The Gold Nugget

Vol. 7, No. 12
Gold Prospectors of the Rockies
December 2002

Join Us on the Third Wednesday!

Lloyd G. Clements Community Center
(CLICK  FOR  A  MAP  TO  OUR  LOCATION)
1580 Yarrow St., Lakewood, Colorado
(One block west of Wadsworth, one block north of Colfax)

7:00 PM (Board Meeting at 6:00 PM)
Information: (303) 932-1076   <>   www.GoldProspectorsOfTheRockies.com

President's Letter
by Rick Miska

      Hi all! This is my last "President's Letter." Time sure has flown. I have been doing these for two years, and it still seems like I just started. Gary Hawley gets to take on that deadline now, and I don't know of anybody more capable to do so. I hope he does a better job than I did of getting his letter to the Editor on time for the newsletter.
      In the past two years, the thing I struggled with the most was standing up in front of everybody and talking. It seemed as if the whole world was watching me. I got better over time, but I never had the gift that Jim Davis does, and that your new president Gary does. I guess I have to be about twent years older to be able to do that. I know that having Gary behind me helped a lot. He always knew when to jump in, was never afraid to tell me what he thought, and the reflection off of his head made it easier for me to see my notes.
      One of the things I didn't like about being president was the fact that no matter what you decide, somebody will always be pissed off. I like to think that everybody in the club is my friend, and when I made anybody upset, it really bothered me. That happened a few times. Sometimes, it was a mistake on my part, sometimes it was ignorance on my part, and sometimes it was disorganization on my part. None of it was ever intentional or personal. With that in mind, I apologize to anybody I upset in the past two years, and I consider all of you my friends, and I hope you feel the same about me.
      Gary will be taking over this role now, and I support that completely. I don't think anybody could do a better job for the club. Gary has been my friend for a long time, and I trust that he will bring only good things for the future of this club. Please support him in any way you can.
      My new role will be web site administrator for the club. Steve Johnson will help transition that function over to me. If you have any suggestions, requests, or anything else pertaining to the club web site, please email me or grab me at the club meeting. Steve has done a great job of building and maintaining the web site for a long time, and it's greatly appreciated.
      Ken Barker will be your new vice president. He has worked tirelessly for the last year setting up our club demonstration program. He knows how to interface with people extremely well, and he knows how to keep things organized., functional, and most of all, fun. He is also very happy to be in that role. I honestly believe that he is a prime example of someone who gets as much out of the club as he puts into it. He happily puts the club and his friends, and for that matter even strangers, before himself.
      Ther are many more volunteers who helped out with club functions and responsibilities during my tenure. I would like to thank all of them for their help. I just stood up in front and talked a lot; they are the ones who ran the club. Without volunteers, this club would cease to exist. Step up and volunteer to assist with any club function or position. Both you and the club will be glad you did, and both you and the club will benefit a lot. Suggestions are always welcomed, too. Contact any club officer or committee person with any questions or suggestions or complaints that you might have. Please be willing and prepared to assist with the subject matter of your suggestion or comment, too.
      I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas season, and a very happy new year. May all your pans be filled with pickers, and you stockings full of Snickers.

Bye,
Rick


Vice President's Corner
by Gary Hawley

      Greetings to all "Gold Prospectors of the Rockies."
      Once again I was able to go panning on Clear Creek--twice since the last club meeting. The stream was running very low and that gave me a chance to dig behind some big rocks in the center of the creek while only needing knee-high boots. Now is a great time to explore areas of the stream that will not be accessible when Spring run-off starts.
      We had another good turnout for the general meeting. Sue Clover did an excellent job at providing a guest speaker. Doug Hock with Newmont Mining held our attention with information about gold exploration on a big scale.
      The snack table continues to be a main attraction, thanks to the efforts of Ada Keim. Ada has put a lot of effort into making sure there were snacks at every meeting.
      We held Board Member elections and several people stepped forward to accept positions on the Board. That is what makes this club so great--someone is always willing to take responsibility and offer help where it is needed. Look for namne changes in the "GPR Contact List" in the January newsletter.
      The December meeting will be our annual potluck dinner. This will be a time for fellowship and good food. Come prepared to enjoy the evening.
      Until next time, may the nuggets you find be worth the effort you put into finding them.


Food for Thought

      Thanks to Jeff Mosteller and Donna Moore for the Snack Table goodies during the November meeting.
      December is our annual Christmas bash. Bring something!
      That finishes up the year. Thanks to all the volunteers throughout the year. I've advised the Board tht I am stepping down as chairperson for the Food Committee. I hope someone else steps up and takes the Food Committee chairpersonship!
      Thanks,

Ada Keim


Arizona Outing
by Ken Barker

      During last month's meeting, I asked if anyone was interested in going to Arizona. There was a good response, so I hav been gathering information about different locations in Arizona that we might go to in late January or early February. I will have a sign-up sheet at the December meeting and the information so I can make some contacts down in Arizona. I will be going for at least seven days.
      I plan on metal detecting the whole time. Well, maybe not the "whole" time.
      I am getting information regarding the big flea market in Quartzsite, which sounds like fun.
      Let's see how many of us would like to make this trip.
      Contact me for further info.


The VP's Q&A
by Gary Hawley

      The November question received some interesting answers. The fun part is, there were a lot of members who correctly answered the question. A big "thank you" to everyone who has made this section of the newsletter a success.
      The November question was: "In 1849 or 1850, two Georgians, John Beck and Luis Ralston, while on their way to California, found gold on two streams in Colorado. What were the names of the streams?
      The answer is: Cherry Creek and Ralston Creek.
      Because our December meeting will be our annual pot-luck dinner, the VP has decided to give the Q&A a vacation. Look for new quesions beginning with the January 2003 edition of The Gold Nugget.


The Lady
[The Lady]
I wonder what she thought
As she stood there, strong, and tall.
She couldn't turn away;
She was forced to watch it all.

Did she long to offer comfort,
As Her country bled,
With her arm forever frozen
High above her head?

She could not shield her eyes.
She could not hide her face.
She just stared across the water
Keeping Freedom's Place.

The smell of smoke and terror
Somehow reduced her size
So small within the harbor,
But still we recognized

How dignified and beautiful
On a day so many died.
I wonder what she thought--
And I know she must have cried.


Gold Nugget Drawing Winners
  
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
  
1.2 gram nugget - Glen Godat
0.6 gram nugget - Gary Keim
0.6 gram nugget - Sue Clover
1.6 gram nugget - Sue Clover
0.6 gram nugget - Jeff Mosteller
0.6 gram nugget - Helmi Mammer
0.7 gram nugget - Glen Godat
0.8 gram nugget - Gary Keim
0.6 gram nugget - Don Dixon
0.7 gram nugget - Donna Mosteller
0.6 gram nugget - Dick Oakes
0.7 gram nugget - Hank Innerfeld
  


Find of the Month / Year

by Doug Taylor

      For the November Find of the Month, Glen Godat brought in a two-pound rock with 2 1/2 to 3 ounces of gold in it. Glen found his treasure in a mine dump in Leadville with a Goldmaster Tracker locator. Glen won four drawing tickets for his find. Thanks for sharing with us, Glen.
      Remember, there is no Find of the Month in December; everyone who brought a Find throughout the year can bring it in and resubmit it to be eligible for Find of the Year. The winner will be determined by the vote of the general membership in attendance at the meeting.
      Thanks to all the club members who have participated in the Find of the Month/Year program. It is always nice to see what you are finding out there.

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The Gold Nugget 

is an official publication of the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, a Denver-based, Colorado nonprofit organization established in 1995 for the enjoyment of gold prospecting and metal detecting. Club meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM, at the Lloyd G. Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street, Lakewood, Colorado (1 block west of Wadsworth, 1 block north of Colfax). Individual or family membership fees are $30.00 for the first year, $25.00 for each subsequent year. Non-commercial business-card-sized classified text ads for members are free of charge. Commercial display ads must be detecting, prospecting, or treasure related and are available to anyone at a modest charge: 1/8 page (approximately 2"h x 3.5"w business card size) - $6.00 per month. 1/4 page (approximately 4"h x 3.5"w) - $12.00 per month. 1/2 page (approximately 4"h x 7"w or 8.5"h x 3.5"w) - $24.00 per month. Full page (approximately 8.5"h x 7"w) - $48.00 per month. The Gold Nugget  is open to and gladly accepts submission of information and articles. All article submissions must be received by the editor no later than the first Wednesday of the month for inclusion in the next month's issue. The GPR must receive any required payments for commercial ads prior to their inclusion. Include publication information on articles clipped from other publications. The Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. Bulletin editors may print any article from this newsletter with credit given to the newsletter and the author. Contact: The Gold Nugget  Editor, The Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, PO Box 621988, Littleton, CO 80162-1988. E-mail: The Gold Nugget Editor.