[Rockhounds] Field Trip Report

[Alan Silverstein]

> Be careful with the walkway...  However, the big problem is that they
> are slippery.

Amen.  A local friend (Chris) worked at BC Granite (Fort Collins, CO)
for many years until recently.  He often ran "dumpster dives" behind the
shop.  The trick for garden pavers -- and I have many in our garden
thanks to him -- is to lay them with rough back sides UP (polished faces
down), choosing the roughest (least polished) stones that still have
attractive color/pattern, at least when wet.

And still, be a bit cautious of hydroplaning stepping on the slabs when
they are wet.

Some countertop material is brittle/crumbly, so they cement a fiber
backing to it.  These types obviously don't work well in the garden.
Chris actually has one area in his backyard where micaceous schist slabs
are slowly freeze-thaw decaying to release garnets (grin).

Thanks to Chris, I'm making a small end table from a 17.5" diameter
circle (sink cutout) of a heavy dark conglomerate stone he says is
called "polidian" from Russia.  I can't find anything about that on the
web; the closest is "palladio" (various colors of AKA "marinace") from
Brazil.  Some of that looks very similar in images, but he's certain of
the source.

What's cool about this stone circle is that it includes small bits of
ancient BIF = banded iron formation!  A supermagnet sticks to spots on
the tabletop.

Cheers,
Alan Silverstein