DESERT - VENTURES

DESERT VENTURES -

This story is about Lyle and I going to Arizona to seek out special gems of many decades. Itʼs hard to believe how much this area of the world has changed. The very first time we arrived in Arizona, it was a blistery, windy, rainy few days.

I have to add a backstory here - this is the only year we experienced this kind of weather in the early 80ʼs. Though this was my first time in this area, a part of me felt at home due to studying renowned painter - Georgia OKeefeʼs life in the Arizona mountains. I grew up in an area packed with massive forest, rushing rivers through narrow canyons and thundering mountains.

I found it hard to believe when I would hear about how much people loved living in the deserts and how inspiring artists found the quiet fauna. Still I had a wild curious streak to discover the mysteries of how captivating the desert can be. When Lyle and I arrived in the late afternoon, the city of Tucson appeared like the Old West. There were large tents constructed on the grounds where the minerals were displayed. The earth was so muddy beneath our feet, there were wooden sidewalks crudely placed between the tents. Though it was pouring so hard some of the tent roofs were starting to collapse from the weight of the water.

We walked along the sidewalk trying to take in the scale of this strange market-like atmosphere. As we strolled along, we heard a great crash! No screams just a lot of scraping sounds. Apparently one of the huge tents poles gave away and the roof fell in. No one seemed hurt, just a great deal of cleaning up to do. Later when we found our hotel. A miner friend hosted us and arranged for the same hotel he had been staying at a few years before. When night fell the rain had not stopped. Tucson is often a bit chilly at night, we grabbed some extra blankets and huddled under the covers. Maybe a couple of hours later I heard a tap - tap coming from the ceiling above our bed. Sure enough the ceiling in our room had sprung a leak. Fortunately, we were moved to a room with a dry ceiling. When we woke up and went to go and find some breakfast, we realized our motel was located just off a busy highway. I was beginning to think the charm of Tucson just never ends.

After finishing a filling Mexican style breakfast, which instilled in me a forever love of Huevos Rancheros. Lyle and I and some of our hosts headed over to the tents. The rain it seemed had stopped in the night, and the sun was beginning to pour through a piercing blue sky. What a site it was as we strolled along the boardwalks between the rows of massive white tents. There were gemstones of extra size and species. Big cathedral style crystals that were taller than us standing. Besides the tents there were rows and rows of single standing tables packed with smaller samples of mostly low quality crystals. When I say mostly, even those crystals we considered back then, inferior today because the mark up is high.

The first year we went, there was a catalogue of vendors - about 150 pages of available gemstones as well as equipment and industry product items. Today these catalogues have expanded. Having so many pages, maybe one with 300 pages, there are 3 or 4 of these Vendor books. This now world famous Gem & Mineral Show covers over 25 miles around the whole city. Last year as we were seeking out the most exquisite crystal we could find, we discovered upscale elegantly displayed specimens with the kind of exhibit space and lighting you would find in a upscale gallery. This is the Tucson we now have to navigate through to find our rare treasures.

Each year we go with a list of gems that we are hoping to find. Some of the gems, such as Turquoise or Kunsite, we have only found recently after searching year after year. Though we go to the same area, each year our experience is so different. No matter what gems we have found or what ones we just have to find in another source. The desert sky, the colour of many of the gems Lyle stashes away in his vault. Those ripples of colour at sunrise or sunset, keep drawing me back.

All My Best,

Colette.

Til Morrow.