President’s Message – July 2022 (Click Here For More Info)

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From the Top of the Rock Pile 
Our Cascade Gem & Mineral Show is coming up. We will be about 6 weeks from show time when you read this! We desperately need volunteers. Elsewhere in this issue is a list of the tasks we need help with. Please seriously look over the list and volunteer where you can.
Many of you have contacted me asking what happened to the YouTube LiveStream of our June meeting. Well, we have discovered that there isn’t a strong and reliable internet connection at the American Legion Hall. We also tried using a hot spot on our cellphone, but there isn’t a cellphone signal. The American Legion Hall sits in a gully or bowl and hasn’t any cellphone service.
The meeting will still be recorded but won’t be available, at the latest, until the Sunday night following the meeting. Don’t forget to “Like” and “Subscribe”!
A reminder, there is no general meeting on July 14th. We have our annual club picnic instead on Saturday, July 16th, at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum. The Arboretum provides picnic tables for us, and there is plenty of free parking.
It is a potluck, and the setup starts at 11 am. Lunch is at noon. Our club auction will follow lunch. Please bring a main dish, side dish, salad, fresh rolls and butter, dessert or drinks. It is all up to you. We generally have around 30 people. Also, bring your own plate and silverware.
It would be greatly appreciated if you would like to donate something to the auction. All funds raised from these club auctions go into the treasury to cover expenses. Since expenses are always going up, the auction proceeds help keep our dues low.
Remember, you are always welcome to bring guests to our meetings, picnics, or field trips.
We continue to get many new members every month. So if you are a new member, please be sure to come up and introduce yourself at our meeting. That way, I can tie your name to your face.
I hope to see all of you at the picnic.

Kat Koch, President

 

Updated: November 1, 2022 — 12:44 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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