Orlando Florida GPAA - 2005 Meetings

Newsletters 2005

January '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

We welcome the New Year and certainly hope it does not bring the devastations and tradgedy we all experienced in 2004.

Our January meeting was a lot of fun. We had Coffee, Donuts, Biscuits and Sausage links. The holidays were a big topic of discussion and we also relived a few precious moments of our Annual Christmas Party.

Today's meeting centered around our club's first outing for 2005. The date has been decided on and will be April 29, 30 and May 1. This is a Friday thru Sunday for any of you who are not familiar with it. The change from our normal Memorial Day Weekend date was so that our members that make that great trip to Alaska each year will have a chance to join us for this outing before they head off.

The location for the outing has not been decided yet, as we are awaiting Dave Heyart our newest member, to return to our February meeting with information about his relatives property in North Carolina that I mentioned in the December Newsletter, that could open up some new possibilities for us. There is a Coin Show in Ft. Lauderdale this coming weekend, Jan. 15th. Frank will be attending and purchasing some gold nuggets and concentrates for our raffles. One (1) ounce of gold has also been purchased from Alicia Hamilton for raffles.

We will be having a POT LUCK for our February Meeting. It will be Oriental Cuisine, so...go thru those "One day, I'm gonna try this recipe." files and get cooking. The club will be furnishing the beverages for sure, and possibly something else. We'll just have to wait and see. I need for everyone to PLEASE contact me, you all know the routine, of what you are bringing so we can have a variety. So far, we have Fried Rice, LoMein, and Spring Rolls.

The FEBRUARY MEETING will be held on Saturday, Feb. 12, Warren Park at 10:00 am. We are thinking of possibly changing our meeting time to 10:00 so that some of our members that travel 3 hrs. or so, will not have to leave home before the crack of dawn.

We had 2 visitors with us this month, Bob Burke from Pennsylvania and Clair Brown from Sarasota. We would also like to welcome back Ginger Barber, who we haven't seen in a while. By the way, Ginger was the winner of the 4 gram Alaskan Nugget today. Well, I'll close this letter for now, but will keep you posted on the Menu for the PotLuck as I receive your replies.

We would like to say "GET WELL" to Ed who was not with us today. Seems Ed went and got the Flu Shot and got more than the shot. Anyway, hope you feel better Ed, will see you in February. Everyone have a great month, stay safe and stay outta trouble!!

Paulette

Feburary '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Well, for those of you who missed our February Meeting, you missed out on a lot of good food. This month's meeting was an Oriental Pot Luck. There was Fried Rice, Lo Mein, Spring Rolls, Teriyaki, Sweet and Sour, Shrimp/Pepper/Tomatoes on a skewer cooked on a grill, Fortune Cookies and some to die for Chocolate Candy made by our Sweet Chef, Art Wolf. I really don't know how Faith stays as slim as she does when she's subjected to all those great cakes, cookies and candy.

Ed was still out with the flu bug this month, sure hope to see him at the March Meeting, and Dave and Judy Heyart was missed. Dave and Judy went to North Carolina to visit some relatives who have property near a creek. We are waiting to hear if Dave was able to get his feet wet and find gold.

There is a Silver Refinery, I believe, in Clermont, Fl. not too far from Orlando, and Richard has touched bases with them about us possibly doing a tour of the refinery for one of our meetings. If and when this happens, our monthly meeting would be in Clermont that month. Sounds like it would be interesting to see just how a refinery operation really works.

Our first outing of 2005 is still planned for April 29, 30 and May 1. Where we have the outing has still not been decided, but will be the topic of discussion at our March meeting, so please be there with your ideas and let's make a decision. Time for the Outing is growing near.

The March Meeting is going to be a Coffee/ Donuts/ Sweet Rolls affair. I'm in hopes that Art and Faith will do us the honor of bringing the Coffee if they are going to be attending, (long drive from Jacksonville). I will check with them and send emails if we are on our own for the coffee. Other than that, we just need to bring some sort of Danish or Donuts.

Our Raffle this month yielded a $30.00 bag of Concentrate won by Richard, and a Silver Medallion won by Terry.

Well, I guess I'll close for now. Hope to see everyone at the March Meeting, Saturday the 12th, Warren Park at 9:00 a.m. Hope everyone has a great month.

Paulette

March '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Our March Meeting was a good one. We had Donuts, Sausage Balls, other assorted Danish and Coffee. The weather was a little cool but not bad. The meeting was opened by our Vice President, Patrick Kennedy who doesn't get that honor very often, but is always ready and able.

Patrick is in touch with the Silver Refinery in Clermont that was introduced at our February Meeting, and is working on setting up a tour of the refinery for our April Meeting.

We had a visitor at this meeting, Douglas Wlasiuk, Jr. from Beverly Hills, Fl., this is over near Crystal River. Douglas came and brought his family to get a taste of our setup. We welcome Doug and his family and hope they visit with us again soon.

Now, for the scoop on our Common in April. First off, there has been a slight error in the actual date. As you know we spend 2 days on the dig. The dates have the outing scheduled for April 29, 30 and May 1. Those dates cover a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Common Dig is Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1.

everyone is welcome to come ahead of those actual dates to set up camp, scope out a digging site and enjoy the social aspect. Again, we dig on Saturday and Sunday, have the split late Sunday afternoon and then the club takes us to dinner. Most members leave on Monday, but there are always a few that stay on into the latter part of the week. We are going to Buchanan, Ga. and will be staying at the campground over by the school. Final details will be discussed at the April Meeting, so don't miss it. Gonna be a lot of fun.

Our Raffle this month yielded a vial of 2.2gr Alaska Gold, and was won by Yours Truly, Meeeee!!!!! Thank you very much.

will close for now, April Meeting Saturday the 9th, Warren Park, 9:00 am.

Paulette

April '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Well, here we are already into the month of April and getting ready for our 1st Outing of the year. As I explained in the March Letter the Outing dates are April 30th and May 1st, in Buchanan, Ga. This is a Saturday and Sunday. Camping will be at the campground over by the school. For those of you who have not attended one of our Outings, the actual dig is Saturday and 1/2 day Sunday. The split will be after the cleanup on Sunday for all those who participated in it. After the split, we will all go out to dinner.

It appears that we will have a good supply of mining equipment. As far as I know there will be a 5� inch dredge, a couple of 4�, 2� and high bankers. Some of us will be arriving a little earlier in the week and staying into the week following. Everyone is welcome to come early and stay later. Buchanan is very easy to find. I-75 to Atlanta (take the west by-pass) to I-20 west. I-20 to Hwy. 27, Hwy 27 North to Buchanan. Follow the signs, or stop and ask anyone how to get to the GPAA Campground. Anyone who needs further directions can contact me, and I will be happy to oblige.

The Silver Refinery tour has not been finalized yet, will keep you posted on any further information. We would like to �Welcome� another guest today, Kent Arblaster. Kent is a local and is anxious to start prospecting. We would also like to say Welcome to the return this month of Doug Wlasiuk.

There was some discussion this month on maybe having more outings during the year, this idea will be explored in a little more detail at our May Meeting.

we will be having a POTLUCK in May, That's Sat. May 14th 9:00am at Warren Park.The Club will furnish the Drinks and Ice, the rest is up to us. There is no particular kind of food for the Potluck so let your imagination's run wild. I do ask that you email or contact me by phone as to what you are planning to bring so there will be a variety of goodies. This is informal.

The Raffle today yielded a 2.1 gram nugget and Jim Green was the lucky winner, Mike Winkler also won a really neat looking Gold Mine Game.

Well that's about all for this month. Hope everyone has a great April and for those of you who are going to travel to the outing, please drive safely and hope to see everyone there.

Paulette

May '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Our May Meeting was a good one. We had our Pot Luck and it was great. There was Fried Chicken, Barbequed Lil' Smokies, Burrito Casserole, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Ed's fantastic Pasta Salad, Pastries, etc. etc. Everyone had there fill.

Conversation was of the lst Common Dig in Buchanan this year to the upcoming trek to Alaska for some of our diehard prospectors. A lot of fun was had at Buchanan this year, but the weather was not very cooperative for dredging.

For those who were there before Friday they awoke to a very very cold morning. The temp was down to about 28* and there was ice on the car on Thursday morning. No thoughts of even getting in the water until about noon that day, and then not for very long. Friday night it began raining and continued thru Saturday.

We went for dinner on Saturday night and then everyone worked on his own on Sunday. There just wasn't enough time for a group dig. Sunday's weather was not too warm either. All in all, we had a lot of fun just sitting around talking, walking down by the creek taking pictures and watching the creek race by after the all night rain on Friday, and believe me the creek was racing by and had come up considerably. Guess we'll have to take a better look at the date of the lst outing next year.

At our June Meeting, we will be finalizing the time and place of our next outing for this year. Up for discussion is Thermal City, Lucky Strike and the North Carolina Emerald Mine.

June Meeting is a Breakfast Meeting, basically we are talking finger foods, coffee, juice, fruit, etc. whatever you would like to have. I can bring my stove and instant coffee, but I don't have a coffee pot or regular coffee. If anyone has a coffee pot, I will furnish the coffee. This month's raffle was won by Patrick Kennedy.

Hope everyone has a great month, see you Sat. June 11, 9:00 am, Warren Park.

Paulette

June '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

June was kind of a lonely Meeting Month for us, as a lot of our members and friends are in Alaska. Most of them will not be returning until September or October and we sure miss them, hope they are having a really wonderful time.

We had Sweet Rolls, Muffins and Coffee at this month's meeting and the weather was cooperative, although it did start to get a little warm before we all began to start home.

Our July meeting will be a Pot Luck. Sandwiches and Chips are the main items but we are open to anything you would like to bring, condiments such as Pickles, Olives, etc. The club will furnish beverages.

The latest on the Silver Refinery Tour is a NO GO. The man who owns the refinery doesn't feel that there is enough things of interest to make it worthwhile.

We discussed our next Outing at this meeting and the Dates have been set. It will be October 7th thru the 9th (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). October 10th is a holiday. We are holding off deciding on the exact place until September so that some of our members who are away will be able to put in there ideas of the place.

The raffle this month was for a 0.9 gr. Australian Nugget and was won by our Illustrious President, Richard Allen. Before I close this Newsletter, I would like to please ask and remind everyone to please write a letter to the GPAA in California in regards to the property in Buchanan. There has been a little trouble with ONE of the three land owners on upper Holcomb Creek so we have been prospecting the other creeks. For those of you who are not familiar with Upper Holcomb, it flows from behind the school. Access has been closed. The other creeks, Lower Holcomb, Bennett and Beech are just as nice and you can walk to them from behind the main campground. Anyway we need for everyone to write a letter to the GPAA and let them know that we really do like the camping and prospecting there and the caretakers are extremely cordial and fun. The new caretakers are Janet and David. Jim and Connie have decided to take a break for a while. Janet and David have run the properties before, so they do know what they are doing and where to go.

Well will close for now, don't forget the Pot Luck for coming up soon, July 9th, Warren Park, 9:00 am.

Paulette

July '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

This is just a reminder to let everyone know that the August Meeting this Saturday the 13th will be a regular POT LUCK, that means anything you wish to bring will be great. The club will furnish the beverages and a surprise food. Let's make this a great POT LUCK, as we have all been sitting around since June. Any questions, please call or email me. See you Saturday, Warren Park, 9:00 a.m.

Paulette

August '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

This months meeting was a Pot Luck. We had lots of goodies, Fried Chicken, Rice, Pot Roast, Deviled Eggs, Chili, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Cole Slaw, Fruit Bowl and Rolls, more than enough to go around.

The Club Outing for October was the topic of discussion and since some of our members were still not back from Alaska, the definite decision of whether to go to North Carolina or Buchanan, Georgia will be decided at our September Meeting. Date for the outing will be October 8th and 9th. That is a Saturday and Sunday.

We had some new members with us today, David and Debbie from over on the West Coast of Florida. We would like to welcome them to our club and certainly hope they come again. Also, Pattie and Marvin Taylor were back with us today, they've been through some trials and tribulations over the last few months but we sure hope everything returns to normal soon.

Our Raffle today yielded a 1.1gr. Australian Nugget, a Vial of Australian Gold and a Silver Prospector Coin. David Carlson was the lucky winner of the Nugget, Craig Grindle the Vial of Gold, and Yours Truly (Paulette) the Silver Prospector Coin. I was sure pleased, I've wanted one of those for a long time.

Our September Meeting will be an easy Breakfast Meeting, Donuts, Sweet Rolls, Muffins, Juice, Coffee and whatever else you would like to bring. September Meeting will be Saturday, September 10, Warren Park at 9:00 am. Hope everyone has a great month, and let's pray we don't have a repeat of storms in August like we did last year.

Paulette

September '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Well, everyone is back from Alaska and all were glad to be home. Frank and Marianne had a few problems, seems that Frank ripped the top of his trailer on a Branch and didn't realize it until he came back from a short trip and found he had some major water damage inside. He said the road to the campground was covered with Mudslides making it impossible to use the campground. Also snowed on July 31, so there was not a lot of working days. Sure hope you have a better time next year Frank.

We would like to welcome back Steve Martin, Fl. State Director for the GPAA. Hadn't seen Steve in about a year, so it was good to see him again.

Well, the Outing will be Oct. 8 and 9. and will be in Buchanan, Ga. at the Main campground just past the school. The Common will be on Saturday and Sunday with the Gold split and Dinner in the late afternoon/early evening on Sunday. Remember there will be some members arriving by Friday, so anyone who wants to just mess around and test the waters on Friday are more than welcome.

I'm sorry to say that I am not going to be able to make this outing, but I'll be thinking about you all. Hope everyone has a great time. Would also like to say Good Luck to David and Debbie who are leaving for California in October, hope you find the motherlode and have a safe trip. Will look forward to seeing you in November and hearing all about it.

Well, that's all for now, have a great Outing, a safe trip and see you in November on Saturday the 12th, Warren Park, 9:00 am.

Paulette

October '05

No news Letter

November '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Well, it's getting towards the end of the year and closer to the holidays, so let's get going. As you all know there was no Meeting in October as the meeting was going to be the Outing in Buchanan, Ga. As it turned out only a couple of people went due to the bad weather. Jim Green and his wife Cookie were there, along with Mike Wicks and a friend of his. Even though the weather was less than desirable, a little gold was found.

Dave and Debbie were at this current meeting along with some beautiful pixs and tales of their trip to California. They went to the Italian Bar, and said they had a really great time. Debbie says the road down, and she definitely meant down, to the camp was frightening. She said it was basically a one-way road with a couple of places where you could pull off to let someone else get past you, people driving on the outside had the right of way and the pull offs were not too close together. They say the next time they go they will have a camper, so they don't have to travel that road twice a day. All in all, they did have a good time and are planning a return trip.

And now to the best part of the meeting, the Annual Christmas Party. The party will be held at Warren Park on Saturday December 17th at 11:00 a.m. Normally, we have the party on the same regular saturday as our monthly meeting, but the Pavillion was not available on that date, so be sure to mark your calendar so you won't miss out on the fun.

This year will be the same as previous years with the Secret Santa Gift Exchange. Please keep your gift at $10.00 and UNDER. The gift can be a GAG GIFT or WHATEVER you wish to bring. Also each independent club member will receive a gift from the club and that's always nice.

The club will be furnishing the Main Dish, which will be a HAM, and also the Beverages. The rest of the foods will be up to the rest of us.

I will need you to email or call me and let me know what you would like to bring, so that we don't have a lot of duplicate foods. Anything is a great addition to the Ham. Desserts (Cakes-Pies-Cookies-Brownies etc.) Salads (conventional and specials), Rolls or Breads of some kind, Vegetables (hot or cold, such as a veggie tray with dip, etc.) Anything that tempts your taste buds. As of this Newsletter I have the following foods: Cookies, Salad (not sure what kind of salad), Green Bean Casserole, Potato Salad, Deviled Eggs, Cheese and Meat Tray. AGAIN, DON'T FORGET TO CONTACT ME AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BRINGING.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of joining us for the Christmas Party, you are in for a real good time.Our raffle this month was a 1 gr. vial of Alaskan Gold, won by none other than me. Well, that's all for now, hope everyone has a HAPPY THANKSGIVING, if you're traveling, stay safe and I'll see you SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17TH, WARREN PARK at 11.00 a.m.

Paulette

December '05

Hi Fellow Prospectors,

Well here we are, another year ended and a new one to begin. Hope everyone's Christmas and New Year was a great one.

For those of you who did not make our annual Christmas Party, you really missed out on a good time. There were tons of delicious foods and desserts and everybody more than got their fill. The club furnished a Spiral Sliced Ham and Beverages and there was Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Deviled Eggs, Green Bean Casserole, Green Beans with Potatoes, Tossed Salad, Ambrosia, Rolls, Macaroni and Cheese, a Relish and Cheese Tray, tiny little spiral sandwiches and on and on.

Then came the Desserts. Art Wolf graced us with 2 huge homemade Pumpkin Pies and 2 (to die for ) scrumptious Chocolate Pies complete with real Whipped Cream. There was also a Pecan Pie, an assorted Cheese Cake, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Cookies. All in all a fantastic fare.

The Secret Santa was a lot of fun also. Lots of really neat stuff from Candles to a light that you wear on your head (for night time gold prospecting, Ha! Ha!). The club furnished a gift for each paid member that ranged from Silver Prospector Coins, Concentrate pans, little Bottles of Gold Leaf from Alaska, bags of concentrate and the Grand Prizes that consisted of a large Bucket of Concentrate and a 7.7 gram Nugget of Australian Gold.

The Bucket of Concentrate was won by Red Branson and the beautiful Australian Gold Nugget was won by Tommy Chancey. As I said before, a great time was had by all. So now we will start the New Year with our First Club Meeting on Saturday January 14, at Warren Park at 9:00 am. Hope to see all of you there.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Paulette