It has been awhile since I blogged.  Not sure where the time has gone.  With stay at home orders in place time sure has gone by quickly.  Last week we were not very compliant.

The week started out with a 3.5 mile hike in the national forest.  It was a beautiful day in the tall pines.  It is so beautiful here.  

We helped our friends move into their new home.  It is surprising how 1000 feet in elevation can make such a difference in temperature.  I am sure they will have a few snowed in days next winter.  

There was the costco run.  Enough said on that one. 

Friend Charlie turned 69.  That was a 6' apart social distancing birthday party on our front patio.

The trip to Chino Valley for the preform spheres and cubes was an interesting trip.  We ended up in an automotive shop for a new Jeep battery.  Out of the 250 pieces we bought, I might use 60.  Thats a big maybe.  Some of the common material I have already sold and shipped.  I am on the fence with the petrified wood.  I have never had much success with it and it is such a putsy material to work.  Long grind times and all the stabilization it needs, the material tends to be so fractured, particularly the Arizona rainbow wood.

Even with all this outside activity, I have managed to finish some spheres.  I have a Specular Hematite from Michigan that I have been trying to get adequate photos of.  Hematite does not photograph well, or else I just haven't taken the time to figure it out.

In the sphere machines are another Tiffany Stone and Lions Skin, a sectarian nodule, red jasper.  Today I will see if I can get a polish on the Marra Mamba that has given me a huge challenge.  

Today I will do some hand grinding.  UGH!  This is absolutely my least favorite part.  I hope to get 4 preforms done.  I have enough pieces to do now that I could do some every day this week.

Until next time.  Thanks for reading........