Cute! That blue rock is very striking! What colour will the flowers of the AV be?

Thank you, sahoyaref! !
That is the Rob's Whiz Bang purple with white fringes.
I used to collect rocks, so whenever we went, I picked one up. That one is from Israel, I bought it because I was not sure if it was ok to just pick them up. Some places, when on a trail, I would just take one, but always asked the tour guide or somebody if it was ok.... didn't want to end up in jail for a rock! LOL
Ana :)

Ana
Looks very nice!! Glad to see you were finally able to get those plants.
Don't know if this is appropriate for the forum but was curious about life on Guam. Like the climate,would assume hot and humid.?? I noted that you also get hurricanes though they are called typhoons in the Pacific.
Would assume living expenses are high due to everything being imported.?Certainly true of the Caribbean and Hawaii.
Have always wanted to live in a true tropical climate.
So what's it like living there??
Gary

Oh my goodness, I collect rocks, too! I have a blue one just like yours, but it is much smaller. I learned the name of it (the mineral) recently, but now I can't remember. . . figures! I can't believe how much I have in common with some of you on this forum! I like Rob's Whiz Bang too. You'll have to post pics later when everything has settled in and filled out. Then it'll be REALLY nice!

Is the blue rock ultramarine?

Mine isn't. It's some compound of sulphur, I remember that, and it starts with an 'S' (I think) and ends with '-ite'. And no, it's not sulphite. =) It's relatively common in Alberta, which is where I found it (I think, may have been in BC or Saskatchewan). I usually collect some rocks from the campsite or beach whenver I go camping, and since my family has gone camping every year since I was a young child, i have lots of rocks. =) I had to trim my collection when we moved once, because it was just too heavy! =)

I think ultramarine is a sulphur and limestone combo... goes and read link. "Ultramarine is the most complex of the mineral pigments, a complex sulfur-containing sodio-silicate (Na8-10Al6Si6O24S2-4)".

Enough 'S's? :-)

Another possibility is peacock ore (been googling around) which is a kind of copper sulfide.

Well, thank you all! I didn't think so many of you knew about rocks. I'll have to show my husband this thread, because he always makes fun of my fascination with rocks. I can find one in the garden, wet it and look at it's details, you'll be surprise what you can find in your own yard!
The rock on the left has Lapis lazuli embedded in it, the tall one got it in Brazil, if you look at the bottom, it has prehistoric ferns embedded in it, on both sides, is really great!
The middle one is from Alaska, it has Tourmaline and Spinel veins in it.
I have some fascinating ones from Argentina's South Pole, have a large one (about 7" by 11") Amethyst.
Here's a close up of the rock that show more details.
Gary:
I'll give you an answer in few minutes.
Ana :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Rocks

Gary:
We moved here 9 years ago from California. My husband was offered a transfer and we decided that would be nice to try. He took an early retirement last year and we were trying to figure out where to move (California is too crowded now) After checking from Nevada to Wa. State and Oregon (which we love) we decided that we like it here too much to give it up. So, we'll stay till we are too old for the typhoons and quakes :)
The climate is warm (average year round is 86) humidity is not as bad as in Florida, we have a constant nice breeze that pushes it out to sea, we built our home up on a hill, so is always cooler here.Expenses are higher, but, shorts and t-shirts are the norm, we brought all our furniture with us, so no problem, groceries are somewhat expensive, and many other things are not available, but there is always buying on line, which I do more often than not, specially with plants, electronics (we have them here, but like you say, due to the shipping, the prices are very high)
Typhoons are a problem, only to the outside landscape. The houses here are built to code: concrete blocks reinforced with rebars and filled with cement. Also we have storm metal shutters on all windows and doors.
We also have quakes. Last one 4 yrs ago was a whopping 8.2 in the Richter scale, there was damage to roads and some cracks in houses, other than that, no problem.
You can see some of the pictures of the island and my home, go to my page and it'll show you my web page. It is very beautiful, and the people are great, very friendly.
Ana :)

Ana
Thank you very much for the tour. I knew a bit about Guam from Archaeology.Have always had an in interest in the Polynesian, Melanesian cultures. Also because of the Mariana trench the deepest ocean in the world. Was fascinated with what they've discovered down there.By the way I have a rock from there that my uncle brought back during WWII.Have no idea from what part of the island.
We,ve lived in Florida for 27 years now and I've always liked it here but it's getting far too crowded cost of living is going through the roof and Charley reminded me just how vulnerable we are. Almost impossible to go scuba or fishing and keeping a boat is out of the question. Even just going to the beach is almost out of the question.
When we moved here the pop. was slightly over 100,000 and is now over 1.2 million and shows no sign of slowing down. I feel this trend will continue and now that we're retired I don't see much for us here.
On the bright side our home is valued at 6 times what we paid for it and it's paid for. No millionaires but we have a steady income which could be substantially increased wwith the house money.
I could not ever see returning to a cold climate.I shiver at 40 lol.
i particularly like Costa Rica and would be living there now except for the wife.She's scared of the "jungle"lol
We could live there for a song compared to here. and there are soooo many things to see and do for very little money. They have a fantastic climate ,good cheap transportation,and are politicly stable. You can visit the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on the same day!! Scuba diving runs about a third of Florida .I love those tropical mountains. To the negative they have volcanoes,earthquakes,
mudslides and bunches of stuff in short supply. In flation at almost 30 percent and a growing dissatisfied population
along with anti American sentiment.
The thing that impresses me about the Pacific is size!!
No matter where you are you're a long way froom everywhere else..Would sure be a long way to see my grandchildrenlol
Of course that could be a good thing!! Thanks again
Gary

I love that peacock ore (chalcopyrite)! It's beautiful! Not my rock though. i can't remember where I saw a picture and the name of it. . . must remember now. . .

Gary:
We went to Costa Rica with the intention to buy property and build our retirement home, however, as beautiful as it is, it's a foreign country, the property laws are very different from here, from what we've been told, is not possible buy property if you are not a National, except with a National partner and yes, for the money, you can live like a king with dollars, but, still, like you say, is becoming very unstable and, 'better the devil known than the unknown' LOL!
And yes, we go to see our grandchildren once a year, enjoy them, have a good time... and return home LOL.
OH!, take a look at my thread 'Awesome but deadly' it'll give you an idea what a real storm is.

sahoyaref:
I agree. It's a beautiful rock!
Next time your parents come for dinner, take a pic of it and post it, I sure would like to see it!
Ana :)

Ana
It is possible to own property outright in Costa Rica.
There are some notable exceptons which vary by location.
Costa Rica subscribes to the Pan American union and has never violated any treaty.Even during the revolution of 1946
the last time any property was confiscated,there was compensation to the owners.Though some of it got into 30 year contracts. There are also some tricky laws on transfer of property to heirs. It is quite possible to draw up an international contract.
While I would not hesitate to buy property under these conditions I would certainly think twice about building especially a new structure due to import laws and the scarcity of materials. Now , improvements to an existing structure especially a residense,should be quite similar to the US. You would definitely have to be careful of tarriffs
and timelines on labor contracts. Another tricky part would be financing.Whole different ballgame.
For myself, I would negotiate a long term lease,somewhere in the central vally with easy access to the airport but out of the San Jose metro. I'm too old to think about owning property and I certainly wouldn't want to leave my daughters an "International Headache"lol
Long term rentals are very economical if you stay away from the beach particularly pacific. I would see no advantages to owning in my case.
Now if were young,had lots on money and could handle aggrevation,I'd snap up some of that pacific beachfront.
It is still possible to get acreage under 1 million WITH electricity sewage and water!!! Try that anywhere in the US.
Another great thing is air transportation.For example
it is faster and cheaper to get from Costa Rica to California than from Florida!! There are also more options
on flights. This seems to be also true of S.America. It is also possible to go overland from Costa Rica to several points in the US.thanks to the Pan American highway. Though I certainly wouldn't want to try it.lol
As to "better the devil known than unknown" I can't imagine what Florida will be like in 20 years. My guess would be absolutely nothing like it is today. I would guantee it will be even more crowded.
gary

Well, here is my blue rock! It is much smaller, and only looks this blue when wet (like most rocks). It looks a little blue-er in person, but this is pretty close.

{{gwi:1271043}}

Still haven't gotten around to looking up the name. . .

It's beautiful! Of course I love rocks, this one you can put in your terrarium (the right side used as the bottom) and with the humidity it'll probably have the wet look all the time.
Ana :)

Yes, I think I will put it in my terr! I already have some of my other rocks from my collection in there. It's nice to actually see them and enjoy them, instead of just keeping them all in a bucket in the storage room. =)

I got a blue rock from Lynne yesterday, she said it was "Sodalite". It looks a bit like your rock.

Here are some of my small rocks in a 'shadow box', it isn't deep, only 2". I have a larger one that some day :) I'll mount some of my larger ones. You can double click on it so you can really see the details. Sorry about the 'light dots' but it has a glass on it and to remove it is a pain, the other one has hinges to open it, so it'll be easier.
Ana ")

Here is a link that might be useful: Shadow Box

Very nice Ana! I love the tiger eye! It is one of my mom's favourite stones. I have only one large polished rock, and it's blue. Has some nice crystal in the middle, and is a cross-section of some larger rock. You can see it in the pic of my small outdoor terrariums on the other thread. Putting them in a display case is a good idea!

Sodalite, eh? That does sound very familiar! Going to look up my rock now. . .

YES, that's IT Nathan! thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! And tell Lynne thank you! It's totally sodalite! The first thing I thought when I found it was that it was Lapis Lazuli, and apparently they're closely related! yay! =)

sahoyaref:
I was going to comment on the rocks on your first and third pics on the other thread, somehow I forgot, but they are just beautiful!, specially the blue Nodule.
Geodes and Nodules got me interested in rocks. I couple, friends of my parents, had an extensive collection and gave me one when I was 5 yrs old....eons ago :) At that time I thought that all rocks, when cut in the middle had all these neat colors, so I started looking, and on the way discovered the beauty of them, even if the where not 'cut'. Here are some of my Geos and Nodus.
Ana :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Geodes

Very nice! The subtle pattern on that fabric is perfect! It echoes their patterns nicely! I really like that yellowy one on the left. It is so intriguing! it appears to have great depth. I also have an amethyst geode somewhere. . . my brothers got it for me for a present once. I'm not up on all the terminology though. What is a nodule? I was also interested in rocks from a VERY young age (not as far away for me) =), and I used to collect them all whenever my parents would take me for a walk. Even common gravel was interesting to me. I have always taken long walks on beaches every year when my family would go camping to look for interesting rocks, so I have rocks from half-way across Canada. Haven't been to the east coast yet, but when I do, you can bet I will come back with some rocks. =) I found a rock once that I believe to be a geode. Someday I will get it cut open to see. It is perfectly egg-shaped, and half of the outer crust was broken off when I found it. There is also a chance that it is a fossilized dinosaur egg, I guess, but it would have to be one of the smaller dinos. I also used to break rocks open by smashing them with a larger rock, to see what was inside. You find lots of cool stuff that way! Lots of glitter and stripes and stuff that wasn't on the outside of the rock. One thing I've always wanted but never got was a rock tumbler. Someday. . . =)

sahoyaref:
A Nodule is completely filled with small compact crystal formations, in other words: solid.
Geodes have a hollow cavity inside.
My In-laws had a rock tumbler and when they retired and moved to Florida, they gave it to some friends, I knew they had it but didn't think they were going to get rid of it, if I knew, I would of asked for it!
The one you have that looks like a geode it probably is, but if you know somebody in the medical community or somebody into fossils, you can ask them or have an X-ray done on it. There are some rock stores that will cut it for you, I guess there is a charge, but if you buy one from them, they will cut it for you for free. I had some done that way, in Arizona. I'm sure that there is some stores on the net, I'll have to check..ohhhhhh well, so many things to see on the Web and so little time! LOL!
Ana :)

What would an x-ray show? Whether it was a geode or nodule? Would they be able to tell exactly what kind of mineral was in there? What if i took it to a gemologist, would they know? And yeah, i was figuring I'd have to pay to get it cut open, but I wouldn't mind buying another cool rock. . . =) I'll have to check into it when I have some spare cash! It's just been sitting in a bucket with most of my other rocks for the past 10 years or so.

The X-ray will show if it is a rock or an egg. I think you are right, a gemologist will know, but I think to know what kind of rock and what mineral is inside you'll have to cut it. They probably have a very sophisticated machine to tell, but probably the ones that have that kind of equipment are the people that were studying the moon rocks that they brought back :) not us, mere mortals, with our little rocks LOL!
Ana :)

I think geodes and nodules have a fairly uniform density, so maybe you could work out which sort it is by measuring the weight, then dividing by the volume (fill a jug with water and measure how much water is displaced when you drop the rock in). Quartz is 2.6kg/L.

Won't that just tell me if it's quartz or not?

I think they are all quartz. The idea is if they are much lighter, then there is air in the middle.

Ohhhhhhh. . . but how much would that air weigh? Wouldn't I need a digital scale for such a small difference?

Air weighs something like 3kg/m^3, compared with 2600kg/m^3 for quartz - you can just assume it doesn't weigh anything.

Well, thanks, but I don't think I'll bother. =) Math was never my strong point (I can do it, but I hate it), so I'll just wait patiently until some extra money comes my way and I can get my rock cut open. =)