My New Toy

At a yard sale last week, I found a Rock Saw for $20.00! I think I mentioned it in a previous blog. This morning, I finally found the right size V-belt to connect the moter to the blade arbor, repaired the electrical cord, and started cutting rocks. These are from our trip to Mud Mountain a couple of days ago. Don't know exactly what kind of rocks these are, but they're gorgeous. Don't know what I'm going to do with all the rock slabs I'm going to end up with but it's so much fun seeing a plain old rock transformed into a shiney gem-like something-or-other. The saw uses a diamond blade in a water/oil bath. There's a clamp for holding the rock and a screw drive that pushes the rock forward slowly. A chain linking the carriage to the switch turns off the saw when the cut is complete. It takes about a half hour to cut these small slabs, but with the automatic shut-off you can just set up the cut and walk away. Can't wait to find a geode!

Yesterday, we took a ride back to Hillsboro to have lunch with a new friend, Ellen the Iris Lady. She has the most amazing gardens with apples, peaches, pears, plums, apricots etc. She sent us home with fresh corn on the cob, squash and green beans. We are definitelly eating well here.