The Cochise County Rock
Monthly Newsletter of the Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club
http://sites.google.com/site/cochisecountyrock/
http://picasaweb.google.com/cochisecountyrock/
“Finding and Grinding Rocks in Cochise County, Arizona since 1965”
September 2012
This issue edited by Diane Dunn
The 2012-2013 year for the Sunsites Gem and Mineral Club is starting. We are looking forward to a great year for the Club. We have been planning good speakers and great field trips for this year. More rock adventures are on the way!
General Membership Meeting
Our first meeting of the Sunsites Gem and Mineral Club 2012-2013 will be on Monday, September 10, 2012, at 7:00 PM at the Sunsites Community Center. This first meeting will again be "Bring
a Favorite Rock." For this meeting each person is to bring a favorite rock from their collection and tell the story behind the rock. We have recently been starting the year off with “Favorite Rock”
meetings and they are always great fun. A good alternative would be “My Favorite Rock Hunt.” If you would rather talk about a Favorite Rock Hunt, then pictures, maps, or directions would help
us know where you went. These are great ways to start off the new G&M Club Year.
Hospitality
We are looking for someone to coordinate the Hospitality goodies for the Club while Cherie is in California. Any volunteers? Send an email or call one of the Board Members if you are willing. We love our treats!!
August Field Trip
We had one summer field trip this summer. Henri arranged a field trip to the Marble Quarry at Lizard Lane. Henri planned for a perfect morning. It was even a bit chilly when we started and didn’t get hot until noon. Henri and Jim Robb dug a huge hole to look for finger agate and Zoe, Diane, and Dan sifted through the sand to look for “fingers” of agate. The rest were more adventurous and climbed the bluff to look for bigger pieces of agate. If you have any agates that are already cleaned in muriatic acid, please bring them to the Meeting (in addition to favorite rocks.) We love to talk about the Field Trips.
September Field Trip
Our next Field Trip is on Saturday, September 15th. Henri says that September’s field trip will be to Lordsburg, NM to look for green fluorite. We will meet at the Safeway Parking Lot in Willcox at 8:00 AM with departure at 8:15 AM. High clearance is only needed for the last ½ mile. Anyone without a high clearance vehicle can share a ride or walk from there. There is some fluoride on the ground, but in addition to a bucket or bag for collecting, you may want to bring a hammer, chisel or large screwdriver to pry the best pieces from the earth Be sure to bring sun protection, lots of water, and lunch or
snacks.
Lapidary
We are planning some repairs to the Lapidary Shop. Don estimates that the cost will be about $500. One rock cutter needs a blade and the other needs a new shaft. We want to get the Lab in good shape before we start using it again this year. We will discuss the repairs further at the General Meeting.
Officers for 2012
President:
Diane Dunn 623-322-5770
V-President:
Jack Light 520-824-4774
Secretary:
Jim Brower
520-826-4672
Treasurer:
Walter Sigel 520-826-1009
Delegate-at-Large:
Carl Schnabel 520-826-0100
Hospitality Coordinator:
805-660-0074
Field Trip Coordinator:
Henri van den Bos 520-384-0288
Past President:
Paul McKnight 775-434-8395
Club Picnic
The G&M Club Picnic was held in May at the home of John and Barbara Schmidt. The Schmidt were gracious hosts offering us to go inside to escape the heat. We had delicious goodies and great fellowship. Be sure to check out the pictures on the web site (listed at the top of the page.)