- From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . .
The weather lookout was iffy when we went to bed the Saturday night before our club picnic. There was no evidence that it had recently rained when we arrived on Sunday to set up the tables. The grass was dry and the sky was partly cloudy. Around twenty members were at the picnic and we had a very nice day talking “rocks” and visiting with one another. It’s so good seeing everyone once again. We raised $761 from the auction! Thank you to everyone for making our auction a success. Everyone went home with great bargains. The monies from the club auctions help us fund our meetings and various other club events throughout the year.- I would like to personally thank Rich for the custom faceted amethyst set in a sterling silver necklace. Rich cut the gem just for our event. The necklace is stunning! Scott Miles went home the lucky winner of this gorgeous necklace for his wife.
We have a club booth at the Maple Valley Days, Lake Wilderness Park. October 9th and 10th. I need volunteers for the following time slots. Sunday hours are 9:45 am to 1:30 pm (1 volunteer).We also have a club booth at the Gem Faire, Puyallup Fairgrounds. November 12th through 14th. I need volunteers to cover this event. Friday hours are noon to 3:15 pm (1 volunteer), and 3 pm to 6:15 pm (2 volunteers), Saturday 9:45 am to 2:15 pm (1 volunteer), and Sunday 9:45 am to 1:30 pm (2volunteers).
I will have a sign-up sheet at the meeting or you can email me if you would like to volunteer for either event. Talkingkat2 at yahoo dot com
At both events, the club will have our spinning wheel and two display cases. The kids get to spin the wheel for free and receive a polished rock. These are fun events as the kids are always so happy with big smiles when they receive a free
polished rock to keep. Talk to people that stop by the booth about our great club: its activities, answer questions and hand out membership information. I want to welcome each of you to our great rock club. I apologize if I have missed introducing myself to you. Please feel free to come up and say hello.
Kat Koch, President
Presidents Message
Digging It! Thanks to everyone who came to the club camp out at Teanaway campground near Cle Elum last month. After a brief spell of rain the first night, we were blessed with sun, clear skies, and rockhounding the rest of the weekend. And a big thanks to Roger Danneman for doing all of the trip organizing, and keeping us all warm and well fed during the weekend. This month I’ll be giving a talk at our club meeting about how to use Gaia for rockhounding. If you have specific questions, please bring them along or feel free to email …
Meeting Announcements
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!
Current News
- October 2026 issue of The Tumbler October 5, 2026
Click here to download a PDF of The Tumbler.
- September 2026 issue of The Tumbler October 5, 2026
Due to technical issues, there is no September 2026 version of the Tumbler.
- August 2026 issue of The Tumbler August 7, 2026
Click here to download a PDF of The Tumbler.
- August 15: Potluck Picnic July 10, 2026
Our August meeting will not be happening at the American Legion – instead, this month’s meeting is our annual club potluck and picnic on Saturday, […]
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 […]
- July 2026 issue of The Tumbler July 6, 2026
Click here to download a PDF.
Club president Noelle Barnes will present “Rockhounding on the Road – How to Find Rocks Wherever You Are” – tools you can use to find a […]
Club board member Paul Ahnberg will talk to us about the impact of wildfires on our lives – from protecting your home to staying safe […]
- December – Holiday Potluck Party & Auction July 2, 2026
December’s date and time is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.
- June 2026 issue of The Tumbler June 9, 2026
Click here to download a PDF.
The weather lookout was iffy when we went to bed the Saturday night before our club picnic. There was no evidence that it had recently rained when we arrived on Sunday to set up the tables. The grass was dry and the sky was partly cloudy. Around twenty members were at the picnic and we had a very nice day talking “rocks” and visiting with one another. It’s so good seeing everyone once again. We raised $761 from the auction! Thank you to everyone for making our auction a success. Everyone went home with great bargains. The monies from the club auctions help us fund our meetings and various other club events throughout the year.
We have a club booth at the Maple Valley Days, Lake Wilderness Park. October 9th and 10th. I need volunteers for the following time slots. Sunday hours are 9:45 am to 1:30 pm (1 volunteer).
polished rock to keep. Talk to people that stop by the booth about our great club: its activities, answer questions and hand out membership information.