President’s Message – December 2020

News
From the Top of the Rock Pile …. by Kat Koch
Governor Inslee and the CDC have asked all of us to not gather for the holidays. I know it’s very hard for some of us not see our friends and family at this time of the year.
The holidays gatherings, religious services, hobby or other group meetings, gyms, senior center activities have been canceled but remember we, as individuals, have not been canceled. We are still a family member, a friend and a rock club member.
Joy, fun and happiness have not been canceled! 2020 has been a weird year and celebrating with one another looks different. Remember to reach out via phone, video chat or email to family members, friends and our rock club friends/members during the coming holiday. We are all here to support each other any way we can.
Above all our rock club and our community of members have not been canceled! We are still here producing our monthly news bulletin, maintaining our website and leading field trips when the weather is good. If you are working on a lapidary project or tumbling and need help, have a question or need talk about rocks please reach out to one of our members. If you need a phone number or email for a member just check the contact page in our bulletin go to our website and under “Contact Us!” send a message with their name. You can also email me at president@cascademineralogicalsociety.org If I have their info I will send it to you.
I am also very happy to announce that the Board has approved a temporary reduction in our dues for 2021 only to $15 per family or individual. Even though we are not presently holding meetings, our club still has to cover our annual dues to NFMS, AFMS, ALAA, WA State Mineral Council and the cost of liability insurance for 2021. I am sure by spring we will be back to holding our meetings again. When this does happen we will once again have the cost of the monthly rental for the meeting room.
Stay safe and healthy so we can see each other next year.
Kat Koch, President
Updated: January 19, 2021 — 4:01 pm

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . . Boy was it good to see everyone after 16 months of no in-person meetings! We had a good turnout. I estimate we had 30 people. 27 members signed in but I think there were about 3 additional people who didn’t make it to the sign-in table. I would like to remind everyone to sign in at the front door. You get a door prize ticket for the drawing later in the meeting plus for insurance purposes, we need a headcount and the names of those who attended our meeting. …

Meeting Announcements

  • Lake Wilderness Arboretum Annual Picnic Potluck – Sunday, August 8th Setup noon. Enjoy a picnic lunch together at 12:30 pm. You bring your picnic lunch and the club provides drinks and a limited selection of store-bought desserts. If you attend church and are a little late  – that’s okay too. Mark your calendar now and plan on attending! It’s always so nice visiting with each other outside of our club meetings. This is such a beautiful, relaxing location for our annual Club picnic. The Lake Wilderness Arboretum is so gracious to allow us to use this outstanding spot. We are under the trees which with picnic tables and parking. It’s a great family event. Afterward, the Lake is within an easy distance for swimming, beach fun, and the children’s play area. We advise that you move your car to that section’s parking lot if you decide to take advantage of the lake beach and playground areas. Our club Arboretum parking area closes after we are done. It is a picnic with a rock and mineral auction following. It’s also a great time to sit and chat with each other and talk “rock”.   Lake Wilderness Beach area.           Lake Wilderness Park – all new!      

  • 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.

  • 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.

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