It’s once again time to remind you of the coming meeting, and to briefly review the ‘minutes’ from our August 2011 meeting. September’s meeting will be held in the Lodge Room of the Sonoma Co. Veteran’s Bldg on Wednesday Sept 21 at 7:00 pm. James Conrad (and Traci) will again be selling Hot Dogs, so come early, enjoy “dinner with friends”, and help solve world problems; all before the regular meeting.
Last month’s meeting was full of energy (for wont of a better word); we had more new people and a lot of group discussion and participation. Some of the topics were the upcoming Gem and Mineral Show in October, new camping sites to check out, sharing outing experiences, the Dredge Moratorium and ways around it, and the annual Bear River outing on the weekend after the meeting.
Roger discussed the future of the Raffle, and what to expect in the prize category; more silver and more useful equipment so you can find your own nuggets. Thanks to everyone for participating in the raffles. It’s a fun way to help keep the club a-float; donating with a chance to win prizes too. Speaking about the raffle, James Conrad put together some “kits” for use when hunting gold, so be sure to check them out. He’s quite inventive. They’ll be displayed with the other prizes.
Remember: bring a guest(guests) and receive a raffle ticket . That goes for bring refreshments too: bring food or drinks to share and receive a free ticket. Same thing for the raffle: donate something to the raffle and receive a ticket for your donation BUT….with the raffle, the prize must be something you yourself would like to win.
Frank Maytus gave information about Morris Flat and changes there. James Conrad spoke about high water and the dangers of flooding, possible camping spots and the difficulties in getting reservations. He again asked for suggestions for outings, and new spots to hold these outings. Randy Ricci talked about finding gold at Roaring Camp; Bill Lieberman and Norman Shriver talked about their finds at El Dorado; Danny and Stacy Laborin went to Bear River and Danny regaled us with his stories and that guy CAN tell a story.
Danny Laborin talked about the slippery moss growing on the rocks beneath the water’s surface and asked for suggestions to counter this hazard. Some of the suggestions given were carpet soles or diving shoes. My favorite was putting cotton thigh-hi’s over your shoes. Apparently the heavy cotton socks help grip the rocks while somewhat displacing the moss.
At this month’s meeting I will have the information concerning the Gem & Mineral Show, the free passes, and the schedules for those of you whom volunteered to help with our booth.
We will be having a ‘guest speaker’ at the meeting, and she’ll be sharing a different kind of information. Patty’s father collected what she calls “mining artifacts”. He died in August and she will be bringing photos and items for show and tell. Her father was a member of the Treasure Hunters in Santa Clara County and also a member of an evidence recovery team for law enforcement. Apparently he had at least three metal detectors (one has never been used) as well as ” a huge collection: mining hats, bird cages (for the birds used to detect poisonous gases), candle sticks, carbide lamps, and more mining artifacts”. Some of these items will be for sale so if you are interested in hearing about this man and his collecting career, or if you may want to make a purchase, be sure to come to the meeting! If you are unable to make the meeting but want more information about this man and his collections, let me know and I will pass the info to Patty.
See you at the meeting, Kathe
An 88 year old man named Charlie enjoyed living at the assisted-living home, especially after 84 year old Gertrude moved into the same building. After a few short months Charlie was deeply in love! After much hesitation, the day came for Charlie to make his move. In the crowded dining room, Charlie got down on his knees next to Gertrude’s table and said loudly ,”I have three things to ask you honey!” As the entire room became quiet, Gertrude smiled sweetly and said “Alright.” Charlie said, “First, will you marry me?” Gertrude excitedly said, “Yes!” Everyone in the room applauded and cheered. After several seconds, Gertrude prodded, “What were the other 2 questions, Charlie?” Charlie said, ” What was your name again? And will you help me get back up?”
The Smith’s were unable to conceive a child, so they decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr Smith kissed his wife goodbye, and said, “Well, I’m off now. The man should be here soon.” Half an hour later, by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the Smith’s doorbell, hoping to make a sale. “Good morning, ma’am, I’ve come to….” Before he could finish, Mrs Smith cut in, embarrassed, “No need to explain! I know why you are here. I have been expecting you.” “Have you really?” said the photographer. “well, that’s good! Did you know babies are my specialty” “Well, that’s what my husband and I were hoping! Please come in and have a seat” blushed the wife. After a moment, still blushing, the wife asked, “Well, where do we start?” ” You just leave everything to me! I usually try two in the tub, one on the couch, perhaps a couple on the bed; and sometimes the living room floor is fun! You can really spread out there,” the photographer enthused. “The bath tub? The living room floor? No wonder it didn’t work out for Harry and me!” “Well Ma’am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions, and I shoot from six or seven angles, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results!” “My! That’s a lot!” “Ma’am, in my line of work. a man has to take his time. I’d love to be in and out in 5 minutes, but I’m sure you’d be disappointed with that!” “Don’t I know it!” replied Mrs Smith. The man opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. “This was done on top of a bus” he bragged. “OH MY GOSH!” exclaimed Mrs Smith, grasping her throat. ” And these twins turned out especially well, considering that their mother was so difficult to work with.” “She was difficult?” asked Mrs Smith “Extremely so” replied the man. “I finally had to take her to the park to get things done right! People were crowding around five and six deep to get a good look!” “Five and six deep?” squeaked Mrs Smith. “Yes!” replied the photographer. “And for more than three hours too! The mother was constantly squealing and yelling….I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached, I had to rush my shots! Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in!” “You mean they actually chewed on your , err, umm, equipment?” “Yes, ma’am, it is all true! Now, if we could get started, I’ll set up my tripod and we can get to work right away! I’m excited to get started!” “TRIPOD?” “Oh, yes, ma’am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on; it’s much too big and heavy to be held in the hand very long.” Mrs. Smith fainted.