SJPatrick
starting to spend too much on rocks
2 1/2 years into rock hounding and I'm still a newbie!
Member since September 2013
Posts: 124
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Post by SJPatrick on Mar 22, 2014 12:06:16 GMT -5
I'm reluctant to make this post as this is old news. But I don't know how widespread this information is. I only learned of this at the recent Deming Rockhound Roundup and have found only one mention of it online and no mention on this forum. So I thought there might be some who, like me, didn't know . Others may have heard of it through the rockhound grapevine.
Paul Colburn, aka the Geode Kid, passed away on November 7th last year.
The Kid was widely known as an expert in geodes and thundereggs. His book, "The Formation of Thundereggs", is often quoted when geode and thunderegg questions arise. He and his business partner are owners of the Baker Egg Mine and the Basin Range Volcanics Geolapidary Museum and Rockshop near Deming.
For me, I've started reading his book, and his instructions for cutting thundereggs that I found last year have been very helpful. I'm sure his work has helped many others.
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Post by 1dave on Mar 24, 2014 9:24:31 GMT -5
Thanks for this! I knew he had been ill for many years. I wrote about him and his collection on Mindat: Geode Kid - ThundereggsFrom age 14 on he made his living digging, cutting, selling thundereggs. When he had more cut stones than places to sell them, he set up a series of "Honor System" tables at dirt crossroad intersections across the west. He had a collection box with a pipe running down to a buried box, then filled the table with thundereggs, expecting people to take the ones they liked and drop money into the box!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 12:03:15 GMT -5
It is sad to have him gone. His fingerprints are on some of the great finds all over the west. Where he has got to, perhaps he's now conclusively unraveled the mystery of thunderegg formation.
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SJPatrick
starting to spend too much on rocks
2 1/2 years into rock hounding and I'm still a newbie!
Member since September 2013
Posts: 124
|
Post by SJPatrick on Mar 24, 2014 19:51:05 GMT -5
Dave, I enjoyed that article you wrote about him and the thundereggs on Mindat. He was quite the character, smart, interesting, and funny.
While at the museum/rockshop, I purchased the CD pdf copy of his book (I like to be able to search documents and books) and the CD contains a "The True adventures of the Geode Kid" pdf file. I've only read a couple pages and it's been quite fun. And at over 1000 pages it should keep me entertained for some time. I just scanned the "adventures" pdf and it contains his attempts at his "Honor system rock shop". It will be good reading. His long time partner regaled me with numerous stories of the kid while I was there.
I'm sure the Kid will be missed.
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