On The Fly

“Now, there’s a big league play I’m positive you will never see again,” laughs a rabid Angeles fan pointing to first base. U nder a crystal clear, sun-drenched, aqua-blue sky, i t's the top of the forth inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. Angel fans enjoying an outstanding day of baseball. Temperatures reached the high 80s at game time. This afternoon time stood still as patrons basked in the glory of the first inning. The bottom of the first saw 13 Angels hitters come to the plate. The hits just kept coming, Pujols smacks one to center field, Mark Trumbo drives one to right field, and Kendrick lines one up the middle. With the based loaded, Mike Trout steps to plate, his fifth pitch - a 79 mph curveball - from the hand of Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello. Trout launches one high and deep to center field,  “touch-em’ all,”  his first career grand slam! Nine runs would cross the plate before that first inning would mercifully end for the Detroit Tigers. Josh Hamilton fil...

G. Robert Crowningshield For over 60 years students of Gemology have struggled with spectrums; bewildered by birefringence, and simply plagued by pleochrosim. The following sonnet is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, a glow to your heart, and a simple reminder that students of life and gemology  re-discover natures gifts all over again, every day. The following is reprinted with very minor edits from The Loupe, vol. V, No.2, Mar-Apr, 1953 p. 3. Courtesy of the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library Dedicated to G. Robert Crowningshield, Bert Krashes, & Bill Jean ODE to Gemology By a GIA On-Campus Student  Dispersion, fire, aventurescence, Orient, sheen, or iridescence— Refractive index—high or low— The luster should indicate that, you know. Polarization—double or single— What to do now! They intermingle! Pleochroic colors you really should see; Was that only two, or actually three? Birefringence should help you a lot— ...

Museo Galileo We were still working our lead in Florence, in pursuit of that elusive Ceylon Sapphire taken from the Paris boutique. However, Peridot wanted some time away from the case. He always reminded me that the science of deduction includes time to allow the subconscious to process the facts. It was no accident we would visit the famous telescope, Peridot's agenda for our trip was becoming quite clear. Florence was a treasure trove of history just waiting to be explored. "This telescope, my boy, is over 400 years old," said my friend Hercule Peridot. We were standing over an enclosed glass encasement at the Museo Galileo in Florence Italy. "It is the very instrument that Galileo Galilee used to discover the moons of Jupiter. Thus changing the accepted view of the cosmos.” The telescope was about three feet long, consisting of a main tube with separate housings at either end for the objective and the eyepiece. The tube was formed by strips of w...