RHS1 Connector – October 2006
In this issue…Feature Fact – Mars Rockhounding – Rockhound Recipes and Tips, column –Travel: — Nevada- Feature Article, Accursed Gems
THE PUMPKIN DIAMOND
FUN FACT OF THE MONTH.
Could there ever be a better stone to represent Halloween than a diamond called the Pumpkin Diamond? This diamond, the only “vivid orange” to ever be graded by the GIA, is not a particularly large diamond as far as famous stones go. It is only 5.54 carat, but it is unique in the lightness and vividness of it’s color. The diamond, which was mined in South Africa, was bought by Ronald Winston (House of Harry Winston) who aptly named the diamond “Pumpkin” as he purchased the intense orange stone on the day before Halloween for the seemly price of 1.3 million dollars
. Winston had the stone set into a ring which Halle Barry wore during the 2002 Oscars. Unlike many famous gems which carry curses, this stone seems to be lucky as Halle won an Oscar for her role in “Monster’s Ball” while wearing the stone.
Today the stone is estimated to be valued at 3 million dollars. That’s a lot of pie.
Hi again rockhounds of the world.
As you might have noticed mentioned in the Gazette, my computer crashed again so if you have sent mail and not received an answer, please resend it. The problem is close to be completely taken care of, but I might be down once more in a couple of weeks before it is completely done. I’m sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused anyone. It’s no picnic from this end either, believe me.
If you have clicked on the amethyst picture on the homepage of RHS1 and gotten some rather annoying pop up ads that just won’t go away, please be aware that we know of the problem and are fixing it. It seems that one of our member’s sites has been hijacked and we are resolving the problem for them. This will take a bit of time as it is not an easy fix, but we can do it. In the meantime, if you are interested in Chuck and Linda’s stones or mines, you can view some of them at RHS1 in the photo gallery. If you are a member, you can always send them a private message or reach them in the forums if you can’t get to their site.
On that note – members – if you are having a problem with your websites, please note that there is a “technical help desk” in the forum (near the bottom of the forums). Do not be shy to ask for help if you need it. That is one of the reasons that RHS1 is here. We support the rockhound community, whether it is a matter of business or pleasure. It doesn’t help you to have a website if it’s not being seen. Our technician and designer are world leaders in building, designing, and securing sites, so if you have a problem you are in the best hands you could be in as a member of RHS1.
I’m almost finished with the new free report for those who are considering starting a rockhounding business. If you want the report, just check the learning center periodically. It will be there soon.
That’s about it for now. Have a great Halloween.
Rockin’ the Third Rock – and the Fourth
Sal
Black Opal
FAVORITE STONE FOR WITCHES AND SORCERERS
Are you looking for a gift for your special witch or sorcerer this Halloween? Why not give them a ring or pendant containing a big beautiful black opal? Black opal, contains the energies of all of the colored stones and is by far the most potent stone for protection from hexes, charms, or demon powers. It is also the most powerful for giving force to any spells or curses and for helping conjure your favorite spirit for lunch or business.
The Haunted Kelly Mine
The History
J. S. Hutchason, alias Old Hutch, is credited with being the father of the Magdalena mining district (NM). His discoveries spawned the mining camp of Kelly. Hutchason was prospecting in the Magdalena Mountains in the spring of 1866 when he found rich lead outcroppings. He staked the Juanita Mine and, three weeks later, the Graphic Mine. The mined ore was smelted in adobe furnaces called “vassos,” and then an ox team hauled the metal to Kansas City.
Prospecting further, “Old Hutch” found another promising prospect, which he obligingly turned over to a friend, Andy Kelly, who operated a local sawmill. Kelly gave his name to the mine and worked it for a time, but when he failed to do the required assessment work, Hutchason staked the claim. Meanwhile, prospectors attracted to the area about 1879 laid out a town site on the west slope of the Magdalena Mountains and named it for Kelly.
A branch line of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe reached Magdalena, four miles from Kelly, in 1885. Daily stages ran to Magdalena, a school, two hotels, a resident doctor, and the usual assortment of stores and saloons served Kelly. The camp also boasted a fine water system with pipes conducting mountain spring water throughout the town. With the increasing influx of miners, sleeping accommodations were scarce. Supposedly, the two hotels rented beds in eight-hour shifts.
Kelly began to boom with prosperity as it reaped the profits of smithsonite. The camp became the state’s leading producer of zinc. Kelly expanded to include two schools; three churches, a Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, and Presbyterian; and a moving picture parlor. By 1931, the smithsonite deposits were exhausted. Gradually, mining throughout the district began to decrease and Kelly became a ghost town.
Today all of the mines are inactive near Kelly. Kelly once had a population of three thousand but no longer claims any residents. The only intact building is the white-stucco-front Catholic Church, where mass is still offered once a year. Adobe and rock ruins dot both sides of the dirt road beyond the church. Extensive mine workings, tailing dumps, old mine buildings, and head frames stand rusted and neglected farther up Kelly Canyon. The tailing dumps are virtually untouched, chunks of smithsonite may lie buried waiting to see the light of day.
The Haunting
As a ghost researcher for the past sixteen years, I follow strict scientific protocols and standards and do not rely upon psychics or mediums. I have conducted over 1,500 field investigations in North and Central America at 368 different sites. My wife and I have recorded over five thousand ghost voices from these locations. These etheric voices are known as EVP, Electronic Voice Phenomenon. I have coauthored with my wife a book on EVP, How to Conduct Paranormal Investigations, published by Windstorm Creative.
My wife and I travel full time in our RV gathering stories for our books. We stayed at the RV Park in Magdalena in October of 2005, a short four miles from the Kelly south of the town of Magdalena, which is almost a ghost town today. Magdalena is located in the mountains, twenty-seven miles west of Socorro, New Mexico.
My interest at exploring Kelly was two fold. The first was to look for old shards of pottery and ceramics discarded by the miners. These broken shards tell a story that we were photograph as a way to preserve history. We even found some Indian shards dating back to the AD 900 period of the Mogollon Indian culture.
The second reason was to record for possible EVP ghost voices of spirits who are still haunting the mine site. It has been my experience that miners become ghostly miners when they pass beyond the grave. In other mining ghost towns, ghostly miners were still seeking the yellow metal they dig in life. So why shouldn’t Kelly be haunted by a few miners still seeking to strike it rich.
The Kelly Mine site lies about two thousand feet above Magdalena and in October, the fog rolls in and Kelly is slowly transformed into a spooky Stephen King setting. Add coyotes howling at night and we have all the ingredients for a spine-chilling haunted site.
My wife and I explored Kelly almost every day while staying at the RV Park. Some days we were just looking for broken shards, other days we were recording for ghost voices. I recorded some interesting voices from the past. The following are some of the comments made by these ghostly miners from the past. There were no other people on the mountain with us; we were not talking during the recordings and these were not from cell phones or distant radio stations.
1. You’re not George
2. What is your schedule?
3. Jake
4. Tom will miss it
5. Your hat
6. I heard it
7. That’s my stash
8. Jerk
9. Let Lopez do it
I got the name Lopez several times and figured he must be an assayer as there were several references to him and their ore. The recordings seem to relate to topics discussed by miners who worked in the mines. I used a digital voice recorder and recorded in one-minute segments and upon playing back the segments, I heard voices that were not audible during the time I recorded. Most of the ghostly voices were raspy and a few were low in the background. It was as if I was walking by as conversations took place and I only recorded a small portion of their conversations.
Late one afternoon, my wife Sharon was walking along the hillside looking for broken shards when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. The footsteps sounded like a man in heavy boots was slowly walking up behind her. Thinking maybe it was me she turned around but there was no one there. I was off to her right, slightly above her about thirty yards when all of this took place. She was walking toward the ruin of a miner’s cabin. Perhaps the footsteps came from a ghostly miner coming off shift and walking up to his cabin. The footsteps were clear and distinctive, not a figment of her imagination. No animals, including deer or elk were present at the time; at least no living thing was present. She had sixteen years experience as a ghost researcher so she knew the difference between the wind and actual footsteps coming up behind her.
Bio
Dave Oester is the co-founder of the International Ghost Hunters Society and webmaster of www.ghostweb.com, a Website with a host of free ghost photos, videos, articles, and voice recordings. His newest endeavor is the Real Ghost Voices DVD with more than 840 ghost photos and 384 ghost voices. Dave and his wife, Sharon, are the co-authors of twenty books, including five books in the America’s Haunting series published by Windstorm Creative. His hobby includes rock hounding in New Mexico. He travels full time in an RV with his wife, Sharon, and their dog, BooBoo.
ROCKHOUND RECIPES & TIPS
October 2006
Pumpkin is plentiful and inexpensive. Cook pumpkin in oven or microwave, or steam or boil pumpkin on the range top or over campfire.
With a sharp knife, remove the stem and cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard pulp. Save the seeds! If you wish to make a jack-o-lantern, just cut the top off the pumpkin, scrape out the meat, pulp and seeds. Cook as below.
Microwave: Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a microwave safe plate or tray, and microwave on high for 15 minutes. Test to see if they are fork tender. If not, cook for additional 1-2 minute intervals until done.
Oven: Rinse the cut pumpkin halves in cold water. Place the cut side down on a large cookie sheet, and bake at 350°F for one hour or until fork tender,
Boiling/Steaming: Cut the pumpkin halves into large chunks, and rinse in cold water. Boil in a large covered pot with about one cup of water for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Steaming will take about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the cooked pumpkin in a colander.
Fresh Pumpkin Puree: Remove the peel with a sharp knife when the pumpkin is cool to touch. Puree pumpkin with a food processor, strainer or potato masher. Use this purée (same amount) in any recipe calling for canned or pureed pumpkin,
Pumpkin Curry Soup
Ingredients:
1/3 C chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
1 t curry powder
2 T butter or margarine
1 C pureed pumpkin
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t sugar
1 bay leaf
2 C veggie broth (or can use chicken broth)
1 1/2 C milk
1 T cornstarch or arrow root or tapioca powder (use as thickening agent)
2 T heavy cream (optional)
Directions:
1. In large pan cook onion, garlic, and curry in the butter or margarine until onion is tender.
2. Add pumpkin, nutmeg, sugar and the bay leaf.
3. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf.
6. Stir in 1 cup of the milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes.
7. In another bowl stir together the remaining milk and the cornstarch until dissolved. Add it to the pan.
8. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
9. Swirl the cream on top before serving. Serves four. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Smashed Pumpkin
Ingredients:
4 C pumpkin, cooked, mashed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 T olive oil
1 bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat mashed pumpkin in a large saucepan.
2. Thinly slice onion.
3. Fry the onion in olive oil until brown
. 4. Add browned onions to pumpkins. Mix in.
5. Add coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Mid-East Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
1 C dry chickpeas
3 T olive or vegetable oil
1 1/2 C leeks (white and light green part only), chopped
8 C broth or bullion
4 C cooked, mashed pumpkin(or canned)
2-4 T Sugar or honey
2 t ground cinnamon (or one cinnamon stick)
1/8 t ground allspice
2 t salt
to taste ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Take one cup of dried, washed chickpeas and soak overnight.
2. Cook chickpeas for 1 1/4 hours or use 2 cups canned chickpeas.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med-low heat.
4. Add the leeks or onions and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Combine the broth, pumpkin, chickpeas, sugar, spices, salt and pepper.
6. Heat until boiling..
7. Reduce heat to low, and simmer.
8. If using the cinnamon stick, simmer for 15 minutes and discard stick.
9. Combine with cooked leeks or onions.
10. Serves eight.
Pumpkin Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
4 T Pumpkin Puree
1/4 C Cider Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
1 Clove Garlic
1 t Sugar
1/2 t Salt
1/8 t Black Pepper
1/2 C Olive Oil
Directions:
1. Finely chop or mash the clove of Garlic.
2. Put all ingredients except the Olive Oil into a bowl
. 3. Whisk all ingredients together. Mix well.
4. Add Olive oil and whisk well. Mix the olive oil in last as salt will not dissolve in oil.
Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
Seeds of one pumpkin and salt.
Directions:
1. Extract seeds from pumpkin.
2. Separate and discard pulp.
3. Thoroughly wash seeds in warm water.
4. Spread seeds out onto a cookie sheet.
5. Sprinkle generously with salt.
6. Put into oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Check every five minutes and stir, adding more salt or to taste.
8. Check seeds to see if they are done by taking a sample out, allow to cool and taste. If the insides are dry, they are done.
9. Allow to cool and serve.
10. Experiment with various toppings. Here are a few to get you started:
· Cheese style-sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
· Tex-Mex style-sprinkle powdered taco seasoning onto the seeds.
· Cajun style-sprinkle Cajun seasonings mix onto the seeds.
Crunchy Pumpkin
Ingredients:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
16 oz pumpkin
12 oz evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t salt
1 C chopped pecans
1 C melted butter
whipped topping
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease bottom of 9×13 pan.
3. Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large bowl.
4. Pour into pan.
5. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture.
6. Top with pecans.
7. Drizzle with melted butter.
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden.
9. Cool completely.
10. Serve with whipped topping.
Pecan Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients:
1 C mashed cooked pumpkin
5 T melted butter
5 T Milk
1 t Vanilla
2 beaten eggs
16 chopped, pitted dates
1 3/4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 1/3 C sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix mashed cooked pumpkin, melted butter, milk, vanilla, beaten eggs, and chopped pitted dates.
3. Into the pumpkin mixture, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.
4. Grease muffin pans, or use baking cups.
5. Pour batter into muffin pans.
6. Top each muffin with a pecan half.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
Apple Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients:
1 3/4 C pumpkin
1C apple Juice
1 C apple, peeled and grated
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
3/4 t pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, apple, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Pour into container, cover and chill.
5. May be stored in refrigerator for up to two months.
Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients:
2 C pumpkin
1 C brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
Directions:
1. Place pumpkin puree and cream cheese into a large bowl and mix.
2. Add all other ingredients.
3. Mix ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
4. Refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.
5. Serve with crackers, gingerbread, celery, carrots, etc.
6. For a lighter dip, substitute sour cream for cream cheese.
Keep on Rocking in the Free World!
About the Author of Rocking Recipes
Eileen Trainor (“aka” CyberCelt) earns a living as a writer, webmaster, teacher and trainer. Please visit her RVing website USAer.com and advertising website. CoolAdz.com
She maintains three blogs: CoolAdzine.blogspot.com CoolAdzine.blogspot.com andUSAer.blogspot.com
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr”.
Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community
TRAVEL :NEVADA
The Gold Hill hotel…Nevada
Ghost hunter, Jill O’Malley has given us a good tip for a place to stay while hunting in Nevada gold mining areas. It seems she has a much more vivid idea of entertainment than the usual room with cable TV.
The Gold Hill Hotel
Located 1 mile south of Virginia City on Hwy 342 in Nevada
A part of the history from the famous Comstock Lode, this hotel is one of the few remaining and working buildings left from that era. Many abandoned mines dot the area but the one that seems to affect the current life at the Gold Hill Hotel is from the Yellow Jacket mine located directly behind the building. In 1873 a fire broke out in the mine killing 37 men who were left where they died, buried in the bottom of the mine. Many believe that it is the souls of those spirits that have moved up to inhabit the Hotel and keep visitors on their toes with ghostly goings-on. The hotel itself is what many would consider a “standard” mining town hotel. The owners have a collection of antiques mixed with modern day amenities leaving many guests with the comforts of today and glimpses of bygone years. Though paranormal activity has been reported throughout most areas of the hotel two rooms stick out above the rest. Room numbers 2 and 4 are thought to be the “ghost” rooms. Of all the spirits that are thought to either visit or stay at the hotel two have been named and are known to cause repeated activity to make their presence known. The ghost’s names are William and Rosie and each has a distinctive way of letting you know when they are around.
William was a former owner of the hotel and he passed away in the 1800’s in a fire. He is not thought to frequent the premises as much as Rosie, but when he is near he is reported to bring with him the strong smell of cigar smoke that wafts around visitors and then suddenly disappears. William has also been seen on a few occasions and is described as having dark hair and a full mustache. He is thought to stop by just to check on things and has often been smelled in room 4. Rosie, as she has come to be called, is thought to be the spirit of a housekeeper from the hotels history. Her personal information is a bit unclear, but her presence is also made known by a smell; specifically rose-water perfume. Much like William the smell seems to waft in and then suddenly be gone. Visitors and employees alike in room number 2 have this happen so much that they often find themselves searching the room for the source of the smell and never find it. The soaps and shampoos are not of the flower scent and neither is the laundry soap used on the linens.
Besides William and Rosie’s antics there has also been reports of odd sounds, the smell of alcohol in places where there is none, alarm clocks going off in all rooms at all times during the day/week even after they have been unplugged, items have been known to move on their own in the restaurant, doors open and close on their own, voices have been heard talking in mumbles (loudly and quiet), footsteps have been heard walking the halls when no one is there, sounds of furniture being moved, numerous anomaly pictures have been taken showing “orbs” and stationary blurs as well as many reports of feeling followed and watched. So how many spirits are at the Gold Hill Hotel? Nobody really knows. One thing is for sure though; if you happen to be over that way you should stay for a spell and see if you will leave with a ghost story of your own. It doesn’t even have to be the hotel itself that you spend the night in as many of the cottages and lodges that are separate from the main hotel have also had reports of paranormal phenomenon. Could it be that the spirits of those men who perished in the mine fire so many years ago are reaching out and trying to contact the living? Maybe. Perhaps you should try talking to them and see.
Written by Jill O’Malley
Thanks, Jill. If your ghost hunting ever brings you into contact with any spirits that want to communicate about a treasure they stashed before they died that might still be hidden, feel free to call me about it. I’m sure if I can’t get there to look for it, one of the members will be. By the way – if it’s a BIG treasure, by all means, call collect……Sally
Rock Hound Station 1
Global Rockhound Community
GEMSTONES – THE PRICE ATTACHED ISN’T ALWAYS CASH
The next time you are in the mood for buying a great gemstone it might behoove you to remember that the price of a stone might just be a lot higher than the price tag suggests. The following is just a small list of only some of the unexpected extras that came along with some of the world’s most famous stones and a bit about the “extra than cash value” of the stones:
The Hope Diamond, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.
The Hope – 45.52 carats, deep blue.
Tavernier Blue is believed to be stolen from an eye of a sculpted idol of the Hindu goddess Sita. Priest who attended the idol were supposed to put a curse on the diamond. There are many disputes and legends about this diamond, some have been disproved, some not. There has been a string of misfortune of varying nature accompanying this diamond even though many tragedies have been fictionalized.
The Orloff, 189.62 carats, light bluish green.
Stolen originally from a Hindu Idol. Later owned by Catherine the Great who acquired it from Count Grigori Orloff. Orloff had bought it to win the heart of Catherine. She did not succumb but did acquire the stone from him in exchange for a marble castle. He died, love unrequieted. Later the Russians hid the diamond in a priest’s tomb to keep it from the invading French. Napoleon, learning of the diamond’s whereabouts went to retrieve it, but the ghost of the priest appeared and cursed the French army when one of Napoleon’s men went to take the stone. They fled in terror.
The Koh i noor centre piece of the crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
The Koh-i-noor – 105 carat.
Originally from India, and once the largest known diamond in the world. This diamond is thought to bring any male owner to early ruin and death, but is extremely lucky for female owners.
Charlemagne’s Sapphire Talisman
Charlemagne had the Court sorcerers cut and facet two large sapphires and place them into an amulet that would guarantee undying love.
The Mogul Emerald
–This 217.80 carat emerald from the 15th century India has vedic scripture inscribed on one side of it. It is Hindu belief that green gems bring health, happiness, and harmony.
Can a gemstone actually be lucky, unlucky, cursed, haunted, healing, or have any such powers? Since the first gemstones were found and harvested by humans, there has been belief that stones do hold such powers. To the surprise of many, now science has an explanation for the power of gemstones that actually supports these beliefs.
Gemstones are now known to vibrate at certain frequencies of energy. They can store energy, and even amplify it. While each gem will vibrate at it’s own frequency, like stones will have like frequencies. Varying chemical compositions in stones will change the frequency of the stone, but all can store and project energies of variant levels.
Consider pure quartz crystals. They store energy much like a library stores books. If exposed to malevolent energy, the wearer of the stone may find it to be bad luck or even perceive a ghost or spirit associated with the stone. Stones that have been stolen or worn by persons when bad events occur may be passed on to others who will, in turn, reap the effects of the bad energy stored inside of the stone. Stones with visible flaws are also believed by many healers to be dangerous to use in healing or for psychic work as the flaw can alter the frequency of the stone.
For these reasons stones may be used for protection, for hexes, or for healing depending on which frequency of energy the stone is “sympathetic” to, that is, which frequency it synchronizes with.
Perhaps the reason why so many mining areas are extremely haunted can also be explained by the fact that mines are usually full of crystals of varying sorts. Quartz is commonly found with gold, and being that quartz stores whatever energy it is exposed to, it only makes sense that it would absorb the intense energies of those living the hard lives of the early miners.
In light of the evidence for gems being able to pass energies, bad or good, it is a good practice when buying used gems to find out the history of the stone before purchasing it. When acquiring a stone for use for healing or psychic protection or warfare, it’s really a good idea to buy stones with no visible flaws as well, unless you feel in “sync” with the stone as it is.
After acquiring a stone, if you would like to avoid curses, hauntings, or just plain bad feelings you should cleanse the stone of all it’s previous energies by soaking it for 24 hours in salt water. Mystics claim the stone can also be cleansed by letting it sit in sun or moonlight for a full month or by wrapping the stone in natural fibers and burying it for a month.
So the next time you have apparently picked up a haunted or cursed stone, you might not need to hope for a quick sale of the stone after all – just cleanse it well of all previous energy memories. And if you should be messing with internal health remedies and happen to powder and drink something with bad effects, don’t worry about curses, the mineral the stone contains may just plain be poisonous.
