ROCKS! The other snowflake...

A CROWN! Wonder how much it's worth?
SEMI PRECIOUS STONES
GOOD OLD ROCKS...

PRECIOUS STONES...Want a handfull?

GARDEN OF THE GODS

Why the heck would someone write about rocks? Well, I have rocks on the brain (or maybe it was that I was hit by one...) so I have decided to write about rocks...

This has taken several blog sessions for me to get the rocks out of my head!

ROCKS! They come in all shapes, sizes, colour, clarity, type, and value! Some rocks we covet due to the value that humanity has placed on them. Others we cast aside as completely invaluable. More still we completely miss. But one thing is certain, there are no two rocks that are EXACTLY alike, just like snowflakes, except one is from the Earth, the other from the sky.

First lets start off with those wonderfully expensive rocks (or minerals if you prefer) we have so aptly named..."Precious Stones". Here we are talking about diamonds, rubies, emeralds, etc. It is amazing how much some of these rocks can cost! And what goes into the cost? Well, first some guy named a geologist has to figure out where the "precious stones" are. Then a bunch of guys with lots of explosives and heavy machinery tear up the landscape to get the "rocks" out of the Earth. Do you think all miners get an expensive wage? Hell no! (And one of their more unfortunate benefits is a free burial.) Once they are dug up. the "rocks" are sent off to some place for cutting. Here is where they start adding lots of cost. Some guy or gal starts hacking away at the rock until it has a unique shape and it shines and sparkles alot. Then they sell em to some person, who marks it up and sells it to some person, who marks it up and sells it to some person, who marks it up...you get the picture...until a jeweler or clothier gets it and places it in a necklace, earring, ring, bracelet, broach, underwear, bra, belly button ring, toungue ring, nipple ring or some other form of jewellery or clothing. Well, I guess there are lots of other things like crowns, belts, buckles, chokers, barettes, purses, shoes, etc. etc. etc. that a "precious stone" can be placed on or into. The wonderful item is then marked up again until the cost is out of reach of the typical consumer. With the existance of modern technology, "precious stones" can also be artificially manufactured in some of the new state of the art high pressure high temperature pressure cookers that can create any type, style, and size of precious stone. It's quite amazing! Look into it sometime!

Next time you are looking at a wonderful piece of jewellry, remember, it's a rock that was pulled from the Earth and it was the forces of nature that made it...if it's truly real....

Now it's time to look at the other kind of rock. The rocks we call, well, rocks! They range from fancy to all out boring, but again, each rock is unique. There are igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks based on how the rock was formed and what it was formed from. The following are brief explanations of each type:

Igneous Rocks:
Crystalline solids
Form directly from the cooling of magma.
Much of the Earth's surface is made of igneous rock
Classified based on composition (what they are made of) and texture (crystal size).

Sedimentary Rocks
Rock made from the compacting together of layers of "debris" and cemented together, often the accumulation of small pieces of pre-existing rocks.
There are three main types:
Clastic: Basic sedimentary rock. Clastic sedimentary rocks are accumulations of clasts: little pieces of broken up rock.
Chemical: Rock formed from layers of minerals, often left behind by the evaporation of lakes. Repeated flooding and eveaporation of lakes can leave a think layer of chemical sedimentary rock.
Organic: Rock formed by the accumulation of calcium from shells, bones, and teeth. Calcium can accumulate on sea floors into a layer thick enough to form an "organic" sedimentary rock. One day we may be part of an organic rock that some future person picks up and skips across the water!

Metamorphic Rocks
The name metamorphic comes from "meta" (change) and "morph" (form).
Any rock can become a metamorphic rock.
Almost all metamorphic rock is created when rocks/minerals are buried which results in temperature and pressure of the rock increasing . The rock then tries to change to balance the "imposed" increase in temperature and pressure.

Rocks take on infinite shapes and colours and can be formed in an almost endless combinations based on location, mineral type, crystal structure, composition, and the process that created the rock. Some rocks are sought after by collectors because of their beauty and rareness. Others are buried under pavement and gardens as filler and drainage. Imagine how many patios would be ripped up if limestone became as valuable as a diamond!

All of us have seen rocks and all of us have handled a rock. But how many have actually put any thought into the rock that is in their hand? How about the basics such as "What type of rock is it?". Or how about "What is the name of this type of rock?" But take a closer look at it. Remember, a rock is like a snowflake, no two are alike. Next time you pick up a rock look at natures design in the rock. Some may be just plain boring. Others still are interesting and nice to look at. Some rocks may be a mix of several rock types. Some may have a beautiful mix of colours. Some may have an intracate and fancy design or shape (For the longest time my wife carried around a small "Pizza Rock" we found together. It looked like a slice of pizza, one of her favorite foods!). Some may have fossils from creatures and plants that lived thousands and millions of years ago! And even let your mind wander a bit...Are you the first living thing to have ever contacted this rock? Who may have been the last person to contact the rock...maybe the guy or gal in front of you, or maybe a Native American two hundred years ago, maybe a caveman, or even a dinosaur!!! Ask yourself, why do so many kids have "Rock Collections"? It isn't to fill your garage or house with a ton of useless "rocks". It's because rocks are so unique in their colour and shape that they are facinating to look at! My son has an awesome rock collection! It is almost like a record of places he has visited! He has rocks from beaches, from forests, from cities, and even from the sides and tops of MOUNTAINS! There are even a few sacred rocks in the collection...let me tell a story...

In Colorado there is a place called "Garden of the Gods". In the park is an awesome huge rock structure that is red in colour. The whole thing. To a typical visitor it may be a neat big red rock. But to the Native Americans long ago, it was a sacred rock. A place of spiritulism and worship. When we arrived at the park it was sunny and I was feeling adventurous so I got out of the car I was riding in and went for a climb up the sacred rocks! It's not the easiest of climbs but I was enjoying it. I eventually reached the top of one area of rock which had a very beautiful view. I decided I would grab a few loose red sacred rocks and shove them in my pockets and head back down to the car. Well, I no sooner did I get the rocks in my pocket then clouds started rolling in and it started raining before I was half way down. By the time I got into the car it was a pure downpour and the Gods above were trying to fire lightning bolts up my rear for stealing the sacred rocks. Even Ann Marie was laughing at me and the "wrath from above" that I brought upon myself. Oddly enough, the rain let up as we were leaving the park. I guess the Gods wanted to make sure I didn't take any more of their sacred rock. I guess if every visitor took a piece of rock, all that would be left is a little red beach of pebbles instead of a monument of Native American culture and religion.

As a final word on rocks...

Next time you are out for a stroll, wherever that stroll may take you, pick up a rock or two and take a good look...you never know...it may just end up in your pocket...

LAZY DAZE

King of the Grill!

Dad's archery lesson. Good idea?
Probably not...


Hanging out with the kids...


Genevieve in the water!
WARNING: DO NOT GET GREMLIN'S WET!


Jonathan and Ann Marie in the Drink!

It's high time I finished writing about camping. I will try to wrap it up quickly and neatly as there are many other contents I need to spill from my brain! After set-up on the first night, we quickly made our way into the tent and passed out... The next morning (Saturday) we got up and I got to work making breakfast so we could get a move-on. Breakfast was eggs and ham on an English muffin. They turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself) and ham is an awesome and easy clean-up solution to bacon when camping! After breakfast we found a small snake and some snails to play with and a bit later we did some archery. We were shooting into an empty camp site and I thought I would show Jonathan how a medieval archer would launch his arrows upward at the enemy. I ended up spending the next ten minutes trudging through a tangle mess of forest trying to locate the lost arrow. As for my luck at finding it...that arrow remains lost. A big OOOOOPS on that one. Genevieve even decided she wanted to shoot a few, with dad's help of course! Jonathan really enjoyed it! Eventually we headed out to do some fishing... One thing to remember about kids is the need for instant gratification. If they don't get a fish in five minutes or less, they get bored of fishing. No matter how many times you say, just be patient and wait for the fish to bite, you find yourself casting out the same bait over and over and watching them reel it back in again and again. Jonathan was getting pretty good at casting, and Genevieve was excellent at reeling in! Ann Marie decided that having a nap was the way to go and laid a towel out on the ground to lie down. It wasn't long before the kids decided to join her which left me to fish in peace...but I turned it down. Instead I propped my rod in a tree hoping that General Sherman didn't decide to take the bait and drag my rod into the lake and then joined the family in the shade of a big tree. We didn't get a chance to nap ‘cause we ended up goofing around but that was fun! After a while we decided to pack things up and go back for a sandwich lunch. After lunch we spent the remainder of the day on the beach and swimming. Ann Marie wasn't going to go in the water, but an evil and sadistic husband changed all of that! Who would have known that a woman's shirt, shorts, and underwear work just as good as a bathing suit! What is a trip to the beach as a family if all the family isn't in the water? We goofed and splashed about and had a great time! Genevieve was even able to swindle a pool noodle from another family! Naughty little girl she is!

Once we had our fill of swimming and sand in places it doesn’t belong we headed back to camp to start working on dinner. Dinner was turkey burgers and corn. Simple and filling. It was dark by the time we started eating and the mosquitoes figured if we were having dinner, so would they. We got a good campfire going and had mosquito coils placed at what were decided the most strategic positions around the table. But I think mosquitoes are evolving. Smoke doesn’t seem to bother them as much as it used to and their little stingers no longer seem so little. You could be wearing a suit of thick armour and those little buggers can still manage to get their stinger in ya and suck out a pint of blood. Despite the bugs, we made s’mores for desert which were a hit. It was a long time since we had s’mores and I don’t think the kids ever had them before. Before long the kids were in bed and Ann Marie and I had a chance to enjoy the fore alone for a bit. We even had the rare opportunity to see how dumb June bugs. They would fly into the fire and crash land on the ground. God gave them wings but no flying ability to use them. One even landed in a fully melted marshmellow that Genevieve had deposited against the outside of the fire. I tried to save him but he became a nice treat for some racoon to discover. A sugary marshmellow outer shell with a crunchy green gooey centre. Yummmmmmy!
Ann Marie finally went to sleep and I decided to investigate the cause of some child screaming his lungs out. It turned out to be a camping neighbor’s kid. They were really nice people but the devil sure climbed in their boy at night. I hung out with them for a bit just chating about this and that and then decided I had better get my butt back to the tent before Ann Marie started missing me. Well, it turns out I was 29 minutes late from my 30 minute visit.
The next day we had a quick breakfast, loaded the cars, and headed for home. It was a wonderful camping trip and the kids weren’t 5 minutes on the road home before asking when we will go again. Well, I have to be honest. I wasn’t even in the car yet before I had that thought! Despite the mosquitoes, I would call that camping trip a wonderful success.