Sir Paul Howard & Queensland Agates Come To OMS

Earlier this evening I carpooled to this month's general meeting of the Orcutt Mineral Society of which I am a lapsed black sheep member who had not attended such a meeting since February 2013 and had not payed my 2014 membership dues until tonight. It was nice seeing most of the old crew there and making the acquaintance of a few newer members. I felt bad I missed their Nipomo show this past month for the first time in perhaps a decade... or did I miss it last year, too? It's all a blur at this point! This month's program was a video by an Australian named Sir Paul Howard who is a self-proclaimed and self-educated agate expert from Queensland which has some of the best agates in the world on a par with any of the best in the world such as Condor Agates.

Note: member Wes Lingerfelt is a long-time friend of Sir Paul Howard who also donated some sampler boxes of small Queensland Agates for the OMS to sell as a fund-raising activity. 

Smoky sunset (from the Meadow Fire in Yosemite) as seen out the west door of the senior center here in Orcutt, CA.

The desert selection at this club's meetings are my downfall... especially Jeanie Lingerfelt's pies.

Debbie Hood (center) is my girl here in the OMS.

The OMS has the oldest median age of the three regional rockhounding groups.

Wayne Mills manning the drawing station.

From left: Wes Lingerfelt (show chairman & treasurer), Debbie Hood (past president), Elaine Von Achen (president), and Wayne Mills (immediate past president).

It is fun being a member of all three regional rockhounding groups (I believe I am the only person who is a member of all three) as it gives me a broader range of club experience as all three are not much alike.

OMS's current lineup of leaders for the current president's opening remarks and report to the club.

Sir Paul Howard's video with the following images being still images from throughout it.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes with original agate images by Sir Paul Howard (all rights reserved).