elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Aug 13, 2011 18:35:00 GMT -5
I hate breakage....
Looking at your original photo, I see a line that runs straight through your volcano and through its 'smoke'.
As already stated, the coloration you so like often originates though weaker parts of the stone.
I was wondering, If the fracture wasn't too traumatic to the stone (such that the break was clean and not splintery), you might be able to take parts of the two halves and try to make mirror semi-circle cabs. Do a left side image to butt up against a right side image. You won't get a volcano, but side by side you might get a twisted reflection that looks good displayed.
Just a thought,
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Cab #2
Aug 13, 2011 18:29:32 GMT -5
Post by elementary on Aug 13, 2011 18:29:32 GMT -5
Here's cab #2 in my history. It's nothing special, nor do I know the material. I did it because it was the only other preform I had stuck on the end of a dop ready to go. It doesn't get as glossy as the brazilian piece I broke a while back. Right now it's cooling off in the freezer. I'll let you know if it busts when it comes out. 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 12, 2011 16:44:07 GMT -5
(Hey ADMIN, if this goes to far, feel free eliminate it!) Well, there I was, playing around with my big ol' pile of nodules... Ahem...I don't think that conveys what I was doing properly... Let's try that again. I was in the garage hefting my thundereggs to see how I was going to polish them.... Ummmm.....No...not quite right. Err. Let me see.... Inspired by the Members Only Section, I decided to photograph my ... ugh...no... Ah, heck...no matter what I write, it's going to sound bad, so here goes: ....Cleaning out my garage, I came upon my bucket of Baker Eggs received a while back. I was desperate for some action, so I gingerly went through the specimens to find one I could grind, and saw one that, as a matter of fact, shocked me. I was so offended I had to take a picture of it and post it just to make sure my prudish ways were adequately vindicated. This does look like it belongs in the member section, doesn't it? And I can't seem to bring myself to smack it with a hammer. It just looks like it would hurt somehow.... In addition, I must admit, that while trying to manipulate the image in photobucket, I had a hard time reducing it to a smaller size. It just didn't seem proper...But if I kept it just the way it was, it would have jumped off the screen at you.... So, enough foreshadowing...no...forebearance...no...forshomething.. Here's my specimen. Michelangelo would have been proud.... A closer view for those who need it... (Maybe I shouldn't have been doing those cerium angels on the garage floor today...) Please forgive me and my childish sense of humor... I just got tired of all the amber posts...I needed something different. Lowell ps DON"T BAN ME!
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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 12, 2011 16:14:22 GMT -5
We've been trying to put in more butterfly friendly plants in our backyard. One of the flowers we put in is this: And we've been getting a few monarch caterpillars recently. Lately I haven't seen any, but while weeding and clearing webbing from the side of the house I found this: Kinda cool if you ask me. It's the first one that I've come across in my yard ever. I'm hoping Karen will put a couple more of these plants in to help the lil guys. Then I went over to the milkweed (I believe it is milkweed - but don't quote me) and saw what I think are lil aphids doing their best to take away my plant. Please take a look: They're yellow and small and some are winged: Anybody know a good way to get rid of these critters without using a pesticide or anything else that might mess up any caterpillars that show up? thanks for the help, 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 12, 2011 15:37:08 GMT -5
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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 12, 2011 14:09:19 GMT -5
That other thing you have is called a dime.
You can get it anywhere where people spend cash. It's like a penny, but actually slightly more useful, but not as much as it used to be.
It's worth about 10 cents. Before 1964 they were over 95% silver. Now they aren't worth a dime.
Years ago there used to be things called 'five and dime stores' but they never sold dimes, which made the name kind of funny. Now we call these stores .99 cent stores, and the stuff they carry is pretty much cr*p.
Also, when people told the police where a wanted man was hiding, it was said they 'dropped a dime' on someone. This was because there used to be things called phone booths. These were strange little rooms with an extremely large metal phone bolted to the wall that cost a dime to use. You actually put the dime in a little slot (the dropping part) and then you had to spin a little wheel to reach the person you wanted to call. Really barbaric in my opinion.
Another confusing phrase was "a dime a dozen", since dimes were 10 cents and a dozen (unless you were a baker) were 12 items. It was used in such a way as "Bad politicians are a dime a dozen in the senate".
I hope I helped you a bit with that other object you pictured.
By the way, that crazy lace is not a dime a dozen.
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 8, 2011 17:40:43 GMT -5
Both are incredible, lovely pieces!
The bottom one looks like you need to issue a tornado warning to the people downwind from that storm front. Honestly, I'm looking at it again, and I think that second one is one of my favorite pieces I've ever seen posted. It's dramatic and scenic and calls to me. I don't post a lot of praise posts, but man, I like the image in that stone!
I was fortunate to get some of this material in a trade and I really need to pull it out and get some diamond on it.
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 8, 2011 17:31:55 GMT -5
Wow!
You've just put another pin on my map of places I want to go.
Impressive and spectacular scenery!
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 8, 2011 17:22:26 GMT -5
Hey all, A bunch of my family and inlaws and inlaws of inlaws traveled up to June Lake (just a shot north of Mammoth Mountain) for a little vacation. We had everyone from tykes to grandmothers, who came in from such diverse places as New Hampshire, Philadelphia, Orange County, and Santa Barbara. To get up there from where I live (ventura ca), you get to travel past a ton of famous rockhounding sites. We didn't stop (330 mile trips don't lend much time for rock hunting - just eat/gas/pit stop), but the drive up the 14 Freeway to the 395 and up to the town of Bishop provides an incredible amount of geology to look at - from the topography and colors of Red Rock Canyon, to the lava fields farther up, to the mountainous vistas that are the Eastern Sierras. Our first real stop was Lone Pine - which has a very active gem club. Here's the view from where we ate: I even got to step into a lil shop that sold rocks: but found nothing of interest. We arrived at June Lake and fell in love with the campsite: We were about 7000+ feet up. Pretty soon we had a visitor walk through our camp and the three little ones were fascinated by their proximity to the native. The center one is my daughter. The other two are her identical twin cousins. The next day we headed up to the ghost town of Bodie: It is a fascinating ghost town that's tricky to photograph that way. I swear there were several hundred people there when we went and trying to get atmospheric shots of the 'ghost' town is hard when you get people mingling in front of every edifice. As a side note - this must be a hot spot for the international tourist as we heard german, russian, and french spoken by different groups. Anyway, I took a few pictures of the town and the hillside about it pock-marked with mines and tailings. I love the little outhouses that hunker by the bigger buildings. It's like the baby fawn trying to stay near its mother. In fact, there were several types of outhouses this place used to have: It had the leaner: and the dual action cheer your neighbor version - otherwise known as the 'Rooter - Tooter'. Okay, okay, they're not all outhouses, but the humor works better that way. Inside each building, a different set of relics sat behind the windows. There was the school, a hotel, a store, and other businesses you'd find in a place like this - all with artifacts you could gawk at: The little ones had a great time: On the way back to the campsite we passed Mono Lake: . The next day was a slow one. The most interesting sight came on a trip my wife and I made up to the little town near where we were staying. Up above the town is a beautiful waterfall. We went to see it because my wife's parents were staying at a motel with a view of the cascade. (My mother and father-in-law don't 'camp'.) The next day I chose to drive out alone while the others went down to the lake for some water sports. I wanted to head out to Coaldale to explore a little, which was about 80 miles from our camp. So I took off on Highway 120 that met up with highway 6 that led to Coaldale. On the 6, I traveled through forest: and high desert scrub: passed through the historic town of Benton with its hot springs before turning onto the 6: From here I crossed into Nevada through the Montgomery Pass (obsidian site located nearby but not stopped at) and dropped down into true desert: My goal was the Sump. It doesn't sound too enticing, but I had read much about it and was eager to visit it. I only had time to crawl over from the highway to its top visa, but what a site it is: It was worth every mile I drove. At the base of the canyons are some poorly petrified tree trunks that I couldn't see, and this site is well known for the blue chalcedony limb casts that can sometimes be found in the cement-like sandstone. I stayed a while to roam about the area above the canyons and found a fair number of small apache tears. I headed back to the 6. I was going to explore the mountains north of Coaldale, but I was drawn down a very colorful valley where I hunted for additional apache tears. This road leads into Fish Lake Valley where Tears can be collected by the bucketful, if you have time to pick that many up. The road is easy to travel and the landscape not very difficult to explore on foot. Here's a brief look: I picked up a ziplock full and had to get back for dinner. On the way home I got to watch a dustdevil dance across the desert basin: The next day was our last. A doe and her two fawns decided to wish us good luck: And we were off. It was an excellent trip and the landscape and topography and geology is all incredibly beautiful and interesting. There's mining history, obsidian deposits, rich forests, the beautiful and odd Mono Lake, and fish and ... and ... and... You get the picture. I hope you enjoyed the photos, 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 1, 2011 17:16:30 GMT -5
I went to cab I did I did To polish a stone so pure
I cut the slab I did I did Tapping to make it secure
I worked the stone I did I did In the shape a lovely mound
I gazed alone I did I did At perfection I had found
I froze the dop I did I did To release the captive gem
I cursed the drop I did I did When the stone fell from the stem
I feel despair I do I do Seeing my labor so marred
I want to share I do I do But my efforts seem so scarred
I'll go once more I will I will To my Titan in the dark
I'll give 'What for!' I will I will To ignite genius's spark
I'll wait 'til then I must I must To form the perfect display
And steal a win I must I must To vindicate all my play
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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 1, 2011 16:50:57 GMT -5
Thank you all for your kind replies and advice.
You made me laugh (dammit Mel, I had to explain to Karen what was so funny...and I wound up blushing! You couldn't have given her a better B-day gift...My daughter asked, 'Why is daddy's face pink?'...Ain't no way I was explaining what was going on to a five year old...) and think (damn, what else do I need to do to monitor the quality of my slabs) and scratch my head (should have used Head and Shoulders) and wonder what I should try next (I want to do a 5' diameter monstrosity like Bobby!!!)
You're all great people! It's why I visit you all on line! (That and being on home arrest can make life a little boring sometimes...) JUST KIDDING!
Hope to be back here soon!
Lowell
(Man, I'm in a goofy mood today. AH! Inspiration for a poem...coming soon)
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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 31, 2011 18:52:58 GMT -5
My friend finally got me off my buttocks and got me cabbing by getting me to sit in front of my machine and on my ... uh ... buttocks. So much for getting outside to exercise. So anyway, I went to a friend's house for a lesson in making these things. I began by staring at a slab of Brazilian for 20 minutes. I slid the template left and right - up and down - and all around - before finding the exact spot I thought would best highlight the stone. This done, I trimmed it up, preformed it, and began working the edges down and doming the top. Today I pulled it out and went to finish it. I liked how it looked: I put the dop stick in the freezer as instructed. Now please notice the lil ol' crack on the lower left hand portion of the stone. I pulled the 'finished' cab out of the freezer and viola! Arrrrrgh! Welcome to cabbing 101! I looked at it in the light for a few minutes hmmmm What if I ... Well, back to the drawing board. I'll grind down the broken edge and make myself a side view of an eyeball! Or whatever. Anyways, thanks for looking... They say you always remember the first time. Well, I've lost my cabberginity and definitely will remember mine... I want to do more! Who's can slab up some stuff for me? Anybody? I gotta do more! Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Tahoma
Jul 31, 2011 10:31:26 GMT -5
Post by elementary on Jul 31, 2011 10:31:26 GMT -5
I love that stuff.
Hey, how's the claim lookin'?
Any more jumpers?
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 30, 2011 21:38:40 GMT -5
I've always been a collector, and I've always been obsessive, and I've always enjoyed science.
Growing up collecting was baseball cards, football cards, coins, and books. As I went through college and for the first 10 years after graduation, book collecting took off to absurd levels ('obsession begins where common sense ends' originates from personal experience). I'd dump my quarterly bonuses - thousands of dollars - into my book collection. It grew to the point that I actually had a fully stocked library in my house. I still have the books, over 5000 at last count, but as you can guess, when I got married, my book collecting funds shrunk - and then my employer went bankrupt. Stick with me now, all this is relevant. I went back to school to become a teacher. After finishing grad school, I found a position as a fourth grade teacher. Guess what the science focus is for this age? Yep - earth science. So I decided I'd buy a collecting guide for Southern California. I felt that the students would be better served by holding the rocks and minerals than just looking at pictures in a book. I drove out to Gem Hill to check it out and as I drove through the desert, flashing by the Joshua Trees and smelling that desert air and seeing that gigantic sky, I felt like I was coming home. It didn't matter that what I picked up that day was junk. That desert emanated a siren's call like nothing else I have ever experienced. During my breaks, I would take four days and hit four distinct locations in southern california. Acton, Castle Butte, Kramer Junction, Lavic Siding, the Hauser Beds, Turtle Mountains. I would come home with my pickup loaded with material, all organized and all labeled. (Obsessive, remember. My garage is 100% labeled for all material that I've collected, and for material received from other sources that I could I.D.) I then went online and found the Ventura Gem and Mineral Society. There I met an amazing and knowledgeable group of rockhounds, Mel being one of them. I started tumbling and cutting my agate nodules, falling in love with those dang earth eggs, and bought every book I could on rocks. I joined this forum and began meeting incredibly talented and generous people from all over Hating when I couldn't identify what I owned, myself and others (Mel and Steve being the two I distinctly remember on that conversation) decided an Agate/Jasper identification guide would be a nice thing, which led to those downloadable books we put out. That was about 15 months ago. Now I've moved away from tumbling - I guess the mess kept on getting on my nerves - picked up a Pixie, then a Titan - and I'm now starting to cab for the first time. Hopefully will have my first cab I've ever made posted soon. (Since I admitted my cabberginity in my club's newsletter two months ago, I've been mercilessly teased - so I really gotta get my first one done.)
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 30, 2011 13:56:01 GMT -5
Hello all, I had the privilege of giving a short talk on rocks and fossils at my daughter's daycare. There were 14 students who attended. The talk was basic as the attention span of 4/5 year olds can be measured in milliseconds! I brought in petrified wood, petrified palm (root and fiber), whale bone, dinosaur bones, a polished Condor agate, a skeletal quartz specimen, and a broken Zacatecas geode. My daughter, Becca, sat next to me the whole time, passing out specimens, showing how to hold rocks, and modeling eye protection. We talked about the basics of the three rock types - spending more time on basic vocabulary and describing things than the actual science. They got to touch the samples and we used all kind of words to describe their texture and colors. I handed to each of them a polished stone, a piece of petrified wood from AZ, a turitella fossil from Malibu, and a small plastic dinosaur skull (buy them in tubes from places like Michael's hobby store.) I then took them out back to the playground and broke open two more Zacatecas geodes with my rock hammer as they stood 10 feet away. By then they were ready to bolt and play It was a great time. When I came in the next day, the director (who runs a few other daycares in our area) asked if I could do the talk for her other locations, so I'll be doing a couple more later in August. Pictures; Thanks for lookin' 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 30, 2011 13:24:54 GMT -5
Is it possible the moss nodules are actually river cobbles, tossed about and rounded by water?
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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 11, 2011 16:59:26 GMT -5
Box mailed!
I'm done!
Stick a fork in me!
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 11, 2011 12:49:16 GMT -5
I don't usually post on L,tU&E, but... I write several monthly columns for my Club's newsletter - one is based on my club's history, another about websites connected to our hobby, an opinion one, and finally one that highlights little known news stories that may have been missed. Today I ran across this article while trolling the internet. It involves a pharmacist who killed a robber and is now convicted of murder and received a life sentence: news.yahoo.com/okla-man-gets-life-sentence-teen-thiefs-death-154711301.htmlOne of the robbers was armed - and both were african-american. The boy who was killed was unarmed. The pharmacist is white. The death was seen as racially motivated and the NAACP evidently was the trigger to charge the man with murder. On further research, I found a website that describes the man (a handicapped vet), the robbers (armed - robbing a pharmacy), and the event. The site has also been posting altercations between supporters of the robber and the store where the shooting took place. jeromeersland.org/Petitions have been signed to ask for a pardon and a facebook site has been set up to show support: www.facebook.com/FreeJeromeErslandA rival site was set up in response: www.facebook.com/jeromeerslandisguiltyFinally, I found a video of the event here: The problem - I was all huffed up and angry as I read that the first shot was while the boy was standing (justified), and then I read the last five bullets were taken while he was on the ground unconscious (ah, there's the rub...) The sites and story unfolded as I went through each website - and it shows how information is shared or not shared depending on your point of view on the subject. - damn kid shouldn't have been in that store doing what he was doing in the first place... Just a f*ed up story for a Monday...
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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 10, 2011 16:23:37 GMT -5
Box is packed up. There was some wiggle room so I added the following: (I didn't add the little bird dropping in the upper left part of the photo...you wise asses....I can hear you thinking!) A Beacon Hill agate nodule from Idaho Rose Quartz from Greenhorn Mtn. in Ca and three pieces of Mexican fire agate. Requesting address (dopey me forgot to do that) and will send out package when received. 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 9, 2011 15:41:22 GMT -5
Hey - interesting box. I wound up taking some jumbled rock out: And I pulled out a piece of opal, a couple emeralds, sunstones (I think - I only took a couple pieces), and a small chunk of chrysoprase. My wife is looking over one of the three necklaces to decide which of those will be removed. I put in a chunk of Mel's Mariposa Jasper: And a few other things - Brazilian Carnelian, a polished piece of Paul Bunyan, a polished piece of christmas tree agate, a couple pieces of Bruneau jasper, a couple pieces of Tahoma Jasper, a couple Petrosky Stones from Michigan. I also dropped in a few pieces of Mexican blue chalcedony. They are bluer in person. I'm not done. I'll be putting in other items today and tomorrow. Lowell
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