Saturday, February 16, 2013

GEM SHOW SLOWLY LEAVING TUCSON

     I have been busy all week selling at our booth at the gem show. Many people still stopping by and today was super busy even though this is our last week. Some folks have packed up and gone home. I have met many from Australia these last few weeks and have found all of them the most delightful people. Both those that I buy from and those who buy from me are well-versed, articulate, and pleasant. I meet them in the restaurant or they stop by my tent. I find them very laid-back and gracious.
     It was so cold this week, most unlike Tucson. It rained on Monday: we had to close down the tent and go home  We got flooded out - luckily no goods were damaged - and had to go home. Tuesday the tent floor was still wet and we had to walk in the mud. It took about two more days to totally dry out. Yesterday and today were beautiful, short-sleeve weather again.
     A huge meteorite fell to the Earth just two days ago in Russia, making national news. Usually the meteorites don't hurt any one when they fall, but this one was extremely different. The sonic boom was deafening, windows rattled, and panes of glass scattered all over. Many were sent to hospitals from injuries - at last count 1,400. It exploded with the force of 20 atomic bombs, was the size of a school bus, and weighed 7,000 tons. About 3,000 buildings have been damaged. There was no word of any deaths nor anyone hit by meteorite fragments.
     In the news at the same time was a story about an asteroid the size of an office building that narrowly missed Earth. It was 150-feet wide and passed within 17,000 miles. No connections were between the meteorite and the asteroid which will orbit the inner solar system. NASA has been watching this for a while. FYI the Earth is about 7,900 miles wide and the moon is 239,000 miles away.  

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