Meeting Date: April 28 Mineral Specimen Collecting Is it for You?

Transcription

1 A P R I L Meeting Date: April 28 Mineral Specimen Collecting Is it for You? Little known but amazingly vicious desert woodpeckers have really made mincemeat out of this vintage car seen recently near Graham Pass. The beautiful old car also appears to be in the process of being swallowed up by Dry Quicksand (GASP!!!).

2 Whittier Gem & Mineral Society Elected Officers and Committee Chairmen 2011 Elected Officers President:... Jerry st Vice President:... Marcia Goetz...(joenmar1@verizon.net)...(626) nd Vice President:... Art Ragazzi...(Aragazzi@aol.com)...(909) Treasurer:... Isabella Burns...(isnbll@aol.com)...(626) Secretary:... Jay Valle...(res19pnb@verizon.net)...(626) Federation Director:. Bill Burns...(isnbll@aol.com)...(626) Directors:... Joe Goetz...(joenmar1@verizon.net)...(626) Larry&Vivian Rice...(562) Kathy Valle...(res19pnb@verizon.net)...(626) Appointed Chairmen Budget/Finance: Bulletin Editor:... Jay Valle...(res19pnb@verizon.net)...(626) Bylaws & Rules... Jerry Turner...(jerryt_2@charter.net)...(562) Claim Secretary:... Tony Fender...(afender@caltech.edu)...(626) Community... Jerry Turner...(jerryt_2@charter.net)...(562) Relations: Displays: Door Prizes:... Larry&Vivian Rice...(562) Field Trips:... Joe Goetz...(joenmar1@verizon.net)...(626) Field Trip Leader:... Joe Goetz...(joenmar1@verizon.net)...(626) Librarian:... Kathleen Turner...(jerryt_2@charter.net)...(562) Rockgabbers:... Tony Fender...(afender@caltech.edu)...(626) Show Chairman:... Jay Valle...(res19pnb@verizon.net)...(626) Social Secretary:... Kathy Valle...(res19pnb@verizon.net)...(626) Regular Monthly Meetings: 7:30 PM 4th Thursday each month, 3rd Thursday in November & December. No regular meetings in July & August. See Map on cover for meeting place. Board of Directors: To be announced. Rockgabbers: Field Trips: Monthly except July & August. See inside bulletin for details. Annual Dues: Adults $15.00; Married couple $25.00, Junior $5.00 Page 2

3 ROCKHOUNDER The Prez Sez: A t last Thursday's meeting, Jay commented that he had the Rockhounder all ready for press except for a couple of reports, turning to me Hint! Hint! I've had a couple of busy days, so as Sunday evening rolls around I find myself setting about to prepare this scintillating epistle. For those of you that missed the meeting, I have to tell you that you missed a great program. Robert Burson of the Searchers gave a excellent presentation on collecting areas in Oregon, including the Thunder egg sites on the ranches in and about Prineville. Robert is not only a dedicated rockhound, but an avid fisherman and quite a shutterbug. His slide presentation (I guess that you can still call it a slide presentation although cameras are all digital and the shows are made with computers) included many pictures of the beautiful Oregon countryside as well as the rock collection destinations, and yes, a couple of fishing holes. Kathy Turner, our show chairman for this year, announced that the board had voted to hold a show this year and that we have already held our first show meeting. "Desert Treasures" was selected as the theme. She also announced that this year we will be able to have, not only the gymnasium, but the large room immediately behind the gymnasium. This will allow our demonstrators a little more elbow room plus a couple of other ideas which are in the incubation stage. With any luck these will improve our draw and hopefully our profitability. The flip side of this windfall is that we will need increased support from our members. We will need, so to speak, more "boots on the ground". I know that when October rolls around, I can count on all of you to help make the Whittier Gem & Mineral Society Show, as always, "a show that you can't afford to miss". (Continued on page 4) Page 3

4 WGMS General Meeting Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:30 PM Mineral Specimen Collecting Is it for You? E ver wondered if you may want to indulge in the mineral specimen collecting part of the lapidary hobby? Kings and Presidents have enjoyed the collection and study of minerals throughout history. Much of the early discoveries were made by interested (and interesting) individuals. Join us at the next meeting, April 28, and see if you want to pursue this aspect of our hobby. There is more to it than meets the eye...in fact more than 10x the eye in a few cases. It is fascinating. Marcia Goetz The Prez Says (Continued from page 3) I said that I had a busy weekend. I am happy to be able to tell you that I finally got that saw cleaned up. I got to thinking when I was up to my elbows in gluck, they make paint from finely divided pigment suspended in oil, that's just about what rock dust is inside a saw. Imagine cleaning up spilled paint over your favorite mechanical device. And that was just my little 12 inch slab saw. All part of being a rockhound I guess. I can't tell you How much I am looking forward (not) to doing the same thing on the big 24 incher. Enough for now! I wish you all good health and good hunting. Jerry Page 4

5 Rockgabbers: April 30, 2011 A fter several months of not being able to find a free weekend to have Rockgabbers, we are once again going to have a Rockgabbers meeting and class. The date is Saturday, April 30 th, and the place is Sandie and Tony Fender s home. The project for this class will be a beading project, and the class will be taught by Tony Fender. The project is a bracelet as shown below, known as the sidewinder. This project does not require any prior experience in beading, so it is an excellent first project for those of you who have been wanting to learn this technique, but were afraid to get started. Materials required are: mm Fire Polished Crystals mm Fire Polished Crystals 11/0 seed beads 6lb fireline #10 needle. 1 Clasp I will put together kits of components for those of you who aren t sure what to get. As always, the afternoon will end with a pot luck dinner. look forward to seeing you at the class. We Tony and Sandie Fender Page 5

6 Chuckwalla Springs Field Trip Report March 19-20, 2011 hile much of Southern California was being inundated by rain and high W winds, a few of us were enjoying the beautiful Spring days out at the Chuckwalla Mountains. The weather was comfortable and (mostly) dry the entire weekend, and the wildflowers were beginning to show their faces. A total of 30 rockhounds signed in, 26 from the Anaheim Searchers. Joe & Marcia Goetz and I (Jay Valle) were the PLS/Whittier contingent and I was the only participant from the NOC. Robert Burson (Searchers) and I arrived early Friday, March 18, to scout out some more areas around Chuckwalla Springs. We found a small group of wanna-be I mean trainee scouts waiting and ready to go, so our scouting outing actually was several cars rather than just us. We continued exploring an area where several nice materials have been found. One of our unofficial scouts discovered a nice seam of green moss agate and decided to stay and work on it through the night (he camped at the spot.) Oh, and Robert got stuck. But we got him unstuck and we returned to camp, briefly then made a dinner run into Blythe. Saturday the rest of our hounders arrived and the field trip was under way. The unofficial count of vehicles was 7-4x4s and 3-2-wheel drive vehicles (this will be important later.) Robert led us to a small but amazingly complete mining camp where he explained the mining techniques used at this location, including a small stamp mill and cyanide leaching pond. Next was the amygdale location where one of the guests found a recently deceased speckled rattlesnake. The field trip leader and several onlookers had a heart stopping moment when the rockhound picked up the still wiggling snake. She did not get bit I m happy to say, but I m not sure she understands the general concern with what she did (vipers can still strike even though technically dead because of reflexive muscular activity.) The snake was disposed of in an environmentally friendly way (we cut off the head and buried it.) The rest of the afternoon was much more sedate. On the way to the plume agate collecting area our 2-wheel drive contingent had a moment in soft dirt and sand, but everyone made it through to where we were going. At the collecting site, rockhound search parties headed off in several directions with everyone finding things to pick up. No critter reports. On the way out, back to ward camp, our road repair skills and tow straps were tested on the 2-wheelers who had trouble in a couple of spots. Sometimes driving really fast worked and there is this one stretch involving a small climb up a hill along a water cut road with soft dirt and a washed out gully on the right well let s just say that one Page 6

7 of the 2x drivers made a spectacular run up the hill that I dearly wish I d video taped (ask Robert Burson about it next time you see him). The rest of the drive was uneventful. A delicious potluck dinner followed our return to camp and that was followed by a warm campfire (don t know if I ve told you this before but no campout is complete without a campfire.) The next morning several of our participants headed for the rainy skies back home while the rest of us went off to Graham Pass in search of the illusive, though very much desirable, sagenite agate. Small specimens were found but the killer piece is still out there somewhere, waiting. One last stop was made at a blue quartz outcropping to collect chrysocholla-stained quartz. After this the field trip pretty much ended. Chuckwalla Springs is a good rockhound adventure location. I always have an excellent time there. We haven t found everything the Chuckwalla Mountains have to offer in the way of lapidary materials yet so it is still a great place to explore (the old-timers collected paisley agate here - we re still looking for that!!) If you missed the trip, you missed some good, clean, wholesome, rockhound fun. JValle A look at the group around the Graham Pass sagenite collecting area. Page 7

8 LAVIC SIDING March 21-22, 2010 ouldn t it be nice to go to a place where you could camp and collect in W the same spot? Well that place is Lavic siding - off the I-40. After a good night s sleep you step out of your tent or RV with a cup of coffee in hand and you wonder where you ll go to do some collecting. It s then that you realize all you really need to do is bend over and pick-up the very stone you re there to collect! That s right! The stone is jasper, it comes in green, red, orange, various shades of brown, yellow. Some are mixes of these colors and others have agate windows with flecks of color in them. You ll have this chance on this fieldtrip! Now you may think you re limited to this one area - well this isn t true at all! If you go up the road which you had driven down the day before and check the washes that run north to south, you ll probably find even larger pieces of jasper. Across the freeway are the Cady mountains, a treasure trove of stones and minerals to collect. Minerals such as, psilomelane, gypsum and copper to name a few. Agates of plume, moss, banded and fortification, as well as jaspers of all colors possible, similar to what is found in camp. You could quite literally spend a week or two exploring and still not find everything that is out there. This is a good trip for both the first-timer or the veteran rockhound; there is lots of stuff to collect. It s only 2-1/2 hours from Pasadena, so come for the day! Typically we will be leaving camp (FRS radio channel 14-0) to the collecting sites around 8:00AM. On Saturday evening we will have a potluck dinner at 4:30PM. Hope to see you there!.. Somewhere in California going the wrong way.. Joe Goetz Page 8

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10 Joe s Chuckwalla Mountains Fieldtrip Report March 19 th & 20 th, 2011 t has been written that the plans of mice and men often go asunder. Well, I our plans to leave at an earlier time didn t go asunder, but they did go loop-d-loop and made a left turn. We did finally get to leave (like a herd of turtles) and start our adventure to the Chuckwallas. Traffic wasn t too bad, I thought, but Marcia asked where did all of the cars come from? I was going to tell her most came from Detroit and others from Europe and still others from the Far East. Then I remembered it was already a really long walk back to Palm Springs, so I replied with I don t know. We finally got to the right exit (Ford Dry Lake) and made our way to Graham Pass Road. At Graham Pass Road I left a sign just in front of the Searchers fieldtrip sign, one at the junction, and finally one at the camp site. After about 10 minutes Jay was back in camp and was planning to go to Blythe for dinner. Jay followed us as we went to our motel to check in, then it was off to Sizzler for dinner. Robert Burson, Eva, Jay, Marcia and I had a very good dinner and the place was crowded. We made plans for the next day, departure from camp was 8:30ish. The next morning after breakfast, I noticed the rear driver s side tire looked flatter than it should. I put a pressure gauge on the passenger side tire first, then the driver s side and there was a 24 psi difference. So when we fueled the truck we put in air into the tire. While we were checking out of the motel we asked if there was a place we could go and get the tire fixed. The clerk gave us a name of the place and in a little while we were able to find it. While the tire was being fixed we called Jay and told him what had happened and that we d call him we were headed his way. After 15 minutes we were headed down the road. I called Jay and told him that we were headed his way, and that Marcia s unique ability to find the odd nail in a 5 acre plot of land was still active. Jay told me they were leaving camp to go to the first location and that he would leave crumbs (signs) out for us to lead us there. We arrived at the campsite and they were indeed gone. So Marcia and I started down Chuckwalla Spring Road. That particular road meanders one way, then the other; it doesn t seem to head in the right direction. Then without you knowing because you re concentrating on navigating the road you see a fork in the road. I got out and looked to see which one the group took. I chose the one that had a multitude of tire tracks and down we went and as we rounded the curve we saw the first crumb. Marcia suddenly felt better. We stopped and I picked it up (the W/P sign) and put in the truck. A little further down was the second and the third, which of course we picked up and finally we spotted the Page 10

11 fourth and it was at the upper end of a dirt ramp. Marcia then put the truck into 4 low and gave it some gas and in the wink of an eye up we were at the top and I was retrieving the 4 th crumb. We got to the first location and were rewarded with the view of the other vehicles all parked there! However, before I got my hammer and bucket out to start to collect it was time to go. So Jay led the pack of vehicles out to the second collecting location (white plume agate). Some words came into my mind Over hill, over dale, we hit the dusty trail. All the 4 wheel drive vehicles easily navigated the uphill roads and the 2 wheel drive took running starts and one even threw up rocks and dust such that Robert Burson had to get out from behind them or he would surely get nailed by one of the rocks. Well we did get to the second location and I headed up over the top of the hill and Marcia started to collect next to the wash. After a while of collecting cutting material and stuff for the grab bags; I headed back down. At the bottom I saw Marcia s bucket and rock pick sitting there, so I picked them up, boy, was her bucket heavy. I got to the truck and the entire back bumper was covered with sizable cutting material, including one that reminded me of the head of a T-Rex. It turns out Marcia s talent for finding great material around or close to the truck is also still in full force. Marcia found a seam of material within 20 feet of the truck and cleaned it out. Well as it always is it was soon time to go. The hills and dales that we had crossed to get to the 2 nd location now stood in the way of all the two wheel drive vehicles. Those in 4 wheel drive got to the top and parked. It was determined that Jay would have to tow them up and over these hills or they would still be there today. Marcia and I started to collect on the hill while the others were being towed. And what seemed like a few short minutes new had ½ bucket full of various agates and amygdules. Soon the group was altogether again and was headed back toward the first location. There we stopped briefly and I was quick to go and collect at this site. I also took along a metal detector; after all it was a gold mine, so there was the possibility of a nugget or two. Well the detector was silent unless the coil was pointed skyward and then it would beep like crazy and it even indicated a 50 cent piece. I guess I was detecting an invisible plane at who knows what altitude. Of course this only happened when I was picking up an amygdule. Soon it was time to head back to camp and for Marcia and I time to go home. Even though we were there only for Saturday, I know Marcia and I had a great time. For what happened on Sunday you ll have to read Jay s report. So the next fieldtrip is to Lavic and all the great Jasper. Hope to see you there! Page 11 Lost somewhere in California Joe Goetz

12 Helen Louise Dahnke October 30, January 28, 2011 Helen Dahnke has passed away after a battle with cancer. John and Helen Dahnke have been WGMS Show dealers for 24 years. Many people owe their collections to them. Much of Kathy s and my collection of ocean jasper and other fine slabs came from John and Helen. Their energy and enthusiasm was a sight to behold at the shows and events we found them at. A few years ago, we ran into them at Holbrook, Arizona while collecting petrified wood out on one the ranches. They had just wrestled a 300 lb stump of Arizona rainbow wood into their old Ford van with a little help from one of the ranch hands. They took it home and John contour polished it. It was claimed by their oldest daughters (lucky girl) and they hand delivered it to her in Florida. Helen received a military funeral, attended by her family and was laid to rest at the Riverside National Cemetery. Jay and Kathy Valle *************************************************************** Helen Louise Dahnke of Sun City, California passed away after a three year battle with cancer on the 28th of January, Helen was born in Denver, Colorado in 1931, and lived for the last 18 years in Sun City, and the twenty years prior in Loma Linda. After graduating from the University of Denver with a Bachelor in Business Administration, she worked for the Bell Telephone Company. Helen then served in the Air Force as a Family Services Officer and was honorably discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in She married her husband (John Dahnke) while she was stationed at Lincoln MB and he was working on a Masters Degree at the University of Nebraska. They lived and farmed for several years in Stratton, Nebraska, and then lived in Seattle, Washington and San Jose, California before moving to Southern California. Helen was also a Master Potter, an accomplished ballroom dancer, jeweler, and a member of several gem and mineral clubs in the local area. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, John Edward Dahnke, with whom she has been making 14 karat jewelry and selling her creations at southwestern gem and mineral shows for over twenty years. She and John raised three children; Lida Dais Dahnke Munz, Juli Dahnke Mansfield, and Erik John Dahnke. She also has a total of 9 grandchildren. Helen was a generous and giving person and will be greatly missed by her family and many friends. Page 12

13 Shades of Green at Elephant Mountain ne of my favorite collecting locations which doesn t receive the attention O it truly deserves is Elephant Mountain. A few years ago a rare mineral deposit was discovered at the tail end of the mountain group which caused quite a stir in the mineralogical community. It was a dark, organic gemstone found near a small, hidden cave. Now a green, waxy organic mineral, somewhat reminiscent of Baltic Amber, has been located on the south end of Elephant Mountain, near what has been described as the trunk. Note to readers: For those who do not already know this, Elephant Mountain is named because from a certain perspective as you approach Barstow, California this geographical anomaly resembles a sleeping or reclining elephant. It s true. Trust me. ED Last month, some local off-roaders on quads were riding around when they spotted some lime green rocks on the south side of the mountain near the bottom end of a long ridge corresponding to a feature known as the elephant s trunk portion of Elephant Mountain. Later, when asked about their discovery, they described the stones as resembling great globs of snot scattered around below a couple of natural fissures in the hillside. After collecting a few choice specimens, they took them to the Geology Department at the University of Yermo and showed them to the Senior Geologist on Staff, Professor Semore Butts. The professor examined the stones which were the color of peridot and which he described as looking like Green Amber. Most were about 3/4 inch in size, were transparent to translucent and seemed to glow with an inner fire. Professor Butts determined that the stones were organic in nature and confirmed that they were a genuinely new and novel discovery which may have some use as a gemstone. A few stones were given to a local jeweler who cut and polished them. He tentatively dubbed the new lapidary material as Green Boogers Amber and set them into a large brooch which he named Booger T. Washington in honor of his favorite 70s band. The quad riders are reluctant to reveal the exact location of the find and have hoovered the deposit to prevent other collectors from identifying the exact spot. However, a few rainstorms may uncover more of this unique Elephant Mountain lapidary material and then the secret will be out. Your Desert Rat Reporter, W.W. Bart Page 13

14 Upcoming CFMS Gem Shows Apr 8-10 Apr VISTA, CA. San Diego County Council of Gem & Min Soc Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum 2040 N. Santa Fe Avenue Hours: 9-5 daily NEWBURY PARK, CA. Conejo Gem & Mineral Club Borchard Park Community Center, 190 Reino Road Hours: 10-5 daily Apr 30 ANAHEIM, CA. Searchers Gem & Mineral Society - May 1 Brookhurst Community Center, 2271 W. Crescent Avenue Hours: Sat. 10-5; Sun 10-4:30 May 6-8 Jun 3-5 Jun 4-5 Jun 4-5 Jul 9-10 BISHOP, CA. Lone Pine Gem & Mineral Society Tri-County Fairgrounds (Robinson Bldg.) Corner of Sierra Street & Fair Drive Hours: Fri. 6pm-10; Sat. 9:30-4; Sun.10-3 WOODLAND HILLS, CA. Rockatomics Gem and Min Society Pierce College, Victory Blvd Hours: 9-5 daily GLENDORA, CA. Glendora Gems Goddard Middle School, 859 East Sierra Madre Hours: Sat. 10-5; Sun LA HABRA, CA. North Orange County Gem and Min Society La Habra Community Center, 101 W. La Habra Blvd. Hours: 10-5 daily CULVER CITY, CA. Culver City Rock & Mineral Club Veteran s Memorial Auditorium 4117 Overland Ave (Overland & Culver) Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-5 Sept DOWNEY, CA. Delvers Gem & Mineral Society Woman's Club of Downey, 9813 Paramount Blvd. Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-4 Page 14

15 WGMS MEETING LOCATION! Whittier Community Center 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier Editor: Jay Valle, 1421 Latchford Avenue, Hacienda Heights, CA Home: (626) ; Bulletin exchanges are welcome and should be sent to the editor. Page 15

16 Whittier Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. Post Office Box 865, Whittier, California Editor: Jay Valle, 1421 Latchford Ave. Hacienda Heights, CA Date: April 28, 2011 at 7:30 PM Location: Whittier Community Center (See page 4 & 15 for info & map)