Treasure Hunting

Things have been so busy for me recently that I haven’t has as much time to spend here on this blog or visiting others that I love.  Nevertheless, when I was checking on a couple of things today, I saw this great little surprise from Ray at The Esoterical Journey.  Even though he refers to his site as a “petty blog”, it’s anything but that.  I enjoy visiting there - sometimes his writings make me smile, sometimes they make me sigh, but always they make me think and reflect, and I like that.  This award is something to be shared so it has a few items associated with it:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received the award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of the nominated blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

I know that some people aren’t fond of forwarding these types of things or they simply may not have the time right now.  So, if any of the blogs I am listing fall into that group, don’t feel like you have to respond.  I look at this as a way to thank some of the people whose sites I like to visit.  But if people feel obligated to respond, that takes away from the purpose of the thought.  So, I’ll repeat, don’t feel obligated!  With that being said, here are seven of my favorite places to visit in no particular order.

Melissa’s Jewely and Gemstone Blog - Melissa always has some beautiful new gemstone or lovely handmade piece of jewelry to share at this site.  On top of that, it’s easy to tell from her writings that she is a genuinely nice person who cares about the world and the people in it.  Thanks, Melissa, for sharing your knowledge and your generous spirit.

San Diego Backroads - Betchai has a way of taking photographs that make places come alive.  Everytime I visit this site, I leave with the feeling that I, too, have been to the amazing places that she shares with us through her art.  Thanks, Betchai, for reminding us of just how beautiful this world really is.

One of a Kind, Wisconsin, LLC - It’s not often that I read things that really do make me laugh out loud, but Michelle Gartner manages to make me do that on a regular basis.  I think I first found this site because I was looking for some term to describe old jewelry.  When I got there, I found a wealth of information about everything vintage (one of my secret loves).  But it’s not just the content that makes me keep checking to see what’s new there - it’s also the lovely, witty way that Michelle describes it all.  Thanks, Michelle, for letting people know to appreciate all sorts of things in life and to do so with a grin on your face.

Luxor - It’s no secret how much I love cats, and Luxor’s personality makes me want to pick him up and cuddle him even though I’ve only seen him in pictures (and what great pictures they are).  He’d probably hate that, though, because he has that sophisticated air about him.  Thanks, Luxor (and to Luxor’s mom, Elaine), for showing us how to look at the world through a different view.

Changing Seasons - I love to read and learn about other cultures, and Ruthi is so detailed of her descriptions of everyday life in the Phillipines that I can almost picture it in my mind.  Her unique perspective shares what the life of a regular person is like rather than focusing on the glamour and fame of celebrated landmarks and personalities.  Thanks, Ruthi, for reminding us that even our differences give us all something in common.

Blooms and Blossoms - This is a blog that I have only recently started reading, but I’m always enthralled by the way that Petra is able to capture the soul of a flower in her photography.  Not only am I learning more about nature’s delicate gifts at this site, but the gorgeous colors in the photos always put a smile on my face.  Thanks, Petra, for sharing the beauty that your keen eye always seems to find.

Jael’s Art Jewels - I want them all - yes, I want them all!  But if I can’t have them all, at least I can see the lovely pictures.  The amount of detail in Jael’s creations always feels me with awe.  I’m always amazed by the beauty created by artists, but these small creations, each one so exquisite really astound me.  Thanks, Jael, for letting us all see the beauty that springs from your talented hands.

Okay, I have reached my quota of sappiness for the day, but I really do love all these blogs.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit them, take some time to stop by one or two when you have a free moment.

I recently learned about a genetic condition known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy that forces children into wheelchairs before they become teenagers and usually takes their lives by the age of 20.  Travelling Blackbird at Rolling Traveler has written up a description of this condition and what is known about it here.  There is promising hope for a cure, but more research needs to be done.  In addition to giving some background on the condition, Travelling Blackbird has also included some information on the documentary Darius Goes West which covers a special journey taken by Darius Weems, a young man suffering from this condition.  If you have a moment or two, please check out his post.  Even if you’re unable to financially contribute to the cause, helping to spread the word can go a long way.

I know that most people will think that it is too early to start thinking about Christmas, and I am of that mind a bit myself.  However, for those people who give a lot of handmade gifts away at Christmas-time, this is the time when a lot of those projects have to be started or, at least, planned out.  I’m not sure of what the details of this swap would be - I guess that would depend upon if anyone is interested and how others would like to participate.  I do know that I think it’s a lot of fun to trade items that are either handmade or unique to one part of the world with other people.  On the other hand, I know that a lot of people try to steer clear of these types of things because they don’t think everyone will put in the same amount of effort.  That last part never really bothers me because I look at the whole thing as something fun to do rather than view it as some type of score-keeping endeavor.  I even enjoy just trading postcards.

So, is there any interest out there?  And, if you are interested, any ideas on how to run it?

I was looking for some information about meteorites today and came across this very interesting source located at The Rock Collector. There’s a great deal of historical geologic information here including some of the research that has been conducted about the geology of other planets in the solar system. The articles contain a lot of scientific information, but they’ve been written in a manner that anyone can follow. Even though it wasn’t what I was looking for, I found the most recent article on how zircons can be used to study the early rock formation on Earth to be a particularly interesting read. There’s an older article in the archive about the gems of Madagascar that I recommend, too.

Because I found myself spending so much time reading the archives as well as the section on volcanoes at this site, I forgot all about checking on the meteorite information so I’ll have to leave that for another day. I guess this is another one of the cases of finding something when not looking for it. However, if anyone knows of any good sites to get information about meteorites that have hit the Earth’s surface, let me know.

I have mentioned this in a few other posts, but since it seems to be an ever-increasing problem, I thought it best to bring it up again.  When you’re out looking for rocks, fossils, gold, or whatnot, please do be very careful not to trespass on the private property of others.  If it even remotely looks like the land could belong to someone, err on the side of caution and find another place to explore. 

In general, people seem to be pretty good about this when it comes to most types of lands.  For some reason though, too many think it’s just fine to start digging around in privately-claimed mines when the owner isn’t around.  This is definitely not true!  Miners are hard-working people, but they don’t have the time or resources to guard their claim 24 hours a day.  Anyway, they shouldn’t have to do this.  A fence and a sign should be enough to let people know it’s not public property.

Well, this might seem a little off topic, but I wanted to take a break and write about my new DSLR camera. It’s not completely unrelated, though, because you’re going to want a decent camera to take with you when you’re out on collecting trips. Not only do you want to be able to take pictures of the scenery surrounding wherever you’re visiting, but there are a lot of other things that you’re going to want to record visually. When you find that great new bed of rock that’s housing a nice big pocket of amethyst quartz, you just have to take a picture of it.

There are a lot of digital cameras on the market, and more are emerging everyday. I think it’s important to be willing to invest a little extra money in a good digital camera rather than a cheap one, so I’ve done a ton of research recently on the topic. I can be pretty lazy so I wanted something that I didn’t have to spend ages trying to master yet something that would also take great photos. After narrowing it down to the Sony line, I ended up with the Sony DSLR-A300.

This camera is definitely marketed towards those who have never used a DSLR before. It’s incredibly easy to use. If you want, you can just put it on automatic and shoot away. But if you want more versatility, it has that too. I’m learning more and more about its capabilities everyday, and I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface.

My favorite feature is the tiltable viewing screen. For a lot of the photos I take, I hold the camera pretty far away from my face - either high in the air or off to the side depending on what I am trying to shoot. With other cameras, it was mostly luck if I managed to get a decent shot. Now, with the Sony A300, I can actually see what I’m taking a picture of when I do this.   It’s like a whole new world.

I wanted to write some more about specific ways to polish different types of rocks in a rock tumbler. One thing that is very important when doing this is that all of your stones are about the same hardness on the Mohs hardness scale for minerals. So, I thought it would be a good idea to include a chart that listed the Mohs hardness number for a variety of stones. The beginning of this chart is here. I’ll keep adding to it over time, but I wanted to get some basics in there now. I also left room so that I could go back and fill in some more information about the different stones and links on where to find pictures, detailed polishing instructions, advice on where to obtain the stones, and other stuff. If you have any advice on things that should be added, please leave a comment below.

One thing that is important to note about the Mohs hardness scale for minerals is that it’s not really scaled. There are some big jumps in the hardness between certain whole numbers. That’s why you’ll see decimal representations for several of the entries. The Mohs hardness scale was really meant to be a general indicator of hardness based on 10 items that were commonly understood. That is, if you were told that something had a hardness of 7, you’d know it was about as hard as quartz. So while it’s not the most exact scale out there, it’s perfect for our purposes in trying to group stones of similar hardness on the fly.

Another nice thing about the Mohs hardness scale is that it’s pretty easy to get a good idea of where a stone sits in the rankings without having to have any special measuring device. If one stone will scratch another stone that is known to be a 6 on the Mohs scale, then you know that stone must be higher than 6. So, if you are dealing with a particular stone that can have some variation in hardness (like rhyolite), you can test it a bit with other stones you have handy. Although, after awhile you’ll get a pretty good feel for what the hardness is just by feeling the stone - at least for stones with a hardness less than 7.