President’s Message – May 2020 (Click Here for More Info)

Past Presidents Message

From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . . . . .

Mike and I had a great road trip to the Tucson Gem Show, San Antonio – Texas, Buckhorn – New Mexico and an unexpected stop in Quartzsite. There were still many vendors there until the end of April.

During our trip I found out my sister had a stroke so Mike dropped me off near Palm Springs to be with my sister and he then headed home.

Shortly after Mike returned home my car was stolen and our house broken into. All our treasures from our road trip were still inside my car. Luckily they didn’t steal much from inside our house. Mike was home and once they entered our kitchen and dining area they must heard someone was inside the house and awake. They must have been spooked and immediately left with my car.

I have been home since April 11th. Ever since returning home I have been dealing with my car and home owners claims with my insurance company.

I am sad to say there will be no Thursday general club meeting or Board meeting in May. I am very hopeful that we will see everyone in June.

The Board has been discussing what to do regarding our gem show. If we do proceed forward with it what changes do we need to make? Do we need to provide hand sanitizer and masks for all visitors? Are people going to want to come out to a show where there are a large group of people? Should we have fewer booth space and/or lower the price of booth space? This would substantially affect our bottom line. Are we going to have enough volunteers to run the show? If we proceed with our show, we must do everything to make sure our vendors make money. Are people going to have discretionary money to spend on rocks and minerals? If we do cancel it we will have to absorb the expenses already incurred. Such a big decision.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in June. We all need some “rock talk” with our club friends!

Kat Koch

Updated: August 19, 2020 — 7:50 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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