Picture of the Day - My Chelyabinsk

J. Michael Santos is back! The last time I saw him in the Santa Lucia Rockhounds' Rockhound Roundup Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show was back in the early 2000's when it was still in the park and in one of the first years I attended the show as a member of the public uninvolved with the host club and its show. At that time he was operating as Eccentric Endeavors. He was back in the show this past weekend which is now held in the Paso Robles Event Center. Now Michael is focusing in on the meteorite business and calling it StarStruck Meteorites. His booth was my favorite in the show this year and I look forward to seeing him in the June Cayucos Rock Show. Although I am a starving student I did manage to eke out purchasing a Chelyabinsk meteorite which I never thought I'd be able to own. Also, I was able to pick up a commemorative picture postcard booklet from Russia about that 2013 fireball and meteorite fall. Additionally, I managed to get myself my first fulgurite from Death Valley which is a welcome addition to my fulgurite collection.
Be sure to check out Day One and Day Two of this show. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Hate To Have This Hit Me On The Head

Artist's rendering of the relative sizes of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and the City of Los Angeles. The European Space Agency's Rosetta Space Probe landed upon this comet earlier today. Photo credit: Matt Wang, Flickr: anosmicovni. European Space Agency.

A Kim Scene Captured On Camera

Scenes like this one are what I call "Kim Scenes". Why? Because they feature simultaneous multiple elements of what turns me on down to the roots of who and what I am.  Here we have the ongoing and tragically destructive Courtney Fire burning nocturnally along the shore of Bass Lake, CA. The fire is being reflected dramatically off of the still surface of Bass Lake while smoke rises languidly from the fire and lazily drifts to the left while being illuminated by the fire itself. Meanwhile, a meteroid streaks across the night sky above while the Milky Way galaxy dominates the background beyond wrapped in a heavenly glow of starlight. Photo by Darvin Atkeson (all rights reserved).

Latest Jewels Of The Earth By Diana

This past weekend at the 54th Annual Cayucos Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show I had the privilege of renewing my acquaintance with Diana March and her awesome husband. She is my favorite wire-wrap artist and whose work is the only jewelry to grace my body which is saying quite a bit about her work given I am not a jewelry person. A year ago I shared her then inventory HERE. I am updating you all as to her latest creations which are very much on par with what she was doing a year ago. She is a great metal artist but the key to her art is in her own words on her website: ALWAYS HONOR THE STONE! Do enjoy the following images accounting for my shortcomings as a photographer and do be cool and acquire one of these pieces for yourself.

*Note: Be sure to check out Main Event and Rock Photography Set XIV.

Lapiz Lazuil

Columbian Amber

Megalodon tooth Florida.

Various metallic minerals such as botryoidal Hematite.

Ammolite from Canada.

Russian Pallasite

Petrified Wood from Madagascar

Amethyst stalactite slab from Artigas, Uruguay.

Elbaite

Rhodochrosite

Boulder Opal from Oz.

Malachite from Katanga, Zaire.

Megalodon from Florida.

Sikote-Alin Meteorite from Russia.

I love the reddish Amethyst from Thunder Bay.

Precious Opal

Russian Pallasite slab.

Dioptase at left and Chrysoprase at right.

Fossilized Mastadon or Mammoth molar.

Garnet on Quartz.

Precious Opal

Ammolite Ammonite from Madagascar.

Sikote-Alin meteorite shrapnel from Russia.

Moldavite from Cech Republic.

Precious Opal

Agates including Crazy Lace at right.

Russian meteorite slab showing Widmanstatten Lines.

Malachite from Zaire

Precious Opal from Oz.

Africa-shaped pendent.

Labradorite from Madagascar

Amethyst stalactite slab from Artigas, Uruguay.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Dark Flight Close-Call

This is utterly awesome! I realize I'm late posting it here as this has been viral for days but I've been busy with the event mentioned in the previous post here. Here is an interesting take on this from Slate's Bad Astronomy.

The Best of the Chelyabinsk Meteoric Event

Below are some highlights of the Chelyabinsk meteoric event from earlier this year.

Two Fireballs

Tonight on the way home to Paso Robles from spending Thanksgiving Day with my grandmother and mother in Fremont as I drove south on Highway 101 in southern Monterey County I witnessed two fireballs ahead of me to the south.

The first one I saw from somewhere in the King City area and of the two got the clearest view of as I watched it translate from left to right across my entire field of view arcing downwards, ever-slower and fainter and visibly tumbling. It appeared to have landed in the Santa Lucia Mountains or the ocean off the coast. It was clearing slowing down meaning it did not bounce back out of the atmosphere. It was not getting smaller or breaking up and it was getting fainter in glow meaning it was not burning up or breaking up but rather it was cooling down as attained mere terminal velocity and the atmosphere stopped burning it but rather began to cool it near the end of its descent. It was so close I could see it was somewhat elongated and tumbling. This object most assuredly plummeted to the ground as a significantly-sized object. The only question is if it made it westward into the ocean just off the coast or if it is sitting in the ground under some chaparral somewhere in the coast range.

The second one I saw only the end of as it exploded in a brilliant white flash of energy to my south as I drove a section of the highway within Camp Roberts placing this explosion to my south. I never saw tail or the heading of the object although my mother who was with me did. I missed it because I was momentarily glancing in a different direction.

Jewels Of The Earth By Diana

Since first I ever set eyes upon the jewelry design and making artwork of Diana March I have been enamored with her expert eye for selecting truly great pieces of mineral, fossil, tektite, or meteorite as pendants as well as her extraordinary sense of design and highly-skilled execution in wirewrapping those pieces into amazing works of jewelry art. As if that weren't enough her prices are incredibly affordable given what they are. On top of that she is an incredibly affable, down-to-earth, and kind-hearted person who has avoided getting all self-importantly full of herself as too often happens to artists moving up in the world.

And I won't neglect to mention her awesome husband who possesses an awesome talent for designing wonderfully creative displays for his wife's jewelry. He's also a real hoot to banter with. In these two people the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts and it is a pleasure to know them to the degree that I do.

As some of you may or may not know I am not a jewelry-wearing guy but after acquiring an Ernie Porter-collected piece of jade I recruited Diana to create a pendant and necklace for it befitting a man's man and as those of you whom have been following this blog may or may not recall she created THIS amazing work of jewelry art I wear to all special occasions.

Below are images of their display at last weekend's 53rd Annual Cayucos Gem & Mineral Show.  

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).