Colorful Rocks!

Friday was the first day my back had stopped spasming, so I decided to take an hour plus long walk. It was actually cool and overcast, so I was wearing a light jacket. After a few minutes, it began to rain fairly hard (first time in 2013!). Since I was walking northeast along some old rail lines, I came bye these 4 football field sized abandoned military buildings that were used during the second world war. They were opened at both ends and totally empty, but it allowed me to keep up a good walking pace while moving thru them from one end of the first thru the back of the last, turning around, and returning. I did this for half an hour until the rain ended, and then headed back to the old abandoned rail lines. I like to hike them looking for railroad spikes and other railroad crap for yard decorations. It gives some purpose to the walk. Across from these buildings on the other side of the tracks are cement pads that must have been utilized as unloading areas for the trains. As I was turning west to start my return toward home, I came across a pad that was piled about 7 foot wide and 5 foot high with large beautiful rocks. Some looked possible to carry, and for some you would need a damn backhoe. Anyway, I picked up a few small sample rocks and used some landmarks so that I would be able to return at another time. When I got home, Joe was up on his deck so I told him about it and he said we should return there saturday and get some of it! So we did!
On saturday, a nice mid 70's sunny day, we headed there around eleven. Joe drove his 4WD Nitro down the abandoned tracks, and we set about digging thru the rocks and dirt and picking out nice new rocks for our yards. We uncovered some that were just too big to move that had beautiful coloration. We found one in particular that was stunning, and it looked like we might be able to chisel off much of the face. We headed back home to drop off our loot, and picked up my dolly, a hammer and chisels, a pry bar, and a rope and canvas tarp. We were carefully able to chisel and pry most of the face off that one rock, while only losing about a quarter of it. That was for joe's yard. There was a large, VERY HEAVY green rock that I wanted, so we got it to the nitro with the dolly, and then we used the canvas to slide the rock up the dolly and into the nitro. Once back here, we slid it down into a corner of my yard, and I then washed it and set it up for display. Here it is.....

Here are a few other rocks I picked up.

And finally, here is the face of the rock we were able to chisel out for Joe's yard....

Today was a nice sunny day also, so I did a bit of yard work, washed the car, and did a short slow 5K run. Didn't feel great. Sometime next week I should get the call for the MRI. Deb is also probably facing some arthoscopic shoulder surgery, so it looks like we go another year before we get to take a damn vacation!