President’s Message – February 2021

From the Top of the Rock Pile .  .  .  . 
Let’s all hope 2021 is a better year.
The Board has agreed to try and have an online general meeting. I don’t know  the topic or speaker we may have as the meeting is presently in the planning stage. I am working on putting together a meeting for February 11, Thursday at 7 pm. Check the website for more information and your emails for the link to join us. Make sure emails from the club are not going to your junk email.
If all goes well, we will have monthly online meetings until we are able to return in person meetings.
Last year we welcomed 15 new members and their families. I am looking forward to meeting each of you either online or in person. I also want to thank our Field Trip Guide Roger Danneman for all his hard work in planning these monthly field trips. It takes a lot of planning on his part, as he always goes out before hand and checks the location before we go. He makes sure the roads and hiking paths are accessible and everything is clear and okay for our rockhounding trips. Thank you Roger you are doing an amazing job!
Dues for 2021 is only $15 per family or individual. The Board approved this reduction in dues for 2021 only. 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, website hosting and the cost of liability insurance for 2021. I am sure by spring or summer 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.
So please go to our website and renew your membership now!
Renewals
New Membership
Anyone that joined our club from September 11, 2020 thru December 31, 2020 (last year) your membership is good for all of 2021. If you are an existing member use the Manage my account/Renew link on the menu under membership.  Use the email address you used when you joined CMS
I personally thought we were going to make it through 2020 and 2021 without the virus touching our family. I am sad to say my family has not dodge the virus. On December 28th a close family member was taken to ER and on January 3rd they passed away. All my kids came in from around the US and we met in Southern California to say our goodbyes. It was sad a occasion but so nice having all the family together in one place. We made a promise with one another to get together more often and not wait for funerals.
Now another two very close friends have caught the virus. One is going to be okay and the other is in very serious condition. This is a very mean virus.
Stay home, always wear a mask if you have to go out, and be sure to sanitize your hands constantly. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy as we all want to see each other this year.
Kat Koch, President
Updated: January 9, 2022 — 3:35 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Thanks to everyone who joined us in March for Maureen Carlisle’s fascinating look at the world of professional paleontology digs. Our next meeting on April 9 is a great club tradition: Rock Bingo! Whether you’ve been a member for decades or you just joined last month, Bingo is the ultimate fun night for everyone kids included. All you have to do is bring three rock-related gifts (rocks themselves are just fine!), wrapped so that they are hidden, and then show up at 7pm on the 9th. Everyone is a winner – win a new treasure for your shelf and

Meeting Announcements

  • Come one, come all and play ROCK BINGO! With schools out for many local school districts, we invite members, guests, and especially families and kids to come and enjoy one of our most fun nights of the year. Everyone is guaranteed to win at this FREE event! All you have to do is bring three wrapped presents – presents can be rocks, gems, minerals, crystals, fossils, cabochons, slabs, jewelry, tumbled stones – anything you think might be a nice gift for a rock enthusiast. 

  • Our own Mike Blanton will bring his expertise to this club meeting program – he will share the tools, tips and tricks he has developed to drill holes in stones and minerals so you can do more with the rocks you find. Show and Tell: bring a rock you’d like to make into something else.

  • Club Wagonmaster and rock shop creator Roger Danneman will present an overview of the new club shop – including equipment, scheduling, stewards, and what you can expect from this exciting new resource.  Show and Tell: bring a rock you want to polish or make into a cabochon (or something you’ve already polished or made)

Current News