It’s the 30th Annual Desert Studies Symposium hosed by Cal State Fullerton at the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzzx, near Baker, California in the Mojave Desert. April 15-18, 2016. This years study is “The Evolution of the Lower Colorado River Basin.” Two days of presentations and two days of field trips.
Sherry and I look forward to this every year. Just wanted to put this out there for those that may want to plan ahead and attend.
For more information: click here and you will be taken to the Desert Studies Center website.
“Healing Crystals” is a sign we often see at gem and mineral shows, shops and on the internet. But can a rock heal? Ever have heart-burn? Take a rock, or more exactly, calcium, (think Tums) to sooth the “burn.” I knew a man who suffered from severe mental illness, and he was an avid rockhound. He would remind us that Lithium, a strong drug for mental illness treatment, comes from a rock. It takes great energy for atoms, made of electrons, neutrons and protons, to be held together. Quartz crystals were used in early radios to receive the radio waves. There most definitely is power in rocks. We collect and sell them because they are beautiful. Today we travel back to California. We have enjoyed our time here in Quartzsite. See you next year!
“It comes from South Africa,” he told me of this tiger eye sphere, this dealer from Toronto, Canada. The spheres were beautiful – and larger than I had ever seen. Most tiger eye for sales in rough is one to three inches thick. These spheres had been made from pieces five to six inches thick. I have a good deal of rough tiger eye, but none large enough to make spheres this big, He explained that he has rough rock this size but that it had been held up in customs. I hope his rough arrives before we leave Quartzsite! Today is the last day of the Pow Wow gem and mineral show. We have had a fun time. There truly are rocks and dealers from all over the world.
