Friday, March 28, 2008

Del Air's new "Mineral of the Month" feature.

The Del Air Rockhounds Club is proud to present to it's members and all interested guests, a brand new feature of the club.....Drum roll please........."The Del Air Mineral of the Month". Beginning in April of this year, we will be presenting a different featured mineral each month. A detailed description along with photos will be presented here on your blog as well as in the bulletin each month. There will also be a brief educational presentation at each months general meeting along with a color handout detailing the featured mineral. All members and guests are encouraged to bring specimens of the featured mineral from their own collections in order to help demonstrate visual differences such as shape, color, crystal structure and so on. (Don't worry....you won't have to speak in front of the crowd if you bring in a specimen....unless, of course you want to.) So make sure you read your bulletins and check out the blog each month so you will be able to bring in your versions of the featured mineral. The write up was not completed in time to make it into the April bulletin so I will e-mail the blog to all members. Bob Dearborn has already given you all a brief heads-up via e-mail.

So without further ado.....Del Air Rockhounds Club proudly presents our very first "Mineral of the Month" for April 2008


"P Y R I T E"
Named in antiquity from the Greek word "pyros" meaning "fire" because of the sparks coming from it when struck with another mineral or metal object. Pyrite is a very common mineral, found in a wide variety of geologic formations, from sedimentary deposits to hydrothermal veins and as a constituent of many metamorphic rocks. Commonly called "fool's gold" due its brassy-yellow color but it is much less dense (lighter) but harder than gold and cannot be scratched by a fingernail or knife. This mineral forms as cubic, pyritohedral, or octahedral crystals. Twinning is common. The crystal faces are striated. Pyrite can be massive, granular, reniform, stalactitic, botryoidal and modular. Fine crystals often occur with sphalerite and other sulfides.

Its chemical properties are as follows:

Mineral Group......................Sulfides
Chemical formula................FeS2
Crystal system.....................Isometric
Color....................................Brassy-yellow
Hardness.............................6 to 6 &1/2

Luster...................................Metallic

Transparency......................Opaque

Streak..................................Greenish-black

Tenacity...............................Brittle
Cleavage.............................Poor/indistinct
Fracture...............................Irregular/uneven, conchoidal


Sunday, March 23, 2008

Club Trip To The Snyder Ranch Pow-Wow May 1st thru May 4th 2008

Hello All Del-Airs & Interested Guests!

Once again, Bob Knox, Richard Haering & family along with myself will be attending the 2008 Snyder Ranch Pow-Wow in Valley Springs, CA this coming May. Several members have indicated to me they would also like to attend. To that end, I would like to provide a little information on the Pow-Wow including directions, addresses, schedule of events, websites and where will will be camping during this wonderful weekend extravaganza. We will be there from Thursday May 1st to Sunday May 4th 2008. We will be camping at Lake Camanche Recreation Area which is located approximately 17 miles from Snyder Ranch. The address at Lake Camanche is: 2000 Camanche Road, Ione, CA 95640 (866) 763-5121. Their website is: camping@camancherecreation.com. Lake Camanche has campsites, rv spaces with hookups and even cabins and motel rooms available to accommodate all. We reserved ourselves a lake front campsite next to the bathrooms (which also include shower facilities) for $30.oo per night. Dogs are welcome at both the Pow-Wow (free) and at Lake Camanche ($10.00 extra per night). I hope many will be able to attend and look forward to seeing you all there.

Thanks,
Chris Ward

Information for the Pow-Wow is as follows:

2008 Snyder Ranch Pow-Wow
Wed April 30th thru
Sun May 4th 2008 1290 Paloma Rd., Valley Springs, CA 95252 (209) 772-1265 www.valleyspringspowwow.com

Pow-Wow Schedule of Events:

Thursday May 1st
Dealer's day, buy & sell
Early times gas engines
11-2 Lunch by "Stitchers for Hope"
6:00 Dealers/workers Dinner by Tri Lakes Moose Lodge

Friday May 2nd
7:00 a.m. Breakfast by Community United Methodist Church
Field Trip Sign-ups (Ages 12 & over)
8:30 a.m. Pow Wow Opens
Public invited!
Early day gas engines
Children's Day
6:00 p.m. Chicken-in-a-barrel Dinner by Tri Lakes Moose Lodge

Saturday May 3rd
7:00 a.m. Breakfast by Community United Methodist Church
8:00 a.m. Field Trip Signups (Age 12+)
10:00 a.m. Early Day Gas engines
Radio Controlled airplanes
6:00 p.m. Beef Tri-tip dinner by San Andreas Lions Club
5:45-6:40 p.m. Entertainment by Sons & Daughters of Jenny Lind
6:45 - 7:45 p.m Entertainment by "Men of Praise" Members from Grace
Fellowship Church & Valley Christian Center.

Sunday May 4th
7:00 a.m. Breakfast by Community United Methodist Church
8:00 Church, nondenominational, in the Old Red Barn
10:00 a.m. Vendor Sign-ups for next year
5:00 p.m. Pow Wow closing

Regarding Field Trips:
Field trip prices are $10.00 on the ranch - signup by
8:00 a.m. and leave
promptly at
9:00. Bring water, snacks, clothing suitable for hard-rock mining, including goggles, gloves, etc.

Regarding Camping:
Campsites on Snyder Ranch are "dry"- fees are $10.00 per night.

Directions from the Valley are:

From: Northridge, CA
1:
Start out going WEST on PARTHENIA ST toward RESEDA BLVD.
0.0 mi
2:
Turn RIGHT onto RESEDA BLVD.
0.5 mi
3:
Turn RIGHT onto NORDHOFF ST.
3.6 mi
4:
Merge onto I-405 N via the ramp on the LEFT toward SACRAMENTO.
4.4 mi
5:
Merge onto I-5 N.
313.0 mi
6:
Take EXIT 472 toward DOWNTOWN STOCKTON/FRESNO AVENUE.
0.3 mi
7:
Merge onto CA-4 E toward DOWNTOWN STOCKTON.
3.1 mi
8:
Merge onto CA-99 N via the exit on the LEFT toward SACRAMENTO.
1.8 mi
9:
Take the CA-88/WATERLOO RD EAST exit toward JACKSON.
0.2 mi
10:
Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto WATERLOO RD/CA-88.
3.1 mi
11:
Turn RIGHT onto N ALPINE RD.
2.1 mi
12:
Turn LEFT onto CA-26.
26.5 mi
13:
Stay STRAIGHT to go onto LAUREL ST.
0.1 mi
14:
Turn RIGHT onto DAPHNE ST.
0.3 mi
15:
DAPHNE ST becomes PALOMA RD.
1.0 mi
16:
End at 1290 Paloma Rd Valley Springs, CA 95252-9679
Estimated Time: 5.0 hours 37 minutes. Estimated Distance: 360.03 miles.





(click on the map for larger view.)





Friday, March 14, 2008

A Few Highlights From Our 2008 Gemboree Show

Congratulations and many thanks to all the hardworking Del Air Rockhounds members as well as the many friends and vendors who helped to make our 2008 Gemboree a huge success. Without all of you we wouldn't have been able to make this happen! I am adding some pictures taken by myself during the show to for all to enjoy. Thanks again to everyone and please enjoy this little trip down memory lane.



Del Air's Keith Malone & Dick Flaharty at the silent auction table.
(be very very quiet......they're selling rocks!!)







Vendors displaying and selling their many wares.





Del Air's very own Leilani Backus, working her booth.
(Don't mess with her...She single handedly scared away the rain from our show!!)







More Vendors.






Del Air's queen of the wire wrap, Dorothy Ridenour, surrounded by all her fabulous treasures.







Del Air's Len Hellenthal, kickin' it at the Boutique.






Del Air's chief of security and head bouncer, Oscar (the Brute) Marin, surreptitiously patrolling the crowd.






Del Air's esteemed commander in chief, Bob Backus. (all hail the chief cause he's the chief and he needs hailing....everyone sing!)






Del Air's one and only, Maxine (I must've talked to about a bazillion kids) Dearborn helping some Boy Scouts earn their geology badges.






Del Air's Dennis (the Blade) Miller cutting geodes to the delight of all.




Del Air's very own Jim (the Rip) Van Winkle discussing his extraordinary fossil collection with fascinated onlookers both young and old alike.






Del Air's culinary guru himself, Bob (Wolfgang Puck) Dearborn whose lifelong motto is "live, love, eat.......oh..and collect rocks".




And last but not least....All the great displays.........




Fossils by Jim Van Winkle







More Fossils by Jim Van Winkle







Keokuk Geodes by Chris Ward







Amber by Jon Meredith







Stone Boxes by Keith Malone







Metamorphic Slabs by Richard Haering







Petrified Wood by Bob Knox







Native Indian Jewelry by Maxine & Keri Dearborn






Minerals & Mineral By-Products by Maxine & Keri Dearborn








Spiderweb Turquoise by Steve Dover





Here's looking forward to an even more successful 2009. Thanks again!!!