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T H E I N F O R M E R

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The Central Texas Gem and Mineral Show is fast ap-

proaching! Are you ready?

April 9-10

February Meeting Well another month has passed and April is getting really close. We had to postpone our regular business meeting. Mother Nature had a surprise for us when we arrived at the clubhouse to open for our members to show up. We had some water standing in the clubhouse and running out at some of the seams.

The good part is the carpet is now cleaner. Tim, Gary, Carlos and a few others really worked hard to vacuum up the water and then fix the pipe so hopefully it won’t bust again. We only had a few people at the meeting the next week – One of the items of business we covered was: We have the library case for March this year – maybe it will work out better by giving everyone more time to plan for the show. Usually they have already made plans for that weekend by the time Artwalk rolls around in April, which is two days before our show. We have enough volunteers to fill it up, I am pretty sure. Just a reminder Artwalk for March is the 10th. I will be downtown at the library for awhile to greet visitors and answer questions. If anyone else wants to volunteer, to keep me company. Artwalk is from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It is the second Thursday of every month. All the museums are free to visit and a lot of the downtown merchants stay open so you can shop. There are always free refreshments at a lot of the stops. It is fun for the entire family and you would be surprised at who you run into walking the streets. Some other notes: Some of our members were on trips to see other shows. It would really be nice for Gary if they wrote a note about the shows, what they liked and what they were

From the Front Desk— President —Betty Scarborough

Email information or requests to: Ctgms50@gmail.com

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disappointed in, what the weather was like etc etc. Just a hint. This time while Walt was home he got to go snake hunting, found quite a few of them and managed to find a few arrowheads while out wandering so you know he had a good day. Hopefully we are all getting finished with our preparations for the show. Time is running low. We do have the fresh supply of geodes- Tony and Judy picked them up on their way home. Hopefully the members we had that were under the weather are doing better and will be back at the club where they are always missed when not there. Till next time.

LATEST TREK TO THE BIG BEND

By: Joyce Talley The last week of January, Carlos and I set out to one of our favorite haunts, Terlingua Ranch, at the Big Bend area of West Texas. We spent the night at

Fort Davis' old hotel, the Limpia, built in the 1880's. They keep it renovated and updated, very nice. Carlos enjoyed the short visit, as he frequently went there as a kid. We scouted out Bloys Church encampment, where he spent time as a teenager. The next day we drove all around that area and then it was on to Marfa. We found a really nice rock shop with lots of stuff inside and outside. We bought a number of pieces, even though they were a bit pricey. Then it was on to Alpine for a short visit and lunch with our sister-in-law and on to the ranch. The weather was beautiful and couldn't have been any better. We had dinner at the Starlight in Terlingua. Before we “dined”, we sat on the long porch with the locals, who drink beer and smoke every night. We also went to Hans place. It has been sold and the sign says, by the new owner, a long narrative about when he opens and when he doesn't. He had a lot of cacti outside and it was very different. You could buy rocks outside and place money in a can for whatever you thought the price should be. The cacti were pre-marked as were the better rocks. The prices were higher than we thought. We gathered a lot of picture rock on the ranch property, from which Carlos will cut slabs for the Show. And of course we had to bring rocks home for ourselves. Not having a radio or TV there, we said adieu to the ever impressive mountains of the Big Bend. It was back to Abilene and home just in time for the big ice and snow storm waiting for us.

JUST FOR FUN WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST

She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee. Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box. Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week. Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl. And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

WOMEN'S REVENGE 'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet , I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. 'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked. 'No,' she replied, 'but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.'

MARRIAGE SEMINAR While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with Communica-tion, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, 'It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes.' He addressed the man, 'Can you name your wife's favorite flower?' Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, 'It's Pillsbury, isn't it?

WIFE VS. HUSBAND A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?' 'Yep,' the wife replied, 'in-laws.'

THE SILENT TREATMENT A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:0 0 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, 'Please wake me at 5:00 AM.' He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, 'It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.' Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

WORDS A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, 'The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men.... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, 'What?'

P A G E 3

The Shop Report — Foreman - Tim Walker

As always, what ever you work on at the shop, clean up after yourself. Don’t leave it for the next person. Report anything you think needs repairs. We don’t want anyone getting hurt. The power and lights in the storage building have been completed!

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Minutes of CTGMS meeting held Monday, February 14, 2011 The meeting was called to order. Approximately 19 members signed in. After the pledge of allegiance and

the prayer, the minutes from the last business meeting were read and approved. Errol presented the financial report, and after questions and some discussion, they were approved. Carlos suggested that the signature on the CD account be updated. The only name on it is the one who originally set it up. The bank where the CD is located has changed its name from State National to Compass Bank. Old Business : CTGMS will not have access to the display case at the Abilene Public Library during April—Show month—this year. Instead, the display case there is open for CTGMS for the entire month of March. Several people volunteered to fill shelves in that display case (NOTE: If some have been missed, my apologies-GH): Joyce and Carlos Talley, Jim Owens, Allen McDaniel, and Tommy McKissick. It was mentioned that the Club was to vote in January as to whether or not to have two scholarships instead of one, if appropriate applicants apply. Carlos moved that two scholarships be given under this condition, since funds appear to be available. Gary seconded. The motion was approved with none opposed. New Business : New members were introduced: Kay McDaniel, Cindy, Marty, and Tommy McKissick. Joyce will send cards to Jerry and Lou Jane, who have been ill. Other illnesses are in the Informer, and she has sent cards. Charles Roberts had surgery recently and has been released from the hospital. Floyd’s neck is not healing

as it should. Ernie has been released recently from the hospital. Tim is back, but “still dragging.” There were no awards or certificates this month; but Jim Owens will notify Jerry Davis about certificates for the Silversmithing II class, which has been completed. It was reported that the box that contained the old Christmas decorations was ruined when the building was flooded because of the broken pipe. If anyone wants any of the decorations, they can take them; or, the decorations will be donated. Reports from Committee Chairpersons : Show Chair, Sallie Lightfoot reported that things are proceeding for the Show in April. Raffle items are needed—the Club usually has four. No one has made a commitment as yet. Childrens’ door prizes are still needed. She will be contacting Jerry Davis regarding demonstrations. She will talk to James Grant and Zack regarding the Club table. She will also see about the advertisements regarding the Show. Gary said an ad is already in Rock and Gem magazine this month. Items are needed for the Silent Auction. Dealer Chairs, Tony and Judy Steele, reported that all dealers have committed, and that most, if not all have paid. While the Steele’s take a trip to Arizona, they will probably stop and pick up the geodes for the show on the way back. JoAn Wilks, Scholarship Chair, was not present for the meeting this month. However, she called Sallie last week and had no applications as yet. Committee members reported that there is one application now. Tim Walker, Shop Foreman, said that all is working well in the Shop. Charlie Lightfoot, Maintenance and Building Chair, said that some insulation is still needed on the pipe since the water line broke. Otherwise, it has been repaired. He said that if the water bill with the View/Caps Water Company is too high because of the break, the Club can apply for a rebate. Refreshments for the March 7 meeting will be provided by Kay Daniel, Maria, and Grace. The meeting was adjourned. Secretary, Grace Hoy

About demonstrations at our 2010 Gem and Mineral Show

I was inspired to do demonstrations several years ago after watching Irma Latham chase and emboss a set of earrings at our gem and mineral show. I did the same demo at our show the next year. Other club members have joined in and participated until our numbers have grown to ten to fifteen members doing demonstrations each year. Our hope is that we have inspired others to take up some form of our lapidary hobby and continue the sharing of skills.

We saw quite a few young people stop by and show an interest in what we were doing. The following is a list of some of what they saw being demonstrated: Jim Owens/ Dick McKissick, faceting precious stones and discussing their use. Jerry Davis, Richard Hill, ring making, including soldering and cleaning. Jon Denison, reticulation of old silver and its application to jewelry making. History and details of silver alloys. Judy Steele, construction of gem trees and the beauty of using small stones. Gary Hudson, chasing and embossing of a buffalo in copper and its various tools and steps of construction. JoAn Wilks, made use of her art talents to teach several people the skills of selecting and drawing pictures on rocks. Norma Ann Harrison, construction of bracelet and neck chains from sterling silver wire. Dave Vargo, carving designs in thin slabs of agate. A winner at several shows. Tim Walker, drilling holes in slices of agate and other stones making them useful for jewelry applications. Bob/ Helen Patterson, using special polishing techniques in a vibrating tumbler to create small gems of agate for children. A few adults couldn’t resist picking up a few stones also. ☺ Charles Lightfoot, changing stones cut from slabs into cabochons (cabs) to be used in rings or other jewelry. Lynne Beddoe, art work on stones Sally Maxson, creating neck chains from jump rings of sterling silver. Heather Faulkner, (our scholarship winner) rock art creating Petey the Snake. I would like to thank all who participated. Other members are also invited to show their talents this year (2011). …………Jerry Davis If you are even slightly interested in demonstrating your talents, there will be sign up sheets at the business meetings as well as the Monday “work” nights until “ShowTime”

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Editor’s Notes: ++++++++++++++++++ If you have a story or a news item please email it to me at ctgms50@gmail Send it in email or as a Mi-crosoft Word document attach-ment. Remember to get it to me by the 20th of the month.

I’m sure you heard about the “swamp” we discovered in the Clubhouse when we arrived for the February meeting. I arrived a little early and forgot my keys. I decided to go dig around in the rock pile outside until Tim showed up. I noticed that there was standing wa-ter between the building and the storage container. I sure didn’t know there was that much moisture in the snow and ice from the winter storm! I walked around in that direction and noticed what looked like little streams of water squirting out every available nail hole and crack along the north side of the building. About that time Tim came driving up and we opened the door…..DISASTER! We got the water cut off. I called Betty and Walt and told them to bring a shop-vac if they had one and Tim and I left to get ours. We had 5 or 6 vacuums picking water up off the floor. We had so much power we couldn’t keep the electric breakers turned on. We finally found some plugs on separate breakers and went to work. We sucked up over 100 gallons of water off the floor. Tim came back the next day with a carpet cleaner and pulled some more water out of the carpet and put a 5’ barn fan in there and dried it out. Due to the fact that I have “CRS”, I won’t try to name all those that helped. The following Saturday, Tim, Carlos, and I managed to re-place the broken water line. Tim and Carlos ran all over town getting supplies for the repair. There were people from all over doing the same thing and the stores were out of just about everything. I hope it is a long time before we have a cold winter storm that strong again! I think we have a system fig-ured out to prevent this from happening again! I have been told it happened once before, a long time ago.

BIRTHDAYS

Don Brenholtz March 8 Jerry Davis March 10 McKissick Cindy March 13

GET WELL SOON! Jerry Davis– doing a lot better Carlos Talley-out of hospital an reports he is still on the green side of the grass Tim Walker-getting stronger every day

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Kay McDaniel March 6 Judy & Tony Steele March 20

ANNIVERSARIES

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Check http://rockngem.com/showdates/ for many other shows around the U.S. MARCH 11-14—DEMING, NEW MEXICO: 46th annual show, “Rockhound Roundup Gem & Mineral Show”; Deming Gem & Mineral Society; SWNM State Fairgrounds, Raymond Reed Blvd.; free admission; more than 100 dealers, display cases, geode cutting, gold pan-ning, spinning wheel, silent and live auctions, door prizes, raffle, guided field trips; contact Terry Dellinger, P.O. Box 1459, Deming, NM 88031, (936) 433-0108; e-mail: theDGMS@gmail.com; Web site: www.dgms.bravehost.com MARCH 18-20—ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: 42nd annual show, Treasures of the Earth”; Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club; Creative Arts Center Bldg., State Fair Grounds, EXPO NM (San Pedro entrance); Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10–6, Sun. 10–5; adults $1 Fri., $3 Sat. and Sun., kids 12 and under free; more than 40 dealers, displays, door prizes, silent auctions, mineral and gem identification, juniors’ booth, live wolf, geode cracking, faceting demonstration, gold panning and more; contact Paul Hlava, (505) 255-5478; e-mail: paulhlava@q.com Mar 26—MASON, TX: Texas Topaz Day; Gems of the Hill Country, on the historic Mason Square; gem faceting demonstrations;rockhounding with guides at the two ranches available for hunting topaz; see the largest topaz found in North America, aswell as other ex-hibits. For more information, <<texas-topaz.com>>, or <<www.masontxcoc.com>>, 325-347-0475. Mar 26-27 —MASON, TX: Texas Faceters’ Guild seminar, at The Wildlife Ranch lodge, a block off the Mason courthouse square; $75.00 for non-members, $40 for those that join Texas Faceters Guild at the seminar, and free for current members; RSVP required: registration form at << texasfacetersguild.org>>; Guild meeting 9am Saturday at the Mason Cham-ber of Commerce office on the north side of the Mason square, just east of Gems of the Hill Country. For more info, B. Diane Eames, gemologist@texas-topaz.com, 325-347-0475 Cell 325-347-4316, <<Texas-topaz.com>> 18-20—ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: 42nd annual show, Treasures of the Earth”; Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club; Creative Arts Center Bldg., State Fair Grounds, EXPO NM (San Pedro entrance); Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10–6, Sun. 10–5; adults $1 Fri., $3 Sat. and Sun., kids 12 and under free; more than 40 dealers, displays, door prizes, silent auc-tions, mineral and gem identification, juniors’ booth, live wolf, geode cracking, faceting demonstration, gold panning and more; contact Paul Hlava, (505) 255-5478; e-mail: paulhlava@q.com Apr 9-10—ABILENE, TEXAS: Show and sale; Central Texas Gem & Mineral Society; Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. 6th; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $3, children $1.50; geode cracking, fossils, minerals, gems, jewelry, lapidary demonstrations, findings, beads, tools, supplies, rough; contact Betty Scarborough, 422 CR 606, Tuscola, TX 79562, (325) 668-2374; e-mail: waltswife1029@yahoo.com; Web site: www.txol.net/rockclub Apr 15-17—ALPINE, TEXAS: Show, “Alpine Agate Festival”; Chihuahuan Desert Gem & Mineral Club; Alpine Civic Center, Hwy. 90W and 13th St. N; Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-6, Sun. 11-5; free admission; South Central Federation convention, grand prize, door prizes, silent auctions, field trips, kids’ corner, demo dealers; contact Mary Brogan, P.O. Box 1111, Alpine, TX 79831, (432) 386-2340; e-mail: marybrogan@rocketmail.com; Web site: www.cdgmc.org NEWS LETTERS FROM OTHER CLUBS ON THEIR WEBSITE FREDRICKSBURG,TX http://fredericksburgrockhounds.org ARLINGTON, TX www.agemclub.com DALLAS, TX www.dallasgemandmineral.org MIDLAND, TX www.mgms-tx.com

Upcoming Shows

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OUR WEB SITE SPONSOR

Gemstone of the Month AQUAMARINE

The gemstone Aquamarine is the modern March birthstone as adopted by the Ameri-can National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the birth stone for the Zo-diac sign of Scorpio. See the birthstone ta-ble for additional references to this stone. Aquamarine is suggested as a gem to give on the 16th and 19th wedding anniversa-ries. Aquamarine is a member of the beryl fam-ily and ranges in color from an almost col-orless pale blue to blue-green or teal. The most prized color is a deep-blue aqua color. It is 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of hardness and gets its name from Latin words mean-ing water and sea The most valuable aquamarines come from Brazil, but it is also mined in Kenya and Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Rus-sia. . Aquamarines on the market today are usually faceted, but when cut as a cabo-chon, they may display a cat's eye effect known as asterism. Folklore, Legend, and Healing Proper-ties: Since early times, aquamarine has been be-lieved to endow the wearer with foresight, courage, and happiness. It is said to in-crease intelligence and make one youthful. As a healing stone, it is said to be effective as a treatment for anxiety and in the Middle Ages it was thought that aquamarine would reduce the effect of poisons. A legend says that sailors wore aquamarine gemstones to keep them safe and prevent seasickness. http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/aquamarine.htm

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OFFICERS 2010

President ………… Betty Scarborough 325 572-4716 Past President ……. Bob Patterson 325 698-8648 Vice President ……. Linda Hollowell 325 537-4557 Secretary ………… Grace Hoy 325 698-5482 Treasurer …………. Errol Rutledge 325 672-7505 Corresp Sec ……… Joyce Talley 325 692-0063 Committees/Chairpersons Show …………………………. Sallie Lightfoot Field Trips …………………… Tony & Judy Steele Classes ………………………. Charlie Lightfoot Nominating ………………….. James Grant Programs …………………….. Shop ………………………… Tim Walker Club House and Grounds…… Charlie Lightfoot Dealers for show ……. ……… Tony & Judy Steele Budget ……………………….. Errol Rutledge Scholarship ………………….. JoAn Wilks Show Demonstrations ………. Jerry Davis Silversmithing Classes ……… Jerry Davis News letter Editor …………… Gary Hudson Web Master………………….. Jerry Davis

PO Box 7343

Abilene, TX 79608-7343

Editor: Gary Hudson

Email: ctgms50@gmail

MISSION STATEMENT

The Central Texas Gem and Mineral Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of rocks, minerals and fos-sils. We offer field trips and pro-vide educational opportunities and instruction to members in a variety of areas related to the Lapidary Arts and Jewelry mak-ing. We also award a scholar-ship to a student enrolled at a local college in a field closely related to geology. We provide educational displays related to this hobby at shows of a similar interest. —- Jerry

We are on the web: www.txol.net/rockclub

March flower Daffodil

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Aquamarine gems and rough

Proudly Presents

(PETRIFIED WOOD, LAPIS, AMETHYST, AGATE, TURQUOISE, OPAL, DINOSAUR BONE, etc)

Saturday, April 9, 2011 Sunday, April 10, 2011 10 A M to 6 P M 10 A M to 5 P M

Abilene Civic Center Downtown Abilene, N 6th & Pine

* Fossils * Glass Bead Making * Jewelry * Exhibits * Gems * Lapidary Supplies * Minerals * Beads * Jewelry Making * Crafts * Fluorescent Display * Gifts…all prices * Demonstrations – Lapidary, Silversmithing, Wire Craft, Carving, Faceting, Beading

+ SILENT AUCTION + WHEEL OF FORTUNE + GEODES – to purchase and have opened + “SAND” ART

Hourly door prizes for adult…Hourly door prizes for children

GRAND PRIZE - $100

“Everyone is Welcome” Profits help support the CTGMS Educational Scholarships

ADMISSION: Adults $3 Children $1.50 (6 to 12)

Children under six free when accompanied by an adult Scouts in uniform free when accompanied by an adult Note: RRC meets Sunday at 9 am at the Civic Center Check us out: www.txol.net-rockclub

• 50¢ off adult ticket

Valid at the 2010 Gem & Mineral Show

Abilene, Texas