Hello Again All Del Airs & Interested Guests,
Announcing: The Del Air Rockhounds Booth at the Our Community Charter School Spring Fair.
Date: April 26th 2008
Time: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm (set-up starts @ 9:00am)
Where: Our Community Charter School
16514 Nordhoff St.
North Hills, CA 91343
This is a school fair our club has been attending for the past 5 to 6 years now and they want us back again this year! We set up our booth and talk to kids and their parents about our hobby. We set up an educational table with touch and feel exhibits. We run our ever popular Spin-a-Wheel game, sell grab bags and cut geodes.
We will need a minmum of 6 members at all times to run this booth. This event proves to be very good for our treasury. It is also a lot of fun and as an added extra bonus it allows us to spread the word and spark an interest in rocks and minerals to the many people who will be visiting our booth. We are by far the most popular booth at this event each and every year.
As a special note to potential new members, this would be the perfect event to volunteer for as your participation is taken into account when the club members vote on new member acceptance. If you can spare the time just show up at the school at 9:00 am on Saturday April 26th and we'll find something for you to do.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
May 2008 Mineral of the Month 'Fluorite'
May 2008 Mineral of the Month 
Fluorite
From the Latin word ‘fluere” meaning ‘to flow’. The crystals formed by this mineral are cubic and octahedral in shape and are often twinned. Fluorite may also form in massive, granular and compact habits. It occurs in a great variety of colors, ranging from purple, green, colorless, white and yellow to pink, red, blue and even black. Fluorite forms in hydrothermal veins, especially those containing lead and zinc and also around
Its chemical properties are as follows:
Mineral Group.....................Halides
Chemical formula..............CaF2
Specific Gravity..................3.1 to 3.3
Tenacity…………………...Brittle
Color.....................................Multiple
Hardness.............................4
Luster...................................Vitreous
Transparency....................Transparent to Translucent
Streak..................................White
Cleavage.............................Perfect Octahedral
Fracture...............................Conchoidal
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
So without further ado.....Del Air Rockhounds Club proudly presents our very first "Mineral of the Month" for April 2008
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
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:
(click on the map for larger view.)
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
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
Saturday May 3rd
Radio Controlled airplanes
Sunday May 4th
Regarding Field Trips:
Field trip prices are $10.00 on the ranch - signup by
promptly at
Regarding Camping:
Campsites on Snyder Ranch are "dry"- fees are $10.00 per night.
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.
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!!!
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!!!
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