President’s Message – March 2023

Presidents Message

From the Top of the Rock Pile …. by Kat Koch

Our February was another good meeting. Almost 40 members attended, most of which displayed what they make or collect. It was interesting to see everyone’s interests. Plus, I always enjoy these types of meetings as we have the opportunity to talk and visit one another.

We missed our three Young Tumblers, Mason, Bentley, and Jude. I hope we see you at our April meeting, where we have fluorescent rocks and minerals and anything else we can find that change color under black light. We scheduled this meeting as the kids are on a school break, and our young tumblers won’t have to worry about school the next day.

We encourage you to attend our meetings as our club is more than just the field trips. We always try to have an educational and entertaining topic. It’s also an excellent opportunity to visit with each other. Plus,

 get your questions answered if you have a problem cutting or polishing or need a rock or mineral identified. Everyone is welcome to bring guests of any age to our meetings.

So mark your calendars now – our meetings are always the 2nd Thursday of the month except for August and December. August is our annual picnic at Lake Wilderness, and in December, we have our Holiday Dinner and election of officers.

I also want to remind everyone that our show needs volunteers. If anyone is interested in helping, contact Chris Vitellaro. Her contact info is on page 2 of this issue of the Tumbler.

We continue to get new members weekly by registering online or in person at our monthly meetings. We welcome each of you to our great rock and gem club. When you attend our monthly meeting, please introduce yourself to me, as I look forward to meeting everyone.

I also appreciate all the members that renewed their membership!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the March meeting.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: March 4, 2023 — 9:27 am

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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