MUST GOOO MINING!! MUST GOOO MINING!! MUST GOOO MINING!! - I'm going crazy already - the start of winter.... is that normal?

That's completely normal Colin! But just think..........winter hasn't even begun yet.

Times like this are best used cleaning out concentrates or cleaning previously pulled dirty specimens I think.


Hang in there!

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I think it's normal too. I get the cabin fever pretty easy but combat it with winter projects as Denise suggested. I have various mineral/fossil stuff set aside from the season and will be back to knifemaking also. That.... and mineral/land status research are the things that get me through winter. I mix in a little winter flyfishing since we have open tailwaters up here and a few ice fishing trips with friends. I've found these things make the long winters pretty tolerable up here. These are the things I found to supplement anyway, it's different for everybody. My knees are fairly shot so no more skiing/boarding, and I used to teach both here. If I don't have something on the plate at all times... I go stir crazy, which leads to the cabin fever.
I'm fever-free............ for now.

We all get the fever I think! I'll work cons and land research like swizzle-stick said. Fortunately I also have Skyrim and most importantly; my lil squishy to keep occupied.

I used to watch the approach of winter with great anticipation. For winter was the season of trapping. I had a trap line and that sure keeps a person busy during the time they are running it. The colder the better, the pelts were that much thicker and prices were higher. Now days the only legal trapping devise is a cage, no conifers or leg holds allowed. Colorado passed this law a while back. I know this is only my option, and it is politically based, but I hate it when a bill like that is passed by voters who likely not one in 1,000 of them ever trapped or skinned an animal. Anywho.... yeah, what they said. I have to find winter projects and have more and more people tell me what I can and can not do!

Your statements Woody, make me want to meet you more and more. Anywho, I don't have a lot of winter projects... is my problem. Research only takes so long, if you know what yer looking for. On a rather left field note, winter is here for me (already had to walk to work) my tires have been bald since...'09 sooo... anything - be it half an inch, my truck, TRUCK mind you, even in 4 wheel drive, slides all around - parked cars... hellooo life sized pinball. So any chance of getting up to mountains... is a lost cause for me - until I can afford new tires.. but as always, I've got a lot of crap to buy/bills to be had, and the yada yada. I've been going stir crazy the last few weeks... Anyone wanna pick me up? LOL - Show ya my new pocketed area..

Here... make one of these, that should keep you busy for a little while: Shoestring Budget Trommel

Love it! Might improve it a bit, good thing I have all the supplies needed. Should take me roughly 3-4 hours to complete. Won't do right this moment however, as I'm cleaning up my pieces and odds n ends from Endless. "Tossing out," quite a bit, but I want full crystals. Not just pieces...

I'll prob have pics up later tonight, if not, tomorrie fosho.

Colin

Take a trip through zales, the smell helps!

Too funny!! That could help till one gets in trouble for drooling all over the display cases.

Psh, drool is just homemade windex!

Ok... so I underestimated the time needed to deconstruct and reconstruct that trommel. It will make, among another I thought up - in the desconstruction, of the idea... of the trommel, winter projects - interesting. To say the least.


On a left field note (Oh left field, my old friend) If the roads are good... for the mountains... Sight on seen,in a sorta kinda way, that's not so much in a not so sorta kinda way. If you follow me. I'll be getting in my final attempt at hounding before old man winter kicks me in the face. Since I have the day off - worse case, I get as far as I can (truck to road or truck to ... well, anything really) Pray to jeebas it's not on private land and look for a place to dig. Make the most of the day.

Colin

Well I was in the lake george area after the snow and right now the roads arent to bad and the snow is only in te tree'd areas under the trees.

Chris

Decided to push it to tomorrow (Friday) after work - that being said, after work tomorrie is at 830am

I really hope this is the last 3am'er I'll hafta do. It's nice not having customers ask me, every 2 minutes where something is - and I can actually get some work done... but it's 3am!

Colin

I am in the "Must... goooooo..... prospecting!" frame of mind. Can't do it right now for many reasons. Oh, well - at least I can research some areas for next year!

Soop up that trommel!

As I stated on FB - what an epic day, lot of decent finds - I'll have pics in the next couple of days.

Sounds like another great day at the dig! Looking forward to seeing the finds Colin!

Yeah yeah... need to be cleaned... warm water and soap doesn't work all to well - especially on these specimens. Is what it is... Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachmentthe red is internal Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachmentenhanced color Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

You are a rockhounding machine!
I don't know what any of those are but they are purty and nice & gemmy! I think some of those are gonna be dazzlers after a good cleaning.

Sweet find Colin!! The first one shown (first and second pic) looks to be a sweet clump of flatter Quartz crystals, that one will clean up nicely I think. I think it's cool when they clump together like that! The second specimen looks like a very cool book of Mica. Third pic looks like a cool piece of Quartz, love the shape! That pocket sure has been treating you right! Good job!

Awesome! I like the double terminated quartz. Looks like you found some more Fluorspar also. Very cool.

Now I'm not sure it's Fluorspar - I found a lot more purple stuff on my outing yesterday (11/28). It's super soft - easy to break apart - lightweight - not sure what it is - of course, but don't think it's Fluorspar now. I'll have pics up after I give them a cleaning with little to no results of ever cleaning in the first place...

I also prospected a new area (to me) around the area of Sugar Creek Rd. (Obviously the later half, as the first is private) Found some specimens in the hole I found myself in (started) Probably nothing - need a good rinse before I'll know for sure.

Colin

The short - of what's to come - Click to view attachment Click to view attachment and my new work station - full of crap, but a work station none the less (still need to be cleaned, the pile on the table, half ass cleaned to see better what to keep er what not) - Click to view attachment

Sampletastical - Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment PURPLE BABY!! Take it, Hold it, Love it.

SCORE! Well done, Colin!

Just so-s you knows - the first two pics - first is normal, second is with enhanced color - both, however, are, regardless... sprayed with a clearant. Was testing that out - and it worked great (tried on some pieces from Endless as well)

- Figured I'd spray a couple samples of the purple stuff -

Just to see, you know,... worked out great - really show's what I see in person, not my crappy camera.

Beautiful color! The first four pics looked like they might be something other than Fluorite/Fluorspar. The last 3 pics tell me that it is Fluorite. I see cleavage and crystal structure that is consistent with Fluorite. I also see some small yellow crystals on pic #3 in between the two large purple spots. You might have an interesting combo there.

I'm not seeing the small yellow crystals... hmmm, you mean this pic? Click to view attachment