Saturday, January 11, 2025

The Del Air Rockhounds Club Welcomes You!!





www.Facebook.com/DelAirRockhounds


The Del-Air Rockhounds Club was founded in 1954 with members mostly residing in the San Fernando Valley area of California. Our club is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing knowledge of the lapidary arts and techniques, geology, mineralogy and related fields. We own our own lapidary equipment with members available to teach and demonstrate lapidary techniques to other members. Our members enjoy lapidary related programs, demonstrations, exhibitions, displays and lectures. We also take monthly field trips to our local deserts & mountains for exploration and the study and collection of lapidary and mineral specimens.

Member of the California & American Federation of Mineralogical Societies

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7618, Van Nuys, CA 91409 



January 2025 Del Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events

Thursday January 9: General Meeting - 1 Week Later Than Usual

Monday January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Thursday January 23: Board Meeting - 1 Week Later Than Usual

Saturday January 25: Annual Del-Air Whale Bone Trip - For Paid Members Only!

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January 2025 Program:

                                                                                                              Coprolite-What is it? Where Can You Find It? What Do You Do With It?

Presented by Maxine Dearborn & Bob Knox

Come join Maxine Dearborn and Bob Knox as they explore the wonderful world of poop! Fossilized poop, that is! Or, more accurately, Coprolite. See the many different specimens they have collected and learn about their origins, sizes, shapes and more. Also on display will be a very large specimen owned by club member Kai Kalma that he found in Green River, Utah which contains fossilized dinosaur bones that tells us this coprolite came from a meat eating predator. A fun presentation not to be missed.

*************************************************************************** January's Rock of the Month is Agate

Beginning in January and continuing throughout 2025, we will be showcasing a 'Rock of the Month'. We ask members and guests to bring in your specimens of the rock of the month to share with the group. Look to this page each month to learn what the featured rock will be. An enlightened club member will provide a brief, informative talk on the selected rock each month.

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Congratulations to our 2025 Board of Directors President: Jeff Dengrove

Vice President: Aileen Beckers

2nd Vice President: Dan Farber

Secretary: Bob Dearborn

Treasurer: Shellie Van Winkle

Federation Director: Bob Knox

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Upcoming Club Events:

February 28, 2025 - Chatsworth Park Elementary School - Starry Night Science Corner of Topanga Cyn. Blvd. and Devonshire Ave. setup 4:30 pm runs 5:30 to 8:00pm - Spin Wheel, pre Dino Animals, sellable stuff, touch & feel, edu game and more.                                                                                March 7, 2025 - Tulsa Street Elementary School - Starry Science Nite 10900 Hayvenhurst Ave., Granada Hills, CA - setup 4:30 pm -  runs 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm Spin a Wheel, pre Dino Animals, sellable stuff, touch & feel, edu game and more.

March 27, 2025 - Apperson Street Elementary School - 10233 Woodward Ave., Sunland, CA 91040 Classroom Talk - 3rd Grade 8:30 - 9:25 & 9:30 - 10:25

April 4, 2025 - Vintage Magnet School - NASA Steam Night 15848 Stare St, North Hills, CA 91343 setup 4:30 pm -  runs 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm - Spin a Wheel, pre Dino Animals, sellable stuff, touch & feel, edu. game and more.

April 10, 2025 - Apperson Street Elementary School - 10233 Woodward Ave., Sunland, CA 91040 Classroom Talk - 5th Grade. 9:30 - 10:30 & 10:55 - 12:00

May 9, 10, 11, 2025 - CFMS Show - Antelope Valley Fairgrounds - set up May 8; Runs May 9-11 Volcano & Sedimentary Displays, touch and feel rocks and edu. game.


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Del-Air Field Trip Information and Rules

The field trip leader is in charge of your safety. Please follow directions! To be safe, stay in view of the vehicles when possible. Do not wander off from the group without the leader knowing. Do not depart from the field trip without informing the leader. Be sure your gas tank is full prior to arriving at the meet-up location. Gas is not available in the desert. Sign liability release upon arrival at the meet-up location. Please include emergency contact info, name and phone number. Arrive on time, no one wants to wait for late arrivals. Call the leader if you are running late. What to bring: Water Food, if you want to eat, Collecting bag or bucket Gloves Rock hammer or similar tool Sunscreen. Dress in layers. Be aware, many collecting locations have NO cell service. Stay in caravan order while proceeding as a group to collecting sites. Generally, a time period for each location is decided by the leader. Listen for a car horn to know it is time to get back to your car. If you are not sure, ASK!


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2025 Quartzsite Info:
Desert Gardens - Jan 1 to Feb 28 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show - Jan 3 to 12 Pow Wow Show - Jan 15 to 19 Tyson Wells Sell-A Rama - Jan 17 to 26 RV Show - Jan 18 to 26

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Come support our sister club, the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, by attending their annual show on March 1 & 2, 2025 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

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Wednesday, November 27, 2024

December 2024 Del Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events

Thursday December 5: 2024 Holiday Party - Paid Members Only

Saturday December 7: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Thursday December 12: Crystal Tabby Day - Paid Members Only

Saturday December 14: *Flash Shop Day* - Paid Members Only

Sunday December 15: Chatsworth Holiday Parade & Festival

Thursday December 19: Board Meeting

Saturday December 21: First Day of Winter

Wednesday December 25: Christmas & Hanukkah

Thursday December 26: Kwanzaa

Tuesday December 31: New Years Day

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December 2024 Program - This Event is for Paid Members Only

2024 Del-Air Holiday Party & Election of Our 2025 Board of Directors

Happy Holidays Del-Air members. It's time once again for our annual holiday party. This year we will be enjoying a member provided, international themed, potluck dinner and a special presentation revolving around slabs and cabochons. There will be some games and the annual election of our Board of Directors for 2025. Remember to prepare enough of your dish to feed approximately 6-8 people. Our holiday party committee has put together a fun evening you all are sure to enjoy. The party will be held on our regular December meeting date of Thursday December 5th in the Fellowship Hall building of the Northridge United Methodist Church beginning at 6:30 pm, one (1) hour earlier than our usual meeting time. Please remember to wear your name badges to the party.

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January 2025 Club Meetings

Due to the proximity of our January 2025 general meeting to the New Years Holiday, please be advised the January meeting has been moved to Thursday, January 9th at 7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church and our January board meeting has been moved to Thursday, January 23, 7:30 pm at Shellie Van Winkle's home.

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*****Flash Shop Day***** This Event is for Paid Members Only                   

10:00 am to 3:00 pm Saturday December 14 @ Jeff Dengrove's Home                                                    'Slabs to Cabs'  Come join us at Jeff Dengrove's house and learn how to transform those slabs you'll be receiving at the Holiday Party into beautiful cabochons. Just in time to make those last minute Christmas gifts for that special someone or maybe for yourself as well. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn a new lapidary skill. There will be instructors on hand to show you how it's done. It's really easy. 

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2024 Chatsworth Holiday Parade  & Festival

Sunday December 15, 2024 -  Set-up begins 10:00 am

Event runs 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm 

The Del-Air Rockhounds will be hosting a booth at this event. Members will be needed to help run this double-wide booth. Please see any board member to let them know you'd like to help out. We participate in this event every year and it's always a lot of fun for everyone. Come see what you're missing!

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November Field Trip Report & January Field Trip Teaser

November 9th saw the Del Air’s meeting in Mojave, CA  at 9:30 am for a Field Trip. Chairman, Jeff Dengrove, led 6 cars of people out to the North Edwards collecting areas to pick up rocks. And boy, did we pick up rocks! No digging, just bend over and take the agate that looked pretty. We stopped at 4 different areas and enjoyed a perfect day for rockhounding.  There was just a little breeze with temps in the low 70’s. Perfect! After picking up all this nice rock we decided to go to Boron, CA and visit the Rio Tinto Boron Mine Visitor's Center.  They say this is the largest open-pit mine in California, operated by the U.S. Borax division of Rio Tinto. A very good visitor center with a lot of information on this mining operation. They also have a couple of dump sites here where you can collect different minerals from their operation. We all did this too! Members on this trip were: Jeff Dengrove, Bob & Maxine Dearborn, Dan Farber, Pam Abbott, Ann Richardson, Vincent Santoro, Trevor Feemster, Dr Oh and his 2 guests. We hope to see even more members join us for our annual whale bone trip to Refugio Beach on Jan 29, 2025. More details to follow in our January Bulletin. Stay Tuned and save the date.

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2025 Quartzsite Info:                                                                                                                               

Desert Gardens - Jan 1 to Feb. 28 

Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show - Jan 3 to 12

Pow Wow Show - Jan 15 to 19

Tyson Wells Sell A Rama - Jan 17 to 26 

RV Show - Jan 18 to 26.

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The Gold Coast Gem & Mineral Show 

Has been rescheduled to December 7 & 8 due to the Ventura County Fairgrounds needing to house 3000 firefighters over the original dates.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2024

November 2024 Del Air Calendar of Events

Sunday November 3: Daylight Savings Ends

Thursday November 7: General Meeting

Monday November 11: Veterans Day

Thursday November 21: Board Meeting

Thursday November 28: Thanksgiving Day

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November 2024 Program:

The Diversity of American Gems: The Western States

Presented by Renee Newman

Renee’s PowerPoint will include gems from sources in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and parts of California. However, it will focus on the most notable ones such as jade, benitoite, sunstone, opal, turquoise, chrysocolla, Four Peaks amethyst and fire agate. Renée Newman developed her interest in gems in the early 1980's while conducting tours to Asia, South America and the South Pacific. Her passengers wanted to know how to judge the quality of the gems they saw. After searching in bookstores and libraries for this information, Renée discovered that little had been written on the subject of gem quality evaluation, so she decided it would be worth creating books with photos that showed how to judge gem quality. After receiving a graduate gemologist diploma from the GIA, she was hired as a gemologist at a wholesale firm in downtown Los Angeles. It provided hands-on experience grading diamonds and selecting colored gems and pearls for their jewelry. Armed with trade experience and gemological credentials, Renée decided to create books that showed readers how to visually evaluate the quality of gems. Her first book, the Diamond Ring Buying Guide, was published in 1989. Since that time, she has written thirteen more books on gems and jewelry. They are used as gemology course textbooks, sales training tools, appraisal references and consumer guides. The books will be available for sale at the meeting for a discounted price. Bring cash or check.
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Report on Beading Class with Martina Rodriguez 10-26-2024

Martina Rodriguez instructed us all on how to make A BEAD BRACELET. She had many different beads to choose from and spacer items to make the bracelet even prettier. After stringing the beads and in some cases dropping the string and losing the beads, which means starting over again, we had to tie the knot to hold it all together. This knot was not easy and Martina helped most of us. Most made 2 bracelets and a pair of earrings. With a light lunch, it was a good day. Members attending the class were: Pam Abbott, Dean Tran, Olga Wolf, Alexander Tran, Dr. Jeong Guk Oh, Louise Ratliff, Marilyn Murata and Bob Dearborn. A fun day for all and we did learn something new. These special yearly quarter workshop classes are for members only and if you miss them, you are missing out on learning something new and interesting.
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Proposed 2025 Slate of Officers 
                 
President: Jeff Dengrove                                        
Vice President: Aileen Beckers                                               
2nd Vice President: Dan Farber         
Secretary: Bob Dearborn          
Treasurer: Shellie Van Winkle   
Federation Director: Bob Knox
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December Holiday Party Teaser

Happy Holidays Del-Airs. Next month is our annual holiday party. This year we will be enjoying a member provided international themed potluck dinner, a special presentation revolving around slabs and cabochons, some games, and our annual election of officers for 2025. Holiday party chair, Bernadette Friedman will have a sign-up sheet for you to advise on what dish you will be bringing to the party. Remember to prepare enough to feed approximately 6-8 people. Our holiday party committee is currently hard at work planning out all the fine details. The party will be held on our regular December meeting date of Thursday December 5th in the Fellowship Hall building of the Northridge United Methodist Church. So, save the date as you will not want to miss this fun annual event.
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Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Del-Air Rockhounds October 2024 Calendar of Events

Wednesday October 2: Rosh Hashanah Begins

Thursday October 3: General Meeting

Friday October 11: Yom Kippur Begins

Thursday October 17: Board Meeting

Thursday October 31: Halloween

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September 2024 Program: The Allure of Diamonds                                                                                Presented by: Sandie & Tony Fender

They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so we would like to present to you a program on diamonds. We will talk about where to find diamonds, characteristics of diamonds and a comparison of natural and lab grown diamonds.  Tony and Sandie Fender are retired teachers and are involved in both the CFMS and AFMS.

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Beading Class with Martina Rodriguez
Saturday October 26, 2024 - 10:30 am


FOR PAID MEMBERS ONLY
On October 26th, the Del-Air Club will be holding its final quarterly workshop. This is one of 4 classes held each year and a perk for being a club member. Our member, Martina Rodriguez will be teaching a beading class. You will learn the correct way to tie those knots between each bead and the special knots needed to end your necklace or bracelet. At this class, you will be making a beaded bracelet but, these are the same knots needed for a necklace as well. Yes, men make bracelets and necklaces too! The class will be held on October 26th from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm or when everyone completes their project. The class will be held at Bob & Maxine Dearborn’s house and we will have space for 10 members to participate. Claim your spot on the sign-up sheet at the October meeting. You don’t have a bracelet to restring? This is OK as Martina will have supplies to make and finish your own bracelet. There will be a $10.00 charge for supplies.

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New Members to the Del-Air Rockhounds Club

We are extremely proud to welcome new members Dean Tran, Alexander Tran & Olga Wolf to our club. They were all voted in unanimously at our September 2024 meeting. Welcome… Dean, Alexander, & Olga!

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November Field Trip Teaser:  Saturday November 9th 2024 

FOR PAID MEMBERS ONLY
Come join field trip chair and club President, Jeff Dengrove, on a field trip to North Edwards. North Edwards is a place in Kern County, California. Situated in the Mojave Desert, North Edwards is located about 7.2 miles north-east of Edwards Air Force Base, at an elevation of 2,293 feet. We will be collecting agates, petrified wood, bloodstone and jaspers. Watch your November bulletin for more details.

North Edwards - California

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Report on the Club Field Trip On September 8th , 2024
 
  
                                                                       
The Del-Air Club had a field trip to the Nevada Mineral & Book Co in the town of Orange, CA. This is a store/museum/gallery owned and run by Walt Lombardo, who gave us a program a few months ago on some of his treasures. Oh the fun of it! This is a building full of books, fossils, rocks and interesting stuff. There are big long drawers that are full of fossils and minerals. Many, many shelves of wonderful things from around the world to look at and think “Do I Want That?” There are big rocks, little rocks, expensive rocks and even rocks that say “Yes, I Can Buy That”. Each time you look back on a shelf, you see something new and different and think - How Did I Miss That? I had a fun day, and hope others on this trip also had a fun day looking at all this neat rockhound stuff. And yes, I did come home with a new book on the Oldest Fossils! It is a neat book on the history of different minerals, fossils, gems and more. The next time we go down to Orange, I am taking Bob to this really neat store.

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December Holiday Party Teaser

Happy Holidays Del-Airs. As that time of the year is rapidly approaching, we ask you to start thinking about our annual holiday party. As in past years, we will be enjoying a member potluck dinner, a special presentation (to be determined), games, our annual election of officers for 2025, fun and great camaraderie. More details to be provided in the November bulletin so start thinking about what dish you'll be bringing, main, side or dessert with enough to feed approximately 8 people. Our holiday party committee is currently hard at work planning out all the details. The party will be held on our regular December meeting date of Thursday December 5th in the Fellowship Hall building of the Northridge United Methodist Church. So, save the date as you will not want to miss this fun annual event.

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Glendora Gems Lapidary Club

Unfortunately, the Glendora Gems Lapidary Club is losing their workshop/meeting location and has to sell some of their equipment and rock. Glendora Gems will be closing the lapidary program and moving to a smaller location and reopening possibly in the Fall of 2025. We will be selling equipment like a 36" saw, 24" saws, sphere machines and misc tile saws & several tons of rocks & specimens.                                                                                                
Location: 1515 W. Mission Blvd, Pomona CA 91766                                                                                      Directions - Drive through big gate at the building near the back of property                                                Dates for the sale will be Oct 5th from 9-3 pm; Oct 12th from 9-3 pm                                                            Need more info please contact Robin P. at 951-906-9365.

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