elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 26, 2010 4:12:38 GMT -5
*Ahem*
There once was a man named Mel Who always gave Democrats Hell He carries a gun Mends animals for fun And is proud of Texas where he dwells.
Mel's knowledge of stones is extreme From nodules to fossils to seam Just show him a rock And an ID is a lock As for his collection - oh what a dream!
Happy b'day buddy!
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
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Post by elementary on Aug 25, 2010 20:13:00 GMT -5
Just had an hour or so to work in the garage so tackled another broken Queensland agate. It's not as nice as the prior ones, but I like it. Tried to take some pictures but the dome just wants to catch the lightbulb and show off the wattage. (I could almost do a contest: can you read the wattage on the bulb?) oh - Please don't get grossed out by my wrinkly, waterlogged, swollen fingers. Two Views: 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 Aug 25, 2010 17:36:06 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 22, 2010 17:42:46 GMT -5
I have a single Medium box of Cady Mountain Nodules up for grabs. Please note: These are a friend's leftovers. He has taken out the larger pieces and ones that show the best chance for better patterns. Smaller whole pieces he left in as he's not into smaller specimens. Most of the pieces are broken somehow. I have gone through the box (not taking anything) and seen, though, that there are quite a few nodules that are solid and could have a fortification or waterline patterns inside. There are some examples of partial sprays. Much of the material is NOT suitable for tumbing - though a good portion of it is. I have not taken anything from what my friend gave me. I have enough of the material. (Which was collected a couple weeks ago.) Normally I would go to my 6th grade class to hand these out, but I already have a half bucket of similar give-away material taken from my horde ready for them. I thought someone out there may like to paw through some low cost so-cal material which could provide a handful of decent specimens. Notes on material colors - usually white, grey, or bluish to blue. Unlike other locations in the northern Cady's the nodules from this location often show waterline (onyx) banding rather than pure fortification, though both are possible. Again - this is a box of SECONDARY material - intact, though, as I received it. Here are just a couple pictures of random pieces pulled from the pile. Cost? Heck - It'll cost me 10.70 to mail it. I'll take $13.00. Now I don't have paypal or any other method of receiving money. I am not a dealer nor care to be. (Though let me know if you are interested in similar boxes of So Cal material. I'm thinking of slowly paring down some of the overburden of my collection.) If you want this, send a PM and we'll set up either cash or check by mail. Please note - due to my teaching schedule - it may take a couple days to get the package out. Let me know if there are any questions. 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 22, 2010 16:56:00 GMT -5
PM sent
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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 21, 2010 11:21:09 GMT -5
peachfront
I wish I found it in Australia. I was in Barstow Ca visiting Diamond Pacific after romping around the desert. They have bins of material for sale above the parking lot. I found this - and about 20 others covered in dust and dirt. I didn't know what they were at the time, but I washed it off at the truck and id'd it. I couldn't go back up that day - too long a drive home, but a couple weeks later I made it back and turned that bin inside out - getting 15 or so more. The price was $2.50 a pound. SteveHolmes jokingly asked for some nodules on my last post so I've sent him a few. I'm curious to see what he does with them.
As for the fair - I only submitted a case. It was in the misc. category because I had included some polished material I had bought. My subject was Agates from across the World. I came in third. I scored perfect in material and display, and originally in labeling, but there was a three way tie - so they docked me two points for a couple labels that were not centered perfectly. They docked one of the other displays one point for some infraction, and the display next to me remained perfect. And it deserved to win. It contained 15 excellent high grade Baker eggs - professionally lapped, containing amazing colors, crystal centers, etc. I heard the owner paid $1300 for the contents while in Deming. She bought them at the Geode Kid's store. I met her and her husband (president of the Conejo Gem and Mineral Club near here) and they are great people. They, in fact, have been to Australia and their tale made me jealous. I also had to borrow a case from the fair and it had fluorescent lights - and my next door competitor had a light system specifically tailored to their custom made case. You looked in my case and said "wow, that's pretty stuff." You looked in her case and said "WOW! Holy Mother of Agates!"
But if was a fun experience.
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 21, 2010 11:02:57 GMT -5
etrowell - I don't know if you are willing to drive a ways, but west of Nageezi towards the Bisti Badlands there's a spot littered with petrified wood. None of the pieces seem to be massive, but here are some examples of what a friend and I found in about 45 minutes. I still have another 1/2 bucket of other pieces I haven't worked. The better pieces tumble wonderfully. The site is listed in the Gem Trails of New Mexico book. If I was in that area again, I'd definitely go back to the spot. Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 20, 2010 20:03:32 GMT -5
From Queensland, Australia. This nodule was actually was done first, before the other two I posted recently, but it's been sitting at the county fair for the past couple weeks. Has great shadow that I can't get on film. Probably one of the top agates I've ever been able to work with. View from 3 sides:
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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 19, 2010 19:58:41 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 18, 2010 1:04:22 GMT -5
Echostones and yin-yang stones!
I like the non-mexican echo. I don't think I've seen you do one of those before.
As for the yin-yang - I really like the contrast in the last two. The first one's color contrast (green/blue vs black) didn't match up as well as the latter ones - which are great for initial attempts. The last one's juxtaposition of the chaos of the spiderweb with the ordered lines of owyhee I thought was pretty interesting. Now do one of clear chalcedony and blackest obsidian... Or a mocha dendretic stone with snowflake obsidian... Or ....
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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 18, 2010 0:56:12 GMT -5
Did you see Marshall, Will, and Holly and a bunch of Sleestacks?
I think I saw that crystal in Land of the Lost years ago...
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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 16, 2010 1:38:00 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 16, 2010 0:51:51 GMT -5
I'd love to find out what that 5th stone is. I have a small bin of this material and I have no clue as to its origin. I acquired it from the stock of a well-known collector who passed on a while ago. There's no record as to its source. (Not trying to hijack the thread - just adding my photos to help with the "What the hell is 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 14, 2010 17:54:51 GMT -5
Ron Gibbs published the book "Agates and Jaspers" which is filled with excellent photographs of a wide variety of jasper and agate. He edits the Goldrush Ledger - the Bulletin for the Charlotte NC Gem and Mineral Club. The link is here: www.charlottegem.com/newsletters.htmlIn his bulletin, he is publishing a series of articles on how to digitally photograph specimens. He's now up to installment 12. I haven't gone through them yet, but they may provide some of the information you are looking for. I believe there is also a book that came out fairly recently that also had this as a subject - I was talking to my club president about it earlier today, but I didn't write down the info as I didn't have an immediate need for it. I'll ask him and add the info when I get it. I hope this helps. Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
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Post by elementary on Aug 14, 2010 1:53:44 GMT -5
Wild Crazy Shot on 2nd to last one - Apache Picture Jasper??? AKA Apache Picture Rhyolite?
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 13, 2010 22:15:45 GMT -5
Don, Not much is allowed on the base now. There is a website that chronicles one trip taken by the University of Nebraska for research. The whole site is filled with desert treks and rockhunting/ghost towns/hiking. The fort irwin material is found here: dzrtgrls.com/ft_irwin_rocks/ft_irwin_rocks.htmlThere is a nice 'urban legend' of a guy who was so desperate to get on base to hunt rocks, he found a girl who worked on base at a cafeteria or food court out there and began dating her - just to get access. More recent stories are more about guys sneaking on base to grab the shell casings from all the training that goes on out there. They've had to shut down whole exercises cause some idiot wanted to get a few hundred pounds of brass to recycle. Anyways, no Irwin for a while. Mel actually had done some hunting there sometime in the past. He has Lead Pipe Springs thundereggs (which he was ever so kind to pass on a couple to me when he moved...) 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 13, 2010 21:35:28 GMT -5
Sweet piece of furniture!!!!
I usually don't get all googly-eyed over cabinets and stuff, but you have yourself a unique piece there. Man, suddenly I know what I want for Christmas!
Lowell
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elementary
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Member since February 2006
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Post by elementary on Aug 13, 2010 20:46:34 GMT -5
Oops. It's in Queensland, Australia.
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 13, 2010 19:19:26 GMT -5
Sorry - No cabs yet. Just these two guys. Hope you like, One side of agate: Other side of agate: Both sides together: 2nd Agate Creek Nodule: Hey, Steve! I think I'm going to echostone a couple of these nodules - got any tips??? Lowell
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elementary
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Member since February 2006
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Post by elementary on Aug 13, 2010 17:11:10 GMT -5
Don,
I would love to see some of that material you pulled out of the Cady's when you were here!
I always feel like I'm tromping over hills already stomped flat by the passage of other rockhounds. I've been lucky out there a few times. The place is sooo huge and a little bit of hiking usually provides a nice surprise.
Please, give us a peak at the treasures pulled out of there!
Mel,
I'm surprised you don't have a sample piece of the Zephyr material - you seem to have a hunk of everything else...Were they charging an arm and a leg?
That brecciated material was dribbling down a slope. There were a few larger but highly fractured pieces we left behind. There were also pieces that almost looked like a paisley agate - beautiful stuff, but again, all the big pieces weren't worth the haul. My best piece actually came from the bottom of the stream bed below. I tend to hunt these more than the original site if the site looks too beaten up. It looked like there used to be a ledge of the material, but it was gone with this shattered elbow remaining, peeking from the dirt.
(((Oh, news is that the Paul Bunyan site is producing again - and good stuff. I've been there once, and Ron and I are trying to get back there, but my only experience is with a winding set of roads with quite a few cross-trails.)))
As for what category I should fall into - are you sure I should be added, or am I already under the mad dogs or Englishman heading???
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