At a garage sale in the Valley, there for the rocks, and - by coincidence - this garage sale is selling them. All sorts, everything, lots of crystals, Quartz, Tourmaline, gems, specimens, minerals...This is great. The prices - so-so, better than Shop Prices but not as cheap as finding them yourself...
...Probably cheaper if you factor in the expenses, but I don't think that way...
...Anyways, the "host", or proprietor, he's talking about his gems, he's worked as a geologist in 66 countries, knows his stuff, some great pieces...
He introduces himself, at a guess I say "Rod?", another Rod I met, prospector, out in the field, who found some of the more famous local claims, older, white haired like him, but not him - "No, but I know him..." he says. His familiarity with him drips of contempt so I don't pursue it further.
"Anything Local?" I ask, he's a couple of pieces, nothing of great interest, I leave him and browse around on my own. I recognize him from the laundromat in town, eavesdrop on his conversations with other customers...
...he knows the story of every rock, found every one himself, and he's got thousands, ..."I picked this up beside the road, spotted it from my car..."...and "at the turnoff to the I90, spotted it glistening a mile away in the desert...".
I place him, from the laundromat, a bit of a blowhard, boaster, braggart, American, has a house in North Carolina, etc, etc, it comes back to me...
A new age hippie has cornered him, is loving his crystals, is asking him if he's a member of the local rockhounding club, "OF COURSE NOT!" he replies, "That would be like a PROFESSOR in A KINDERGARTEN CLASS!" and then struggles to find a more apt metaphor, this one wasn't extreme enough, no, it would be like GOD trying to talk to ANTS, or ...
"I guess so..." the hippie meekly replies, rounds up her purchases, he mollifies a bit, she's buying something, and he's explaining the different crystal properties to her..."This one ... under Kirlean Photography...displays an interesting aura..."...
He notices my laughing, time to get out of here...