www.cochisecountyrock.org
“Finding and Grinding Rocks in Cochise County, Arizona since 1962”
July 2006
This issue edited by Paul McKnight
_________________________________________________________________
On Saturday, July 29, Bob
and Barbara Fenner will lead us to a ranch on Highway 191 north of Interstate
10 to collect what we are calling Chinese Picture rocks. When sliced, these rocks reveal a pattern of
light-colored flecks on a dark background.
The flecks resemble Chinese writing if you have a good imagination.
The pattern is actually
very attractive. Your editor will
volunteer to slab your rocks for you if you don’t want to slab them yourself. Meet at 8 am at the Safeway parking lot in
Willcox. We will leave at 8:15.
Our
picnic was a real Southeast Arizona adventure.
Jeannine masterfully brought all the required elements together at the
proper moment on the horse farm of Sue and Richard Bishop north of the tracks
in Dragoon. It was hot as it usually is
for our annual pre-monsoon picnic, but there was plenty of shade. In addition to the shaded veranda, we had
tables under a large sun umbrella and a large portable shade canopy. There were more than enough hot dogs and
hamburgers to go around and plenty of drinks, salads, beans and desserts.
Everyone
had finished eating and we were sitting around talking when, without warning, a
dust devil swept through, picking up the large sun umbrella, lifting it
straight up out of its table, and sailing it about 150 feet over toward the
horses. The large portable shade canopy
right next to the umbrella was also hit rather hard. I had helped Richard set it up before the
picnic. We tied two corners of it to the
steel supports of the veranda roof, and all four legs of it were tied to heavy
concrete blocks to keep it stationary.
That dust devil apparently had not been told how securely we had tied
the canopy down, because it picked the thing up and moved it about ten feet
north, severely bending one or two of the legs and generally making a shambles
of it.
The
alert reader might be tempted to ask if anyone was sitting under the canopy at
the time. Well, there were a couple of
people still sitting at the tables under the canopy when the dust devil
hit. One of them was Irma Andrews. She was sitting at the north edge of one of
the tables having a genteel conversation with someone at the south edge. Your editor was standing in the shade on the
veranda. In the twinkling of an eye the
large sun umbrella disappeared and the canopy jumped north and collapsed
directly over Irma. Fearing disaster, I
ran out and pulled up the canopy. There
was Irma, unharmed, unscathed, and ready to resume her genteel
conversation. All the metal support
struts and legs had missed her and the canopy fabric had settled gently on her
head.
We have a tradition, going
back to the ‘60s, of not having meetings during the summer.
Dues are due. $10 for individual and $20 for family. Please mail your check to Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club, PO Box 87, Pearce, AZ 85625.
August 26-September
4 Agate 2006
October 14-15 Huachuca Gem,
Mineral & Jewelry Show. At the Elks
Lodge on Willcox Avenue, Sierra Vista, AZ.
Free admission & parking; live demonstrations, educational displays,
rocks, jewelry, gems, minerals, fossils, equipment, lapidary supplies &
more. Contact Larry at 520-459-5211.
President Don Hammer 520 384-3105
Vice-President Paul McKnight 520 824-4054
Secretary Jeannine Paterson 520 826-1649
Treasurer Larry Edgett
Delegate at Large Sue Bishop 520-586-2312
29 Field
Trip – Highway 191 North of I-10 for Chinese picture rocks
Field Trip
3 Board
Meeting
11 Regular Meeting possibly featuring
fluorescent minerals by Barbara Fenner
16 Field
Trip
1 Board
Meeting
9 Regular
Meeting
21 Field
Trip possibly an archaeological site
5 Board
Meeting
13 Regular
Meeting
18 Field
Trip
3 Board
Meeting
11
Christmas Party
Lapidary workshop 1-4 pm on Saturdays. Silver Smithing Class will begin in the fall. Contact Larry Strout at 826-3991. Ralph Cartmell has offered to teach a class on flint knapping. Contact Ralph at 826-3051 or Larry Strout.