't handle being buried in white frozen fluff for three months each year and would prefer to walk on sand beaches collecting sea shells. Actually, I think I want to go too. Shame there's so few rocks.
As for confusion, I see it as a sign of maturity.
Darryl.
|
|
bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
|
Post by bhiatt on Apr 8, 2014 16:49:21 GMT -5
like sabre52, I have one of them same hanger. That is some thick snow to go up that high on it. Like 4 ft.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Apr 8, 2014 17:00:06 GMT -5
I feel for you, Darryl! We got blasted by another 6" or so last Friday. Fortunately I missed it because I was on vacation in South Carolina. I came home and nearly all of the snow had finally melted. Good riddance! It has been an awful winter. I hope things melt for you soon!
Chuck
|
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 8, 2014 22:00:24 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by iant on Apr 16, 2014 1:32:21 GMT -5
Just wanted to clarify my 'like' to your post Darryl. You have my sympathy for the terrible weather you have experienced. Hope you can get out and make the most of the better weather which will no doubt come. Thanks for sharing that webcam link, I had a look at all the different locations - what beautiful coastline!
|
|
snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
|
Post by snuffy on Apr 16, 2014 5:51:13 GMT -5
Aw man!! That just looks too cold to me!Ground gonna be wet for a long time as that melts.
snuffy
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723
|
Post by Fossilman on Apr 16, 2014 9:49:29 GMT -5
Did 55+ years in that white crap! Glad we moved away from it....Man that's a lot of snow you have there!!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 16, 2014 15:33:44 GMT -5
Fossilman:
I spent my first 50 years buried 4 months of the year in white crap. Unfortunately for me, I will exceed your 55+ year record soon enough. I have to work another decade, or so before I can check out and devote my entire day to the world of rocks. You may want to reinforce your northern border. There could be a lot of frozen Canucks looking for warmer rock collecting locations. LOL.
Darryl.
|
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Apr 16, 2014 22:38:59 GMT -5
Darryl – Saw one of your Parrsboro islands on the tube tonight. PBS 3-part series on the evolution of some modern human features, Your Inner Fish. Parrsboro featured in the first five or ten minutes of part 2, Your Inner Reptile. As of right now, looks like only part 1 is available in full online, along with a few other short segments. I’m guessin’ part 2 will show up soon online, and there oughta be the usual bunch of repeats on PBS before part 3 next week www.thirteen.org/programs/your-inner-fish/ |
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Apr 17, 2014 12:42:09 GMT -5
BINGO: Overnight service . . . Part 2 online.
|
|
|
|
Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 17, 2014 18:49:22 GMT -5
Parfive:
I also caught the same show when I was "channel surfing" last night desperately searching for something intelligent on TV. I was pleasantly surprised to recognize the rocky coastline, Two Islands and McKay Head where they had the famous dinosaur find in the mid to late 80's.
I particularly relished in the fact that our famous geological guests stayed up too late drinking and playing music the night before and became trapped by the tide the next day. (We do that here!) Had they not been trapped by the tide and stuck in the same spot for 5 or 6 hours, they may not have noticed their tiny (yet enormous) discovery.
Thanks for noticing and posting!
Darryl.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,062
Member is Online
|
Post by gemfeller on Apr 17, 2014 21:16:04 GMT -5
Darryl, does this agate look familiar? I have a good friend who lives in your area and he often braves the fearful tides to collect on Two Islands and elsewhere around there. Sometimes he heads down to the Tucson shows in Feb., happy to escape views like the one from your back door. He's almost obsessed with my back-yard lemon tree. Anyhow he often brings some of your local agates as gifts and this is one of them. Do you recognize the locality or know its name?
Your local geology is absolutely fascinating. I recall seeing an excellent documentary about the Parrsboro area's geological history and was greatly impressed by the many interesting aspects of it.
|
|
The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
|
Post by The Dad_Ohs on Apr 17, 2014 22:03:34 GMT -5
There's a lot of controversy in Florida, but I didn't know there was a problem with their rocks too. Yes there is a definite problem with the rocks in Florida.... They all went north and never came back !!!!!!!   |
|
|
|
Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 18, 2014 17:45:13 GMT -5
gemfeller - You've got a nice one there that is unfamiliar to me. We have golden plume and golden flame, but it is usually in a translucent agate and seldom occurs without some red plumes in the mix. The white looks pretty opaque in your photo. Sorry I can't help with an ID, but if you mail it to me, I can return it to the Ocean for you, after I take a few select cuts that is. LOL!
As for the lemon tree, we'll get scurvy up here in the winter if we don't get our daily dose of imported Vitamin C.
Darryl.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,062
Member is Online
|
Post by gemfeller on Apr 19, 2014 0:47:20 GMT -5
Thanks for your response --I'll send you a batch of lemons any time if you can get them past your Customs  I'm definitely anti-scurvy. You're correct that the agate is opaque white. But I think it's happy where it is at the moment and has no desire to return to the ocean. I've noticed opaque white agate as a feature of some of the other stones my friend has given me. Here's an example:  I have a hunch you'll recognize this material despite the glare in the image:  You folks have some wonderful cutting materials. |
|
I'm definitely anti-scurvy.
