Honey Hole

 

My last agate post talked about a new spot that the Mrs. and I discovered.  We've been back several times since, and it has paid off!  Here are just a few samplings of what probably amounts to a few pounds of agates that we have found there.  The biggest we have found is a little over 2 ounces.

This one is one of the biggest we have found in the new spot.  It's one of the biggest I've ever found (in my top 5).  There's a lot of quartz in it, but still some good banding.  I shouted when I found it, sticking out o the dirt.











I don't remember this one - I may not have found it.  But it's got a cool spread between agate and quartz between the exterior and interior.

This one is actually not from our new spot - it's from a gravel road in Brainerd, MN.  The Mrs. found it when we were up there camping a couple weeks ago.  Believe it or not, agates like this are common on gravel roads up there.  In fact, the best agate I've ever found in my life was found on a gravel road in Brainerd.

Another one from the new spot.  Nice banding and an interesting color.

This one has great lines.  I'm not sure if this is technically a paint or an eye agate.  My guess is paint, as I think eye agates are mostly ones that have perfect circles banded in them. Either way, it's cool.

This one is not very impressive on its face, but it is remarkable because this is a true eye.  You can seen the circle in the orange part just to the right of center.  See it?

I like the bright red color of this one.  Such bright reds aren't that common.

Look at that!  From the new spot.  Small, but really neat.

The Mrs. found this gem.  It was the highlight of her day last weekend.

Another small guy, but great banding.

I went to this new spot a total of four times this week, and came home with great agates each time.  Tonight's hunt yielded this guy.  You can't tell from the picture, but it's a very thin shaving off an agate.  It has the shape of an axe blade.

This is the first "good one" I found on today's hunt.  It's kind of big, but has a lot of quartz.

This is the winner for size in today's hunt, and may be the biggest one I've found from this new spot.  I haven't weighed it yet, so the jury's still out, but I think it will eclipse the others that I've found.  At first glance, it may seem to be chert, but take my word for it: it's agate.  The other side makes that very clear.  There isn't any good banding on this one - the quality of the stone is its size.

This one looks great in person but isn't very good when photographed. Another big one from today's hunt.

7 Things the Humble Need to Hear

In 2003 I remember watching a NFL playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.  At the end of regulation the game was tied, so a sudden-death overtime was called for.  At the coin flip, Matt Hasselbeck, quarterback for the Seahawks, called "Heads."  When it was determined that the Seahawks won the toss, the referee asked if they wanted to kick or receive to start the overtime period.  Hasselbeck leaned in close to the ref and said into his microphone, "We want the ball, and we're going to score."  A few plays later, however, near midfield, Hasselbeck threw the ball right into the waiting arms of a Packers defender who intercepted the pass and returned it all the way for a touchdown.  Game over.  Season over.  Suddenly, Hasselbeck's guarantee of victory seemed very ill-advised.  

When we think of the word "humble" we usually think of people who put others first, don't toot their own horn very often, or someone who is meek and mild, and that is certainly an accurate picture.  But there's another kind of humility - the kind that is forced upon a person when he or she experiences something that takes away his or her pride or self-assurance, and all of a sudden they realize that things aren't as great as they thought they were.  For instance, Matt Hasselbeck was made humble.  He wasn't humble to begin with.  On the contrary, he exuded pride and confidence in himself and his team.  But all of that melted away when Al Harris, the Packers defender, ran into the end zone with the intercepted pass.  

In Psalm 34.2, David says, "Let the humble hear and be glad."  The kind of humility that David is talking about here is the kind that is forced upon a person - the kind that you experience when you've been through the ringer.  What David is saying is that people who have been beaten down and who have been through difficult circumstances need to hear some things that he's going to tell them, and as a result, they will be glad.  "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!" David says.  Now that would have to be something pretty amazing, because it's exceptionally difficult to go from feeling like the world has walked all over you, to being glad and exalting the name of the Lord.  But David says it's possible.  In fact, in Psalm 34 he gives us seven things the humble need to hear - seven things that should cause the humble to be glad and magnify the Lord. 

1. Blessing comes during affliction (Psalm 34.4-7).  In Psalm 34.4-7 David describes experiencing the splendors of God's blessing and deliverance when he is at his worst.  It's when he's at his lowest that he experiences the blessing of God's deliverance; it's when he's poor and crying that God hears him and saves him out of all his troubles.  Put simply, you can't experience the blessing of deliverance without first being in a situation that requires deliverance.  So when you've been through the ringer, when you've been beaten down, you need to hear this: that's the place where you will experience God's blessing, deliverance, and help.  

2. God provides (Psalm 34.8-10).  Those who have been brought low by some kind of affliction need to hear that God will provide for their needs.  "...those who fear him have no lack." (Psalm 34.9)  God will always provide you with what you need.  Note that he doesn't promise to give you what you want but what you need.  God has not promised to protect you from feeling pain, but he has promised to provide what you need to get through the pain to the other side.  Check it out for yourself: "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34.8)

3. Seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34.11-14).  When you are humbled by your circumstances, one of the things you need to hear is a warning about your propensity to sinfully respond to difficulty.  If someone mistreats us, our natural inclination is get back at them and get even.  Or, if we are going through something difficult, we can be inclined to numb the pain through some kind of sinful means, or even be tempted to doubt or blame God for what we're going through.  During your time of difficulty, expect to be tempted to sin, and start planning now to respond in a way that honors God and seeks peace.  

4. God sees and hears, and he is near (Psalm 34.15, 17-18).  God knows exactly what people are going through because he is watching over them, and he is ready and willing to hear and respond to their prayers.  When I take my kids to the park, I tell them "Stay where I can see you."  I want to watch them so I can help them if they need it.  In a similar way, God watches over his children so he can help them when they need it.  And he isn't watching from afar, but he is close.  Sometimes we are inclined to think that God is far away, perched atop his throne in heaven, too royal and majestic and busy running the universe to be concerned with my puny little problems.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God is intimately aware of and involved in the things that concern us.  He goes with us into the valley of the shadow of death.  He is near.  When you've been through the ringer, you need to hear and remember that.

5. The scales will be balanced (Psalm 34.16, 21-22).  When we fall upon hard times because of something someone else has done to us, it can be tempting to want to get even.  At those times, you need to know that God is just and righteous, and that he will by no means clear the guilty.  If we have been humbled by the words or actions of someone else, we don't need to concern ourselves with vengeance or getting even.  "Leave it to the wrath of God," Paul says in Romans 12.  If you have been humbled by someone or something, you need to hear this: God will see the scales balanced - if you have been wrongly treated, you will be vindicated, and those who have treated you wrongly will not escape justice. 

6. Your afflictions will end Psalm 34.19-20).  Unfortunately, a lot of people think that believing the gospel means an end to all of their problems, and that everything will be hunky dory from then on out.  But the Bible never promises that.  Instead, it shows us the reality that problems still exist, and even new problems are created as a result of believing the gospel!  "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."  The Bible tells us that we will still have hard times, but that the Lord will deliver us out of them all.  Either he will provide a means of escape in the here and now, or it might be that we won't find deliverance until we reach heaven.  I can't promise when your afflictions will end, but they most certainly will end.  One day, God's deliverance will be complete and total.  

7. Rejoice and be glad (Psalm 34.1-2).  While it sounds counterintuitive, it is not only possible to be glad during hard times, but it is right, because this is the God Christians serve: the one who will bless those who suffer, who provides all their needs, who will see the scales balanced, who is with you wherever you are, and the one who will deliver you.  These are more than enough reasons to catch more than just a glimmer of hope in the eye of a Christian who is suffering.  We do not suffer alone or outside of the knowledge of God.  He will come to our aid.  Always.  So the next time you feel like the world has chewed you up and spit you out, you can rejoice and be glad, because this is your God.  

A New Spot

Yesterday the Mrs. and I went and scouted out a new spot to pick agates.  It turned out great!  Here are some of our better finds.  Sorry for the picture quality, as the iPhone camera isn't great.

The Mrs. found this one - the biggest and best one of our exclusion.  Look at those bands!

I found this guy - probably the best one I found all day.  Not as big, but the banding is fantastic. 

A smaller paint.  You can't see it in the picture, but some of the bands have a blueish tint to them. 

There were several more besides these, but these few are the definite gems of the excursion.  I can't wait to go back!

Pulled Over

Over the past few weeks, as there has been much discussion in the media about the supposedly unjust rates that black people are pulled over by police, it has caused me to reflect on my own experience with local police and my alleged "problems with the law."  It may surprise you to learn that I have been pulled over by the police some two dozen or so times which, in my mind, calls into question the notion that black drivers are pulled over more than white drivers.  You may respond that my anecdotal evidence isn't worth much - and I agree.  But then I must also call into question those anecdotes of black drivers who have allegedly been pulled over for little or no reason.

To be sure, the vast majority of times that I have been pulled over were for nothing, or almost nothing.  Upon reflection, it is clear to me that the officers who pulled me over on almost every occasion did so because they had probably cause to do so based on my exceptionally minor infraction.  In other words, they used the occasion to do a deeper check into who I was and what I was doing.  Let it also be known that in almost every case, the officers in question were justified in pulling me over.  I had indeed broken the law, even if the majority were extremely minor offenses.  In all of the times that I have been pulled over, I have only been ticketed twice - one of which was thrown out in court.

I also feel like I should add that I am perhaps the safest driver I know - just ask my wife - and as a general rule, I delight in following traffic laws.  Seriously.  I'm one of those people who thinks that driving is an inherently dangerous thing to do, and the more everybody obeys the rules, the safer we all will be on the roads.  So I take driving and traffic laws very seriously.  And when stopped by police, I am of the mind that polite compliance is of the highest priority.  The police are the authority on the roads, and are to be respected.

The very first time in my life that I was pulled over was in South St. Paul, on the corner of Marie and 14th Ave. (I remember the location because it was on the corner of the cemetery in South St. Paul).  I was a junior in high school and was driving a 1982 Chevy Caprice Classic wood-paneled station wagon.  The car was quite old by then, and I thought it might be fun to dress it up by painting some ironic flames on the hood, which I did.  Soon after, I came to a four-way stop, with a police officer stopped to my left.  I had clearly arrived at the stop sign before he did, so I left the stop sign first.  As soon as I had made the turn, the lights came one, and I pulled over.  When I rolled down the window, the cop told me that I had "squealed my wheels" when making the turn.  Apparently this was enough to warrant a stop.  I don't recall the tires squealing, but I'll take his word for it.  He then proceeded to shine his flashlight all throughout my car windows to see what was inside (it was at night).  No ticket.

Another time I was driving a Chevy S15 pickup truck that was also old and was suffering from electrical problems.  These problems meant that most of my dashboard indicator lights weren't working - including my bright lights indicator.  While driving down Robert St. I was pulled over for driving with my high beams on, and I went through the usual background and license check.  No ticket.

Still another time, I was visiting my sister in Rosemount one night and began the trip back to South St. Paul via Highway 3.  A section of the highway in Inver Grove Heights is full of twists and turns in the road.  While navigating these turns, it's virtually impossible not to touch either the yellow center line or one of the white shoulder lines, but that's what I was pulled over for this time: swerving, and suspicion of drunk driving.  It was a Sunday night, and I told the officer that I hadn't been drinking, but was just tired.  "Did you wake up early for church this morning?" the officer sarcastically asked.  "Yes, actually," I responded.  No ticket.

While I could go on and on with story after story, I'll leave you with one final anecdote: while working as the janitor at Riverview, one morning on my day off I went into the church at about 8:00 to set up for a meeting that I had forgotten to set up for earlier in the week.  Since it was my day off, when I had finished setting up I went back home (it's about 3.5 miles from the church to where I was living at the time).  Going from West St. Paul to South St. Paul via Wentworth Ave., astute drivers will notice that the speed limit went from 35 mph in West St. Paul to 30 mph in South St. Paul.  The change takes place at the city limits.  By the time I crossed over into South St. Paul, I guess I was still doing the West St. Paul 35 that I was used to.  I was nabbed by an officer, who ticketed me for speeding.  He also informed me that my tabs were expired (which I didn't know at the time).  When he came to my window, he asked if I had been drinking, to which I replied that I had not (it was only 9AM after all, and I wasn't really a drinker).  "But I'm smelling alcohol," the officer said.  "I'm not sure what to tell you.  I haven't been drinking," I replied.  "Get out of the car please," he said.  And then I went through the field sobriety tests on the road.  I hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, so I have no idea how he was "smelling alcohol."  He gave me a ticket for speeding, a warning for the expired tabs, and expounded on the merits of sober driving, with which I agreed.  I got in my Ford van and went on down the road.  I didn't make it home, however, before being pulled over again.  Driving down Southview Ave., another cop passed me going the other way.  As I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw him quickly whip a U turn and turn on his lights.  At this time I wasn't sure if he was after me or someone else, so I just proceeded to turn into our alleyway.  He followed me, and I drove into my parking stall at the house I was renting with my sister.  He boxed my car in, so as to eliminate any means of escape I might take.  As he got out of the car I reached my hand out the window and said, "I just got a ticket."  Then he got back in his car and went on his way.  So yes, I was pulled over twice within a 3.5 mile drive.

Why was I pulled over for these offenses and many others which I haven't even talked about here?  It obviously wasn't because I was black.  Is it because I'm a mean looking guy who has a look about him as though he's up to no good?  I doubt it - at least I've never been accused of that before.  Is it because I drive souped up, fancy sports cars?  Hardly!  Every car I owned up until last year has pretty much been a beater.  So then what is it that has led to all of these pull-overs?  I can only answer that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  In other words, I did something that was technically against the law, and the police stopped me for it.  They were in the right and I was in the wrong almost every time - even if it was something minor and stupid.  Is it possible that a black person who has been pulled over several times was profiled and discriminated against?  Yes.  Is it also possible that they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time like me and committed a minor infraction that the officer used to do a more extensive check?  Yes.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the story behind all of the times I've been pulled over.

I'm not necessarily trying to make a point by sharing my experiences, and I'm not trying to draw some kind of political conclusion or anything like that.  As someone who has been pulled over two dozen times, I find it interesting.  I should also note that for the past four years it has been my privilege to serve as a volunteer chaplain for the West St. Paul and Mendota Heights police departments.  I greatly appreciate the work our boys in blue do every day.

Agates

One thing I'v never noted on this blog before is one of my hobbies, namely rock collecting.  As a kid we would frequently walk my grandpa's driveway in search of agates - Lake Superior agates - but we didn't know that at the time.  A long hiatus from rock collecting later, a few years ago I picked up the hobby again and have been enthralled by it since.  It has now become a family activity in our house, and we frequently go on "Agate Adventures" (where we go find a gravel road and pick out the agates).  Anyway, I thought it might be neat to document the agates we find.  I have quite a bit of catching up to do, however, and it's not feasible for me to document all of the agates we've found in the last three or four years or so, so I figured I'd just put some more recent finds up here right now and then hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the new ones we find (click the images to embiggen).

At the end of April, 2016, my family took a trip up the North Shore for the express purpose of hunting for agates.  This was our haul on the last day of our trip.  

One night early this summer, while playing catch in the backyard, I noticed an agate in some landscaping rocks.  A little more digging revealed the rest of these guys. 

The Mrs. and I took a trip up the North Shore in early June.  This was our takeaway from a couple of beaches just north of Two Harbors.

I found this agate, loaded with quartz, at Gooseberry Falls at the end of June.

Found this one on the MN Waterfalls Road Trip, I think on the beach at Naniboujou Lodge.  Although small, this is one of the most unique agates I've ever found.

Also found this one on the MN Waterfalls Road Trip. 

A week after the MN Waterfalls Road Trip, my co-worker went on vacation on the North Shore and brought these home.  Since he knew I collect agates, he gave them to me.  

In mid-July I was visiting a church member after her hip surgery at a hospital in Burnsville.  There was plenty of landscaping rock outside the hospital that I quickly glanced at as I walked out.  Coincidentally, this agate popped out at me.  

Here's a plain, but larger agate I found in the landscaping rock outside Kmart in West St. Paul. 

For a couple years I brought my car to a local repair shop in South St. Paul.  A year or so ago the shop was razed to the ground.  The gravel heap that was left in its wake yielded this guy at the end of July.