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Boise Gem and Mineral Show 2006

(Large picture formats wait for the download)

The display of my Morrisonite Collection was complete success! Even very conservative old timers came up and congratulated me on my specimens saying they have not seen this type of colorful old stock in years, let alone the amount.

During the whole two days I sat close to my display so I could see/hear and gage the general public and hard core rock hounds reactions. Needless to say I was very happy and very amused at the comments. Some of the funny one’s were: ” S..T! I think I just pissed my pants!”, “I can’t believe someone owns all this incredible Morrisonite and not made any cabs out of it…I think I’m going to throw-up” and the one I like the most is from one of my rock hound friends “Oh my GOD Philip THAT’S JUST SICK!” That’s just some of the many great comments.

There was great Jasper dealers at the show as always. The mine owner of the Willow Creek mine, Bruneau Jasper mine and the Oregon Carrasite mine. They brought some good stuff and had their own displays too.

I had a great diversity of color and patterns. I separated the orbed ones into one case totaling about 35 specimens. The orbed Christine Marie into one group by itself.
The colorful patterned specimens 43 total. I also put into this case “My Next Project” at the top. It’s a magnificent 14 inch long x 10 inch wide x 3 inch thick 3 pound vein. I’m really in a funk trying to figure out what I want to do with it.
A few new ones you have not seen yet.
The white smudges are people’s finger and nose marks on the glass.
A few new ones here too. Two nice vein pieces at the bottom I finished at the last minute that came out excellent.
Good view of the blue orbed center piece.
Steve, a buddy of mine and his great fossil display with a DVD movie of Crinoids and how they looked and moved…kinda cool! He also had an excellent Meteorite display too. His displays are always very educational unlike some others that have just rocks with no identification of what they are or where they came from.
Gene Stewart having fun with the kids. The Mexican coconut geodes were really fun for them. Gene was always busy breaking them open to the ooos and ahhhs of the crowd everyday. People waiting in line to get one to break open. He sold a ton of them!
Gene with a happy customer with freshly opened amethyst lined geode.

One last story:

This made up for all four months and staying up to 3 AM almost every night getting them ready.

I was sitting in my chair watching everyone go pass the display when this very old gentlemen stooped and barely walking with a cane on the other side of the isle looked up and saw my sign that said: Morrisonite” THE KING” of Jaspers. He stopped and began shuffling over to my two displays. When he finally stood in front of the displays his shaky hands reached up and took off his glasses which he began to clean, he put them back on and stood looking for about 10 to 15 minutes as people looking at the displays moved around him. Finally he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe his eyes. Looks like he was crying! seeing this I got up from my chair and approached him saying: “Do you like Morrisonite?” he looked up at me with red teary eyes and said in a rough voice “I used to have my own Morrisonite collection 30 years ago a lot like yours… but my kids sold them all and then put me in a G-d damm old folks home…now I just look”. It took me a few seconds to recover… but I began asking him various questions about how he made cabs and what type of stuff he had in the past and so on. I even learned a few things myself. After a while his daughter came up… she didn’t look happy and said “Where have you been we have been looking all over for you!” I jumped in and said “OH, he’s OK, we have just been talking rocks”… I don’t think she heard me…she then said to her father “wait right here! I’ll get your chair”. She began to leave and the old man looked up at me and shook his head. He then without speaking slowly turned around and continued to look again at my specimens.

After a while his daughter (in a huff) finally showed up with the wheelchair and began guiding him into it. I felt really sad for the old guy and I began to have thoughts of my own father getting close to that age too. She began wheeling him away just a few feet and stopped when she saw her husband across the tables and waved to him, but he did not see her waving, she then told her father she’ll be back and if I could watch him for a second while she gets her husband, I said “yes, no problem”…she walked away got her husband and began walking back…I quickly open my case and grabbed one of my golf ball sized specimens placed it into his hand and whispered in his ear…”hold on to this one”…. he opened his hand and looked up at me with gleaming eyes and mouthed a slow thank you. He looked away just in time to see his daughter almost there, he quickly closed his hand around it and took his other hand in mine and gently squeezed it. I said my good byes as he rolled off. It made it all worth it.

Cheers!

Philip-