Collections

My Rock Collection

I am not quite sure when I "officially" began collecting rocks. Was it when we moved next door to a lime rock road and I began digging up fossilized creatures? Or was it when our family first received a box of rocks from my Grandmas "rock-hound" friend? I am not quite sure, but here I am, years later and love rocks! Sadly, I have never have had the chance to go out and dig up rocks, which is because we do not really live close to any rock mines but I have had the wonderful experience of finding fossils! My favorite fossils that I have found is probably the "belly buttons" as we call them. I am not actually sure what these creatures are, but they look like some kind of sea anemone. Here is a picture of one. (Sorry for the dried rose petal beside it.)

I have also found fossilized bones, (small bones, about three inch's long), fossilized clams (found at the beach, see photo below, it is off to the right side), and my friend gave me a fossilized palm tree slice (see picture) and a fossilized mushroom!

Most of the rocks I have I received from a friend of my Grandmas. She has traveled ALL OVER THE PLACE and found the most extrodinary rocks. My favorite, which she just gave me lately is three geodes or sometimes known as "thunder eggs" stuck together.

A regular whole geode that has not been opened looks like this:

Not necessarily very appealing but when cut open can turn into a gorgeous rock.

This is a picture of one that I bought at the AIG Creation Museum in Kentucky. Isn't it beautiful? Among all the other rocks I have are, iron pyrite or "fools gold", amethyst, tourmaline, jasper, a small stalagmite, and pumice (this is one rock that I did find myself.....outside of Olive Garden. :)
Well, I guess I had better move on to my other collections or you will be here all day!

Coin Collection

Another thing I love to collect are coins. So far my collection is not very big so far but we add a couple every once in a while. On the left are two gold dollars with the faces of Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson. On the second row I have one of the new national park quarters which is of Yosemite. The next two coins on the second row are nickles, one is of a buffalo and the second is of a ship. On the third row is all the different types of pennies I have. From top to bottom, wheat penny, one of Abraham Lincoln standing in front of the White House, a shield penny, one of Abraham Lincoln sitting on a log reading a book. The fourth row has Canadian coins. I only know the name of the first coin which is a Toonie. (A Loonie is one dollar and a Toonie is two dollars.) My favorite coins are the pennies.

Stamp Collection

I do not have any pictures of my stamp collection put on here because I have not gotten all of my stamps in order yet. I have a stamp book that I keep them in, but from past experience I have learned that if you turn it upside down they all fall out. :(  I have stamps from India, Europe (There are so many individual places in Europe that it would take a little while to name them all), China, U.S.A (Of course), Australia, and other individual places around the world. I do not necessarily have a favorite.