PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I hope all of you have had and are having a good summer. It definitely has seemed to be one of San Diego's warmer summers, no doubt due to the increased humidity. The Club's annual picnic was fun, and it was great to see so many of our members there (40 attended).

As usual, Bob Cadman and Jim Claypool, assisted some by Gary Clark and others, "did it up royal", with hot dogs, 3 kinds of sausages, regular beef burgers, and turkey burgers, plus all the "fixin's". GOOD JOB guys!!!

There was lots of tasty food also on the potluck table, and I think everyone had their fill. Bob & Bobbie Plunkett put on another outstanding raffle and door prize drawing. Good food, good conversation, good prizes...what more could you want? If you were not able to make it to the picnic, sorry, you missed a good time, but we hope to see you at the September meeting.

Also, special congratulations go to Bob & Lynne Cadman, who were presented the Club's "Rockhound of the Year" award!!!!!!

Due to the City of San Diego's current budget crunch the Park & Recreation Dept. has instructed the Tierrasanta Recreation Center, among others, to close earlier than previously from now on. We now will have to be out of the meeting room by 7:50 P.M. each meeting night. However, we can start our meetings earlier. ********** So, starting with the next meeting, Tuesday, September 2nd, our meetings will begin at 6:30 P.M., instead of 6:45. ********** If, after a couple of meetings, it appears we need to start even earlier, we will discuss that at a meeting. We can have an additional hour by paying the rec. center $18.75, which we will do for the Christmas party, so we can stay an hour later that night.

Cathy Davis, on behalf of the San Diego Lapidary Society, had a couple of flyers available at the picnic. First, an announcement of "Ed Soukup's Backyard Sale", to be held Saturday, August 30th, from 8 A.M. to 1 P.M. at 4341 Goldfinch. In addition to being able to possibly pick up some books, magazines, lapidary tools, faceting rough, slabs and rough rock, this will be a good opportunity to have Mr. Soukup autograph any books you have that he authored.

The directions are:

From I-5 north or south, exit Washington Street east, go east to Jackdaw, then left on Jackdaw.

From 163 get on Washington Street west, go west to Jackdaw, then turn right on Jackdaw.

Proceed north on Jackdaw to Hunter, turn right on Hunter, left on Hawk, right on Barr, then left on Goldfinch.

Parking is on the street and may get a bit crowded. You can drive up the hill to drop off passengers, but there is no room for parking at the house. If you have any questions, contact Cathy Davis at 858-278-9987.

Cathy also left off some notices of the San Diego Lapidary Society's 2003 Gem and Mineral Show. It will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1^st and 2^nd (10 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Sat., 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. on Sun.), at the Al Bahr Shrine Center on Kearny Mesa Road. These notices will be available at our September meeting.

Well, it is cooling off some outside right now, and I have to go out and do some tidying up in the dahlia garden. If they survive this darned heat and humidity and are still blooming nicely the first part of September, I will try to take some blooms to the meeting on the 2nd. Take care, all, and try to stay cool!

Jerry Lohmann, President
 
 
 
 

MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING

June 03, 2003

There were no minutes taken at the June general meeting as it was devoted to our "elections" or should I say "re-election" of all of our previous Officers, Board Members and Committee Chairs. This means we STILL do not have a Vice President or Field Trip Chair. In addition, we still could use an actual Refreshment Chair.

We also had our annual "Silent Auction". I hope everyone was able to purchase what they were bidding on, I know I did.

Respectfully submitted

Betty Aron Schneider, Editor
 
 
 
 

FIELD TRIPS

???????????? Chairperson

From the Editor --

I don't know about the rest of you but I (your editor and her family) would sure like to go on more field trips then just to Quartzsite in Jan/Feb.

At this time, I have no information about any field trips in our future. If you would like to plan one please contact me so I can get the info into the TEKTITE and to the general membership in a timely manner. Please include the location (with a map), the date/dates, what we will be finding or doing, and the contact info for the wagon master.

Without a "Wagon Master" we could still have Field Trips by doing as other clubs do and have each member assigned to a month. For that month, they need to arrange for some type of field trip. It could be a conventional one to a known rockhounding area with camping, or just a one-day outing like to a local beach or the oyster beds. Perhaps for the non-campers one could be planned to the San Diego Natural History Museum for their gem and mineral display, the San Diego Museum of Man, any of the many LA museums or to the Getty museum. Other suggestions might be to visit the Tar Pits in La Brea, a gem & mineral show, or a backyard for a picnic and rock sorting party. Use your imagination and we could be busy all year.

How about this for a Field Trip to the San Diego Museum of Man. Will you consider being the "wagon master" and finding out when the best time to go would be? I believe the museums are free on the third Tuesday of each month. There is nothing that says we can not have a field trip on Tuesdays is there?

The Turquoise Path:

El Camino Turquesa

June 7, 2003 — April 2004

TURQUOISE—CAPTURING SKY AND WATER in infinite variations of blue and green—has been used throughout time by peoples of many different cultures in trade, adornment, building, decoration, and rituals of fertility, crop planting, marriage, and healing. Our new exhibit The Turquoise Path/El Camino Turquesa brings to life the journey of turquoise as it has been mined, traded, and valued by peoples around the world over time, focusing on Mesoamerica and the Greater Southwest.

The exhibit features the astonishing variety to be found in turquoise, including natural turquoise samples from various mines around the world, exotic turquoise from Iran and Tibet, archaeological turquoise objects made by early peoples of the American Southwest, and a wide array of Southwest turquoise and silver jewelry spanning three centuries. The working of silver is an important element of the story of turquoise, since it often has been an essential medium for setting and displaying turquoise from the 1800s to the present. The exhibit highlights artists and craftspeople who have contributed to the continuing evolution of techniques and styles for working silver and turquoise.

Classic Navajo bracelets and a silver ketoh (bow guard) are featured in The Turquoise Path.

MEMBERSHIP

Phyllis Mahoney and Gary Draper, Chairpersons

This is the beginning of a new year for the CRA. That means that you need to give us some of your money. Dues are due and payable at the September meeting. They are considered late if not paid by the end of the November meeting. If you have not paid your dues by November then you will no longer be a member and no longer will you receive the TEKTITE.

ALL MEMBERS PLEASE COMPLETE THE CRA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM (click the link to find it) so we know that you still want to be a member. This really means ALL MEMBERS.  Even if you are an Honorary member over 80 who does not have to pay dues or even if you have been a member for 40+ years. Please complete the form and return it with your dues and/or TEKTITE subscription money.
 

HOSPITALITY CORNER

Emmeline Ellis, Chairperson

No reports of anyone being ill, so hopefully, this means that all are well.

Ann Ludlam had us all wondering where she was at Fair time. It seems she was having a rough time of it while we were all having fun. After making arrangements for many of us from CRA and even more from other clubs to work at the Fair for a few hours in the Gem & Mineral venue and thereby receiving free admission to the Fair. Ann spent the time between the hospital and home with her liver giving her a lot of trouble.

Ann we sure missed you at the Fair and believe me your absence was the topic of conversation for many of us. We were very happy to see you at the picnic. Take care and we will be seeing you at the September meeting.

If you do know of someone who is under the weather or has surgery around the corner please let Emmeline know. She can be reached at (619) 463-0778.
 
 
 
 

Results of the "Elections/Nominations"

Well, here we are at the beginning of a New Year. No one came forward and volunteered for any of the offices or committees so it appears that our current Officers, Board Members and Committee Chairs will remain in office yet another year. In addition, we will be without the services of a Vice-President, Field Trip Chair and Refreshment Chair for awhile longer.

Each of you who are not holding a position, should walk up to all that are and give them a great big "thank you" and a sincere pat on the back. Because without them you might have to become a more active member and hold one of those horrible time and energy consuming offices yourself or else at least be part of the burial team when your Club dies.
 
 
 
 

A Bit of Levity

Whether a man winds up with the nest egg or a goose egg
            depends a lot on the kind of chick he marries.

Trouble in marriage often starts when a man gets so busy earnin' his salt
            that he forgets his sugar.

Too many couples marry for better or for worse,
            but not for good.

When a man marries a woman, they become one,
            but the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

If a man has enough "horse sense" to treat his wife like a thoroughbred,
            she will never be an old nag.

Judgin' from the specimens they pick for husbands,
            it's no wonder that brides often blush.

On anniversaries, the wise husband always forgets the past
            ...but never the present.

A foolish husband remarks to his wife: "Honey, you stick to the washin', ironin', cookin', and scrubbin'.
            No wife of mine is gonna work."

The bonds of matrimony are a good investment
            only when the interest is kept up.

Many girls like to marry a military man --
            he can cook, sew, make the bed, and is in good health...
            and he's already used to taking orders.

Grandpappy and his wife were discussin' their 50th wedding anniversary when she said,
            "Shall I kill a chicken tonight?" "Naw", said Grandpappy.
            "Why blame a bird for somethin' that happened 50 years ago."
 
 
 
 

PROGRAM

Bob Cadman, Chairperson

Nothing submitted but I know you will not want to miss it.
 
 
 
 
 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR SEPTEMBER    

CELEBRANTS

                Ron Miller 9/05                       Linda Clark 9/10                    Elaine Thompson 9/11

                Bob Bulick 9/17                     H.S. "Bill" Frazier 9/25           Ralph East 9/29

From here and there

Rock Dust Put to Good Use

Before coal tars and synthetics, painters pounded cinnabar to make the pigment for brilliant red and pounded malachite to get a brilliant green. With azurite, you could get a blue, but the best and most brilliant blue was made from lapis lazuli.

Lapis is a rock, not a mineral, and was often called ultramarine blue because it came to Europe from "far across the sea".

Azurite was the major source of blue pigment for painters in the Middle Ages, though it was often labeled a lapis. When it loses its water, azurite turns black. If it deteriorates into its copper carbonate cousin, malachite, it turns green. These unfortunate facts of chemistry have given unwanted black and green blotches to a number of old paintings.

In its original rock lump form, lapis does not show its eventual richness of blue. You have to work it. First, grind into a powder. Separately, make a paste of wax, oil and resin, and sprinkle in the powder. Work together like dough. Place the lump into a container of warm lye, and work and squeeze it until the liquid can absorb no more blue. Place into another bowl of lye and keep repeating until all blue is squeezed out. Let these liquids stand until evaporated. What is left is again, powder, but impurities must be removed. So wash, skim, and strain about twenty times. Eventually the artist can mix the finished powder into oil and begin to paint.

While lapis lazuli could retain its color even when finely ground malachite and azurite would lose color. Only through trial and error experience would the painter get the optimum compromise of coarse enough for color and fine enough to be brushable.

From THE AGATIZER via The Pegmatite
 
 

Have You Seen Any Real Tektites Lately?

Dear member of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies,

I am a geologist at the Sonoma State University studying a possible tektite fall in Sonoma County.

I am engaged in a hunt for a particular rock type in the Sonoma County area, and want to enlist your help in finding more occurrences of it. The material in question is tektite. Tektites as you may know, are small glass bodies up to a few inches in diameter that are generated in large numbers in asteroid impacts. Impact melt is thrown into space, breaks up into zillions of small drops which chill to glass, and these reenter the earth's atmosphere, heating and melting their surfaces as they travel back to the surface.

The glass bodies of tektites are usually ovoid to platy [plate like], but other shapes also occur. The local ones are black. Their surfaces are pitted and grooved from partial melting on reentering the atmosphere, and they look rather like peach pits or walnuts. I now know of two localities in Sonoma County west and northwest of Healdsburg where large numbers of these objects have been collected. Tektites in general are widely distributed in strewnfields up to thousands of miles across, so they should exist elsewhere in the county and beyond.

Please contact me if you have ever seen anything like these objects. I will be glad to come look at what you have. Call me at 707-664-2296 or -- e-mail me at

[email protected] or send a letter to

Rolfe Erickson, Geology Department

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Thank you for your help,

Dr. Rolfe Erickson
 
 

SHOP and FIELD TRIP HINTS

Remember, your Editor only writes these things up. She DOES NOT try them out!!

Polishing curved surfaces:

      Here is a way to polish curved surfaces on a carving with a flex shaft tool. Visit your auto supply store and purchase a real leather chamois, or use any reasonably thin, clean, uncontaminated leather you have around.

      Select a felt, rubber, or resin tip on a mandrel, lay the tip on the leather, and cut enough leather to cover the tip plus up the shank of the mandrel about 1/2 inch. Wrap the leather about the tip tightly, gathering the overlap uniformly at the shank. Secure the leather with a tie. I use a rubber band, pulling and looping it over the tip repeatedly until tight. Trim off the excess leather past the secured point on the shank.

      You now have a leather "micro" polisher. Dip the tip in water to get it wet, then dip in optical grade cerium oxide or whatever polish you prefer. Use the tool at low speed and polish as you would on the "big buff", i.e. keep the tool damp and charged.

      For safety purposes, always wear safety glasses. Make sure the leather is securely fastened at the shank by checking to see if you can pull it off in between charges of polish. Check to make sure you are not burning through the leather.

                                                           Officers 2002 - 2003    Membership