Illinois and Texas Bound, A wild Stallion in the Red Desert

Our place is in the mountains. Two years ago, we got twenty-one feet of snow and we hire a man to shovel the snow off our roof, The forecast for today is for sixty mile per hour winds and for six to fourteen inches of snow. Thats why we left last week) We looked at the weather forecast and the winds were predicted to be over forty miles an hour with snowstorms. Two of the passes were expecting heavy snow. That made our decision on our route for us…

The route we chose was to go south over Salt Pass and then east, crossing the Wind River Mountains at Atlantic City, (which is almost a ghost town). Crossing the Red Desert north of Rock Springs, we kept watch for wild horses. We did see a group of three, but they were too far away. A little further we saw a car stopped. A lady was taking pictures of a wild mustang, and we pulled over. The beautiful horse stood proud and gave us a perfect profile. At one point it turned and looked directly at us before walking away. Continuing we drove east and passed a rock shop. It was open and so of course we stopped. Renita mentioned that she thought we had enough rocks, but she was wrong. We added to our collection with some cabochons, already cut. The ones we purchased were Graveyard Plume Agates, from Washington State, green aventurine, a blue optical fiber piece, and five pieces of red carnelian, (one of five gems mentioned in the bible).

While I make my own cabochons and love making them, these save me about two hours of work for each piece. I am simply buying time, which is the most precious thing one has. I also bought two slabs of Teepe Canyon agate from the Black Hills and a slab of Montana moss agate from the Yellowstone River. Renita purchased a ring made of moonstone set in sterling silver. We were both excited about our purchases, and when we arrive in Texas I will set mine in sterling and 14 K gold-filled wire. Clear skies

Prairie Agate Rock Shop, Crawford, Nebraska

As we travel, besides wildlife, we also keep an eye out for rock shops. So, when we passed one in Crawford, Nebraska I told Renita and of course we had to turn around and check it out. The door was open, and the proprietor was sitting in an easy chair enjoying the sunshine. Parking, we saw that the yard was full of the usual. Piles of rough rocks and rows of bins containing slabs.

Gary, the owner told us that he had lots of fossils, polished slabs, and high-quality rough inside. He told us of the titanothere skull his son had dug out and prepared and that it was enclosed in a glass case. It was a perfect two horned specimen and other large skulls were nearby. One case contained wooly mammoth teeth and teeth from other Pleistocene mammals.

All of his specimens had documentation that showed they had been legally collected and Gary showed an incredible knowledge, one of the most knowledgeable we have ever met. I asked him if he had any blue agate and he proudly told me all about the Nebraska State Gemstone, Nebraska Blue, Its found in the White River Formation which is the rock that that Crawford rests upon. As he told us about it he took out a UV flashlight and explained that much of the agate emits a strong green fluorescence.

We both decided we had to have some for specimens and for making jewelry. He handed us each our own uv light and then showed us piece after piece. Now not all the agate fluoresces only that which contains adamite. That mineral will then only fluoresces if it also contains some Uranium Oxide. Uranium is in almost all the petrified wood and fossil dinosaur bone out west. One storey goes that the first atom bomb partially was made from uranium collected from such fossilized wood. As he showed us piece after piece, we grabbed each one and he suggested we should go into his Ultra Violet Dark room where he had many specimens on display. All were for sale, and we left the room with more exquisite pieces. We now have so much Nebraska Blue that we probably have a lifetime supply. When we return to Wyoming next spring the first order of business will be to make a case full of cabochons for our summer shows! If you are ever in the town of Crawford, Nebraska be sure to stop in and enjoy the rocks and fossils! Clear skies, and of course rock on! Ps I am having trouble taking pictures of the green color as my uv light overpowers the green fluorescence with the strong visible purple that the light emits. Arrgh!

Cabbing Time

It’s cabbing time and so in the cooler mornings we grind stones, (it reached 91 F for the past three days). A front has passed through, and the temps are now down into the eighties. Our humidity is usually about ten percent and so it’s pleasant without needing air conditioning. Each year, after all our shows, we make an inventory of what we have sold. Next we locate the rough rocks and saw them into slabs, (using a slab saw). From there we draw the shapes before using a trim to saw rough shape them into what we call preforms. These are now ready for us to grind into finished pieces, called cabochons, before giving them a finish polish.

To do this we select the preforms and then grind them on diamond wheels. The first wheel has a grit size of 100, wheel two is 220, and the third wheel is the special wheel that we think of as a magic wheel with 400 grit. Thie first two wheels are rigid, but the third wheel has a pliable backing that takes the edges off the preforms and cuts them into their final shape. we grind these by hand, as using dop sticks is unnecessary, (unless the stones are too small to grip, which are used for rings or earrings).

After washing the cabs, we inspect them for any scratches before finishing them. Wheel number four has a grit size of 600, wheel five is 1200 and the sixth wheel is 14000, (we also have a wheel coated with 50,000 diamond grit but it is rarely used.

Finally. we give them a final polish on a buffing wheel. The last step is to inspect them for any flaws or scratches before saving them in glass cases. We only finish about fifteen cabochons every third day, this gives us a few days for my back and hands to rest/recuperate). The cabs are then stored and taken on our winter travels. We turn them into jewelry when the weather is too bad for fishing, birding, or hiking. Clear skies and rock on!. I still enjoy making cabs even though we have made thousands. It’s still amazes me that we can take a rock and turn it into a stunning cabochon/piece. For safety all cabs are ground with water to minimize dust. We do not wear jewelry and also wear a N 95 respirator/ mask, a lab apron, and a safety shield. Our cabbing machine is a Genie, which was made by Diamond Pacific, a company in California.

Back to Wyoming

It’s a long drive from Grand Isle to Jackson, Wyoming, about 1900 miles. The plan was to drive it in five days as we can no longer jump in the car and drive eight hundred miles in one day. So the first stage was from Grand Isle to Shreveport, LA. The main attraction in Shreveport was whole deep-fried catfish! Severa years ago, we stopped there, and I had the best catfish ever, (ones I did not cook)1 Getting a room we next drove across town. The catfish was good, but it was overcooked. I still ate the three whole catfish, (drawn and headless), and it reminded me of when we would go to the Waterloo Fish Market and order whole deep fried bullheads.

The next morning, we planned a long drive to Wichita, Ks. It was about five hundred and forty miles, and it was a brutal day. This time we ate at another fast-food restaurant and the food was ok, but typical fast food, mediocre/bland. Leg three was a shorter drive from Wichita, KS to Ogallala, NE. If you ever go there be sure to stop at the Petrified Wood Museum. It’s from the collection of two brothers and is filled with western petrified wood. They also made miniature stone houses, churches and other structures from pieces of petrified wood. Some were also music boxes. As we have gone to the museum on three previous trips we did not make a fourth visit.

Day four was from Ogallala to Casper, Wyoming. Before we reached Wyoming we passed through a small town and Renita noticed a Rock Shop! Of course we had to stop! Had lots of beautiful specimens but the ones we wanted were not for sale. As we searched through the shop I found a small case of Larimar! It was rough precut slabs. The time to buy something is when you first see it. I made an offer for the case with eight small pieces, and he jumped at my offer. Darn, I offered too much. So now when we get back to our place in Star Valley I need to set aside a day to turn the precut slabs into finished pieces. Then we will hopefully wrap them in sterling silver and sell enough to make some money.

The sale made their day and his wife yelled from the living room, buy more! Passing Chumney Rock in Nebraska, We cheered when we read the welcome to Wyoming sign. By this time, we were tired of fast food and bought two tv dinners. When we were first married, we ate them as a treat and they were just as good, much better and cheaper than food. Finally on day four we left Casper and drove to Jackson. We had heard that the grizzly bears were out and so we hoped to have a repeat of 2022 when we took pictures of grizzly 399 and her four sub adults, (she released them three weeks later).

Preparing and Preserving a Columbia Mammoth Skull Fragment

The time to buy something is when you first spot it. Not the best approach but someone else will probably want it. At the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral show, three of the twenty-seven dealers were retiring and selling off their fossils and cabochons. It was pointed out that one dealer had a fragment of a Columbian Mammoth Skull, that had been found in a Texas streambank, (I also bought two dinosaur eggshell fragments from the same booth). At half off I just had to buy it! It is the only piece I have ever seen for sale. The fossil is at least 13000 years old, which is the time when the last Columbian mammoths died off, (or slaughtered by early humans).

As we are getting ready to migrate north, I decided to clean and preserve the delicate skull parts. Luckily, I have dental tools, paint brushes, and foam brushes in my jewelry making work box and so I began to slowly remove the sand grains, rock pebbles, and bone fragments, keeping all of the loose material for a future display.

It took about ten hours to remove the loose material, (regolith), and as I cleaned each area, I applied two layers of Mod Podge. It’s similar to Elmers glue, which is often used after diluting with water, to preserve delicate fragmented bones.

Some small bone fragments came free, and one large piece, which I was able to reattach to the skull. When I finished the cleaning, I applied another two coats of craft glue. I am happy with the results! Now if I can just find more!

The Sixty-First Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society Show

Each year we only sell at six shows. One of the biggest is the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Societies, (GCJMS), annual gem and mineral show. This year the show was held at the usual site, the Fair Grounds, in Robstown Texas. This year twenty-seven dealers showed their fossil, mineral, rock, and gemstone creations. It so nice to see so many of our friends in the Society and to reconnect with other dealers. Last year the show’s attendance had dropped a little and so we were concerned about the numbers that walked through the door. We should not have worried!

Both Saturday and Sunday’s sessions were well attended. We make virtually everything we sell. Each summer I saw grind and polish the cabochons and in the winter months I wire wrap the pendants and bracelets. Often, we compete with booths in which the dealers don’t make any of their wares, (resellers). One of our friends, Cecil knaps and makes arrowhead, knifes and other Native American artifacts. His work is exceptional!

Our niche is that because I am a geologist, we aren’t just selling jewelry, but we are telling the story of almost every one of the stones. We even prospect some of the materials! One of my favorite stories involves a rattlesnake that Renita encountered while hunting Sweet Water Moss Agates. That time she spotted the snake and told me to get a good picture of it. The prairie rattler had just shed and was a beautiful greenish color! As I neared the snake it rattled and reared up. After taking a couple of pics she yelled at me to get closer, and I always do what she says. Happy wife happy life! I could fill the blog with stories but back to the show.

My cousin Angie and her husband Pete traveled down to the show and helped us both days. Pam and Roy, Renita’s sister and her husband also attended and helped us on Saturday. Thanks to them and all the GCGMS members who worked at the show! It was a good two-day show, and it met our expectations. Not only do we sell but we also buy supplies and fossils for our own collection. This year several dealers were retiring so we purchased larimar, red tiger eye, dinosaur eggs shell fragments. We also bought a large fragment of a woolly mammoth skull for our private collection. Now we are preparing for the summer shows in Wyoming. Maybe we will see some of you down the road, (full time rvers never say goodbye). Clear skies

Blue Lagoons Craft Show February 3, 2024

Each year Renita and I organize a Craft Show. The purpose of the show is to allow the crafters in our rv park to display their craft/art, (what the difference between Crafts and Arts is that the term craft is used to denigrate traditional women’s work/skills). This year we had eight people who requested tables, (one of our usual persons had a bad harvest of maple syrup and did not attend). Still, we filled all the tables with everyone’s work and had a good turnout. Not everyone sells, and this show gives all the opportunity to share their passions.

Of course, we set up our usual two tables. Pam and Roy also filled two tables.

Sue’s table was filled with her oyster jewelry and Jim sold both rough slabs and his own wirework and cabochons, (I taught him how to wire wrap).

One new person, Renee and filled her table with her beautiful handmade quilts

. Diana’s work is always appreciated, her work includes silverware holders that many use for our weekly buffets.

Joe, who age is in upper eighties/lower nineties has started a new passion and makes art by splashing paint on blank canvases he purchases at a local retailer. He sold eleven pieces of his work!

A new person, Kay offers wellness classes and Maureen sells skin care products.

All in all, it was a great chance for all of us to spread the word about what we do, besides fishing. Clear skies

Making Jewelry for the 2024 Season

It’s been a long time since I have updated our blog/journal. December is such a busy month with Christmas and New Years Activities. Among them was a Christmas Eve, Dirty Santa event, A Christmas Day Feast, a New Years Eve Shrimp and Crab Boil, and finally a good luck New Years Day meal, (all the meals main courses were cooked, grilled, or boiled by Alan and Zita, our parks Activities Directors. They are the best and are one of the main reasons we return to the park! Meanwhile our 2024 show season will soon begin, and I have been frantically making jewelry. I grind the pieces in the summer, bring them here to South Texas and then finish them. Of them the Larimar cabochons were purchased finished so I only wire wrapped them, (larimar is a rare expensive stone that often breaks apart while grinding, A dealer we buy from said she loses about two thirds of the rock slabs as they often break, as did the rough we bought).

Larimar is found only in one place in the world, the Dominican Republic, and the mine has been closed due to safety concerns. Its price has skyrocketed. So much so that it is now often faked by mixing colored stones with molten glass, (true larimar, blue and white pectolite, does not transmit light and is softer than a knife blade). Having finished almost all the cabochons, other cases are of Kingman Tourquoise,

and several that contain a plethora/mixture of other stones.

I have now switched to making bracelets.

Each one, including the rock grinding, take about five to six hours. My goal is to make nineteen before the March show, I have only finished one. Enjoy the pieces. prices vary from 25-375 dollars. All are for sale. (We also have about ten more large cases, numerous rings and even earrings, over 90% made by us. If you need something specific we do take custon orders) Clear skies (If you wish to purchase send us an email at markandrenita@yahoo.com. You can id the piece by returning the picture with the piece circled or descibing it. We will send you pictures of both sides with a quarter for scale and price. If you decide to buy it we will ship USPS First Class Insured/priorty. You can call us to pay with a credit card or mail a check. If after reciept you don't want to keep the piece we will refund you the money and you ship the piece back. (We used to sell on etsy but were not happy with their policies)

The Houston Gem and Mineral Show, Humble, Texas

Each year we attend rock and fossil shows. One of the purposes is to purchase rough rock, slabs, and even finished cabs to turn into jewelry, (over 90% of our cabs are ones we grind ourselves). One of our favorite shows is th Houton Gem and Mineral Society’s show held in Humble, Texas. It’s about two hundred plus miles from us. We were delighted when Angie and Pete,(cousins), invited us to stay at their home, (Pete is a retired Petroleum Geologist and has a lifelong passion for rocks)

. Arriving at their house we ate a quick lunch, visited a bit and then headed to the show! We try to attend all three days for any special rocks or sales taking place and this year it was a great plan. Arriving at the show Renita and I hurried to one of our favorite dealers.

He had a sign up, “Going out of business, 60 percent off”. He didn’t have much left,

but he did have a Mexican opal and a 300-gram piece of polished Larimar, (that’s about two thirds of a pound). One of the mail reasons we went to the show was to purchase Larimar cabs. Stopping at another of our favorite dealers we saw she had a case of larimar cabs. Deciding to wait till Saturday, we quickly walked around and then headed back to Pete and Angie’s house. The next morning, we had breakfast before heading to the show and didn’t get there till about ten thirty.

Our first stop was at the business with the case of larimar cabs and we saw she had sold some. Now Larimar is only found in one place, the Dominican Republic, and the one mine in the world has been closed. The price is going up and so we bought eight nice cabochons. We next went to another dealer and bought two more larimar cabs, spending more than we wanted, (larimar is tough to grind and we spent a lot for a piece of rough that shattered). From there we split up and looked for whatever caught our eye. A new dealer specialized in wooly mammoth teeth, wooly rhinoceros’ teeth, and other fossils.

They were the best we have ever seen and so I had to buy the best wooly rhinoceros’ tooth in his shop. They were all from Siberia. I also wanted to buy one of his wooly mammoth teeth, but I had already blown through our budget.

Lunch time came and passed so we left the show and ate at our favorite café, The Humble Café. The serving size was more than we could eat and we ended up taking home almost half of what they had served us, (I managed to eat all of the four fillets of my catfish). The third day of the show and we returned to find out that several dealers had sold all out and were and packing up. We ran into members of our Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society.

Still Renita did find several pieces for her own collection,

and I bought several of the Moroccan fossil sand dollars.

Joining forces, we walked around and bought a slab of Mexican Crazy lace agate.

It’s one of our favorite materials and we should be able to make three or four cabs from the large slice. The next day we said our goodbyes, and headed south ot our place in Rockport, Texas. It was a great show, and we will soon start wire wrapping the pieces for next year’s shows. Our first Texas show is in February and then the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society show. It’s always the first weekend in March! Clear skies

A short trip up the South Fork of the Shoshone River

We had two extra days before our show setup in Cody, so we decided to explore some new territory, the South Fork of the Shoshone River. Setting out with our flyrods, cameras, binoculars, a picnic lunch and a Wyoming Highway map we felt good. What I forgot to do was to download the Onx hunt map of the river. That would have told us the land status of the area. Driving into Cody we turned right onto Highway 291, (the first part of the expedition was along Cedar Mountain. It was south of us, and it is an area where we purchased rock from a local miner. He has a Variscite claim, and we had bought three pounds at a hundred dollars a pound. Having sold only a few pieces we hoped our exploration would help us with a new story to tell, (It did). After all we don’t sell just jewelry, we sell stories and that’s the key to our success. At first the highway followed alongside the south shore of Buffalo Bill Reservoir, but it turned south and became a road marked as Southfork Road /6WX, leaving Cedar Mountain behind. To our southeast was Carter Mountain and to the north was Sheep Mountain.

Passing public access roads to the mountain and because rain threatened, we decided to pass on the dirt roads, (which were dried muddy ruts, (not good for a low clearance car).

At one point we passed a rockslide that had covered the road but had been cleared and rebuilt. A little further we saw a Historic Marker that told the story of Castle Rock.

It was first discovered and named Castle Rock by John Colter. He was the first white mountain man to explore the area, explore Yellowstone and the Tetons.

It’s one example of a erosional remnant that forms many spires on both sides of the mountains to the northwest.

The water in the river was stained and muddy as a small tributary was pouring mud filled water into the main river. So much for any fly fishing. We also passed signs warning that grizzly bears inhabited the area from April till November, but we never saw any. Small herds of antelopes and several sandhill cranes posed unconcerned by our presence, (it wasn’t hunting season).

The road crossed the river and we decided to turn around. We were close to where the road changed to gravel and then degraded to a four-wheel drive road. If we had our four-wheel drive truck with much higher clearance, we would have continued but I am cautious on first trips on unknown roads.Next was an area called the Ishwood Hills, pictured above. Just over the Mountain was Yellowstone National Park, an area called the Thoroughfare. It is so remote that when in it you are the farthest from any road you can be, when in the lower forty-eight states.

Finally turning around, and it was an uneventful but scenic drive back to our campsite. Now we had new stories to tell. We promise our customers, and all who stop to look at our handmade jewelry that we can tell the story of every stone, (although a few can be a very short tale). Clear skies