Gem Crafters & Explorer's Club Bulletin,

P.O. BOX 3091, Las Cruces, NM 88003

Nov. 2013 - Volume 55 Issue 10

EL GAMBRISINO

Affiliated with: Member of: Member of:

American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies Blue Ribbon Coalition

www.amfed.org www.rmfms.org www.sharetrails.org

2013 OFFICERS & volunteers:

President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Refreshments Historian Programs Field Trip DirectorEditorCookie Saathoff Sheri Gaines Pat Grace Brenda Gadberry Patti Pickert Don Saathoff Eric Fuller Eric Fuller Maxine Wyman 382-3464 526-7176 202-2862 202-0200 532-9351 382-3464 524-0204 524-0204 649-4900 imaginethattoo@comcast.net sheriagaines@gmail.com tony.nunez.pat@gmail.com brendagadberry@comcast.net wpickert@Q.com auagte2@comcast.net ghosthiker@gmail.com ghosthiker@gmail.com gambrisina@gmail.com

We meet on the third Friday of the month at Gardiner Hall, Room 118, NMSU campus, Las Cruces, NM at 6:30 pm for social and 7 pm for the meeting. There are no meetings in July and December. Dues are $10 per adult per year and each additional family member under eighteen is $2 per year. They are due Jan.1st of each year. A membership form will be emailed or mailed to you in December to be filled out and returned with your check to the treasurer. There are no regular committees or board meetings nor do we sponsor a show.

Our purpose shall be to gather knowledge and provide educational benefits to members on geological, archaeological, lapidary, and mineralogical topics of interest, to include assistance to members in all lapidary problems, the study and identification of minerals and gem stones in the rough, the field study of geological formations which produce minerals and gem stones, the collection of minerals and gemstones, and the exploration of any geological or archaeological topic or area which may be of interest to the membership.

NOTE: All articles and photographs are by the Editor Maxine Wyman unless otherwise noted. Any address or email changes must be sent to me at: gambrisina@gmail.com or 4680 St. Michaels, Las Cruces, NM 88011.
Permission to reprint is granted if acknowledgement is given. We reserve the right to edit all material submitted for publication

Info for the Newsletter: If you have information, articles, pictures or a website related to gem crafting, rock collecting or exploring and would like to share please give me a call at 649-4900 or email me at gambrisina@gmail.com If you have a good idea or story to tell I will be more than happy to help you write it up. Also if you have minerals, outdoor or camping equipment, etc. that you would like to sell please let me know for our FREE "Classifieds." Maxine Wyman, Editor

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club

Meeting Minutes - Oct. 18, 2013
Submitted by Maxine Wyman Speaker Rod Geophysics teacher. Blackford, NMSU

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mineralogical specimen - more to follow on this very radioactive specimen. Petrology

Program Notes Oct., 18, 2013

Visitors Phil & Jeanie Crumbles of Peoria, Illinois & Ken Littje. Treasurers Report There is a total of $520.51 in the bank -. $50 was paid to Al Spencer for the Halloween Party and $235 paid to Eric Fuller for new batteries for the radios. Nominating Committee Mitch Mauer announced the new slate for 2014: President Dave Smith Vice President Sherri Gaines Treasurer Pat Grace Secretary Bill Pickert The volunteer positions No Changes Programs & Field Trips Eric Fuller Historian Don Saathoff Editor Maxine Wyman Old Business Al & Kathy Spencer will hold the Halloween Party at their home on Oct. 27th. New Business Voting for officers will be held at the Nov. 15th meeting. Announcements Pat Grace & Tony Nunez volunteered to hold the Christmas Party at their home again this year. It will be held on Friday, Dec. 6th. For those wanting to participate in the gift exchange please bring a nongender gift with a $10 limit. It will be a pot luck and BYOB as usual. Mike Gaines donated a number of slabs to the club. They were on the front table and priced at fifty cents each with proceeds to go to the club. Most are from Oregon. Campout - Kathy & Eric Fuller will lead a campout to Old Hatchita on Nov. 22-25 (the weekend before Thanksgiving). Contact Eric if planning on going. Mineral Meeting It will be held this coming rd Wednesday, the 23 , at Don Saathoffs Lab. The gates open at 5:30, meeting at 6 pm. There will be a discussion on the differences between England & the rest of Europe and the U.S. as to how we look at crystal systems. (Please note the change in time). Campout Report Brecken Uhl gave a report on the Burro Mt. campout. He said there were a lot of roads and mines to explore. The Blackhawk and the Alhambra mines were checked out. Don spoke up and said that Brecken had picked up an excellent
Rod Blackford

Our speaker was Rod Blackford, a petroleum geophysics teacher and scientist at NMSU. He is certainly enthusiastic about his topic and an excellent speaker to boot. He talked to us about his time spent in Iran and Kuwait trying to figure out how to get more oil, more economically out of the ground. This he did by coming up with a procedure referred to as Under Balanced Well Drilling. (I hope I got that right). We learned of the problems had in dealing with the government to drill a well. It takes three years to get an okay to drill. At least thats better than here where no drilling is allowed on government land or sea. My problem was that the topic was way over my head and what I did understand I can in no way relate it on paper. Being unfamiliar with much of the terminology I am just going to say that he is a nice guy and I hope that he can come back sometime and talk to us in terms that the average guy can understand.

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! Xf!bsf!bmxbzt!ifbsjoh!bcpvu!ipx!Tpdjbm!Tfdvsjuz!jt!! hpjoh! up!svo!pvu!pg!npofz/! Xiz! ep! xf! ofwfs! ifbs! bcpvu! Xfmgbsf! svoojoh! pvu! pg! ! npofz@! Xibu(t!tp!joufsftujoh!jt-!uif!gjstu!hspvq!xpslfe!gps!! uifjs! ! npofz////uif!tfdpoe!ejeo(u"!

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club Reminders and Gen. Info:

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The next meeting will be as usual on the third Friday of th the month, Nov. 15 in Room 118, Gardiner Hall on the NMSU campus, 6:30 PM for socializing and 7 PM for the meeting. Our speaker will be Howard Bash who retired from the NYC Transit System as an Assistant Department Director. He will talk of his experiences during the 9-11 tragedy in NYC. The planning, the implementing, the movement of people and equipment out of and into NYC was a monumental task of great importance. A must hear talk on one of the most tragic events of our times. We have our new slate of officers as you can see in the minutes of the last meeting. Please note that there are only two new names (much appreciated). Out of a membership total of 99 adults it shows a real lack of participation. To keep our club healthy and viable we need more folks to jump in and help out. Our club is very laid back and there are no real difficult jobs to be had (well except maybe for Erics-Programs & Field Trips). Before voting next month the President will ask for other nominations from the floor and hopefully there will be more response from members. Speaking of response, how about some help here with your newsletter. Articles or ideas about your travels, rocks that you have met, field trips, etc. would all be appreciated. The few regular contributors we have, such as Eric, Kathy, Brenda, Al and now Joan are doing great but cant be expected to carry the whole load. I hate to sound like Im begging but I am begging! Be sure and check out the web site items, there were several especially good ones sent in this month. Also I am happy to report that someone has sent in an Ad to run this month. Check it out for our snowbird friend who wont be able to come visit us this winter.

From a Rock Club Friend

Gettin' Outdoors Show With Big Daddy Lawler's photo. To all my friends who hunt, camp, or spend time in the woods: The pic below is of my left leg after being struck by a 6ft timber rattler today while turkey hunting. The snake bit through my hunting pants and Muck Boots (I usually wear snake boots when turkey hunting, but could not locate them this morning). The initial bite felt like being hit in the calf by a baseball bat at full swing followed by excruciating pain radiating out from the bite wounds. Fortunately, I carry a snake bite extractor kit in my turkey vest, and was able to remove the majority (I guestimated 3-4 cups) of the venom contaminated blood. Following the instructions from the kit, I kept my heart rate down as best I could, and slowly limped the 200 yds. to my vehicle, and was able to drive myself to the hospital which, thank the good Lord, was about 20 min away. Once there, I was administered the antivenom, antibiotics, etc. The ER Doc told me that, based on the distance between the two fang punctures and their diameter and depth, if I had not used the venom extractor kit, I would have died before I ever made it to my truck. So, if you do not already own one, I want you to go to a sporting goods store and purchase a venom extractor kit ASAP. I bought mine at Academy and it was around $10.00. I would urge you to buy a couple. Put one in each vehicle in your household, in your hunting or hiking pack, and especially your B.O.B. etc.,,,, they are about the size of a bar of soap and can literally save your life or someone you love. Please don't blow this off. Do it tomorrow!!!! I am spending one night (hopefully) in the hospital, and may require some minor surgery to remove any damaged tissue from the poison, but that is a far cry from losing my leg or passing through the pearly gates!!!! Respectfully, Your Friend, Chad Cross (Chad just got out of the hospital today, this happened Sunday in Montgomery County Alabama)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

(There was not have a posted date on this item)

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club

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JOANS TALL TALES Chapter #2 By Joan Beyer

Photos courtesy of Eric & Kathy Fuller

Club Characters: Pete and Bill

Pete Chadman was an authentic Club Character, joining in 1969, and wellremembered by many of you, I'm sure! A welleducated, erudite Midwesterner,he enjoyed playing the role of the old-time desert rat, hence his CB handle, "Desert Pete". And he looked it, with his straggly white beard, and battered hat. Pete loved to talk and had a million stories. None of our misadventures ever ruffled his laid-back calm; more often they just reminded him of another anecdote. I think he saw himself as the Grand Old Man of the Club, and the rest of us as eager listeners. He knew something about everything, had an opinion about everything, and was always ready to instruct anyone who would listen. On the other hand, if you challenged him on some particularly outrageous statement, he'd chuckle and admit he didn't really know what he was talking about. Pete found it amusing to play devil's advocate in any discussion. It made for some lively campfire conversations when he pulled someone's chain a little too hard He drove a Scout that had previously been Leroy's. When Pete's eyesight deteriorated, some of us took turns driving the Scout for him. Macular degeneration prevented him from seeing straight ahead, but he had good peripheral vision. I think all of us who drove him had the embarrassing experience of a being told by a legally blind man that we had missed a turnoff. Driving duties were eventually taken over by Bill Young, and the two of them were a field trip team as long as they remained active. And that brings us to Bill... Bill Young was the opposite of Pete in every way. An old country boy, he had worked for the CCC (he called it the Triple C), and was in the Cavalry back when they still rode horses. Bill was as silent as Pete was talkative. He was also quite deaf, which must have made for some interesting hours on the road...Pete talking non-stop, and Bill not hearing anything. He had tunnel vision, which I guess balanced out with Pete's peripheral vision, but it made his driving interesting. We always thought he deliberately aimed for the potholes.

Eric Fuller & Bill Young listening to one of Petes endless stories

It was as good as a play to see Pete and Bill in camp; Pete bossing Bill around, Bill arguing if he heard him, and ignoring him if he didn't. Just watching them cook breakfast was enough to make your cholesterol level rise. They would toss half a pound of bacon into the cast iron frying pan, wait till it rendered about a quarter inch of grease, then drop in several eggs and let them float, sizzle and pop. The condition of their camp stove was unspeakable, and the less said about their kitchen clean-up the better. But hey, they were both around 80, too old and tough to care. At any rate, they survived several years of their camping style... and appeared to enjoy every minute of it.

Pete getting up at the Wood Tin camp. Yep! Pete slept out in the open on the ground and in that great sweater for which he took quite a ribbing.

So cold that Pete actually set up a tent

To be continued...

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club Mineral Mtg. 10-23-2013

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It all started at our new time of 5:30 pm. I dont know if that had anything to do with the small attendance we had but there were only eight of us mineral crazies that showed up this time. Both Jerry Cone and Larry Howell had a number of items to be identified so most of the time was taken up by that.

This is especially for all you knappers in our group but it is quite beautiful and I thought all would enjoy seeing it. It was sent to us by Jon Stewart, a snow bird member from Michigan. Read his note below.

Jerry Cone

Jerry brought his micro specimens he had found on the Stephenson Bennett Mine field trip. Don checked them to make sure he had labeled them correctly. They were all mounted and labeled and numbered good job Jerry. Dobbs brought us samples from his latest foray into the hills also.

: This "Point in Stone" was flint knapped by a friend of mine who is just 19 years old. He goes by the nic name, "The Kidknapper". He is a really talented knapper. The rock that he made in the "Point in Stone" looks to me to be mookite that is found in Australia. A friend of mine, Mike Cook taught The Kidknapper", Doug Alcorn Jr, and is trying to teach me to knap. Jon Stewart

Dont forget to set your clocks back one hour at midnight on November 3rd.
Larry Howell, Don Saathoff & Russ Franz going thru Larrys box of minerals

We never did get around to discussing our named topic but that was okay. Theres always next month. We got to see and talk about a lot of interesting minerals and had a jolly good time, as usual I might add.

Big Brother has spoken as usual the government knows whats best for us and knows better than Mother Nature (There, I got my two cents worth in once again)

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club The Treacherous Mineral

By Bill Cordua, University of Wisconsin, Fall River

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-6Gemmy, 1.8 cm, twinned, cherry-red Sphalerite crystal from Hunan Province, China Photo www.wikipedia.org

Mineral names are often given to commemorate a famous scientist or locality. Sphalerite (ZnS), however, has a name based on the Greek word for treacherous. Blende, a German synonym for Sphalerite, means blind or deceiving. What is it about this common mineral (which forms very attractive collector specimens) which led its names to be so negative about it? The name comes from the tendency of people to misidentify it. It was often mistaken for galena which was mined for its lead, and sometimes silver, content. Sphalerite yielded neither at the smelter, and, until the nineteenth century, there were few if any uses for the zinc that was mined. So, to oldtime miners, the mistaken identity was a costly error. Things changed for Sphalerite in the 1850s with the advent of galvanizing. In Wisconsin, many deposits worked for lead suddenly became zinc mines as well, with hundreds of thousands of tons of the mineral produced. This was also true for deposits elsewhere, notably in the Tri-state district and other Midwestern deposits, now prized for the beautiful Sphalerite crystals found during mining. So this is a bum rap for poor Sphalerite. It is actually a relatively easy mineral to identify, and has a number of very distinctive properties that can be tested with little equipment. Yet, true to form, I find many students misidentifying it with depressing regularity.
Sphalerite crystals, Telluride, CO., Twinned crystals of gemmy red Sphalerite. Photo www.wikip[edia.org

Translucent red Sphalerite is sometimes called ruby jack. The streak plate helps even out the color problems. Sphalerite will generally give a pale yellow streak. The hardness of 3-4 on the Mohs scale, distinguishes Sphalerite from quartz or feldspar. You can scratch Sphalerite with a steel nail, but not with a copper penny. Sphalerite breaks readily along a number of regular cleavage planes. Ideally, there are six preferred direction of break (the so-called dodecahedral cleavage). While it is not usually possible to count all six directions on any particular specimen an observer will clearly see this is a mineral with at least four cleavages. Few minerals have more than three. A chemical test is also helpful. When powdered and moistened with weak HCl (muriatic or brick cleaning acid), Sphalerite emits a potent rotten egg odor of sulfur compounds. Kids generally love to do this test. So, Sphalerite gives many clues to its identity, yet it is still viewed a treacherous. Many minerals mistaken for Sphalerite, such as calcite, fluorite, siderite or goethite, will never emit sulfurous fumes. Among the sulfur bearing minerals, few have the color, luster, streak and cleavage of Sphalerite. Galena, for which it is most frequently mistaken, is always metallic; always some shade of gray, breaks along 3 sets of cleavages as cubes and never crystallizes as tetrahedrons. Who could honestly mistake it for Sphalerite? Poor Sphalerite. Sometimes life aint fair. Last fall I took my mineralogy students to visit the core labs at the proposed Crandon copperzinc mine in Wisconsin. While viewing a length of core, I pointed out to my students what I though was an interesting zone of coarse siderite in one of the cores. The mine-site geologists looked at me and said, Oh, no, thats one of our main ore minerals up here its Sphalerite. Boy was my face red! The treacherous mineral had struck again! Via Clippers Chatter, 01, 2009 Via Pick- Hammer News 03-2013

First, when well crystallized, its form is very distinctive. Sphalerite forms complex crystals that have a generally tetrahedral habit, although many modifying forms commonly occur. A tetrahedron has 4 faces, each one an equilateral triangle. Even with the complex modifications frequently present on Sphalerite crystals, the generally triangular outline is usually visible. Few minerals have this crystal habit. The color of Sphalerite is extremely variable, and this is probably part of the identification problem. Though usually found in some shape of brown to nearly black; red, yellow, green, blue and clear Sphalerite is known. The colors represent the effects of chemical impurities, generally iron. The percentage of iron controls how dark the brownish hue is. Chemically pure Sphalerite is clear (a variety called cleiophane).

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MORE BENCH TIPS FROM BRAD SMITH

MARKING YOUR TOOLS It makes sense to mark your tools if you ever lend them to friends or take them out to classes or workshops. Question is how to mark them permanently. For metal tools, I use a very small ball bur running fast in the Dremel or Foredom to "engrave" my initials. Other times I'll form the initials with a number of hits with a center punch. But for hammer handles and other wooden tools, the country boy in me came back and thought "Why not make a branding iron?" If you'd like to try one, all you need is a little scrap copper or nickel about 22-24 gauge, a piece of heavy brass or copper for a base, about 6 inches of metal rod and a piece of wood for the handle I formed my initials from a couple 4mm strips of sheet nickel. The "S" was one piece, but the "B" was three pieces soldered together with hard. (Remember to form the letters backwards). I then soldered the letters with medium onto a piece of 1/8 inch thick brass bar to act as a heat sink. Finally, I soldered a piece of 1/8 round rod on the back of the brass bar as a shaft to join to a wooden handle.

The articles include: 1. Cuttlebone Casting - Get wonderful textures quickly and easily 2. Bezel Basics - Hints for making a perfect bezel every time 3. Make Your Own Wax Pen - You'll love this $20 electric wax tool 4. Depletion Gilding - An easy way to avoid tarnish on your pieces 5. Setting Up A Home Shop - Tool tips and safety considerations 6. Building a Jewelry Web Site - Develop a plan to save money =========================== More Bench Tips by Brad Smith are at facebook.com/BenchTips/ or search for "Bench Tips for Jewelry Making" on Amazon

Joe Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 a.m. While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA). After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB. At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, Joe decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in.....AMERICA.....

BENCH TIPS HOLIDAY SPECIAL If you find these monthly tips useful, then think how nice it'd be to have the full bench tips reference guide for your shop or as a present for a jewelry friend. Between now and Thanksgiving I'm offering a Holiday Special that includes a free bonus pack of jewelry articles with every copy purchased. "Bench Tips for Jewelry Making" contains 101 of the most popular and useful bench tips organized into ten main problem areas. It's filled with close-up photos and has a detailed index to help find the solution you need by key word. Get your copy by going directly to my printer at http://CreateSpace.com/3976439 . Upon ordering the book, you will receive a confirmation email. This is your proof of purchase. Forward a copy of this to me at <benchtips@yahoo.com> to receive your free bonus pack.

Via Blue Agate News April 2009

If you would like to leave footprints in the sand of time, you had better wear work boots.

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club Burro Mt. Campout Report

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Report & Photos by Don & Cookie Saathoff

Friday, the eleventh of October found us on the road to the North end of the Burro Mountains looking forward to a couple of days of rockhounding. Traveling West on hwy. 180 watching for the Saddle Rock Road cutoff we spotted a PU Truck waiting for us on the cutoff.I guess Brecken didnt think we could find it on our own(?). He led us to the small camper campground which was in a beautiful little box canyon. Because of the recent rains the grasses were almost waist-high next time we will bring a swing scythe!! Brecken & Julie were already set up so Cookie & I popped up the camper had a quick lunch, climbed in RITA, the RED RANGER and took off following Brecken & Julie to the Purple Heart Mine in the Telegraph District on a recon mission. We found most of the advertised minerals on the dumps somebody did a lot of digging for not much reward. Maybe the pyrite assayed traces of gold or silver or maybe they were hoping for some economic fluorite. Maybe they took some manganese ore out.I dont know. The prospect pit was large and the adit below the pit was also large lotta work!! When we got back to camp we were greeted by Kathy & Eric Fuller and Breckens friends Ron & Art and happy hour commenced! We FROZE OUR _____ off on Friday night. Ron didnt bring his blankets and Art brought everything BUT the tent. Saturday mornings sunshine was a welcome blessing!!! Brecken, Julie, Art & Ron headed out to parts unknown prospecting. The Fullers headed out for parts unknown exploring and Cookie & I headed for the Black Hawk Mine and the Alhambra Mine both major silver producers of the late 19th century Black Hawk dumps were so picked over we found nothing but thorns however we did make the acquaintance of two old-timers in the district, Bob & Poncho. Both of these gentlemen had done work at various times at the mines of the district and knew the territory well. They pointed us to a road up the hill which went to the Alhambra Mine and mentioned that if anyone stopped us we were to say that Bob & Poncho said we had permission to be there well, we headed up the hill with high hopes! Until we came to a locked gate with plenty of warning to go no farther!! We turned around and headed back to camp where we were greeted by Jannette Hale and her trusty canine companion Mandy. Julie then arrived with the news that she had to return to Las Cruces. Shortly after her departure Bobby & Wilma Hutson rolled in to the campsite and set up their tent. Brecken, Ron & Art rolled in a while later and then the Fullers.and Happy Hour commenced! Brecken had done his due diligence and found another road to the Alhambra Mine with no locked gate. When he arrived back in camp he asked if my Geiger counter

was handy which it, of course, was. He produced a typical OLD-TIME specimen from the Alhambra Mine showing the typical combination of silver, nickelskutterudite, acanthite and uraninite which drove the Geiger counter crazy!!! He found it beside the road as he was leaving the location. Under the microscope I THINK I saw some purplish metallic crystals of the rare mineral siegenite. More work is required to confirm this. Sunday morning dawned clear & beautiful! Everyone took off on their various exploration paths and Cookie & I just decided to hang out at the campsite until time for us to strike camp & head home. The trip was not good mineralogically for Cookie & I but what fun to see the forest green, water in some creeks, good company & conversation and quiet nights with a good campfire!

!
The campsite is straight ahead in the canyon

Jannette Hale & Kathy Fuller

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club

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A NEWSLETTER STORY
I find some of the Mineral clubs in North America have unusual and inventive names for their Newsletters. Here are a few from the Scribe membership list. By Dick Stata 03-10-2005 Out west Im known as THE ROCKCOLLECTOR, I was traveling down the ROCKYROAD, heading through the canyon, hearing the ROCKY ECHOES; the noise chased a ROADRUNNER away. I was heading for an old ROCKMINE Id heard about, if I had any luck I would find a MINERAL VEIN or maybe some OUTCROPPINGS.
The Blackhawk Headframe

I had my COLLECTING BAG; in it was my old STONE CHIPPER and my trusty ROCK CHIPPER. I was in luck I found the TAILINGS pile. In seconds I became an AGATE EXPLORER and in those PICKINS AND DIGGINS I found to my amazement an AMMONITE. It was around about then that I startled by a ROCK RATTLER who scared me so bad I made a YELLOWSTONE DEPOSIT on the ROCKPILE, I thought for a minute Id be writing my MINERAL MEMOS to the SCRIBE HISTORIAN. I recovered my wits and picked up my AGATIZER, I used it to locate STRATA DATA, it was in my bag with THE DOPSTICK and that water sprayer I used so I wouldnt have to be a ROCK LICKER, you know CHIP AND LICK. I love to hear the CHIPPERS CHATTER and those GRANITE CHIPS flew as I hammered with all my MINERAL MITE in that SHAWNEE SLATE. I was startled again, this time by a HOUNDS HOWL it was a ROCKHOUND HEROLD of sorts, seems it was ahead of a ROCKHOUND ROUNDUP from the MINGUS ROCKY TIMES, it was all SHIN SKINNER NEWS to me. I met with a Mr. BEEHIVE BUZZER and had a little STONE CHAT about me being a HI GRADER they had me in a COLLECTORS CORNER. After a little ROCK CHATTER and a few QUARRY QUIPS he calmed down. I told him I was broke so he gave me a GRUBSTAKE. I couldnt stand all those ROCKHOUND RUMBLINGS, so I threw my PINK DOLOMITE SADDLE on my old horse ROCK-IT and rode off. I made like a SILVER CAMELION and I disappeared into MOTHER NATURES BASEMENT, I had a few bucks in my pocket but I didnt have a single CRYSTAL, not even a single PRAIRY GEM, it was a bad day for the T-TOWN ROCKHOUND.

Don at Camp

Balancing Rock by camp

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Once again Al and Kathy Spencer hosted our Halloween Party and did it up in spooky style. The weather cooperated and with a beautiful warm fall day so most of us stayed outside while the children gathered around the TV inside. The pot luck was varied, good as always and Kathys tempura was delicious. I must say that Als medical getup was a little holey (yes I mean holey and not holy) and he finally had to go in and put a gown on before we got raided. Their home was full of decorations; even their Dragon Lizard had a huge rat in his aquarium. Imaginations gone wild is the only way I can explain the costumes. It was a fun party and we want to thank Al and Kathy again.

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club UP COMING SHOW Dates:

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Nov. 2013

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NOV 2-3MIDLAND, TEXAS: Annual show; Midland Gem & Mineral Society; Midland Center; 105 N. Main St., corner of Wall and Main; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $5, students $2, children (5 and under) free; artist Beverly Hartman, dealers, demonstrations, exhibits, silent auction, kids' corner, geode cutting, fluorescent mineral room, door prizes, grand prize; contact Bill Halepeska, PO Box 5043, Midland, TX 79704, (432) 694-5945; e-mail: show@midlandgemandmineral.org ; Web site: www.midlandgemandmineral.org DEC 6-8EL PASO, TEXAS: Annual show; El Paso Mineral & Gem Society; El Maida Auditorium; 6331 Alabama; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults and students $3, seniors $2, children (under 12) free; gems, minerals, fossils, beads, jewelry, tools, books, equipment, geode cutting, silent auction, demonstrations; contact Jeannette Carrillo, 4100 Alameda Ave., El Paso, TX 79905, (877) 533-7153; e-mail: gemcenter@aol.com JAN 1-28QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA: Wholesale and retail show; Desert Gardens RV Park; Desert Gardens RV Park; 1064 Kuehn St., I-10 Exit 17; Daily 10-6; free admission; Arkansas quartz crystals, rough and polished minerals, fossils, jewelry, gifts, lapidary equipment; contact Sharon (manager), 1055 Kuehn St., Quartzsite, AZ 85346, (928) 927-6361; e-mail: info@desertgardensrvpark.net ; Web site: www.desertgardensrvpark.net FEB 13-16TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show; Tucson Gem & Mineral Society; Tucson Convention Center; 260 S. Church Ave.; Thu. 10-6, Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $10, seniors and active military get $2 off on Fri., children (under 14) free; contact TGMS Staff, PO Box 42588, Tucson, AZ 85733, (520) 322-6031; e-mail: tgms@tgms.org ; Web site: www.tgms.org FEB 22-23LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO; 2nd annual show, Friends of the NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, New Mexico Farm & Heritage Museum, Las Cruces, Rock, Gem & Mineral Show, 575-522-1232, www.LCMuseumROCKS.com MAR 5-9--DEMING, NEW MEXICO; Retail show; Deming Gem & Mineral Society; SWNM State Fairgrounds; Raymond Reed Blvd.; Daily 9-5; free admission; contact Shirley Krasinski, PO Box 1459, Deming, NM 88031, (575) 494-5971; e-mail: nmbound@gmail.com ; Web site: www.DGMS.bravehost.com

For further information or shows please check: www.rockngem.com Who knows, there just might be a good rock show in the area of your travels.

A Thought to Ponder: IF ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE, WHERE IS THE AUDIENCE SITTING? Some Interesting Web Sites for you to Check Out
think others might be interested in and I will pass them along. Please send me any of your favorites that you

http://www.miningartifacts.org/Mining-Photo-Index.html a great site for anyone interested in mines, mining history, artifacts, etc. Mining info and history by state also. Sent in by Eric Fuller http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/07/crystal-expands-under-pressure/ an article titled Shapeshifting Crystal Expands Under Pressure - Science in action. Another fascinating article sent in by Eric Fuller http://www.zmescience.com/research/gold-growing-on-trees-offers-a-new-prospecting-tool/ more interesting science. Sent in by Jan Hoffman

Classified Ads:

WANTED Im looking for some small chunks of mostly blue turquoise. Small pieces are good as I am going to crush it into a powder and inlay it into designs on my hiking sticks. I am willing to pay for it and for the postage to have it sent to me. Contact: Jon Stewart cyclingjon2004@yahoo.com Late arrival from LeRoy: The Doa Ana Archaeological Society will meet at 7 PM Tuesday, 12 November 2013, at the Good Samaritan Auditorium, 3011 Buena Vida Circle, Las Cruces. New Mexico State University graduate students Kristin Corl and Angel Pea will give a presentation "Cottonwood Spring Pueblo: Recent Excavations" They will present the preliminary results of the university's 2012 and 2013 archaeological field school excavations at the Cottonwood Spring pueblo on the west flank of the San Andres Mountains. This site is one of the largest El Paso Phase villages on the western frontier of the Jornada culture area. Excavations at the site will provide important comparative data for study of human behavioral variability in El Paso Phase (A.D. 1300-1450) sites. The meeting is free and open to the public. Info 575-524-9497.