I am a PWP. by cs

Some of us were asked to tell a bit about our hobbies; things that keep us busy when we are no longer working full time. I used ultraviolet (UV) lamps in my job, and one day my wife came home with a rock that she had bought in a store and said "look these rocks glow brilliantly in UV". I said that I once saw an exhibit of them in the 1960's at the ROM in Toronto. 

 

When I saw that these were available, I became a collector of fluorescent minerals. This lead me to become a mineral collector in general, especially beautifully crystallized specimens of all sizes shapes and colors. A good thing about this hobby is that you collect minerals in the "field". Going into mines and quarries is a bit dangerous at times, but it's a good physical workout. When "hunting" at night it can be very dangerous, I have hurt myself many times, but am lucky that I have had only one emergency hospital visit for stitching, and this happened to me from a simple slip on a wet tree trunk while walking into a site.

 

Going into poorly lit territory, carrying sledge-hammers, chisels, portable white light and UV light sources and wearing heavy protective gear is at times a bit difficult, but adds a bit of fun to it all. It really is a "hunt". And there are many beautiful things to be collected. If you go to the Warren Mineral Museum at Sterling Hill in Ogdensburg NJ., you will see giant worldwide specimens of these remarkable minerals. My last field trip was in 2003. I might get out again one or two more times but that's pretty well it for me. However, I have thousands of specimens collected over the years. I now have the time to catalogue these pieces for posterity.