25th Annual Rockhound Roundup - Day One

The following images I captured today of Day One of the Santa Lucia Rockhounds' annual Rockhound Roundup Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show. This year was the quarter century mark of the event which is in the Paso Robles Event Center in Estrella Hall for the second consecutive year after being in a city park down the street for 22 of the previous 23 years. I am the dealer chair again this year for the second consecutive year after being show chairmen for three years prior to that, but stepped down to attend Cal Poly. The names of the club members and dealers are being withheld to protect the innocent.
Note: check out Day Two of the show as well as my personal haul from the show HERE.

The view from across Riverside Ave.

And come on in they did.

A warm and fuzzy welcome with biconoids at right.

Some of my co-conspirators.

Much better use of signage this year.

We're all good now.

The most beautiful display in the entire show at left.

She killed it again this weekend!

Over hill, over Dale into my show.

She always pays first, year after year.

One of my stalwarts at left.

She hates having her photo taken which is why I took it.

Our two in-show gemologists.

He was the only dealer also demonstrating during the show so kudos to him!

The new Afghans were a great fit in the show and proved two such are not one such too many.

Scary Gary From Tulare & Co.... two of my very favorite people on this planet.

They're baaaaack!

My main meterorite man!

My fave booth this weekend.

I picked them up from the Nipomo Show a few years ago.

I worried they weren't doing well but actually they made a killing.

I finally got a decent book seller in the show.

Loved this stuff but a bit pricy for me nowadays.

She got into the show because she is a friend of a friend... she got roughed up a bit being situated next to the vendor I am not inviting back ever again.... a !#$%-ing wholesaler lied his way into the show. Sorry ole gal!

He'll prolly be our main jade seller in this show in the future.

Nice noobs to the biz.

We conversed primarily through sign language and cognates.

The man is back!

She of the San Luis Obispo Gem & Mineral Club finally made it to our show.

The beard is new and it befits him well methinks and so I told him.

My Red Bluff gals donated the very nicest drawing prize.

She's also a member of the San Luis Obispo Gem & Mineral Club.

Should we trust him?

Yes, he's up to something.

He says I'm the very nicest show official he has ever encountered.

She came to us from the Templeton Farmer's Market.

They were selling giggles by the barrel back here at the not entirely silent auction "gravel pit."

Some of my rock fam.

Geode cracker done broke for a bit.  The guy in the middle hates having his picture taken.... so I took it.

I went to school with the guy at center.... way back in the 1980s.

The loneliest man in the show.... the Baranca dude.

My new Mex mineral man.

My feels towards these peeps are strong.

Her dealer badge has been altered from saying "vendor" to "vendora" which is funny if you know this woman.

We got off to a "rocky" start but it all worked out fine.

My Panoche peeps.

He was stellar.

From the way he looks I'm pretty sure he knows how to find gold.

Some of my fave peeps in the show.

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