Rockwood Rockhound News
September 2003

Welcome back to another year !

September 20th Meeting
It is hard to believe that summer is over and we are having our meeting on Thursday, September 18th. Bob Morse will be telling us all about his trip.

Since Hank & Joan Schlichter won’t be there we will not have the “Mineral of the Month.” However, since most of us went somewhere exciting and collected some specimens, why not bring one for the rest of us admire and envy? Perhaps, there is a specimen we can’t identify. This would be a good time to call upon the expertise of our club members. Bring it along and see if we can be stumped!

The Association Show

Once again the show at Queeny Park was a great success. To the delight of both young & not so young, we were lucky to have Mr. Bones visit. He was quite a sight! We also had some of the best exhibits and demonstrations that we have ever had. There was a wide variety of gems, rocks, fossils, jewelry, and minerals. There seemed to be no end to the creative things that were done with nature’s treasures!

The Larsons especially want to thank all the members who worked at the attendance desk. If you weren’t able to participate this year, plan ahead for next August.
 

Rockwood Rockhound’s
Web site
Our web site, under the care of our Web master, Craig Cottrell, is alive and well. We frequently get questions asking where to hunt for rocks, or advertising minerals for sale. Craig always passes these on to the members who have an e-mail address. Below is an interesting one.

Hello,
My name is Amy, and I work for Paul and Cheri Bates, here at Nostalgiaville in Springfield, Tn. We are building a Rock Map of the United States, and we are looking for people who are willing to donate rocks to our map. The rocks will be displayed in the state that it is donated from, along with the name of the donator, and where they are from. If you are interested, or know someone who is, then, please feel free to pass along our e-mail address. Thank you and have a great day!!

Ed. comment: Bring along a sample to the next meeting and your editor will gather them together and mail them to Amy.

This next Email is from Russia. Having grown up during the 50’s with all the civil defense drills, etc., it is amazing to see how far we have come in our quest for world peace. Maybe there is hope for our current problems in Afghanistan and Iraq. We certainly never dreamed that we would be conversing with someone on the other side of the iron curtain.

Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 3:46 AM
Subject: Fossil insects

Dear " Rockwood Gem and Mineral Society",

I offer many kinds of fossil insects preserved in Baltic Amber
(Upper Eocene of the Northern Europe, Age 50 - 45 mln. e.).
Please contact me for more information.
Phot. Diptera, Hymenoptera, Trichoptera; Baltic Amber (coll.M.Sveto).

Best regards, Mikhail S.

Mikhail Sveto
AMBER, GOODS, FOSSIL INSECTS
Belyabin str.1., Yanterny, Kaliningrad, Russia
Phone +0112-452711
Fax +0112-2158-29
mailto:sveto@gazinter.net
 

Zeolite Goes to War!
(Summarized from the Wall Street Journal 4/22/03 by Breccia)

A granulated powder made of the mineral zeolite, Quick Clot, acts like a sponge and absorbs water and plasma, leaving behind the materials that can clot blood quickly. Quick Clot was first used in Afghanistan and is now in marine first aid kits in Iraq.
A consumer version should start showing up on drugstore shelves by August. Emergency Personnel in the United States already have access to it.
The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals (1975) has this to say about zeolites:
Zeolites are a group of hydrated aluminosilicates of potassium, sodium and calcium that can lose part or all of their water (reversibly) without changing crystal structure. This open structure allows the zeolite to absorb other compounds, making them commercially valuable as purifiers and water softeners. (Via T-Town Rockhound, 7/03)


Laugh a Little
A fossil collector was proudly showing his friends his flagstone walkway. Imprinted on the flagstones were dinosaur footprints. As he was explaining the significance of fossil footprints, a woman in the group exclaimed: “I’m so amazed they would come so close to the house!”
(Via: Quarry Quips 2/2003)

Helpful Hints
Clean-up: For general cleanup, put a cake of soap in a nylon stocking and use in washing up the area in your shop. Nylon is abrasive and removes stubborn dirt. (Via: The Gemrock 5/03)

To clean and shine most drusy specimens, use Easy Off oven cleaner (fume free is O.K.) Spray the specimens and then leave overnight in a closed container or bag before rinsing. This even works on iron stained quartz crystals. (Via:: The Gemrock 5/03)

Never use ammonia, soap or detergents on genuine turquoise. In fact, a good test for the genuine is to apply a spot of ammonia to the back of a suspected piece. If it is genuine, it will turn white. (via: Mountain Gem 6/02)

Field trip to Mo. Mines
Helen, Pat, James, Andy and Dianne went to the mine together and met Bob there. It was a lovely day to be out and there were many swappers. Some wonderful purchases were made! Ask James and Helen when you see them! Those making their first visit to the museum were favorably impressed.


We had 12 at the picnic and had another wonderful June day. Thanks again to Joyce for sharing her inviting yard and hospitality.
The day after our picnic, Hank Schlichter fell while doing his regular walk and broke his hip requiring the ball of the femur to be replaced!!!! We are happy to report that Hank is doing well and was able to go on his Elderhostel trip in September.
During the time of the Association Show at Queeny Park, Dianne Larson suffered a mild heart attack. She spent the night in the hospital but came right back to work at the Attendance Table on Sunday! It just goes to show that we can’t keep a good woman down.

We are sorry to report that Don Conrad, a former Rockwood Rockhound president during the 70’s, died in Arizona.

How to Survive a Heart Attack When Alone
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article from Mended Hearts, Inc published by Rochester General Hospital seemed to be in order.
Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these vicims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath & a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let up until help arrives or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.
Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and the coughing movement squeezes the heart to keep the blood circulating. This way the person can get to the phone between breaths and call for help.