President’s Message – January 2022 (Click Here to Read More)

News, Past Presidents Message
From the Top of the Rock Pile

Our holiday party was a huge success. We had 43 members and guests attending to celebrate the holidays together. It was so good to see everyone!
Our auction proceeds were the largest we have ever had. $1,077 less $33 Rock Bucks = cash to the treasury of $1,047. So that you know where this money goes, a major portion of this will cover our liability insurance for the coming year. The premium went sky-high for 2022. The policy is out for bid to ensure we get the best coverage possible for what the club can afford.
One reason for the tremendous success of the auction was due to the fantastic donations. Rich Russell (faceted citrine in sterling silver pendant setting) and Malcolm Wheeler (matching faceted white Topaz earrings and pendant stones) donated faceted stones that they had cut themselves. In addition, there were so many other outstanding donations from John, Dave, Terri, Roger D, Roger P, Kat, Linda, Mike, and many others. I am so sorry if I have omitted your name. I extend a huge “Thank You!” to everyone.
It was also good seeing some of our members we haven’t seen in a while: Dick Morgan, Keith Morgan, Dan and Sue Rieger, to mention a few. We also had a couple of new family members sign up.
I also want to thank Angie, Brian, and Bev for setting up the potluck table with food and decorations, then cleaning everything up.
Our members are fantastic — everyone pitched-in in so many ways without asking.
Our next meeting is on January 13th, Thursday @ 7 pm, via Zoom. Check the website for details. You should receive an email after January 1st with the Zoom meeting link. You can join the meeting via your laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
If you are working on a lapidary project (or tumbling) and need help, we are all here to help each other. If you have a question or need help, reach out to someone on the board or another member. Also, if you need grit, the club has some for our CMS members at a great price. Contact Diana Horsfall (she is Bob Pattie’s daughter) and she will arrange for you to get some. Her contact info is on page 2 of the Tumbler each month.
Our lapidary shop is still at the same location. The shop is presently winterized for the next few months. As soon as the weather permits, you can make reservations to use it. Diana will handle making reservations to use the shop. Her contact info is on page 2 of the Tumbler each month.
Don’t forget to renew your membership if you have not already done so. It can all be done through our website or at our regular meetings.
We have both new and old faces on the board for 2022. I hope for some fresh ideas and input from the board and our members. Always feel free to email me from the contact page on our website with your thoughts or feedback. My email address is also on page 2 of the Tumbler each month.
We continue to get new members every week. Our membership is now over 100 families. So if you are a new member, please be sure to come up and introduce yourselves.
Wear a mask, be safe and stay healthy as we all want to see each other throughout 2022.
Kat Koch, President
Updated: February 7, 2022 — 1:28 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  September is here, and it looks like a wonderful month so far for getting together and getting out in the field. First, thank you to everyone who helped make our August picnic and club auction such a success. The delicious food, generous donations, volunteer help and spirited bidding made it a great afternoon, and the auction raised $750 for the club. We return to our regular meeting schedule on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Kent. Our program is all about YOU: Show, Tell & Transform, where you get to briefly present …

Meeting Announcements

  • This program is all about YOU. Bring a rock, mineral, fossil, or other field find that you would like to turn into something. It might become a cabochon, carving, display specimen, jewelry piece, slab, polished piece, or something entirely different. Bring your item and share: Where and how you found or acquired it What interests you about the material What you’re considering making from it Any questions or challenges you would like help thinking through Then we’ll open the conversation to our knowledgeable and curious club members. Together, we can discuss the material, possible designs, cutting or finishing approaches, and other ideas that might help you take the piece from field find to finished project. You do not need to have a complete plan or any special expertise. That’s part of the fun. Bring the piece itself if possible, along with any sketches, inspiration photos, or examples that might help explain your idea.

  • Noelle Barnes will present Using Gaia for Rockhounding, an overview of the features and tricks associated with the app Gaia and how you can use it for GPS, saving waypoints, navigation, photo tagging, trail recording and more. Show and Tell: Bring the rock(s) that have the best “story” – and tell everyone how you found them and where!

  • Club board member Paul Ahnberg will talk to us about the impact of wildfires on our lives – from protecting your home to staying safe while out rockhounding – and what we can do today to help mitigate our risk. Paul will combine his knowledge gained from learning at both the WSU Green School (Master Gardener) and WSU Climate Steward programs. Show and Tell: Bring something you found, from a place that you know has since been impacted by floods or wildfires – or was impacted shortly before you arrived. Tell your story!

  • December’s date and time is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

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