elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 16, 2012 10:03:34 GMT -5
Jim,
The postmark on the back is actually Cheyenne, Oklahoma (June 1906). I have the back scanned, but Photobucket isn't allowing me to bring it in right now, which is a pain. I'm one of those kinda people who love seeing postcards in Antique shops that show what things were like 100 years ago. I don't know if I'd want to live back then, but it's amazing to see how quickly change occurs.
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 15, 2012 22:57:49 GMT -5
So, as many of you have already read, I went to Seq. last week and I mentioned that I went to the Monterey coast the week before - and though I meant to post some fun images last week, I was, well, busy with the other trip. Anyway, for those who are not yet bored to tears with images of my family bouncing around california, here's a fistful of shots from our trip to the Aquarium. I've always been partial to this place on Cannery Row. Years ago, I took my wife there 3 of our first 5 Valentine's Days together, so it's kinda special to me. Besides, I love seafood so I get to eat the fish who apparently failed at their attempts to be placed into the public tanks. I envision a Marine "You Got Talent" show where the fish who aren't bright enough or talented enough for an audience wind up on dinner plates. But enough of that. Here's the entrance: Once inside, the place is very spacious and great for children. There are a couple levels and the special exhibits are wonderful eye candy. This year it's Jellies and Seahorses (not in the same tank.) Most of the walk through exhibits have several interactive stops that the kids love. There's a jellyfish control cushion, flip panels, touch tanks, and my daughter's favorite - the jellyfish doodle pad. Here's her work: Of course, I had to get into the act.....so here's mine....missing the jellyfish and provoking some murmuring from the parents lined up behind the little ones: Here's one of the real ones: There was also a place where people could get under a tide surge simulator, and you can see from my wife and daughter, it's a lot of fun. Anyway, we weren't up there specifically for the Aquarium, but for a reunion with my uncle and his family - people I hadn't seen since my grandmother passed away 10 years ago. To get ready for this trip, I put together two books dealing with my families history - one a pair of travel journals my grandmother wrote in 1968 and 1977. The other is a collection of postcards spanning the period from 1906 through 1959. The books look a lot like the agate index and that's what my last 5 weeks have been used for (hence the limited work on the A.I.) For those who like a bit of history - here's one of the ancient postcards I scanned for the collection I compiled: 1906: Well Cr*P. Some of the old photos of a Model T trip aren't copying right now, saying the image has been moved or deleted...which is BS as I put the images in the system.....Hmmmm. Anyway....Saves you all from seeing old photos that don't concern you anyways....Maybe my deceased ancestors are messing with my technology to keep the family secrets safe..... Anyway, thanks for peeking at my incredibly inane and boring family photo album... Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 14, 2012 22:41:12 GMT -5
Well, I've been bouncing around Central California for the past two weeks. Spent two weekends ago visiting Monterey and visiting family I hadn't seen for a decade. This past weekend I traveled with my wife's family members to Sequioa. We left on Thursday and got back last night. Thursday - Our Campsite: and a view from one side: Friday - We headed over to see some big trees and I got to see my first bear. It was a brief glimpse from the bus so no photo.... But we got to the Sequioa grove with 'General Sherman' - the name given to the largest tree in the world (by volume). These trees are huge! The hike we took - about 2 1/2 miles - brought us through some magnificent scenes of trees and flowers (anybody know what the flowers are?): Saturday: We traveled to Hume Lake (no photos) and swam a bunch and got real hungry. Sunday: My wife, dad, and daughter and I went to Crystal Cave, a cave bore out of a Marble deposit you can see here: It was a 1/2 mile long, 300 foot drop, hike down to the cave entrance. The inside was fascinating. I have never had a chance to go through a cave system before, so I had a great time gawking. We saw deer as well, and my daughter had a ball chasing down and catching any insect that came within reach. She found a few interesting ones: (Hey - Mel, know their names?) And the best of the lot: On the way home I was going to take the 63 but my wife said to do the 245. OH MY WORD - that was a mistake! If you ever want to get on a road that has NO straight portion, this is the one. We lost a bunch of time and the temp was hitting 109. Worse yet, my wife and daughter are prone to car sickness. I wasn't happy. We finally cut across to the small town of Orosi. We left a road that actually had a center divider to a narrower road that had no markings on it at all. I was expecting it to pinch off into a horse path...When it finally rolled down into the valley I was so grateful to hit a straight road! But we made it out eventually and stopped for lunch (and to lower my blood pressure) and then hit the road (again.) Phew.... It was a fun trip, and had a couple of firsts for me, which is nice at age 4*. Thanks for looking, Lowell PS. Back to working on the Agate Index....School begins next week.
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 9, 2012 1:46:39 GMT -5
Well, I can't do much with slabs as I don't have a decent saw, but I do have rocks with color - so deduct points - I'm just posting pictures of things that made me go ahhhhh: So let me put on my thinking cap: Treasure of a $1/lb estate sale: Dino bone: Or prizes of a $2/lb agate bin: Before: After: Too pricey? How about an estate given away to the members of our club: But what if you don't have cash: Traded 150 lbs of rough for: (don't argue - I love this stone....my wife hated the space the rough took up...) Fine, no money and don't want to part with rocks? ...Favorite self-collected tegg from Hauser. Favorite self-collected plume from near Afton Canyon: But seriously - I don't hold a candle to two of our members: Dan Heuer and Bob Rush. I'd list a bunch of their old posts, but that would be cheating.....(If you have their Artists of Agate portfolios I put together a while back - and need to repost with new download instructions - you will see what I mean...) Thanks for the fun time, Helen, you're an awesome artist! Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 6, 2012 16:36:22 GMT -5
Awesome report on a place I rarely see pictures of!
Thank you much for sharing,
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 6, 2012 16:34:05 GMT -5
Jean, The large white geode is a Keokuk geode from Iowa or somewhere near there. I was fortunate enough to get into an estate sale ($1 a pound) a few years ago before anyone else got there. That was sitting to one side on a bunch of smaller broken pieces. (Snagged 300 lbs of dino bone as well... which is why I always bring a blank check to these kind of sales.) Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 6, 2012 13:19:34 GMT -5
I put together my Ventura Co Fair exhibits a couple weeks ago and they are currently being displayed. Problem is, I forgot to take my camera to the fair when I went so all I have is my preparation shots. I planned originally to do a case of broken geodes (Yep - that's a category) seen here: but then got a bug up my ...... I changed my mind and decided to do a case of free form polished agates and jaspers - seen here: They aren't labeled here, but the case is called "Chasing Agate -Examples of Freeform Polishing" It captured a Blue Ribbon. (yeah!) I also put in three individual pieces. One is the geode on the upper left picture from the broken geode display. It captured 2nd. Another piece was put in was for polished limb cast/petrified wood category - my recently done Texas Limb Cast. It captured the Blue Ribbon. And I submitted something for the a single piece free form polishing category- my whale bone from a while back: It also captured a Blue Ribbon. It was fun, and good practice for the CFMS show here in Ventura next year!!! Thanks for looking, Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 6, 2012 12:49:01 GMT -5
Wonderful additions!
Thank you very much!
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 21, 2012 23:44:22 GMT -5
Is Karma a bitch?
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 18, 2012 23:01:35 GMT -5
Besides - I hate being bumped....
It's why I avoid crowds!
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 18, 2012 22:55:52 GMT -5
Ehhhh. Well .... I'm not expert but I've read quite a few books by people who are experts (some who are and some who might be so-called...) TAKE THIS AS A STARTER COURSE WITH A TEACHER WITH LIMITED KNOWLEDGE - PLEASE CORRECT AS NEEDED.... Well, for starters, just looking to see how the orientation of an agate nodule in its formation - look for uruguay lines (waterlevel lines) to give you a clue. Those are what you see at the bottom of this nodule from Acton CA: Or this geode/thunderegg from Potato Patch - Wiley Well District Sometimes the rock shifts via earthquakes between the times agate is set down and two (or more) bands show different planes of formation. (Has a term for them but can't remember right now. Tilted...no...eh...) Anyway - if there is no waterline (uruguay) banding, then you're stuck (at least from me). Agates formed inside pockets are said to form by a certain process - but this is still being argued... 1 - hollow pocket is lined by minerals 2 - hollow fills with a silica solution 3 - somehow banding occurs (or not) depending on conditions, existing minerals in solution, other conditions. Now (A) happens If hollow is completely filled, (several ideas) the agate may start crystallizing on the outer husk until filled -- or the whole nodule might harden and the banding form during this process. (Agate being cryptocrystalline quartz - microscopic crystals) forming nodules without much color (Turtle Mountains) or tons (Agate Creek) If there is not enough solution to fill an agate completely, then the agate (cryptocrystalline) will shift creating normal quartz crystals in the center: Acton Hauser Geode: Then - if there is not enough solution to completely fill the hollow, geodes form: Tiny hollow - Acton Larger Hollow - Rainey's Well - Bradshaw Trail - Wiley Well District Now - in the hollows, when filled with the silica solution - crystals can form in any direction - so I don't know if you can take those stalag thingys as clues to directionality of formation. OR they show that the solution moved downward creating those stalag thingys over a bed of smaller quartz crystals forming in the silica pool below. But I may be wrong. There may be a third or fourth or fifth theory. Sorry for reading my post - especially if you prove my thoughts wrong...! Please fix them for others (and myself) if I am way off base with what I am saying... And Jim - if I said anything you already know - I duely apologize. I just felt like posting pictures of random stones... Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 16, 2012 17:09:07 GMT -5
I'm reshooting a lot of my California material for the California Index. Thought I would post a few of the more interesting shots. Much of the material has been posted a while back for various reasons, so not much new. Just better photography (hopefully.) Turtle Mountain Sagenite Arrowhead Lane (across I-40 from Afton Canyon Dendritic Nodule: Plume (best I've ever found - and I can't find the source as this was found as float...) Southern Cady Mtn Plume (yeah...tiny sample...but colorful) Northern Cady Plume (Some of this went out with the CR*P rock box that I offered up a few days ago...) Northern Cady Sagenite Nodule I hope you don't mind some random rock eye candy. Thanks for looking. Back to chores. Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 13, 2012 22:49:15 GMT -5
Hey! Wow! This is awesome.
John, I'll be sending you a message later regarding this.
Much thanks!
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 13, 2012 22:42:11 GMT -5
Hurray!!!!!
We have a winner!
As stated in my PM - I hope you enjoy the box - because you're going to hate the agate.... ba da bump!
Thanks for playing - and to all those who had fun with this....
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 13, 2012 21:02:04 GMT -5
Here's the deal. I gotta lot o' rock, and while working the past couple days, I realized I have allot o' cr*p rock. Now, when I say this is cr*p rock...it's still rock, and it's still agate from the Northern Cadys {plume, nodule, moss} and there might be some things you can do with this - practice face polishing, tumble, cut into tiny cabs for small pieces of jewelry, throw at cats - you get the picture... So, since it's not good enough for the kid's booth as is, I'm offering it here free to the first person responds to this email and then PM's me their address. That's right....I will pay shipping to whoever requests this rock first. Rule Limitation (Sorry to do this) but you gotta have at least 100 posts for me to send this to you.....and you can't have more than 500... AGAIN - you must have between 100 and 500 posts to get this.... It's a reward for those who have stuck around and not left this site and contributed to the topics here. For those with over 500 posts - heck, you probably have better rock than this already... Oh, yeah, what better way to show off Cr*p rock than with grainy, ill-lit, fuzzy photos that don't do the rocks any favors in how they look: See - cr*ppy junky stuff.... Oh, cause it's free....I'll send it when I have a chance to get to the blasted post office.... And don't even think I've put anything else in here....I haven't....No joke. I'm just sending cr*p rock. Not even coprolite. When you get the box, have no expectations. None. Lowell (I do believe I have not oversold the contents.) :serious:
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 13, 2012 17:43:44 GMT -5
First of all - I want to say thank you for everyone who's been working on - providing information about - and responding to - my problem with the Index files. I am finding out again how awesome people can be around here. I see there has been some posting and responses - but I haven't read them yet. I've barely been able to get through all my PMs. But I will. And again - THANK YOU. I'll be getting back into the groove BUT In the meantime, I took a little break from this board and the other I visit, and took a break from worrying about the index. I wanted to get back to what got me all excited about this hobby in the first place - grinding stones! So a few days ago I plopped my padded behind on the stool in front of my Titan and began pulling agates off the shelf behind me. I really didn't care what I grabbed. The pieces I didn't need would be donated to the kid's booth for next years CFMS show. The pieces I likes would be kept. Here they are: Destined for the kid's booth spinning wheel prize box: Left to right (Cady Mtn Plume/Two limbs leaning on two Cady nodules/(front - large curve - Christmas Tree Agate - South Cady/ (Top) Lead Pipe Springs Tegg/(Below) Mex Agate/(Bottom - washed out white) Turtle Mnt Nodule/ (top red) Unknown - poss. Agate Creek Austr./ (bottom) Woodward ranch nodule/(far right) core of Black Hills black agate t-egg) Lead Pipe: Closer look at the Agate Creek (?) Has white crust over exterior Mex agate Core of Black Hills Black agate (wish it wasn't cracked) THE KEEPERS: North Cady White Plume (sorry details washed out by light) Simple Arrowhead Lane Nodule Okay - I will tell you what I see --- I see a mushroom. You weird people can see something else in this....... (oh, I think it's a parceles...) Mex agate - might be a kid booth prize... Disdero Agate (THANK YOU TNT MOM 0 Krystee (please tell me I spelled that right.....) Probably a barite nodule from around Moab Utah (Anyone know better....) Love how it came out... Mexican agate bought from one of the owner's family of Diamond Pacific. He said two years ago a guy came up from mexico with a sack of new agates that he needed to market for the miner. Well, the guy with the sack - the middleman - died - and noone could find the miner. Evidently the owner finally showed up at Quartzite this past year selling his own stuff. At least that is the tale. This was one of about 20 small pieces of rough Don had... Two views of texas springs limbcast. Poor lost Bruneau Mine - this is for you... Southern Cady Pisgah Road borderline flame... (edit - forgot this guy) A nodule showing pseudomorphism (is that a word?) where crystals used to be before being replaced by agate. There were quite a few of these guys on a hill a friend and I call Flattop in the Northern Cadys. The side shows some of the former crystalline structure. The interior view shows the patterns formed by the agate. It's not huge, but it's interesting as a specimen. (sample frpm same site....picture a couple years old...) Finally a condor that had windows on both sides of a small nodule - I couldn't decide which I liked better - ergo both sides are now polished. Whew....my fingers ache - but that was fun. I need to remember to relax. Be talking with you all soon (both happily and regarding Index) So to all a Good Night! OH - See some of you at the CFMS show in Riverside this Weekend!! Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 8, 2012 11:49:11 GMT -5
Links removed until question about virus infection solved.
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 8, 2012 11:46:18 GMT -5
It has been reported that some have received viruses from the Agate Index files. I am taking down the links until I find out what is going on.
I've had 95 downloads of the 2012 Southwest and 91 downloads of the Northwest. Neither of these files was changed in any way once I posted them onto Media Fire. They are the same files I posted on File4Share - unchanged in any way except the old files were retitled with the 2010 year.
Question 1- if you received a virus, what specifically was it? Question 2 - Was it all files - or specific ones. Question 3 - As I am not a techie, where would the virus be coming from? Could it be the download site rather than the file itself? Can the file be infected by downloading through a site? Can I have been given a photo that was 'infected' and inadvertently copied it into the file? Could my computer be infected with a virus and I not know it and that virus 'infect' my file? (I'll run a check on the computer in the meantime.)
--- As I posted earlier - I am not employed in this business by any means - so I am asking for help from you guys. I want this file to be useful and not damaging, so I need to find a way to eliminate/fix this problem.
Thanks sheltie for giving me a heads up on this.
(This project is getting frustrating....and I'm doing it for free....)
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 7, 2012 23:28:49 GMT -5
Always excellent. Always surprises.
Thanks,
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jul 6, 2012 20:21:39 GMT -5
I swear - pink shovels are all the rage in California these days!!!!
Don, I've never seen an untumbled Dulcote before. The Lapidary Journal article I noted mentions that most were rough tumbled to knock off all the outer matrix. Both of mine (and the two on sale at Knott's Berry Farm for those interested) are smooth on the outer side.
Awesome specimen,
Lowell
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