Rocky Tales. Volume 42, Issue 1 January,

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Rocky Tales Volume 42, Issue 1 January, 2016 201555 LAKE HAVASU GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY The Official Publication of The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Editor: Michelle Smedley aredtigress@gmail.

1 Rocky Tales Volume 42, Issue 1 January, LAKE HAVASU GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY The Official Publication of The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Editor: Michelle Smedley aredtigress@gmail.com f BOARD MEETING Rock & Egg Breakfast 4 th Monday each month 9:00 a.m. At Golden Corral 1550 S. Palo Verde GENERAL MEETING Friday, January 8, 2015 Mt. Olive Parish Center 2170 Havasupai Blvd. Lake Havasu City, Az. Meeting 7:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Inside This Issue: Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Information Page 2 President s Message Page 3 General Meeting Minutes Page 4 Birthdays/Anniversaries Page Membership Dues are now due. Lapidary Workshop, Storage, & Meeting Room Survey Page 5 Blue Owl Rocks Page 6 Friendship continues with the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe - LHGMS Invited to participate in Winter Camp From Jay Cravath, Ph.D. The Winter Camp starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday January 9 out at our farm and ends Sunday at 10 a.m. It is a campout to show our youth what their ancestors went through before modern conveniences. Unless you have senior citizens who want to pitch a tent, we'll make sure they catch a boat in the afternoon--or after our dinner if they choose to stay. We would put you on our list as one of the activities. I'm sure there will be a lot of interest. As we move forward, we'll invite you to come to our meetings. Please contact Dr. Cravath if you are going: nuwuviculturalcenter@gmail.com 1

2 CLUB INFORMATION The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society is a member of The Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS) and associated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). The Purpose of this Society shall be to; A. Increase our appreciation of the beauty and value of the land in which we live. B. Foster good fellowship among its members. C. Host an annual Gem and Mineral Show for the community D. Foster awareness of the earth sciences by: 1. Increasing knowledge pertaining to minerals, gems, and rocks. 2. Disseminating knowledge of collecting and classification of minerals, fossils and rock through collection and classification. 3. Improving the practical knowledge of cutting, grinding and polishing materials to use in the design and creation of jewelry and other useful objects. E. Provide educational scholarships in the scientific fields. F. Procure and improve the Society s property. The Lake Havasu Gem and Mineral Society meets the second Friday of each month from September through May at Mt. Olive Parish Center 2170 Havasupai Blvd., Lake Havasu City, AZ. The membership typically votes to eliminate the June, July, and August meetings. Fiscal Year: February 1 January 31. Name badges are required for all members. One time or replacement badge cost - $8.00 Single membership cost - $16.00 Family sponsored Junior membership cost - $8.00 Family membership cost - $16.00 for the first member and $8.00 for each member thereafter with a maximum of $ Annual Membership dues are payable on January 1 and shall be delinquent after the February meeting. Please remit payment to: Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Attn: Membership Chairperson P.O. Box 990 Lake Havasu City, AZ OFFICERS and DIRECTORS Susan Stievo (Acting) Linda Harley Kathie Bryson Jerry Harley Ed Darnell Patrick Bell Gayle Gilpin Carol Jose Susan Stievo President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Sgt.at Arms First Year Director Second Year Director Third Year Director Past President COMMITTEES Chairman BOD Rep Club Promotion Open Gayle Gilpin Communications Michelle Smedley Secretary Bruce Wilheim Kathie Bryson Education Open Patrick Bell Facilities Open Ed Darnell Field Trips Open Open Finance Open Jerry Harley Fund Raisers Gem Show Open Open Greeters Shirley Greel Ed Darnell Hospitality Helen Reyes Ed Darnell Kathy Padilla Property Open Carol Jose The Rocky Tales is published monthly, except for June, July, and August. The submission deadline is the 3rd Friday of the month by to: aredtigress@gmail.com Rocky Tales Team: Michelle Smedley and Linda Harley Group Site Moderator: Bruce Wilhelm 2

3 --President s Message Our Christmas dinner on December 11 was at the Golden Corral, and I hope everyone had a good time along with good food. After dinner, we created Christmas gift packages for needy seniors/veterans and conducted the vote for the open BOD vacancies. I would especially like to thank everyone who stepped up to fill positions so that our club can continue operating. The position of President has yet to be filled if you are interested, please contact me so that your name can be brought to the Board as an appointment. Until then, the vice president and I will serve as pro temps. However, as past president, I look forward to completing the Lapidary project in Every month, we have met and presented a summary of the committee s progress. If you would like to join the Lapidary Shop committee and add your input, please mark your calendar for January 6. Meetings are held at the library from 2:00 3:30 pm. Please come prepared to discuss the surveys and the next steps for the committee. One suggestion from a survey received was to offer up various options for our funds. This will be presented at the January meeting, along with the Board installation. Before any action is taken, the general membership will have complete authority as to how we proceed. The Field Trip committee also met and has an outline of outings planned. Also, we will have our annual silent auction if someone steps up to coordinate (our past chair is not with the club). Otherwise, we will have a normal meeting in February. Our potluck is scheduled for March. Snowbirds, this is your opportunity to contribute to your club! Sue Stievo, President H appy Bir thday H appy A nniv er sar y Richard Agan Sam Cano Don Creasey Janet Dillon Jan Heyboer Marvin Jacobsen Marcia Lanting Jill Milliken Deanna Montgomery Michael Ridenour Wayne Scott June Smith Dan Stievo Alberta Wiederrick Paul & Debbie Carpenter Duane & Linda Gauthun Lou & Liz Porter Nathan & Sue Scott Ken & Fenella Sobchuk 3

4 GENERAL MEETING MINUTES Lake Havasu Gem and Mineral Society General Meeting Minutes December 11, 2015 Golden Corral Restaurant 1550 South Palo Verde Blvd Lake Havasu City, AZ From Gail Gilpin we have 13 new members for a total of 179. They are: Judy Post-Darnell Jackie Speckert Les Speckert David McGill Cyndee McGill Duane Gauthun Linda Gauthun Debbie Carpenter Paul Carpenter Richard Agan Sharon Agan Patty Siborski Shirley Keopke Sue Stievo talked about the Lapidary meetings and encouraged the club to attend the meetings. Sue Stievo talked to the club about upcoming elections. Carol Jose - 3 year director with 2 years remaining. Gail Gilpin - 3 year director Patrick Bell - 3 year director Kathy Bryson - Secretary Jerry Harley - Treasurer Ed Darnell - Sargent at Arms Linda Harley - Vice President. President, the board needs to find someone in the club to nominate Barry Bandaruk handed out an outline for the Clubs future Rock adventures. Talked about safety items to bring on each trip. Walkie talkie, water, food, 4 wheel drive if needed. Michelle Smedley talked about the successful trip over to the Chemehuevi Center Gail Gilpin talked about the Club having an information booth at Winterfest & needing volunteers for the 2 day event Minutes taken by Carol Jose, Director 4

5 LHGMS Member Survey Lapidary Workshop, Storage, & Meeting Room If you have not yet completed this survey, please do so today and bring it to the January General Membership meeting. Please enter Y (yes) or N (no) Participation Are you interested in taking a lapidary class for a fee (less than MCC)? Would you pay a fee for slicing large rocks? Would you pay an annual fee for open access to lapidary equipment? Are you interested in other classes for a fee, such as wire wrap, etc? Do you have equipment at your house? During 2015, did you take lapidary at MCC? Service Do you have the skills to serve as a shop monitor? Would you serve as a shop monitor in exchange for shop time? Do you have extended knowledge to serve as an instructor? Do you have mechanical knowledge to fix equipment? Funding If we had the correct tax status, would you make a financial donation? If we had the correct tax status, would you donate equipment? If we needed to have more fund raisers, would you participate? Do you think we could generate profit to have retail sales of supplies? If we had retail sales, would you staff the store in exchange for shop time? Do you think we should consider a mini sale by our members, open to the public? General Do you think a building would add visibility of our club in the community? Do you think we should increase educational opportunities to schools, scouts, etc? Do you think it beneficial to have meetings, storage facilities, lapidary in one area? OR Would you rather we not consider our own facility but offer rebates to MCC lapidary classes out of our savings earmarked for our own building. Signed: 5

Blue Owl Rocks 2015 Gary H. Burgess Edited by Michelle Smedley During the Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show in November, 2015, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave & Linda Leidy from Blue Owl Rocks.

6 Blue Owl Rocks 2015 Gary H. Burgess Edited by Michelle Smedley During the Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show in November, 2015, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave & Linda Leidy from Blue Owl Rocks. I felt they were a good example of a small, part time mineral business which is privately owned & operated. I feel this type of businesses represent a large part of the mineral & fossil industry. My belief is that other vendors, customers, & collectors would like to hear about their business & the lifestyle it encompasses. Dave & Linda Leidy from Blue Owl Rocks at the Lake Havasu Show The couple graciously agreed to let me interview them for an article. I met them at their winter home in Lake Havasu, AZ. They live near Lake George, Colorado during the summer. The outside of their beautiful home in the south end gives no hint of what is hidden inside. They showed me some of their prize mineral possessions displayed in glass cases. They also gave me a tour of their preparation area. I even had the pleasure of meeting Izzie, their energetic dog, who loves to be petted & scratched Dave & Linda Leidy are both retired snowbirds. Dave is a Disabled Vietnam Veteran & jack-of all-trades with a degree in Industrial Education. He is a former Teacher, Cartographer, Building Inspector, Owner & Manager of a Health Club, & worked in the Real Estate industry. Linda has a degree in Pharmacy & spent 29 years working as a Hospital Pharmacist. They raised their family in Woodland Park, which is 25 miles east of Lake George, Colorado. I asked them how they got involved in this business. Linda said We both liked hiking in the outdoors & picking up rocks. This eventually evolved into learning how to find, collect, & clean their minerals. They obtained a claim on the Lake George Intrusive in Colorado, making them prospectors. They liked the atmosphere at rock shows, where they could meet new people & talk about minerals. This led them to decide on selling their minerals at gem & mineral shows. They started Blue Owl Rocks, naming the company after their best pocket, the Blue Owl Pocket. This is a family affair. Son Derek helps with the finding, digging, & hauling. Daughter Erin is working on her degree in Mathematics, with a minor in Geology. She provides technical information, as well as helping with the digging & selling of the minerals. Izzie, the family dog, accompanies them in the field, but has not yet learned how to sniff out the pockets. 6

Display case showing some of their mineral collection.

three years. They belong to the Lake George Gem &Mineral Club (http://www.lggmclub.org/) & the Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society (http://www.lakehavasugms.org/). Their main focus is selling minerals of the Lake George region.

Albite; Goethite (Fe3+O)(OH) (Webmineral.com, 2015); & Fluorite, (CaF2). New to selling minerals, they have sold at only three mineral shows so far.

7 Display case showing some of their mineral collection. Two fluorite specimens from Derek's recent Epicube pocket While they have no formal training in prospecting or mining, they have been taking lapidary classes at Mohave Community College for the last three years. They belong to the Lake George Gem &Mineral Club ( & the Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society ( Their main focus is selling minerals of the Lake George region. The minerals they prospect there are: Amazonite, a green variety of Microcline, (KAISi3O8)(Sano, 2009); Smokey Quartz, (Si O2) (Sano, 2009); Albite, (NaAISi3O8) (Sano, 2009); Cleavlandite, a form of Albite; Goethite (Fe3+O)(OH) (Webmineral.com, 2015); & Fluorite, (CaF2). New to selling minerals, they have sold at only three mineral shows so far. They plan to increase their sales presence to four or five shows in Colorado & a few shows in Arizona next year. Plans for the next year include show at Denver, Colorado Springs, Lake George, Buena Vista, & Quartzite. The Leidy's currently do not have a web site or advertise their products. Customers are mineral collectors as well as other vendors, particularly at shows. They do not target mineral investors, but will consider it in the future. Pricing their products is done by utilizing the experience of being at shows & monitoring the prices of other vendors selling similar products. This results in prices which are average compared to rest of the market. They see the sustainability of the current marketplace as generating more demand & even higher prices in the future, as the finite supply of minerals decline. As an added bonus, their business has been financially feasible. Their strategy for increasing sales includes selling outside their current market area. There are plans to sell more Smokey Quartz, include their handmade jewelry, as well as some mineral oddities. As they do more Gem Shows, they will also reorganize their displays & become more receptive & interactive with customers. Current displays use a combination of metal, glass, & plastic stands. 7

Blue Owl Rocks Handmade Jewelry Amazonite as it comes out of t ground Smoky Quartz as

At approximately 8500-feet, it is part of the Pre-Cambrian, Pikes Peak Batholith.

tools are used. They use picks, shovels, & even chopsticks.

Minerals are prepared both in Colorado & here in Lake Havasu, primarily in the

The tools used are toothbrushes, water guns, sandblasters, & dental picks.

8 Blue Owl Rocks Handmade Jewelry Amazonite as it comes out of t ground Smoky Quartz as it comes out of the ground Their claims are on the Lake George Intrusive. At approximately 8500-feet, it is part of the Pre-Cambrian, Pikes Peak Batholith. Prospecting from June through September, they mine their minerals by h&, no power tools are used. They use picks, shovels, & even chopsticks. The claims are not accessible by road everything is packed in & out on their backs. Minerals are prepared both in Colorado & here in Lake Havasu, primarily in the winter, but it continues all through the year. The tools used are toothbrushes, water guns, sandblasters, & dental picks. Preparation starts with soap & water, then continues on to various chemical baths to remove the unwanted minerals. This is where Linda s education in chemistry comes into play. They are still working on perfecting the cleaning process. Photo above left: Linda showing the author one of her prep areas. Photo above right and bottom left: Dave's prep areas. 8

Amazonite with smoky quartz Photo by Dave Leidy The Leidy family hard at work Photo by Dave Leidy Photo to right: Dave, Linda, & Izzie Photo by Dave Leidy Photo below: Prepared plate of minerals from

While working Glory Hole Three, Dave was too large to continue chasing the pocket into the ground, so Linda went in the hole to finish it.

The lesson they learned was to never go into a hole before shoring up the overburden. In the Sugar Pocket they found an amazing amount of material.

Dave had to pick her up by the backpack & point her downhill. She slowly, carefully worked her way down the 60-degree slope to the bottom of the hill.

9 Amazonite with smoky quartz Photo by Dave Leidy The Leidy family hard at work Photo by Dave Leidy Photo to right: Dave, Linda, & Izzie Photo by Dave Leidy Photo below: Prepared plate of minerals from the Leidy Lake George claim They had two interesting experiences to pass on. While working Glory Hole Three, Dave was too large to continue chasing the pocket into the ground, so Linda went in the hole to finish it. When they returned the next day, there was a rock the size of a Volkswagen covering their hole. Had this rock moved while one of them was in the hole, there would have been a disaster. The lesson they learned was to never go into a hole before shoring up the overburden. In the Sugar Pocket they found an amazing amount of material. They dug for five to six days before ending up with a two-foot-deep hole, 15 X20 wide. They collected enough minerals to fill their packs to the point Linda could not stand up. Dave had to pick her up by the backpack & point her downhill. She slowly, carefully worked her way down the 60-degree slope to the bottom of the hill. With a backpack full of minerals, this was one time she did not mind the heavy hauling. Having done this for 15 years, they plan on continuing for another 5-10 years or until they can t dig anymore. Then they will pass on their legacy to their son Derek. It will be interesting to follow them into the future. They can be contacted by at leido@earthlink.net All photos by Gary H. Burgess unless otherwise noted References: Sano, Jennifer, 2009, Gems & Minerals of the Southwest Webmineral.com, John Betts Fine Minerals downloaded

10 Please send exchange bulletins to The address below Rocky Tales Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. P.O. Box 990 Lake Havasu City, AZ

Volume 42, Issue 7 SEPTEMBER

Rocky Tales Volume 42, Issue 7 SEPTEMBER 2016 201555 LAKE HAVASU GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY The Official Publication of The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Editor: Michelle Smedley BOARD MEETING TBA Rock