THE BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE

President’s Message

Vice-President’s Message

Section News

Notes from Neal

Shop and Building News

Shop Hint Discovered by Accident

Education

February Birthstones Amethyst and Jasper

Identifying Other People’s Finds

Bench Tips

Two Hawaii Volcanoes Have Stopped Erupting

Network of Magma Chambers Under Hawaii Volcanoes

The Lone Ranger Laments – a poem

Minutes of the January 3rd Board Meeting

Minutes of the January 31st General Meeting

Upcoming Shows

About Us

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Calendar

Officers and Contact Information

Happy Valentines’ Day!!
This is the month that we usually really see winter in Houston, not like the rest of the country, but cold for us. So, cuddle up with your Valentine and enjoy the chocolate. HGMS started off the year repairing gaps in the concrete slabs that are the exterior walls of the building. This is one more thing that, thankfully, that Neal Immega used to do for us. That list grows every time something goes wrong. Anyway, we are all sealed up now. No more leaky gaps in the walls.

Our new Secretary, Heidi Shelley, has already brought more to the table than a dictionary and Thesaurus, more than expected. We have updated the signatures on the bank accounts. She has updated our recording of minutes process. And she has volunteered to consult with the Safety and Policy Committee. Heidi’s first love is faceting. She already has a key role in that Section. We have a new Social Director, Debbie Seid. She will make sure we have refreshments at the General Meetings, coordinate social events related to the Show Committee, and plan and oversee the Holiday Party. Thank you, Debbie for volunteering. She welcomes requests and ideas for refreshments.

I have met many new members in the last few weeks. These people are inspired to polish rocks, make rock and beading jewelry, learn more about paleontology, do silversmithing, take classes, delve into the world of minerals. Take a minute to introduce yourself to people you do not recognize and welcome them to our Society. I am still looking for a Treasurer and a Chairman for the Donations Committee. These are two critical positions. Please contact me at President@hgms.org to volunteer.

Stay warm and safe.

The February 2023 General Meeting talk will be presented by Sarah Metsa:

“Interview with a Rock Goddess: Artist Kiersten Mia Red”

Kiersten is a sculptor located in Phoenix Arizona. She works with stones and boulders and using saws, hammers, files, and chisels, creates art.

Sarah Metsa will present her interview with Kiersten and the artist will join via Zoom to answer questions.

Beading – Third Saturday, 12:30 PM  

 Always bring beading mat, scissors, wire, wire cutter, round nose and needle nose pliers, thread, and beading needles if you have them.  

The February 18th meeting project, making Kumihimo beaded bracelets, will taught by Ginger.

NOTICE: Do you have a bracelet or necklace that needs restringing?  The Beading Section will carefully restring your piece at an hourly rate of $15.00 + materials.  Contact Beading @HGMS.org to make arrangements.  All funds will go to the Beading Section.

 

Gemstones and Faceting – Second Thursday, 6:30 PM

Zoom meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Subject to be announced.

 

Lapidary and Silversmithing – Third Monday, 7:00 PM

February 20, 2023 Presenting Soldering 101 – Beginners welcome to this free program. Tony will present a program on soldering. Learn the differences between paste, wire and sheet solder and when to use each type. Participants will get hands on experience learning to solder a bezel. This is a technique program and will help participants develop skills to move on to making finished jewelry pieces in future meetings.

Refreshments will be served and we will choose programs for March and April. Email Lapidary@hgms.org if you have questions.

 

Day Light – First Wednesday, 1:00 PM

The Daylight Section meets the first Wednesday of the month from 1 to 3 PM.

On February 1^st, we wire wrapped the lepidolite cabochon made at the January meeting to be used in a piece of jewelry. We followed this video, to be reviewed before the meeting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwMGEta1go&list=RDCMUCWiLw5UavBkxadmKKkPLCsQ&index=42

We had enough of the right gauge and type of copper wire so that there was no charge for the February session.

Please register in advance to make sure we have enough materials for everyone. A $5.00 fee is necessary for each class to pay for materials. Register by sending an email to Nancy Searle at daylight@hgms.org. All programs are $5.00 and the fee is paid at the meeting.

 

Mineral – Third Wednesday, 7:30 PM

On February 15th Steve Steinke will give a talk on Southern California mineral localities.

The link for the Zoom meeting is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4517997588?pwd=SnZjckZBTnRMbHRxZitScE9WU3RWUT09

 

Paleontology – Third Tuesday, 7:30 PM 

We’ve started hybrid Zoom meetings that include members attending remotely via Zoom; if you’re intrigued by dinosaurs, trilobites, field trips to collect Texas fossils and all other paleontology-related topics we’d love to have you attend a meeting in one way or another and see what we’ve got going on. If you’d like to join the Paleo Section email list, send an email to hgmspaleosection@gmail.com and ask to be added.

At the February 16^th meeting, we are going to be handing out pieces of Wheeler shale from the U-dig-it business in Utah. This is an amazingly fossiliferous outcrop of trilobites. We will start at the meeting and you may take home your piece to continue. You will need a flat bladed screwdriver (or a butter knife) and a small hammer. You will also need these to continue work

 

Youth, First and Third Saturdays, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Mostly we will be working on cabochons.

Grit and Polishing Powders

Neal reports he is cleaning up the grinding and polishing powder storage. The Club gets donations of various powders, some useful and some not. We use 220 to 1000 mesh silicon carbide on the lap plate and cerium and chrome oxide on the polishing station with leather wheels. He is going to sell off the others for 1/2 the price at Kingsley North. There are also some free bottles but he cannot tell what it is. There is 10 pounds of aluminum oxide in a fine grit size that is FREE because he does not know if it will work in tumblers. All the coarse grits, tin oxide, levigated alumina, and rouge are for sale.

Please note that Neal never mixes batches of grit or polish for fear that contamination would be spread. The material is on a rack in the lecture hall near the library.

 

Gas not turned off!!!!

Neal wants people to use the TIG welder, but he would like them to TURN OFF THE GAS. This must have been a new user because the gas was turned on 3 full turns. It only takes a 1/4 turn. And, they never saw the two signs in the area to TURN OFF THE GAS. The problem is that there is a small leak in the machine which Neal cannot tighten up and the argon leaks. About $20 worth of that gas is GONE. Shop foremen need to check that this bottle is turned off just like the acetylene in the metal working room.

When I am sawing and doing other things in the meantime, I wash my hands a lot. With soap it usually takes several soapings, even with “workshop” Lava soap, to get the oil off sufficiently to fix supper or whatever. The other day I used a squirt from the lotion bottle instead of the soap and low and behold, the oil was gone with one application, and my hands smelled like lotion instead of Almag!!!

I don’t know whether this will work with just any hand lotion or not. I used Jergen’s Extra Dry skin lotion and rinsed with plain water.

 

From the Editor of the Roadrunner: I have done this also and it really does work better than soap, even Dawn.

From the Editor of the BBG: Texaco Almag Oil is a mineral oil used for saws. Still sold as a CalTex brand.

Donation of Books  

Bill Moore (of Moore Engineering) donated several boxes of books and there are some terrific titles I am going to add to our collection. I am going to put them on the new stuff shelf for a while.

 

What Your Fossils Can Tell You – vertebrate morphology, pathology, and cultural modification by Robert W. Sinibaldi , published in 2010. This is a terrific book with lotof pictures to help you ID stuff, including aberrant structures. I highly recommend it.

 

Fossils – The Evolution and Extinction of Species by Niles Eldredge, Published in 1991. A non-specialist book and does a great job of covering the subject. I highly recommend it.

 

Unneeded books have been put on the shelf along with the grit and polishing powder. This is a Dutch auction – the price keeps dropping. Right now, the books are $5. In two weeks, they will be $3, two more weeks they will be $1, and then free. I keep one duplicate of a really great book and if I get more, they get sold. Put the money in the shop can.

SILVERSMITHING:  Tony Lucci will be teaching a 5-part class for Beginning Silversmithing starting on Febraury 13th.  This popular class is sold out.  Posting is closed for registration.

JEWELRY FABRICATION:  Do you have a treasured, but broken necklace or bracelet that needs restringing?  Do you have a collection of favorite beads but, do not know what to do with them?  Maggie Manley will teach you the basics of of how to restring and finish your items professionally on Thursday, February 16th from 12 NOON to 3:00 PM.  We will select the most appropriate stringing material and findings to restore your treasure and we will discuss design options for your piece.  If all materials are available and time allows, we will restring your piece(s).  If you have multiple items we will discuss the design and material resources for purchasing materials.  Class will be posted on the HGMS website in the next week at HGMS.org/Education/Classes.

WIRE WRAPPING:  Maggie Manley will teach a Tree of Life pendant wire-wrapping class on Thursday, February 23rd from 12 NOON to 3:00 PM.  This is an intermediate level class.   Class will be posted in the next week on HGMS website at HGMS.org/Education/Classes.

Link to Featured Article: Learn more about Amethyst & Jasper

It seems amazing that amateur collectors seem to find ONLY human or dinosaur remains and want to have their discoveries validated by me. That is not quite right. At the Houston Gem and Mineral Society I am frequently called on to validate the discovery of jade. People want to have their potentially valuable finds “certified” and they will keep on asking people until they get the CORRECT answer that they want.

I have seen wonderful things, like a man with a beautiful chunk of red and white banded agate that he thought was petrified meat, showing red muscle and white fat. I failed to get him to agree that the color banding is typical of agate. I also failed to convince a Bryan, Texas rancher that his outcrop of concretions in yellow sandstone was not dinosaur skulls. It made no difference that his outcrop was in the 45 million old Yegua formation, full of petrified wood, that was deposited about 40 million years after ALL the dinosaurs had become extinct and that these supposed skulls did not look at all like the bones of one of his cows that died a few years ago.

Cell phones have been a great boon to inquiries. Frequently people do not want you to know where the finds have been made for fear that you will publicize it and they will be overrun by people who will steal their discovery. It also saves me a lot of time going to visit the site.

I recently got a call about fossils of “ancient man” from central Texas. He had already sent me 40 photos and was getting irritated that I could not see the same things he was. So he included his hand in the picture in the same position of the bones in his rock. I told him that the lines in the rock are likely from arthropod (usually shrimp) feeding burrows. He was not happy. He sent me a picture of his ear and then this impression of something like an ear in the iron concretion.

On December 13, 2022, scientists declared that two active Hawaii volcanoes—Kilauea and Mauna Loa—have stopped erupting. Mauna Loa, the world’s largest volcano, began spewing molten rock on November 27 after a quiet of 38 years. It was Mauna Loa’s longest period of repose.

Lava viewers in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were also able to see Mauna Loa’s smaller neighbor, Kilauea, erupting at the same time. Kilauea had been erupting since September 2021. A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 residences. Mauna Loa lava didn’t pose a threat to any communities, but got within 1.7 miles of a major highway that connects the east and west sides of the island. For Native Hawaiians, volcanic eruptions have deep cultural and spiritual significance. During Mauna Loa’s eruption, many Hawaiians took part in cultural traditions, such as singing, chanting, and dancing to honor Pele, the deity of volcanoes and fire. It was unclear what connection there could be to the volcanoes stopping their eruptions around the same time. The volcanoes can both can be seen at the same time from multiple spots in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park near Kilauea’s caldera.

Scientists have suspected that somewhere below Hawaii, a secret is entombed in stone. Now, with the help of almost 200,000 earthquakes and a machine learning program, a scientific team from the California Institute of Technology has finally unearthed it. In a study published in the journal Science, the team revealed a previously hidden collection of magma caches. The discovery offers a possible solution to a longstanding mystery: How does magma from the Earth’s mantle travel to the Hawaiian surface? Like much of the planet, Hawaii would not exist without volcanism. Since time immemorial, a deeply rooted fountain of superheated rock known as a mantle plume has been torching the underside of the Pacific tectonic plate. As the plate has continued to drift, a succession of epic volcanoes has risen above the waves, creating the Hawaiian island chain. Today, the chain hosts a small family of active volcanoes, including Mauna Loa and Kilauea, both on the Big Island. The shallow magma reservoirs that feed Hawaii’s eruptions have been known for some time.

This paper describes something new—a giant feature made up of several elongated chambers called sills. When eruptions drain magma from the shallow reservoirs above, these deep-seated sills seem to react. A cacophony of quakes signals when individual chambers begin to fill with molten rock at different times. A persistent seismic rumble from an area southwest of Kilauea and 20 miles below ground had previously suggested that a collection of faults might exist there, creating pathways for magma to travel from the depths to the shallow reservoirs. And since the 1980s, special kinds of quakes suggestive of roaming fluids have hinted that magma has been churning about in the region. But until recently, the true nature of this underground labyrinth was based more on speculation than scientific truth. What scientists needed was a sustained spike in quakes coming from that exact region, enough to strongly illuminate that shadowy zone. The team’s lucky break came in 2018 when, after Kilauea had been erupting for 35 years, a grand-finale-style eruption sequence began. The event produced 320,000 Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth of lava in just 3 months, draining the volcano’s shallow magma reservoir and causing its summit to collapse dramatically. In an exciting plot twist, geologists recorded a shocking spike in deep seismic activity in 2019 way below the town of Pāhala, which sits roughly 25 miles southwest of Kilauea. Surely, scientists thought, this cannot be happenstance. From November 2018 to April 2022, the scientists logged around 192,000 quakes below Pāhala. Plotting the points on a map, the team was stunned to discover a collection of pulsing magmatic structures—the beating volcanic heart of southern Hawaii.

Oren P. Senter was transferred to Big Bend from Hot Springs National Park in July of 1944 to serve as the first Park Ranger for the newly established park. At the time the park boasted a total staff of five, and Senter was quite literally the “Lone Ranger.” Park Superintendent Ross Maxwell reported that Senter would devote his patrols to “becoming acquainted with the local ranchmen who were still living in the park, meeting local representatives of federal and state agencies, local civic clubs and other citizens.” This poem by Senter vividly depicts his frustrations with the challenges this place had to offer.

‘Twas once that I was happy,
My life was filled with cheer,
I never had seen Texas,
‘Till the Park Service brought me here.

I’ve heard songs of her beauty,
Pretty girls and big strong men,
Rolling plains and majestic mountains,
Just heaven from end to end.

The one thing that is certain,
Of this there is no denying,
The guy that started that noise,
Did a hell of a lot of lying.

Deep in the heart of Texas,
There is sand in all we eat,
The girls are all bowlegged,
The boys all have flat feet.

That’s why they have to send me here,
To sit in sad dejection,
Out of this lonely desert,
For this park’s protection.

No longer are we religious,
We drink, we fight, we curse,
No worry about going to Hell,
It can’t be any worse.

Down here the sun is hotter,
Down here the rain is wetter,
They think it’s the best state,
But there are forty-seven better.

Still there is no one to blame but me,
The Park Service never forgot it,
I asked for foreign duty, and
Believe me, By God, I Got it.

President Nancy English called the Zoom meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. A quorum was present and Sigrid Stewart was the only non-voting member in attendance.

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS:  There were no comments shared by President Nancy English.

Approval of Minutes: Because of Sharon Halton’s schedule taking care of her husband, the minutes of the last meeting did not get approved prior to the January meeting. Randy Carlson, Fred Brueckner and Ray Kizer requested minor updates to the notes submitted by Sharon. 2023 Secretary Heidi Shelley made a motion that she add the requested updates to the Board Meeting Minutes submitted by Sharon Halton for the December 6, 2022 meeting then email a final copy to the board for final approval during the days following the January 3, 2023 Board of Director’s Meeting. Ray Kizer seconded the motion. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.

On January 7, 2023, (a few days after the January Board of Directors’ Meeting) final approval was given by the board via email for the December 6, 2022, Board of Directors’ Meeting Minutes. Nancy English made a motion to approve the minutes. Mike Dawkins seconded the motion. It was voted on and passed with final quorum email approval on January 7, 2023.

January General Meeting Topic:

President Nancy English asked if anyone knew who was planning to give the presentation “Fossils and Things Found in Texas and in 2022” during the HGMS General Meeting. Nancy said she would email Sarah Metsa to find out.

Treasurer’s Report: Bookkeeper, Michele Marsel sent via email a partial Year End December 31 Financial Report to the Board of Directors January 3, 2023. It showed the results of the 2022 Annual Show budget. Because of the bank holidays, she was unable to provide the full report. She will forward it later this month to all members. The Board discussed the financial results of the 2022 Annual Show.

• The Board also discussed the classes held during “Santa’s Workshop”.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

BBG Notice: Sigrid Stewart reported that the January BBG would be available to club members the following week. It will now be published in a Web format online, rather than a PDF posted to the HGMS website. This new format will allow content of the BBG to be searchable on the web (such as with Bing, Yahoo, and Google), as well as give more functionality such as links to other articles related to content in the BBG.

Donations, Sales, Auction Committee (DSAC):

• Richard Good reported on the two most recent donations. Richard just put together a Covington 16 in vibrating lap that is now for sale. There was a wheel unit without a motor, a homemade jewelry workbench, two metal detectors and a wheel unit with no motor and no wheels that were donated and Richard sold already.
• Richard Good said he is having a discussion on the bandsaw with Neal. Between Neal, Richard and the Logans, they might be able to make it safe to use, rather than get rid of it.
• The cleanup of the attic has continued. Clyde and Logan (LT) were able to clean out a lot of cardboard that Richard Good recycled. Richard reported that more things have been cleaned out than have been returned to the attic. The club cleanout project continues.

Education Committee:

• Maggie Manley reported that she has been dialoguing with multiple teachers but nobody has committed to teaching a class. Tony has offered to teach a class but has not yet pinned down a date.
• The Board asked about using Facebook and Instagram to advertise classes. Maggie Manley said it would be difficult to add PR on Social Media to her duties as keeping up on questions, posting classes, coordinating with teachers, etc., takes up a lot of her time. Nancy English asked if she needed a volunteer to help with that. Nancy offered to add PR and Advertising to her list of committees to see if someone else can help. Maggie did say she has a list of people who have expressed interest in certain types of classes. When a new class is created, she emails those individuals.
• President Nancy English asked if there was a Polices or Procedures document for teaching classes. Maggie Manley reported that she has a preliminary document for class pricing and procedures. The Board was informed that some teachers have been given this document and all future teachers will receive a copy as well.
• The Board discussed other ways to bring more interest to the club. Field trips and school outreach were mentioned. Heidi Shelley asked if we have done any PR on Instagram and Facebook for the club in general. She follows social media has not seen a lot of activity on the @HGMS_TX Instagram account. Heidi mentioned that the Gemstones and Faceting section has created and posted to Instagram @HGMSFacetSection. She suggested that Facebook and Instagram would be a great way to reach the younger generations. They are more likely to view social media than a website. The Board thought that was a good idea.

Safety/Policy Committee:

• Nancy English asked Richard Good for an update on the building measurements project and bids. Richard Good said he has not heard from Jim Burrell but will give him a call to ask the question. There have been no bids done for getting drawings. Richard said he will not get bids. Once Jim has the measurements, Maggie Manley offered to ask her son to put Jim’s measurements into Autocad to get a baseline drawing of the building at no cost.
• The Board of Directors discussed the idea of a large construction project and Richard Good suggested that the Board scale things down. He suggested the HGMS start with researching the sheet rock issue in the lapidary room as well as look at the plumbing and water situation in the lapidary room closet. Ray Kizer said it was the plumbing electrical closet that started a snow-ball effect of a large construction project. Richard Good suggested we look at our human resources and financial resources. He suggested that for now we start with what was found during the cold front, what *Heidi Shelley found and look at the *sheetrock water damage in the lapidary room *Note: See Clubhouse Maintenance section below in this document for more details.
• Nancy English asked Randy Carlson if he felt better about scaling back. He said it sounded like the Safety/Policy Committee was going back to square one. Richard Good said they were and that he would not spend any money without coming back to the board for drawings. No official vote was taken to redact the decision made during the December 6, 2022 Board of Directors meeting which allowed Richard Good to spend up to $20,000 for building drawings. Ray Kizer suggested the Board wait to see what the results were for the caulking and water damage before any decision is made for further construction projects.
• Maggie Manley corrected some information she had given during the last Board of Directors meeting held on December 6, 2022. She said during that meeting that as a non-profit organization it was illegal to get bids for services. That was how Maggie had understood the law. Since the December 6^th meeting, Maggie looked up the regulations again and found that was true for public institutions like public schools and universities, but her statement was not true for the private industry. HGMS is not restricted from getting bids for work. Maggie apologized for unknowingly giving false information during the last meeting.

Membership Committee: Beverly Mace reported HGMS has three new families and one new single membership in December. The year 2022 ended with 463 adults and 96 youth members, for a total of 559 HGMS members on record.

 

Scholarship Committee: President Nancy English asked Mike Sommers and Daniel Rodriguez via email for a 2023 plan. A further report will be given in next months’ Board of Directors meeting.

Show Committee: The next meeting is on January 10, 2023, at 5:30pm.

SECTION REPORTS

Beading Section in person: third Saturday, 12:30 p.m., January 21, February 18, and March 18, 2023. Maggie Manley reported that the Beading Section will be doing kumihimo for their activity next month.

Day Light Section in person: first Wednesday, 1:00 p.m., January 4, February 1, March 1, 2023.

Gemstones and Faceting Section Hybrid Zoom and in-person: second Thursday, 6:30 p.m., January 12, February 9, and March 9, 2023.

Lapidary and Silversmithing Section in person: third Monday, 7:00 p.m., January 16, February 20, and March 20, 2023.

Mineral Section Zoom program planned: third Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. January 18, 2022, February 15, and March 15, 2023.

Paleo Section Hybrid Zoom and in-person: third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., January 17, February 21, and March 21, 2023. T

Youth Section in person: first and third Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to Noon, January 7 and 21, February 4 and 18, March 18, 2023.

OLD BUSINESS

Bylaws Changes: Sharon Halton has not been able to complete the task of updating the HGMS Bylaws with the changes voted on at the November General Meeting and sending them to Sigrid to post on the Web Site. Nancy English asked Heidi Shelley via email if she would do it. Heidi Shelley reported that Michele Marsel emailed her an MS Word version of the ByLaws. Heidi promised to make the updates. She will email a PDF version to Sigrid Stewart and ask her to update the ByLaws on the website.

Display Cases status: Because there has not been any progress on this project in over a year President Nancy English asked the Show Committee via email if they could assume responsibility of replacing the display cases. The Show Committee Chairman responded to Nancy via email that they will not take action on this item. The Display Cases item will remain the responsibility of the Board of Directors for now.

Send Conduct Section of Bylaws to all members semi-annually. During the March 1, 2022, Board of Directors meeting it was decided to send the Conduct Policies and Dog Policies to the membership semiannually on December 1 and June 1.

“Annual HGMS Policy Communications: It was decided that the Conduct Policies like the clarification of the dog policy and respectful member conduct will be sent out by MailChimp to all members twice a year. A motion was made by Ray Kizer and seconded by Randy Carlson to begin sending out the Club’s Conduct Policies twice a year to all club members starting in March and again on December first in 2022 and for following years in June and December. The motion passed unanimously.“

Nancy English asked Sarah Metsa via email if that had been done on December 1, 2022. Sarah responded to Nancy via email that it had not been done and that she would take care of it.

NEW BUSINESS

Class Fee Structure – Member vs. Non-Member: Maggie Manley reminded the Board that the different fee structure for a member vs. non-member was set up as a trial bases for the year of 2022. She asked the board if we wanted to continue with this fee structure. Richard Good moved that HGMS maintain the current policy of having two tier rates for classes: a higher rate for non-members and a lower rate for members. Heidi Shelley seconded the motion. The motion passed. It was unanimous.

New Signatures on HGMS accounts: President Nancy English asked for 2 motions to change the signers on the HGMS bank accounts.

1. Ray Kizer moved to update the signatures on the Prosperity Bank as follows:

• Michele Marsel, Sarah Metsa, and Nancy English sign on the checking account ending 8888.
• Remove Sharon Halton as the HGMS Secretary and establish Heidi Shelley as the new Secretary and administrator.

The motion was seconded by Richard Good and it passed. The vote was unanimous.

New signers will meet at Prosperity Bank this month to change signatories on the HGMS Capital Repairs and Improvements account.

2. Mike Dawkins moved to update the signatures on the Chase Bank accounts as follows:

• Remove Sharon Halton as Secretary and Administrator of Accounts and replace her with Heidi Shelley.
• Remove Beverly Mace as a signer on the account ending in 7598.
• For the account CLUB BILL PAY CHECKING ending in 7598, signers will be President Nancy English, 1^st Vice President Sarah Metsa, and Bookkeeper Michele Marsel. Secretary Heidi Shelley will be the Administrator of Accounts.
• The account “PAYPAL” HIGH YEILD SAVINGS ending in 5510 signers will be President Nancy English, Bookkeeper Michele Marsel, and 1^st Vice President Sarah Metsa. Secretary Heidi Shelley will be the Administrator of Accounts.
• President Nancy English and Bookkeeper Michele Marsal will continue to have debit cards for access to the checking account ending in 7598.

The motion was seconded by Fred Brueckner, and it passed. The vote was unanimous.

New signers will meet at Chase Bank this month to change signatories on the HGMS accounts listed above.

Clubhouse Maintenance Issue: Repair hole in the concrete seam of HGMS.

Nancy English reported that on Saturday, Heidi Shelley was checking some faceting equipment stored in the Faceting cabinet in the loft when she noticed daylight streaming through the cement wall in the corner. It appears there is a seam there and the caulk has pulled away at various places along the seam that she could see. She reported it to maintenance@hgms.org. Nancy English specifically asked Dean Wix via email if he would be fixing it. Heidi reported that when she meets with Dean, they would also walk around the entire building to assess any other caulking needs. Heidi Shelley reported that she also noticed evidence of water running down the wall. She estimated it was right above the place in the lapidary shop below where the sheet rock has buckled from water damage. Richard Good said a little more investigation might be worthwhile. He offered to take a small amount of sheetrock off the wall at that place in the lapidary shop to investigate further. This would be a maintenance item, not a construction item at this point in time.

 

New Social Chairman: President Nancy English informed the board that she has appointed a new Social Chairman, Debbie Seid. Debbie offered to be the Social Chairman for 2023 during the HGMS December Christmas Party. She will provide the refreshments at the General Meetings. This is the information Nancy English gave her about the job.

• Covering the general meeting refreshments is a great idea. We reimburse up to $55.00. You leave a form and your receipts for the bookkeeper to reimburse you. Refreshments are covered for January. Whatever is in the kitty you can take to reduce the amount you claim.
• There are 4 events at the end of the year.
• We have pizza after the Postcard Labeling meeting. We order from Domino’s tax-free, and I buy a bag of salad to go with it. In October about 12 volunteers label 7,000 postcards advertising the Show.
• Also, in October we have a Show potluck dinner and auction at the HGMS Clubhouse. The Show committee provides the meat.
• The Saturday after the Show we have a volunteer thank-you party at Scott Singleton’s house. We provide everything.
• On the second Saturday of December, we have our Holiday party at the church. HGMS provides meat, sodas, and water.

Clyde McMeans is a big help in getting things to and from the church from the Club supplies.

The Board of Directors is very grateful to Debbie Seid for volunteering to serve as Social Chairman.

 

New Fee Structure – A Question Asked: Richard Good asked the Board of Directors to think about the possibility of raising the shop fee from $2.00 to $3.00 per hour. Ray Kizer responded that he would like to revisit that idea after Richard Good and the Building Committee figure out if they are going to tear the shop out for months. Fred Brueckner said that prices are going up in general. He suggested that the Show Committee needs to consider the prices of tickets and tables; the Board of Directors needs to think about shop fees; and the price of drinks in the clubhouse fridge could be raised as well. President Nancy English suggested each member of the board think about it. This item will be discussed further during the next Board of Director’s meeting in February.

Board of Directors Agenda: Heidi Shelley informed the Board members that she would be writing the agenda for February’s meeting instead of President Nancy English. She will contact Board members around the 16^th of January requesting any items they would like on the agenda. The goal is to have the monthly agenda to the board at least a week before the meeting along with any background information.

The next Board of Directors Zoom meeting will be on the first Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. on February 7, 2023.

The next Hybrid (in-person and Zoom) General Meeting will be on the fourth Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., January 24, 2023. The program will be about the fossils, gems, and minerals that were discovered in 2022. Neal Immega and Abdul Malikzad will provide refreshments.

 

ADJOURN

Adjourn: Heidi Shelley moved to adjourn the meeting. Maggie Manley seconded the motion and it passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:09 pm.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Heidi Shelley

HGMS Secretary 2023

President Nancy English called the meeting to order at 7:39 pm and thanked those who were coming as well as Sarah Metsa for setting up Zoom.

She welcomed 12 attendees in person and 8 attendees online.

New members:

• Mark Segall gave a short introduction letting everyone know that he loves rocks and especially Paleo. He has spent many years identifying insects and has done a lot of microscope work. He is excited for the opportunity to sit with and have conversations with people who have the same common interest in rocks.
• Chris and Ashley Stafford. They live up in Cleveland but finally decided to join the club. Chris is particularly interested in Paleo, but is excited to learn about other aspects of the club as well. Ashley is into Paleo too, but is more interested in learning about all kinds of rocks.
• Matt and Allison Sklar recently became members. They joined via Zoom. They have helped with the show at the info booth and security in the past.

Guests: There were no guests present.

 

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

• New Social Chair: President English introduced the new Social Chairman, Debbie Seid. Debbie will be providing refreshments for the General Meetings this year. She will also organize the social functions associated with the Annual Show. Debbie asked members to let her know if you have any allergies or special interests in treats for these functions. She would like to incorporate that into her treat selection if possible.
• Treasurer: The Board is still looking for a Treasurer. If you are capable of providing this valuable service to HGMS, please contact Nancy English at President@hgms.org. Michele Marsel was the treasurer but is no longer on the board and would like to be completely done in August. 1^st Vice President Sarah Metsa interjected that even if you know someone who is not a member that would like to volunteer as treasurer can. Nancy English asked if there were any members that knew of anyone that would like to be treasurer please let Nancy know.
• Zoom Sound: President Nancy English reminded those present that the speakers used for the hybrid meetings are very sensitive. If you feel the need to have a personal conversation during the meeting or the program, please move to the garage.
• AAPG Awards: President Nancy English announced that club members Inda and Neal Immega will be getting the AAPG Public Service Award this year (American Association of Petroleum Geologists). She congratulated them both.

 

Approval of Minutes: James Eleckel moved to approve the minutes of the November 28, 2022, General Meeting as published in the December 2022 BBG and January 22, 2023, Sunday e-blast. Sarah Metsa seconded the motion. The motion passed with a majority vote.

COMMITTEE/SECTION REPORTS

President Nancy English informed those present that our monthly publication of the BBG carries the minutes from the Board meetings and from the general meetings. Those minutes also have the Committee Reports in them and lists what is going on with different committees. The weekly eblast also contains information as things come up. Please look for reports of future Section meetings and programs in the BBG calendar, on the Website https://hgms.org/events, or by reading the weekly Sunday, e-blast from Houston Gem and Mineral Society.

President English highlighted a few of those committed/section reports.

 

Membership Committee:

President English explained, “Beverly [Mace] reported in the January board meeting that 2022 ended with 463 adult members and 96 youth members … for a total of 559 HGS members on record. That is really a great number because [membership] dropped off  significantly over COVID and we usually have about 400 members or more…now we’re up to 559, so we’re all really happy that it’s coming back. Be sure to renew your membership before March 31st because after that you lose your shop privileges and you won’t get the weekly eblast that Sarah [Metsa] so wonderfully sends out.”

 

As a side note, President English asked the new members if they have seen the eblast yet. She explained that usually new members are signed up for the eblast fairly quickly after joining the club. The eblast email usually comes Sunday night or Monday morning and talks about everything that’s going to happen the following week and some things like classes that are coming up. It also lists when the section meetings are held and what they are going to do in their meetings for the month. President English said that if anyone was not getting the eblast and wanted to so send an email to News@hgms.org putting “New Member” in the subject line. Sarah Metsa will make sure new submissions are added to the list if not already added.

 

Donations, Sales, Auction Committee (DSAC): President English announced that Michele Marsel has resigned from the position of Head of the Donations, Sales and Auction Committee. President English explained that we still have a lot of donations and that we will be doing auctions during the year but we need someone that is willing to put those auctions together.  Richard Good has taken a number of donated items home to put them into working condition and paint them and then bring them back to the club to sell them. President English thanked Richard for his efforts with doing this.

[ Please Note: We are still looking for a Chairman for this committee. If you are interested in serving in this position, please get in touch with President Nancy English.]

Education Committee: President Nancy English announced that the Education Committee is getting back on track after COVID, where classes were not being offered due to the pandemic. Maggie Manley is the chairman of that committee. President English reported information for the following classes currently being offered:

SILVERSMITHING: Tony Lucci will be teaching a 5-part class for Beginning Silversmithing starting on February 13th This popular class is sold out.  Posting is closed for registration.

WAX CARVING & CASTING: Tony Lucci will teach a 5-part class for Wax Carving & Casting in March. Dates are being finalized at this time.

 

JEWELRY FABRICATION: Do you have a treasured, but broken necklace or bracelet that needs restringing? Do you have a collection of favorite beads but, do not know what to do with them? Maggie Manley will teach you the basics of of how to restring and finish your items professionally on Thursday, February 16th from 12 NOON to 3:00 PM. We will select the most appropriate stringing material and findings to restore your treasure and we will discuss design options for your piece. If all materials are available and time allows, we will restring your piece(s). If you have multiple items we will discuss the design and material resources for purchasing materials. This class is posted on the HGMS website at HGMS.org/Education/Classes.

 

WIRE WRAPPING Maggie Manley will teach a Tree of Life pendant wire-wrapping class on Thursday, February 23rd from 12 NOON to 3:00 PM. This is an intermediate level class. This class is posted on the HGMS website at HGMS.org/Education/Classes.

 

Safety/Policy Committee: President English reported, “Our safety and Policy Committee, [was] formed two years ago to make some renovations in the club. We expanded our small projects into something so big we can afford it. So now we’re narrowing it back down to things that need to be fixed.” She reported, “Richard [Good] is a key person on that committee and I’m the chairman of that committee. And Heidi [Shelley], who is our secretary, has been dragged into some of the decisions in that committee…” [Note:  See New Business section in these minutes for more items related to this committee].

 

OLD BUSINESS

President English asked members to look for the progress of Old Business items in the Board of Directors Meeting Minutes in the latest BackBenders Gazette (BBG) on the HGMS Website https://hgms.org under Publications.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

Building Issues: President Nancy English reported about the following two maintenance items on the building. She related the following background information:

Re-Caulk Seams: Earlier this month, Heidi [Shelley] was up in the loft doing something for faceting when she noticed that you could see daylight through the seams of the concrete. These buildings are built with slabs of concrete that are tilt-wall construction. The seams where the slabs of concrete meet are caulked together and that deteriorates over time. President English mentioned this to Neal Immega and he reported that he has been re-caulking the outside of the building as needed over the years.  President English reported the Dean Wix called the roofing contractors, Resolute Roofing. They fixed all three seams as well as some flashing that wasn’t quite put together [this occurred during the week of January 23, 2023].

Water Damage:

For your information, water damage has been discovered in the wall of the lapidary room, behind the grinders just to the right of the electrical closet. Further research revealed wood rot in the base plate and in some of boards of the wall near the floor. Though there is some wood rot, the structure is currently sound. We are working on a plan to replace the damaged wall to maintain safety in the shop. When we have further details and dates of construction we will let you know. We hope to begin work as soon as bids are received and contractors are available.

 

Please Note: The lapidary room will need to be closed to members while the actual construction takes place. We will keep you informed. In the meantime, the lapidary room will remain open. If you have concerns about the water damage, feel free to avoid that section of the shop until replacement of the wall damage is complete.

President English said, “Those studs [in the lapidary room] hold up the attic. We are all about rocks, right? We have collected lots and lots of rocks which puts a lot of pressure on the flooring up there [in the attic]. So besides just replacing that wall on those studs to be sure to hold it up we’re also looking at replacing the cross pieces and putting more of those in so that [the attic floor] is stronger “ and someone attending the General Meeting added “more load bearing.”

 

Further Business or Questions: President English asked for any further New Business or if there were any questions. There were none.

The next Zoom Board of Directors meeting will be on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. President English said if anyone would like to attend the zoom meeting to send her an email at President@hgms.org and she will put you on the e-vite list with the link. She said that meeting is from 7:30 to about 9:30 pm.  The next Hybrid General Meeting will be on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. Since Sharon Halton and her husband did not go to Australia, Sharon will not be reporting on her trip. Sarah Metsa said she will find a new program for next month’s General Meeting and will announce it in a future eblast.

 

Show-n-Tell: Nancy asked for presenters to limit items to 3

• Clyde McMeans shared a quartz arrowhead. He purchased a slab of lab-grown quartz from a source in Cleveland, Ohio and gave a piece of it to Heidi Shelley’s husband, Richard. Richard cut up the quartz slab and made an arrowhead out of it and gave it to Clyde.

 

• Sarah Metsa shared a necklace she found that is made of a kind of rock. She thinks it is a pretty necklace. She thinks it is maybe Stichtite, but she is not really sure. She wanted to show the necklace to see if anyone can help identify it. She suggested maybe serpentine and that is what another member present thought it maybe was.

 

Free Table: Richard Good pointed out that there is a free table in the in the meeting hall just inside the door, in case the new members present were not aware of it. He also shared some information about the rocks he recently placed on the free table. President Nancy English said that sometimes the club receives donations that they put on the front porch of the building for people to grab and put in their rock gardens. She said anyone can grab anything from the front porch as well as the free table.

Drawing: James Eleckel won the large geode half.

Before the meeting adjourned President English apologized for the lack of refreshments. She reminded people there are drinks available to purchase in the fridge. She asked that during the break members thank the volunteers who made tonight possible as well as all volunteers who make all of what HGMS is available.

Adjourn

Sarah Metsa moved to adjourn the meeting. James Eleckel seconded it. The General Club Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.

Williamson County Gem & Mineral Show

02/19/2023 – 02/10/2023

Sat. 10:00am – 6:00pm Sun. 10:00 – 4:00pm

San Gabriel Park Community Center

445 E Morrow St, Georgetown TX 78628

https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsonCountyGemSociety

 

Big Spring Prospectors Club

03/05/2023 – 03/06/2023

Sat.  9:00am – 5:00pm Sun. 10:am – 5:00pm

Rodeo Grounds of Howard County Fair Barn

2900 Old State Hwy 80

Big Spring TX 79720

https://www.facebook.com/bigspringprospectorsclub/

 

Clear Lake Gem & Mineral Show

03/18/2023 – 03/19/2023

Sat. 10:00am – 6:00pm Sun. 10:00am – 5:00pm

Pasadena Convention Center

7902 Fairmont Parkway

Pasadena TX 77507

https://www.clgms.org/

 

 

Two Haikus by Steve Blyskal

 

Minerals await

Hiding in their cushioned flats

For those who seek them

 

Our friends host a show

And we should all support them

Pasadena’s close