GMS Field Trip

GMS Field Trip
Quartzite, Jasper, and Slate in Georgia
Sunday, July 12, 2015

Once again, GMS members Casey and Terri invited us to play in their mountain creek! They went to great lengths to make the trip special. They put signs on the road to help everyone find the entrance, they set up a covered area with electricity for Charles to set up his cabbing units, they had a screened tent with comfy chairs and an oscillating fan where we could relax and cool off, they cleared a nice flat area for cherry seed spitting and bocce ball, and they even set up a private potty complete with hand sanitizer!

As soon as the group arrived, we jumped right into the creek and immediately began finding pretty rocks. Jaina got so good at finding sparkly, stripey rocks (schist, maybe slate) that she ended up helping other people find them too! Juniors quickly completed their customary dam and started an impressive menagerie of critters.

Charles stayed busy face polishing quartzite and jasper straight out of the creek. A quick polish let people know right away how pretty their piece was. Todd Nims and Lawrence Parker also stepped in to polish some rocks.

Junior Section chair Chrissy Nell-Dybdahl arranged a lively contest of cherry seed spitting. Juniors chomped on some cherries and launched those pits! Nik won first place, Shawn won second, and Stella and Ryan shared third place. The adults got into the contest too. Charles used his endless supply of hot air to propel a pit to an impressive distance that was unchallenged for most of the contest. Then Lawrence stepped up. One big puff and that pit sailed past Charles’ mark to a first place win! Charles was second and Larry Clere was third.

Speaking of Larry, he and Pam brought their bocce ball set. They marked out a bocce ball court and taught us how to play. It was a lively game until we had to call the game on account of rain. I’m sure the teams are ready for a rematch.

We can’t thank Casey and Terri enough for making this a memorable trip. They were incredibly gracious and accommodating. Their mountain creek is a perfect place for a field trip in the summer. The trees are not only beautiful, but they provide shade and keep us comfortable all day. Thanks to Chrissy for doing such a fantastic job with the seed spitting contest as well as Larry and Pam for the bocce ball game too!

Lori Carter
On behalf of Charles Carter, GMS Field Trip Chair
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