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The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)
Rockhound Rambling
April 2001.

Table of Contents.

• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE;
• WORDS TO LIVE BY;
• APRIL 25TH PROGRAM - Colored Stones by Bob LaPrad;
• MARK YOUR CALENDARS;
• Principles only mean something;
• "CHIPS & BOULDERS" - AKA BITS AND PIECES;
• PROGRAM REVIEW - March 28, 2001;
• INTELLECTUAL PASTIMES MAY PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S - From an article in the Baltimore Sun, 3-6-01;
• MAY BIRTHDAYS;
• MEMBERSHIP;
• COMMUNITY / PUBLIC OUTREACH;
• How come;
• AFMS JUNIORS PROGRAM - Bob & Kathy Miller, Junior Co-Chairs;
• VGMS MINUTES;
• NOT SUCH A SILLY GOOSE;
• TRI-CLUB FIELDTRIP SCHEDULE - 2001;
• Do people;
• APRIL TIPS - SPORTS EYE SAFETY MONTH;
• Why is it that;
• GEMSTONES;
• HINTS & TIPS FOR "CHIPS & BOULDERS (& FOSSILS)";
• STONE CANYON JASPER EXHIBIT DURING CFMS 2001 SHOW IN PASO ROBLES;
• CFMS SHOWS;
• 2001 CFMS CLUB SHOWS;
• Why is;
• AMERICAN FEDERATION / REGIONAL 2001 SHOW SCHEDULE;
• EDITOR'S NOTE;
• VGMS PHOTO ALBUM.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.

Welcome back those who had the opportunity to attend Zzyzx and I hope you'll consider sharing with us your experiences and treasures. That of course goes for all field trips and those who participated. What an ideal time to visit the Desert. Not only is there a wealth of material for rockhounds but perfect weather and the wild flowers are at their height of beauty. Do take advantage of it if at all possible.

Helmut Ehrenspeck led an extremely educational trip to Santa Barbara's Figueroa Mountain. The formation's 150 million year history was explained and of course the only known black smoker in the continental U.S. was viewed.

Photos and specimens will be displayed at our April 25th meeting.

The next Tri Club meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 12th at 10:00. Again, there is limited seating at the Lexington.

I'd like to welcome all of our new members and remind and encourage everyone that now is the time to become involved, whether it's on a committee or a nominated/elected position. We need everyone's ideas and input in order to contribute to our community and sustain our organization

     Greg Davis - President.

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WORDS TO LIVE BY.

Assisted living is not really a bad thing---our cat has been using it for years.

Faults are like headlights on a car---those of others are more glaring than your own.

Blessed is anyone who expects nothing, for they shall never be disappointed.

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

Contributed by Wayne Ehlers.

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APRIL 25TH PROGRAM:
Colored Stones by Bob LaPrad.

Bob LaPrad, gem cutter and appraiser, will present a program on colored stones. Bring your questions and hope to see you all there.

     Kathryn Davis, Program Chairperson.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

4-21-01 - VGMS Workshop - Museum from 9:00 to Noon.
4-25-01 - VGMS Regular Meeting - 7:30 pm The Lexington, Bijou Room - Program "Colored Stones" by Bob LaPrad.
5-3-01 - VGMS Board Meeting - 7:30 pm - At the Museum. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
5-10-01 - DEADLINE FOR APRIL BULLETIN articles to the Editor!
5-23-01 - VGMS Regular Meeting - 7:30 pm - The Lexington, Bijou Room.
7-6 to 8-01 - CFMS Field Trip to Davis Creek - See February 2001 Rockhound Rambling for details.
7-13 to 15-01 - CFMS Field Trip to Glass Butte -See February 2001 Rockhound Rambling for details.

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Principles only mean something when it's difficult to stick by them.

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"CHIPS & BOULDERS" - AKA BITS AND PIECES!

April Hostess will be Sharlyne Holloway and Shirley Layton. May is to be determined. Please volunteer. Sharon Cunningham is coordinating this and will be looking for the following months. Be sure to let her know which month you want to help with before someone else beats you to it!!

VGMS Workshop will be held on April 21st, 9:00 to Noon. They will be held on the 3rd Saturday of the month unless notified otherwise. Shop Supervisors are: Ron Wise (805) 647-4393, Greg Davis (805) 647-9214 & Red Jioras (805) 646-7184.

Our Spring Lapidary Class has started and doing well. If you missed the first ones and are interested call Wayne Ehlers at (805) 482-2630 to see if you can still attend or when the next ones will be held. I heard comments that they have really enjoyed it and learned a lot. Thanks Wayne.

Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days - April 21 and 22 is your chance to participate as volunteers in maintaining and improving the hiking and biking trails in Point Mugu State Park. Volunteers will be directed by experienced trail workers to help with trail maintenance, non-native plant removal, and wildlife rehabilitation. Free camping in beautiful Point Mugu State Park backcountry will be provided. The fire road back to the Danielson Ranch is too rough for motorhomes or trailers but regular 2-wheel drive cars should have no difficulty. Marie and I have visited this location and after our recent rains it should be beautiful.

We will probably go in (with Park Ranger escort) from the Sycamore Canyon Campground. I hope to have more details at our March meeting.

     Wayne Ehlers.

Bulletin e-mail - It would be helpful when you e-mail information or articles for the bulletin if you could start the subject line with "VGMS(space)". This will help Jim to sort them and hopefully not miss any! E-mails work great as we can just roll the information over and don't have to re-type it, so keep them coming!! It is better if you just copy your article into the e-mail. If we don't have the right program an attachment may not be useable.

Check Your 2001 Show Donation Award Ticket - In the donation award drawing, the ticket for the number 2 ($50.00) prize did not have a name or phone number on. Please check your tickets for number 0670 and notify Inez Shakman at (805) 642-4957 if you have this number. We will hold it and try to find the winner until the 2002 show and then it will be turned back for the 2002 donation award drawings.

For Sale - Whirlpool refrigerator, 3.5 cubic ft, ice maker, right hand door, good condition, $75.00, contact any club board member.

FYI - Go to http://www.agateswithinclusions.com/ for some of the most amazing agate photos from around the world, including a lot of locations near us. - Contributed by Greg Davis.

Museum Exhibit - The Tyrannosaurus Rex named Sue is on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County until the end of April. The museum is at 900 Exposition Park, Los Angeles. For more information about the exhibits and their programs call (213) 763-Dino, or visit the website www.nhm.org. - Contributed by Florence Meisenheimer.

Special Thanks to Marie Ehlers for the cute and useful "Rock Bags" she made up from some material donated to the Country Store that didn't sell. She brought them to the March Meeting and they were free for the picking. They are really clever and will be very handy. One bag of material was just belts and she used them for the straps. Marie also makes the kids grab bags, that's why you see all those cute ones at the kids booth. Many, Many thanks Marie.

California Oil Museum display for the rock of the month is Ventifacts. These are wind sculpted rocks. Steve Mulqueen puts these displays together every month or two. Be sure to go by and see it and Thanks Steve.

Surprise Visitors - At our recent show early in March we were surprised and pleased to have former members Carl and Pearl Tudor as visitors. They live in Bisbee, Arizona now and were in Ventura visiting relatives. They are doing well, look good, and are enjoying retirement. Pearl uses a walker when she is out in crowds and gets about very well. - Contributed by Florence Meisenheimer.

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PROGRAM REVIEW,
March 28, 2001.

Jim Brace-Thompson - "A Fossil Collecting Tour of
the Monterey Formation along Carmel Valley,
Monterey County, California."

Jim Brace-Thompson led us on a "virtual" fieldtrip along the Carmel River valley with slides of fossil localities between Carmel and Greenfield and a display of fossil specimens from the Monterey formation. He began the program with brief lessons in geography, geology, history, and economics. He illustrated how the Coast Ranges in this area of Monterey County developed from a series of islands and down-warping ocean basins 300 km south of Monterey's current geographic setting during the Miocene Epoch. They've been brought north and uplifted courtesy of actions accompanying the San Andreas fault. The Miocene Epoch within California was a period of great volcanic activity, and ash from volcanoes accompanied microscopic tests of diatoms in the ocean and silt from the land to create a layer-cake series of sediments known today as the Monterey formation. U.S. Pacific Railroad Expedition geologist William P. Blake named the formation in 1855 for exposures south and east of the city of Monterey.

The Monterey formation is easily recognizable wherever it crops out due to its banded layers and buff color. It's extensive in scope: thousands of feet thick, it crops out throughout the Coast Ranges in central California and the Peninsular Ranges and is one of California's most distinctive and widespread sedimentary units. In places like Lompoc, the Monterey formation (and its overlying Sisquoc formation) has significant commercial value for its diatomacous earth, which is used as a filter (for swimming pool water, oil, petroleum, waste water, etc.) and filler (for lightweight concrete, paint, plastic, etc.). In Monterey, it's been an important building stone since 1783, as you can see in many of the area's historic adobes. Finally, it's also an important oil reservoir rock.

But the reason Jim introduced us to the Monterey formation was for its fossil contents. The units of the Monterey formation exposed in Carmel Valley are 10-12 million years old. In comparison to other familiar Miocene formations, it's between the older Temblor formation of Bakersfield (where we find shark teeth and marine mammal bones in the Round Mountain Silt member at Shark Tooth Hill) and the younger Santa Margarita formation of Pine Mountain (where beds of pure white sandstone yield fossil sand dollars). Along the western slopes of the Sierra Salinas, you'll find a broad variety of marine invertebrate and vertebrate remains, mostly preserved as impressions and carbonized films within the Monterey shale.

Starting at the intersection of Highway 1 and Carmel Valley Road south of Carmel, California, Jim took us to a half dozen collecting localities that he called the Hatton Canyon, Rancho Fiesta, Garland Ranch, Mud Pecten, Quarry, and Greenfield Bridge sites. Each site tends to hold its own unique suite of fossils. For instance, at Hatton Canyon, fossil remains consist almost exclusively of fish scales and orange impressions of the tiny mud pecten Delectopecten peckhami, whereas the Rancho Fiesta site contains almost exclusively specimens of the shore crab Pinnixa galliheri Rathburn. This half- to one-inch wide fossil crab is preserved as impressions colored orange, brown, and black and is the most well known of the Carmel Valley fossils. You'll occasionally see it being sold in stores like The Nature Company, and a large slab crowded with impressions from a mass mortality layer is on display at the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

The Garland Ranch site was the best site of our virtual fieldtrip in terms of quality, quantity, and diversity of fossils. Specimens in Jim's collection range from the small Pinnixa crabs to bigger Cancer crabs, as well as fish scales and bones, gastropods (moon and nassa snails), pelecypods (Venus and dish clams, tellins, and ark clams), and impressions of marine algae. Another unique set of fossils from this spot gives us a glimpse not of the marine environment during the Miocene but of the vegetation covering the hills above the ancient coastline. Rivers and streams washed in twigs and reeds and leaves from a variety of trees: oak, laurel, hickory, and pine. One laurel leaf tells a number of tales. Damage on the leaf shows that it served as a meal for an insect before falling into a stream to be washed out to sea and finally preserved alongside clams and crabs. It patiently waited 10 million years to rise to the surface and tell these stories! Famed California paleobotanist Daniel Axelrod wrote a study based on a collection of fossil leaves collected from Carmel Valley during the 1930s. He noted that the leaf species tell of a mild, temperate environment, moderated by the ocean, with about 30 inches of annual rainfall, temperatures averaging 15°C, and never dropping below freezing. Not a bad time to be in California!

From the Garland Ranch site, we moved to the Mud Pecten site that yields small fossil scallops similar to those at our first stop. We then entered the Arroyo Seco watershed, where outcrops of the Monterey formation appear around every bend but where access to the outcrops is frustratingly rare and difficult to obtain. However one outcrop that Jim has christened the Quarry site is readily accessible and yields nicely preserved pelecypods (including a wide variety of clams and a large number of scallop impressions). The final stop on our tour was at a bridge over the Arroyo Seco River just before the town of Greenfield, where it's possible to find fish remains and leaf fossils.

Jim concluded his talking by illustrating what the underwater community and the surrounding landscape would have looked like 10-12 million years ago. Except for some strange land animals, the overall picture would have had a very familiar feel to today's Californians though with a bit more moisture-and a lot more volcanic ash!-in the air. Even though the sun set long ago on the world of the Monterey formation, leaving only shadows of its inhabitants imbedded between layers of shale, in a sense, that very same sun rises today on those same creatures in the form of their familiar descendents still burrowing and scuttling about the floor of Monterey Bay and crowning the hillsides with canopies of live oak and pine.

     Submitted by Jim Brace-Thompson.

Editors Note: Jim kindly agreed to write this up from his notes. He gave a great program and his review is very informational. The members who weren't able to attend and enjoy the program will certainly appreciate this. Thanks Jim for a Great Program and review!

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INTELLECTUAL PASTIMES MAY PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S,
From an article in the Baltimore Sun, 3-6-01.

Although there have not yet been enough studies, adults with hobbies that exercise their brains appear to be less likely to have Alzheimer's disease.

A survey of people in their 70's showed that those who regularly participated in hobbies that were intellectually challenging during their younger years tended to be protected from Alzheimer's while those whose main leisure activity is dominated by TV watching tended to have an increased risk.

The finding supports other studies showing that brain power unused is brain power lost.

     Via AFMS Newsletter-April, 2001.

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MAY BIRTHDAYS.

Happy Birthday to all those born in May. We all wish you good health and hope you have a Great Day! I'm still gathering information, so please let me know if I have missed your birthday. Please call Shirley Layton at 642-2683 and leave a message if I'm not there. Thanks!

I did gather up a few more birthdays and here are some that we missed for March, Aruna Shah on the 28th and April, Pebble Pup Bennett Collings - 5th, Pebble Pup Hannah Brace-Thompson - 29th, Bret Hilton - 8th and Julia Heath - 26th. Hope you all had Great Birthdays or I guess do have in the case of a couple!

May - Happy Birthday!!

     David Mautz - 20th,
     Marian Vient - 20th,
     Kappy Paulson - 26th,
     Jack Collings - 28th.

The May birthstone is the Emerald and the flower is the Lily of the Valley.

EMERALD.
Emerald is really dark green Beryl, which is one of the most famous gem varieties it offers. Emerald is the best known of the varieties and identified by its fine intense green. This color is due to a trace of chromium replacing aluminum in the Beryl structure. Other green Beryl of other shades do exist, which are simply termed green Beryl, there Cr is not present and does not reveal a chromium spectrum. There is another green Beryl similar to the Cr variety but is colored by vanadium. The hardness is 7.5-8. The minute inclusions in Emerald usually can be used to determine the geographic location where it was found.

The most common occurrence of Emerald is in granitic rocks, especially granitic.pegmatites. Beryl occurs worldwide.

     Via the Victor Valley Bulletin, May 1995.

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MEMBERSHIP.

We are very happy to have several new members join us in our pursuit of rocks, fossils and happiness!

They are Helmut Ehrenspeck, Vern Markley, Gary & Sharon Markley, Alexa Jackowski, Pebble Pup William Hohense, Peter Drew, Aruna & Vijay Shah, Shirley Curl, and Robert & Helene Stone. Their addresses and phone numbers will be in the 2001 Membership Directory. Search them out at our next meeting and personally welcome them.

Speaking of the 2001 Membership Directory, they are being printed as we speak! They will either be mailed with this bulletin or will be available at the April meeting. If at the meeting, please pick yours up and save us the postage of mailing it. Those not retrieved will be put in the mail. Let us know if you see any errors or omissions.

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COMMUNITY / PUBLIC OUTREACH.

March 12th, Ray Meisenheimer gave a program on the earth science to a group of seniors at the Senior Center in Thousand Oaks. There were 45 adults and 11 children (grandchildren).

March 14th, Steve and Susan Mulqueen participated in "Family Science Night" at Mountain View Elementary School in Santa Barbara. Susan showed her collection of insects while Steve exhibited the VGMS rock trays. Samples of Serpentine were prepared in small plastic bags with labels and VGMS information. Over 220 specimens of Serpentine were distributed during this event.

March 22nd, Ray Meisenheimer gave a tour of the museum to 74 first and second graders, accompanied by 16 adults. They arrived by bus from Weatherfield School in Thousand Oaks. Red Jioras and Inez Shakman assisted. (Thanks Red and Inez.)

March 23rd, Ray Meisenheimer, Susan and Steve Mulqueen met with Mike Nelson and John Nichols at the VGMS Museum. The California Oil Museum is planning an exhibit with the theme of "Fossils" to run from July through September 2001. They are considering many sources of fossils for their exhibit and are looking into the possibility of borrowing VGMS specimens for that event.

March 24th, Steve Mulqueen presented a slide lecture on the subject of "Petroleum Seeps" at the Mineral Collector's Workshop held at the Jerupa Mountains Cultural Center in Rubidoux, CA.

March 28th, Wayne Ehlers held a lapidary class from 4:30 to 6:30 for local 4-H students. This will be continued each Monday along with the Club Lapidary class which starts at 7:00 for four or five weeks.

April 6th, Ray and Florence conducted a tour of the club museum for the Santa Barbara Homesteaders, a group of home studies children from Santa Barbara. There were six adults and 17 children. They enjoyed picking rocks from the rock pile later.

Steve and Susan Mulqueen will be preparing the VGMS Club Case at the Conejo Gem & Mineral show in May.

     The above was contributed by Florence Meisenheimer and Steve Mulqueen.

Editors Note: Many thanks need to go to Steve and Susan, Ray and Florence and to Wayne for this most important and wonderful work. It is great for the community and for our club. Thanks, Thanks & Thanks!

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How come wrong numbers are never busy?

Does that screwdriver belong to Phillip?

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AFMS JUNIORS PROGRAM,
Bob & Kathy Miller, Junior Co-Chairs.

Junior Members,
Join the Future Rockhounds of America.

There are 13 clubs and 318 members of the FRA active in the United States. If any junior members in your club wish to become members of the FRA, just fill out the application form that is found in this issue of the AFMS Newsletter and send it directly to your Regional Junior Chairman to start the process. By becoming members you will have the opportunity to correspond with young people across the United States. You will be able to establish a camaraderie of sharing ideas, e-mails, websites, possible combined field trips, swaps, furthering earth science knowledge, and much more. If your club has only a few juniors or several dozen, it will not make a difference.

This year the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies is able to offer each member of the Future Rockhounds of America a beautiful Cloisonne FRA pin to be worn with pride at all rockhound functions and meetings. This pin will distinguish you as a member of a national earth science organization and, it is free to all FRA members!

We encourage, we invite, we welcome juniors to become involved. You are our/your hobby's future.

     AFMS Newsletter March 2001,
     via CFMS Newsletter-April 2001.

HISTORY OF FUTURE ROCKHOUNDS OF AMERICA.

     Rockhound clubs throughout the Federations have been supporting youth groups for many years. At times there were youth which belonged to a club, but the club didn't know just what to do with them or what direction they should go. Consequently a lot of youth fell through the cracks. We are sure no one could argue with the fact that we need to insure the future of our hobby by encouraging our youth.

     Knowing the above, in 1984, under the direction of Bill Cox, AFMS President, a committee was added to the AFMS called "Junior Clubs". The Chairman was Ruth Hammett from South Central. During the first year very little was accomplished other than the adoption of a very useful manual designed by the Midwest Federation. At the end of 1984 and during the first part of 1985 Bill coined the name "Future Rockhounds of America" and designed a certificate to be given to junior clubs who became members of FRA. It gives the clubs the distinction of belonging to something worthwhile.

     The only requirement for obtaining membership into FRA is to be organized and sponsored by a federation club. (Exceptions to this can be made.) There are no dues to pay to the federation for being a member as dues will be paid through the adult club.

How To Become A Member of the Future Rockhounds of America
AFMS Youth Program.

1. Your group must be a member of your local federation. This can be either through a sponsoring club or through an independent application into your local federation.
2. Dues only HAVE TO BE PAID to the local federation and thus into AFMS. There are no special dues for FRA.
3. The number of youth is not important....you can have as few as 2 and as many as you can handle.
4. Age: In most clubs the age at which one becomes an adult is 18.

     We said it was simple, there is no mystery to joining. Just fill out an application which can be obtained from your federation Youth Coordinator or from us. We are here to help you.

Please contact Jim Brace-Thompson, Junior Activities Chair, 7319 Eisenhower St., Ventura, CA 93003, Phone 805-659-3577, e-mail jbraceth@juno.com.

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VGMS MINUTES.

Minutes of the VGMS Regular Monthly Meeting - March 28, 2001;
The regular monthly meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society was called to order by President Greg Davis at 7:35 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, 2001 in the Bijou room of the Lexington, 5440 Ralston, Ventura, CA. The group was led in the salute to the flag.

The February meeting and board minutes, as shown in the Bulletin, were m/s/p. We had one guest at the meeting, Harry Jioras.

The program was "A Fossil-Collecting Tour of the Monterey Formation of Carmel Valley" by Jim Brace-Thompson.

Ron Wise, 2nd Vice President for Field Trips, reported that the next club field trip would be on March 31 to the black smoker of the Figuero mountain area with Helmut Ehrenspeck leading the trip. The April field trip is to the Mojave Mineralogical Society annual show on April 7 & 8. They will have field trips to the Boron mine and a jasper collecting area. About 20 people showed up for the tri-club field trip to Ant Hill in Bakersfield for shark teeth.

Treasurer, Richard Bromser, gave the treasurer's report. Richard also thanked everyone who helped at this year's show.

Emma Mayers, membership secretary, the new membership directory is almost finished. She passed it around so that everyone could make any changes necessary on their information.

Steve Mulqueen informed us that the Oil Museum in Santa Paula was interested in borrowing some fossils and minerals for a larger exhibit at the Oil Museum.

Shirley Layton, bulletin editor, has some extra bulletins. The deadline for the next bulletin is April 10th.

Wayne Ehlers will be teaching two lapidary classes on Monday evenings. The 4:30 - 6:00 pm class will be for the 4-H club. The regular lapidary class will start 7:00 - 9:00 pm. A sign-up sheet was passed around.

Wayne also reminded club members about the Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days on April 21 & 22. He will have more information soon.

Red Jioras informed us that Rock & Gem magazine is doing a special group subscription of 2 years for the price of one. A sign-up sheet was passed around.

Red is also looking for interested members for the museum committee. It will be quite a project to get the museum organized including all of Bruno's books.

The VGMS Scholarship received one application from Robert Beard. He is a student at Ventura College but will be transferring to CSUN next fall. He has satisfied all our criteria. The members approved the application. The scholarship will be given to Robert in May. Red will invite him to speak to the club.

Nancy Jioras put on the back table Rock & Gem magazine's writer's criteria if you would like to submit an article.

Ray & Florence Meisenheimer have volunteered their yard if the club wishes to have a rock/yard sale. This will be taken up at the board meeting.

Dave Mautz had a flyer from the Buena Vista Museum on an up-coming talk on Trilobites from the Marble mountains.

That was the end of the business part of the meeting. David Mautz then conducted the drawing.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.

The next meeting will be held on April 25, 2001, at 7:30 p.m., at the Lexington.

Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Brace-Thompson, Secretary.


Minutes of VGMS Board Meeting - April 5, 2001;
The regular board meeting of the VGMS was called to order by President Greg Davis at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday April 5, 2001, at Red and Nancy Jioras's home in Ojai.

Attendees: Greg Davis, Florence & Ray Meisenheimer, Richard & Shirley Bromser, Nancy & Red Jioras, Nancy & Jim Brace-Thompson, Dave Mautz, Steve Mulqueen, Ron & Jean Wise, Emma Mayers and Sharon Cunningham.

Richard Bromser, Treasurer, passed around the February treasurer's report.

Shirley Layton, Bulletin Editor, would like to have a workshop schedule for both Saturdays and Mondays.

Shirley's husband, Jim, suggests that the club has their own domain name. VGMS was available at the moment. The domain name would cost $70 for two years then $35 a year. Signing up with a server would cost about $20 per month. It was motioned that we buy a domain name and sign up with a server for our own website. It was seconded and passed. Jim Layton would also love anyone's input for the website.

The membership directory will be printed soon. They will go out with the bulletin if it doesn't cost more or they will be available at the next general membership meeting and will be mailed to members not present at the meeting.

Liability insurance for the clubhouse and museum could be bought through CFMS for 18¢ per square foot. It was m/s/p. Richard will fill out the application and send it into CFMS.

Shirley brought up a CFMS Letter to the editor regarding changing the name "rock hound" to "rock collectors". Shirley will send a reply to the editor basically saying we like being "rock hounds".

Emma Mayer, membership editor, introduced the new members for the past few months are: Shirley Curl, Bob & Helene Stone, Alexa Jawkowski, Wm. Horhensie, Gary & Sharon Markley, Vern Markley, Peter Drew and Aruna & Vijay Shah. There was a motion to welcome the new members into the club. It was seconded and passed.

Emma will contact the newspapers to have our general meeting added to their calendar.

Steve Mulqueen mentioned that the Lexington needs to be contacted in May to renew the Bijou room for another six months, Red Joiras said he would do it.

Ron Wise, Field Trip VP, reiterated that the Boron show is this weekend. There was no official field trip in May except to visit and/or put in a case at the Conejo Show. June will be the CFMS show in Paso Robles.

Sharon Cunningham said this year's holiday dinner will be at the Carrows at Harbor and Seaward. Carrow's meeting room has been reserved for December 12th and we will have a turkey dinner for $10.50 inclusive. It was m/s/p that we ask club members to pay $6.00 for the dinner and the club would pick up the rest.

Florence Meisenheimer, Federation Director, reported the CFMS has approved a standard field trip form.

Wayne Ehlers had five kids with 4-H class and four adults in evening class. The teachers should keep the training consistent.

Florence, Ray and Sharon went to ZZYZX and had a great time. They went on field trips and worked on lapidary projects.

Richard has a letter from the IRS reading that anyone with less than $25,000 income does not have to fill out the income tax form.

The By-laws will be available at the next general meeting and mailed to members not attending the meeting.

A motion was made to approve the yearly operating costs. It was seconded and passed.

Richard handed out a suggestion for a new officer ritual.

Steve Mulqueen handed out Santa Paula Oil Museum brochures on their new exhibit. The museum would like to borrow items from VGMS. The board will wait for specifics before they vote.

Red needs a list of all materials on loan to the museum so the museum committee can make an inventory of club materials.

Museum Committee will replace the Educational Cases in the bulletin. The museum chair will be discussed at the next board meeting.

Still need to fill the sunshine and publicity committee chairs.

Emma would like to know if there is a description of the chairperson's jobs.

At the next board meeting, we will discuss where to have the VGMS breakfast and if we should have a yard sale or wait for the tri-club tailgating party.

The clubhouse refrigerator will be turned off and will be put up for sale in the bulletin.

The board meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Brace-Thompson, Secretary.


Minutes of the VGMS Show Planning Committee for 2002 - April 5, 2001;
We held our first planning meeting for the 2002 VGMS Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show on the evening of April 5th. Many thanks to Red and Nancy Jioras for graciously hosting our first of many more meetings to come. Following the monthly board meeting, Jim Brace-Thompson called the show planning meeting to order, and we proceeded through each of the committee positions, making note of potential changes for next year's show and soliciting volunteers for committee chairs.

Show Dates/Times - 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Sat., March 2; 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Sun., March 3, 2002. Jim Brace-Thompson needs to call the fairgrounds to formally request and confirm this date.

Show Chair - Jim Brace-Thompson. Jim requested-but did not receive-authorization to expel any club member who does not immediately respond to requests for help. However, smiles are appreciated.

Dealer/Demo-Dealer Chair - Open. Kathryn Davis was recommended because of her many good and strong contacts with dealers and demonstrators. Our show seems to be one of the more desirable ones among dealers and we always have more dealers asking to attend than spaces for them.

Exhibitor Chair - Open. Steve Mulqueen noted that Susan can prepare a list of addresses of past exhibitors with names from Conejo and Oxnard clubs. The exhibitor chair should attend the Conejo and Oxnard shows to look for potential exhibitors, get word out to those clubs that we welcome guests, and follow up with both letters and phone calls to prospects. We were disappointed that more of our own club members didn't exhibit this year, and we'd like to encourage more member exhibits. Perhaps we could have a workshop on exhibiting to show new members the basics of exhibiting and how easy it really is. The exhibitor chair should also prepare an estimate of how many cases we'll require and then make arrangements to borrow any extra cases needed from the Conejo club. Finally, we discussed moving the State case into the main exhibit hall, where it might get more attention than in the country store area. (This would also free up space for the country store to place larger items against the wall.) The exhibitor chair needs to take note of our discussion about food, below.

Fairground Contract - Jim Brace-Thompson should work with Richard Bromser on the contract and insurance, and Jim should also make sure name badges are prepared by the Ventura Visitor's Center (we'll need to provide them with a list of all show workers, exhibitors, and dealers).

Truck Rental - Richard Bromser volunteered to take on this vital function once again for transferring equipment to and from storage.

Transfer of Equipment/Physical Facilities - Richard Bromser also volunteered to oversee this job. He estimates that we need at least 3 strong backs to work 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM on the Thursday before the show to move items from storage and unload them at the fairgrounds and at least 2 strong backs to assist him 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM to pick up cases borrowed from other clubs. We'll route sign-up sheets for volunteers at club meetings prior to the show.

Table Layout - Jim Brace-Thompson should oversee table layout, soliciting suggestions from the show committee and putting together a large chart of the facilities. A copy of this chart needs to be delivered to the fairgrounds a minimum of 2 weeks before the show, indicating the location of electrical drops. Jim needs to get a copy of any past charts of the exhibit hall as a starting point. (Richard Bromser already provided him with a sketch of the country store building.)

Set-up/Exhibitor Case Assembly - Open. We need at least 4 strong volunteers to work 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM on Thursday before the show setting up tables and chairs, implementing the layout, assembling exhibit cases and the State case, and laying out electrical. We'll also need at least 3 volunteers to skirt tables and to set up the country store and plant sale 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM that same day. A crew should be on hand Friday to guide and assist dealers and exhibitors. We suffered from a lack of volunteers this year. Starting several months before the show, we'll circulate a sign-up sheet at club meetings.

Publicity - Open. Jim will talk with Inez and is also thinking of taking this on himself and/or working with Inez if she is available. We would especially like to continue and expand outreach efforts Inez made with schools (including those in Ojai and Santa Paula) and youth groups, such as Scouts (sending flyers directly to den masters and troop leaders in addition to the district headquarters).

Hospitality - Nancy Jioras volunteered to chair hospitality in association with donation awards (see details, below).

Security - Wayne Ehlers volunteered to continue overseeing security. He'll need club members willing to wear our orange security vests throughout the show and members willing to do overnight security on Friday and Saturday nights.

Treasurer - Richard Bromser will continue providing folks with money boxes and change and keeping the books balanced.

Programs (printed) - Shirley Layton knows the ropes well for this job and will do it again for 2002. We all need to keep her posted with any necessary material to include in the program (especially the names of exhibitors and titles of their exhibits, dealers, and demonstration dealers).

Food - Open. Bonnie Demianiw was recommended based on her past experience. Whoever takes this on will need help in getting food, preparation, and clean-up. We decided the kitchen should be closed after the Friday night dinner, with only juice and coffee thereafter. We're one of the only clubs that has been feeding dealers and we could jeopardize our contract with the fairgrounds because of it. Therefore, we'll only provide the Friday night dinner to dealers and members. So that we don't have any expectations or hard feelings during the show itself, the dealer chair needs to notify dealers about this change when sending them their contracts, emphasizing that we can't risk losing our fairgrounds contract.

Country Store - Shirley Layton volunteered to continue overseeing this. We discussed whether to hold a yard sale during the year to clear out some of the items we've accumulated, but we decided we probably get better prices at the show.

Plant Sale - Steve tentatively volunteered Susan Mulqueen, and we need to talk with her to confirm. At the 2001 show, Marie Haake indicated that she might help but would prefer not to run it this year, and we also need to talk with her.

Donation Awards, Tickets, Case & Raffle - Nancy Jioras has volunteered in association with the hospitality position. In the past, we've set aside $300: $150 to buy door prizes along with 2 cash prizes of another $100 and $50. We decided we'll continue offering the 2 cash prizes but we don't need to buy door prizes given that we receive donations from our dealers and from club members. We'll do more to solicit prizes from members (cabs, fossils, homemade jewelry, polished slabs, etc.). We'll include cards that say "made and donated by ____" to accompany each door prize in order to acknowledge and thank contributors. In addition, we need to offer discounts to encourage people to buy larger quantities of door prize tickets ($1.00 for 1 ticket; $5.00 for 6), and we should do more to encourage everyone to sell tickets starting 3-4 months in advance of the show. Door prize revenue has been falling flat in recent years.

Game Booth - Emma Mayers, Jean Wise, and Nancy Brace-Thompson all volunteered to run the game booth and children's activities. Nancy is sorting and organizing leftover spinning wheel and sand sifting prizes. We'll solicit additional prizes from members, so if anyone is going on a field trip, please remember to pick up extra rocks, minerals, or fossils for the kids! We sold about 65 grab bags this year and have 378 on-hand, so we're set in that department. We discussed making room at the kids' activities tables for the woman who makes necklaces for kids from the free tumbled stones they receive at the hospitality table (having her closer to the hospitality table will make it easier for kids to find her).

Silent Auction - Greg Davis enjoyed working the silent auction this year, so he enthusiastically volunteered to oversee this in 2002. We'll need to arrange times to gather material from the club rock pile. Club members will also be encouraged to donate materials-the better the quality, the fiercer the bidding and the more potential for increasing club revenue, so please be generous!

Video Presentations - Steve Mulqueen has enjoyed running this in the past and volunteered to continue. Jim B-T has about 30 fossil videos that he can loan and will give a list to Steve; anyone else who has videos should see Steve. We discussed moving this from the country store to the center of the main exhibit hall, and we'll explore different options for working this into the floor plan.

Richard and Shirley Bromser were acknowledged and given a round of applause for going "above and beyond" in supporting our show with their unwaivering and cheerful presence from the minute we begin planning our show each year, throughout the show itself, and until each and every case, country store item, and rock is packed and back in its place, ready for the next year. We couldn't do it without them!

Thank you to all volunteers who have graciously stepped forward so quickly to help with the 2002 show. As you can see, nearly all spots for committee chairs are well taken care of. However, please note: the term "committee chair" implies a committee to chair. Let's not turn these jobs into a "committee of one." The chair for each function values volunteers to help in planning and running the function he or she is overseeing. Think about what you most enjoyed at this year's show - then volunteer to help that committee chair. The more people involved with each function, the more ideas for improvements-and the more fun all around. See you at our next planning meeting!

     Submitted by Jim Brace-Thompson, 2002 Show Chair.

          By Jim Brace-Thompson, Show Chairperson.

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NOT SUCH A SILLY GOOSE.

Next fall when you see geese heading south for the winter....flying along in a V formation....you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way.

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone....and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing, and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs....with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up the speed. What do we say when we honk from behind?

Finally....and this is important....when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with the goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

     The Rockatier, Nov.-Dec. 1993,
     (Source unknown),
     Via CFMS Newsletter-April 2001.

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TRI-CLUB FIELDTRIP SCHEDULE - 2001.

This is the Tentative schedule for the remainder of 2001. Any changes that are made will be announced in the bulletin.

May 19-20 - Conejo Club Show.
May 27-28 - Open.
June 22-24 - Wyoming - Petrified Wood (Schedule later), Leader Red Jioras, Ventura Club.
July 21-22 - Greenhorn Mts. - rose quartz, Leader: Miriam Tetreault, Oxnard Club.
August 1-12 - Ventura County Fair.
September 9-16 - Camp Paradise Workshop.
September - Gabbs, NV - petrified wood, etc., Leader: Arnie Rudman, Conejo Club.
October 13-14 - Trona - onyx, halite, hanksite, Leaders: Don Asher, Conejo Club; Miriam Tetreault, Oxnard Club.
November 17-18 - Oxnard Club Show.
November 22-25 - Wiley Wells Area - geodes, etc., Leader: Miriam Tetreault, Oxnard Club.
December - Open.

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Do people in Australia call the rest of the world "up over"???

Does killing time damage eternity?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?

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APRIL TIPS:
SPORTS EYE SAFETY MONTH,
Safety Message from Chuck McKie,
CFMS Safety Chair 2001.

According to Prevent Blindness America, thousands of eye accidents happen each day.

Ninety percent of these accidents are preventable with the use of appropriate safety eyewear. Things to check for in safety wear include:
     Are the lenses made of polycarbonate?
     Do they cover enough of the eye to provide appropriate protection?
     Are they approved?

Most sports have an organization that sets safety standards for equipment. Check with the appropriate organization for your particular sport. An eye injury may damage tissues around the eye as well as the eyeball itself. Injuries that penetrate the eyeball are very serious and may cause blindness. Seek medical attention immediately.

American Red Cross Sport Safety Training can help you learn more about preventing and caring for sport injuries including sport eye injuries. Contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.

Other Resources:
     American Academy of Ophthalmology Eyenet,
     Eye Injury Prevention in Sports,
     Sympatico: Healthy Way,
     Sporting Protective Eyewear: Absolutely Essential Equipment for Young Athletes,
     Protective Eyewear for Young Athletes: A joint Statement of the American
          Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

     (Via American Red Cross.)

Rockhounding/mineral collecting, etc., also involve actions which are hazardous to one's eyes. Be CERTAIN that you use the appropriate eye protection at ALL times, whether you are doing the action or are only observing it being done. My glasses have many chips in the lenses, reminders of potentially disastrous events, had I not been wearing them.

     chuckmckie@aol.com,
     (707) 425-9030,
     Via CFMS Newsletter-April 2001.

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Why is it that night falls but day breaks?

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GEMSTONES.

Natural, Synthetic and Simulated.

Natural Stones are the same as they came out of the earth, except for cutting and polishing. Most Garnet, Amethyst and Ametrine are sold in a natural state.

Synthetic Stones are laboratory-created stones from natural materials. These have the same chemical and crystal structure as the natural gems. Some manufacturers even insert inclusions to mimic natural occurrences. Rubies were one of the first gemstones to be lab-created. Now Sapphires, Emeralds, Spinels as well as Diamonds can be man-made.

Simulated Stones can be defined as any material being used to imitate natural gemstones. Many different types of material are used including glass, plastic and less costly natural or man-made materials. Some of these simulations are more brilliant and colorful than the material they imitate. Cubic Zirconia is a very popular, inexpensive gem that does not occur in nature but is now manufactured in many countries around the world. It simulates Diamond, and is used for many copies of genuine Diamond jewelry pieces at less risk to theft or loss. With the addition of trace amounts of elements, close copies of the colors of other gemstones can be achieved.

Enhancing Gemstones.

Enhancement is used with many natural stones. Various processes are used to add protection, color, stability or hardness and increase usability in jewelry. Some of the processes used are irradiation, heat treatments, dyeing, oiling, waxing and special construction techniques. Many other techniques are used in order to use valuable natural materials to best advantage.

Doublets are made from two pieces, usually with a durable quartz "cap" protecting the valuable natural material. Opal is often found for sale as doublets. Mosaic stones are doublets because of the backing needed to support the small pieces. Other types of doublets can be two pieces of one clear material with a colored "glue" used to simulate the more valuable material.

Triplets are three pieces. These use a very thin section of natural stone between a Quartz cap and some other material-stone, glass or plastic-underneath. Opal that occurs in very thin seams can be used to great advantage with this technique.

Heat-Treating is one of the newer enhancement techniques. Stones of poor color can be transformed into very beautiful gems with carefully controlled heat treatment. Amethyst will convert to Citrine, which is very rare as a natural stone. Rubies, Sapphires, and Tanzanites are generally heat treated to intensify their colors.

Irradiation is used to change the color of stones. Clear or light colored Topaz will turn a beautiful blue with irradiation and heat-treatment. Some Quartz will turn a smoky gray to black with irradiation (this sometimes happens naturally).

Reconstitution falls under the added materials category. For this process, natural stone of poor quality is ground into powder or small particles and combined with a binding agent such as plastic. Again, heat and pressure transform unusable material into solid, less expensive material for jewelry use. Larger pieces with uniform consistency can be manufactured than can be found occurring naturally.

Many other materials are added. Some stones are dyed. Tidy Bowl will transform white Howlite into simulated "Turquoise". Some soft chalky natural materials, such as Turquoise, are impregnated with plastic under heat and pressure, a process called "stabilization". Emeralds are oiled to hide inclusions and to deepen color.

Laser beams are used to "burn" out flaws in Diamonds. The very small controlled beam can remove flaws through almost microscopic holes that are not apparent to the naked eye. These make lesser value diamonds more usable. Laser beams are also used to engrave identification on the girdle of many diamonds. These are invisible when the stone is in its setting and do not interfere with the appearance of the stone.

     By Thalia Goldsworthy,
     in Rock Chippings, March, 2001,
     Via CFMS Newsletter-April 2001.

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HINTS & TIPS FOR "CHIPS & BOULDERS (& FOSSILS)".

SHOP TIP - Patching Soft Stones: Some soft stones such as malachite, azurite, etc. can be patched to fill small pits and cracks. Take a scrap of material to be patched, crush it and mix with epoxy. Clean the stone thoroughly with alcohol, warm and coat the pits with epoxy. Then fill the pit with the mixture of epoxy and powdered stone. Work it well with a toothpick or pin, leaving it a little above the surface of the stone. Let it cure completely, sand well and polish, using care not to get the stone hot. - Excerpted from The Rollin' Rock March 2001 - via several others.

Cleaning Druzy Specimens: - To clean and shine most druzy specimens, use Easy-Off Oven cleaner (fume free is OK). Spray the specimen and leave it overnight in a closed container or bag before rinsing. This works on iron stained quartz crystals. - Via Del Air & Moroks - Contributed by Florence Meisenheimer.

Keeping Ivory in Light: - Don't put ivory in the dark. It is one substance that needs light. If it has started to yellow, take half a lemon, rub it in some salt. Then rub it over the ivory object. The lemon will work on the yellow discoloration. After it is dry, dampen a soft cloth with lukewarm water and rub the ivory piece to give it a bright finish. - Via the Petrified Log, Rockcollector, The Tumble Rumble. Contributed by Florence Meisenheimer.

Keep Tools Rust Free. - Toss a piece of charcoal into your toolbox to keep your tools rust free. Via Rok Tok, via Rocky Review - June/July 1999.

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STONE CANYON JASPER
EXHIBIT DURING CFMS
2001 SHOW IN PASO ROBLES.

Members of the Santa Lucia Rockhounds have assembled a display of Stone Canyon jasper to be exhibited at the CFMS 2001 Show. The jasper was collected during a CFMS sponsored field trip to Stone Canyon May 13, 2000. Photographs of the field trip are a part of the exhibit.

Stone Canyon jasper is brecciated rock consisting of sharp fragments embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Mustard or golden yellow are the most pronounced colors, but many exceptional pieces contain chalcedony webbing of beautiful blue, purple, white, green, red and black coloration. This combination of brecciated jasper cemented with colorful chalcedony gives Stone Canyon jasper its rare and distinctive appearance.

Stone Canyon is about 10 miles north of Parkfield, California, which is a small town known as the "Earthquake Capital of the World". The town is about 30 miles northeast of Paso Robles. A field trip to the Stone Canyon site is being discussed with the rancher who owns the land. If it can be arranged, the field trip will be held on Saturday, June 23, in conjunction with the CFMS 2001 show. If the rancher is favorable to the trip, this will be your opportunity to visit a famous California collecting site for rockhounds.

Stone Canyon jasper is one of California's unique rocks and is a collector's item for rockhounds. In place deposits of jasper, such as found at the Stone Canyon site, are infrequent. The deposit has been known since 1892 and contains brecciated jasper in a wide vein. You have a chance to view exhibits of Stone Canyon jasper and perhaps to collect at the site when you attend the CFMS 2001 show in Paso Robles this June 22-24.

     Bea and Sherm Griselle,
     Santa Lucia Rockhounds,
     Via CFMS Newsletter April 2001.

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CFMS SHOWS.

The CFMS show in the year 2002 will be in the Gold Country--at the Fairgrounds in Placerville. Ray Meisenheimer has been appointed coordinator, and will be attending regular meetings. The walk-through at the Fairgrounds was March 10 in the morning. We drove up the night before and met the show committee and CFMS officers Saturday morning. Our drive up the valley was spectacular---thousands of acres of bright pink peach trees in full bloom, as well as huge sections of sparkling white nut trees and pale pink apple orchards. We have been through the valley in the spring many times, but never have we seen the orchards as beautiful as this year.

     Florence Meisenheimer.

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2001 CFMS CLUB SHOWS.

APRIL 28-29; LANCASTER, CA. - Antelope Valley & Palmdale Gem & Mineral Clubs - Co-sponsors. Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Challenger Memorial Hall. Hours: 9-5 both days.
APRIL 28-29; SANTA CRUZ, CA. - Santa Cruz Mineral & Gem Society, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Corner of Center & Church Street. Hours: 10-5 both days. Eleanor & Hubert Drake (831) 688-8086.
MAY 5-6; ANAHEIM, CA. - The Searcher's Gem & Min. Soc., Inc. Brookhurst Community Center, 2271 W. Crescent Ave. Hours: Sat. 10-7, Sun. 10-4:30. Connie Van Kampen (714) 993-2827.
MAY 5-6; BAKERSFIELD, CA. - Kern County Mineral Society, Kern County Fairgrounds. Hours: 10-5 both days. Manuel Hernandez (661) 323-0353.
MAY 12-13; RENO, NV. - Reno Gem & Mineral Society, Reno Livestock-Events Center, Exhibit Hall, 1350 N. Wells Ave. Hours: Sat. 10-5, Sun 10-4. John Peterson (775) 356-8820.
MAY 19-20; NEWBURY PARK, CA. - Conejo Gem & Mineral Club, Borchard Park Community Center, 190 Reino Rd. Hours: Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-5. Don Bullard (805) 498-9399.
MAY 19-20; YUCAIPA, CA. - Yucaipa Valley Gem & Mineral Society, Schere Community Center, First & Avenue B. Hours: Sat. ?-6, Sun. 10-5. Richard Crockett (909) 790-3958.
MAY 26-28; WEAVERVILLE, CA. - Trinity Gem & Mineral Society, Lowden Park. Hours: Sat & Sun 10-5, Mon. 10-4. Jack Jennewein (530) 778-3786.
JUNE 2-3; GLENDORA, CA. - Glendora Gems, Goddard Middle School, 859 E. Sierra Madre. Hours: Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4. Mark Thompson (626) 335-3814.
JUNE 2-3; San Diego, CA. - San Diego Lapidary Society, Al Bahr Shrine; 5440 Kearny Mesa Road. Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5. Richard Large (858) 693-0464.
JUNE 11-24; PASO ROBLES, CA. - CFMS SHOW & CONVENTION - San Lucia Rockhounds, California Mid-State Fairgrounds, 2198 Riverside Avenue, Paso Robles. Bea & Sherm Griselle (805) 238-4366.
JULY 7-8; CULVER CITY, CA. - Culver City Rock & Mineral Club, Inc., Veteran's Memorial Auditorium. Corner of Overland Ave., & Culver Blvd. Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5. Gary Strickland (310) 676-4523. E-mail: g.strucjkabd@prodigy.net, Web site: www.gembiz.com/ccrmc/fiesta.htm.
JULY 27, 28 & 29; NIPOMO, CA. - Orcutt Mineral Society, St. Joseph's Church, 298 S. Thompson Ave., Hours: 10-5 daily. Glenda Reeves (805) 733-2775 E-mail: hawkymom@aol.com.
SEPTEMBER 29; LOS ALTOS, CA. - Penninsula Gem & Mineral Society, Los Altos Rancho Shopping Center, Foothill Expressway & So. Springer Rd. Hours: 9:30-4:45; (No Dealers). Frank Dina (650)967-3424.
OCTOBER 3-7; JOSHUA TREE, CA. - Sportsmans Club, Sportsmans Hall, 6225 Sunburst Avenue. Hours: Wed.-Sat. 8-5; Sun. 8-3. Gary Palmer (760) 366-3430.
OCTOBER 13-14; TRONA, CA. - Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society, 13337 Main Street. Hours: Sat. 8-5, Sun. 8-4. Bonnie Fairchild (760)372-5356. Web Site: www1.iwvisp.com/tronagemclub/.
OCTOBER 13-14; TURLOCK, CA. - Faceters Guild of Northern Calif., Inc. Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, 900 N. Broadway Street. Hours: Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4. Marion Roberts (209) 538-0197.
OCTOBER 20-21; PLACERVILLE, CA. - El Dorado County Mineral & Gem, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive. Hours: 10-5 both days. Jackie Ceratto (530) 677-2975.

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Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?

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AMERICAN FEDERATION / REGIONAL
2001 SHOW SCHEDULE.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN - June 8-10, Roswell, NM.

AFMS / SOUTH CENTRAL - June 11-17, Arlington, TX.

CALIFORNIA FEDERATION - June 22-24, Paso Robles, CA.

EASTERN FEDERATION - July 13-15, Syracuse, NY.

NORTHWEST FEDERATION - August 20-September 1, Enumclaw, WA.

MIDWEST FEDERATION - September 7-9, Rice Lake, WI.

SOUTHEAST FEDERATION - November 2-4, Pascagoula, MS.

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EDITOR'S NOTE:

Just for the record any unsigned articles are by the Editor. Thanks to all who help make the bulletin more interesting by contributing articles and information for events. Please don't be bashful about writing something up and sending it in, giving constructive criticism, suggestions for items you would like to have included, etc. I appreciate it all. I would also like to thank my husband Jim for all his help and support (and nagging) in getting the bulletin out.

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VGMS PHOTO ALBUM.

	2001 Show Kids' Games - Jean Wise helping kids and their mom.
	2001 Show Plant Booth - Susan Mulqueen and Marie Haake getting organized.
	March 2001 field trip to the Black Smoker in the Figuero Mountain Area. Planning stragedy - l-r Helmut Ehrenspeck, Jean Wise, Red Jioras; standing Ron Wise, David Mautz and Steve Mulqueen.
	Black Smoker field trip - Black smoker, Helmut Ehrenspeck, most of Red Jioras and Greg Davis.

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