One of the fun things to do in the off season is go on a field trip. I was so pleased by the llanoite cabs my dad did for me that I decided I needed some more (and what jeweler doesn't need more rocks?) So we loaded the van with all the necessities for rock collecting and hit the road. Our first stop was Enchanted Rocks and Jewelry in Llano, TX.
Frank, the owner, is something of a local expert on Llanoite and has access to sources that aren't necessarily open to just anyone. Besides, it's deer season and we really didn't want to walk around with targets on us.
Thirty pounds of rock later, we headed north out of town on Hwy 16, following Frank's directions to a road cut which is the only place the llanoite is not on private property. This is apparently a popular spot on weekends, sometimes with several parties collecting at once.
We learned one important lesson this week: Sometimes the solution really is a bigger hammer!
Our collecting attempt at an end, we made our way back into town. A must-visit location for any rockhound is the Living Stone company. They import granites and other types of stone from all over the world for monuments and countertops, and the variety is mind-boggling. There's a junk pile out front with all the little cut-off pieces and "oopses", and a little talk with the owner got us permission to snag a few samples of interesting stuff. It probably won't make it to the jewelry shop, but it's hard to resist a bargain like that.
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