Rocks And Gems

I took a brief detour on my way home from volunteer duties at WeSnip today to check out the Mt. Baker Rock & Gem Club's annual show at (conveniently) the park right next door to my apartment.  It's always a most interesting event with every rock imaginable on display.  Many years ago I had aspirations of being a geologist.  I lived in Montana at the time which is a great spot for a budding geologist.  I was also a working mother of two and sadly out of shape since I spent a good deal of my time sitting at a desk.  That's when I discovered that geologists are always climbing something, hiking a glacier or digging large holes in the desert, none of which I was physically prepared for.  As it turned out, I was less fascinated with rocks and found my main interest was earthquakes.   Sadly, this revelation occurred to me when I was in my mid-30s, which is not the recommended age to begin studying earthquakes and since I could only go to school part-time I would have been well into my 50s by the time I graduated, probably in a class of fit, eager 22-year olds. I attended a couple of semesters at Eastern Montana College but had to move on to making a living and motherhood.   I still love to read anything related to geology and so it's a favorite hobby now.