Cascade Mineralogical Society

From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . . The weather lookout was iffy when we went to bed the Saturday night before our club picnic. There was no evidence that it had recently rained when we arrived on Sunday to set up the tables. The grass was dry and the sky was partly cloudy. Around twenty members were at the picnic and we had a very nice day talking “rocks” and visiting with one another. It’s so good seeing everyone once again. We raised $761 from the auction! Thank you to everyone for making our auction a …

General Meeting – Thursday – September 9, 2021, @ 7 pm Traveling with Roger and Alex. Hey, this could good be a good title for a TV show. I am so clever, an absolute genius. LOL Our Field Trip Guide, Roger Danneman, will be talking about his trip to Iceland with his son Alex. Right after Roger returned home, two days later, he and Alex headed out on a road trip to Minnesota. I know we are all interested in his trip to Iceland and the volcano. Pictures and more pictures! Then not many of us get to go rockhounding on the way to Minnesota. Again pictures and rock samples. It should be a very interesting evening. Show ‘n Tell: Something you found on vacation, a road, a trip to the beach, on a hike, along a river bed, or in your backyard. The Young Tumblers get $2 Rock Bucks for coming to the meeting. If they partake in the Show ‘n Tell they receive a total of $5 Rock Bucks. Our Young Tumblers can spend their Rock Bucks at all club auctions and on raffle tickets at our meetings. Hope to see everyone at the meeting.

For the October meeting, we are going to show 2 videos.  The first on how to clean the saw oil off your slabs after cutting them. The second video is on how to stabilize softer rocks in order to polish or cab them. Show ‘n Tell: A lapidary item, polished rock or slab, cut gemstone, cabochon, intarsia, etc. that you have made.

Dr. Russell Calvin Boggs will be speaking at our meeting. He is the founder and curator of the North Cascades Mineralogical Research Institute and Museum. Mark your calendars and plan on attending. I would like to give him a warm welcome as he traveling from Marblemount during peak traffic time to speak to us. A non-profit corporation to promote mineralogical research, operate a mineralogical research lab (XRD, petrographic microscope, and Electron Microprobe), and operate a mineralogical museum primarily related to the Pacific Northwest. Show ‘n Tell: A rock, mineral, or fossil you have in your collection from Washington, Oregon, or Idaho.

Time is Running Out – Lower Dues for 2021 2021 club membership dues is $15 for a family or individual! The Board has approved a temporary reduction in our dues for 2021 only to $15 per family or individual. As of October our dues will go back up to $25 per family or individual. Our club is resuming in person general meetings on June 10th. Our general meetings are held on the 2nd Thursdays of each month at 7 pm. From our website you can use a credit card to renew your membership. You can also mail a check to CMS, c/o Charles Benedict, 25838 W. Lake Wilderness Dr. SE, Maple Valley WA 98038.