FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

John S. White

Gail and Jim

Extraordinary effort, I can't even begin to think of how much time, dedication and just plain hard work went into making this happen. You and the Oboddas have set a standard that will be very difficult for anyone to match or even come close to. And it is great for the hobby, wonderful to see two people so much in love with minerals.

How about a close-up of at least one of the case labels ("mineral descriptions")?

Gail

We saved the case labels, so will photo one to show you.
And, thanks John...we were near your home area at one point and thought about calling you to see if you could join us for breakfast...on a lark.
I had hoped we might see you in Springfield, ah well...perhaps Denver?

Next year is Bill Larson for the guest exhibitor, and I think I heard Scott Rudolph mention he would be interested in displaying sometime too.
We knew the Oboddas were a tough act to follow, their eye for display is unsurpassed.
So, we just did it our way and only hope that people enjoyed them.

I am still unpacking clothes and supplies, let alone minerals. Having to mow a few pastures when I got home took a bit of my recovery time, but I am always very happy to be outside and working on the property, it truly does give me a sense of accomplishment. I sat back on the mower, watched our goats frolick, play and graze and found myself sighing...slowly letting all the tension out. It has been a very busy past few weeks. My hope is that all the minerals made it home without damage, keeping my fingers crossed!

Always a pleasure to hear from you John. My love to Merle and your pup!

Gail

Gail

One of the things we enjoyed so much during the show were the tours we had been asked to give prior to arriving.
Jim's sister is involved with the Syracuse gem and mineral group and they chartered a bus to come to the show.
We walked them around from case to case and both Jim and I talked about the minerals.
We gave early ( Pre opening time hours ) to dealers who had no chance to come see the exhibit during the regular hours too. And, we loved giving a tour for our club, the Connecticut Valley Mineral Club.

John S. White

Cindy's husband's name is Victor, a very good friend and a terrific guy!
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I can always count on you John, you know everyone. I have made the correction above. Thanks! Gail

Gail

Marty and Rose Zinn announced that 3077 attendees came the Friday and that 3158 came on the Saturday, not sure about Sunday but it seemed pretty busy and I would imagine the numbers were greater.
There are two sides to this show, the Wholesale...which is cordoned off and is as large as the main show...and the Main show for retail. The exhibit was in the Retail section.

Gail

Dave Bunk, Carl Francis and Jim Spann decide to test, under the cover of darkness, a mineral we believe is beryl and Dave felt it might actually be an Apatite...so Dave and Jim crawled under the table by Marilyn Dodge's feet and proceeded to pull out black lights etc. There was much teasing going on and I asked Dave what it was, exactly, that he was doing with my husband under there?
Too fun!!! Oh, it did not fluoresce.

Gail

As many of you know it is very much about the people too. We go to quite a few shows each year and run into the traveling crowd quite often so we enjoy many dinners, glasses of wine, good laughter and hugs. The community of mineral enthusiasts is such a joy to associate with.
And, yes, there are the minerals too!