The Limits of Photography

Biotite on Granite

This is one of my favorite rocks, found - as always - along the shore of Puget Sound. But the reason I love it is not apparent in this photo. The black biotite (mica) crystals that cover the top of this palm sized cobble shimmer with reflected light. It is a layer of crystals, vaguely parallel, but with just enough variation in orientation to catch the light at slightly different angles.

That's a lot of explanation for a simple rock, not well-photographed. I may need to try some other technique to capture the glittering mica crystals. Trust me, it's a beauty....

Discovering Ancient Forests

Petrified Wood, Puget Sound

Every time I open up the tumbler at the end of a polishing cycle, it's like Christmas all over again. Some stones, especially soft sedimentary rocks, never take a polish - but those that do can reveal some stunning patterns and colors. And one thing that I am always happy to see is Petrified Wood. These came out of my tumbler just this morning, pieces of wood I have found along the beaches of Puget Sound over the last few months.

On the beach, they are not always easy to recognize. Although they take a beautiful polish after the fact, they show none of this luster and translucency after they've been tumbled in the surf for a few thousand years. But somehow these caught my eye anyhow - and I'm glad they did.

I have begun to see recurring styles of wood: jet black with tan bark remnants, yellow/orange with strong ring patterns etc.  To me, this suggests a couple of specific (but unknown to me) source locations in the Puget Sound basin.  Logic dictates that the more abundant a certain rock type is, the closer the source. (Or maybe it means that some distant sources are simply more productive)

Wherever the source, they are beautiful.