Skip to main content

Introducing - The Adventures of Peridot

In this episode - Introducing The Adventures of Peridot . . .

A peculiar collaboration unfolds in the dimly lit chambers of Professor Alister Peridot, that eminent sage whose keen intellect rivals the most illustrious minds of our time, a confluence of wisdom and youthful exuberance. Permit me, dear reader, to illuminate this curious partnership that embarks upon a global pursuit, unraveling the mysteries as elusive and enchanting as the very gemstones they seek to unveil.

In the halls of academia, Professor Peridot, a man of revered learning and profound insight, found an unexpected companion in Adamas Bontemps—a name as rare as the jewels they endeavor to fathom. Young Mr. Bontemps, a burgeoning gemologist of fervent curiosity, embarked on a journey into the intricate tapestry of global intrigue and hidden mysteries.

With his silvered hair and piercing gaze, Professor Peridot exudes an air of timeless insight: his mind, an intricate maze of deductive prowess, rivals even the great Sherlock Holmes himself. Yet, Professor Peridot is no mere detective; his expertise lies in the realm of gemstone lore, where the sparkle of a gem conceals secrets that only the astute eye can discern.

Together, the sage and his apprentice traverse the far reaches of the globe, chasing the mysterious allure of gemstones. Each adventure is a tableau of gemstone mysteries—hidden gemological clues that, through the science of deduction, lead you down the path of gem identification, emerald-green secrets buried in the heart of deception, and diamonds that whisper of love lost and found.

Join this intrepid duo, dear reader, as Professor Alister Peridot and Adamas Bontemps venture into the kaleidoscopic world of gemstones, where every glint conceals a story waiting to be unearthed—a narrative spun with the brilliance of a diamond, the richness of an emerald, and the depth of a sapphire. Gemstone mysteries await, and our sage and his apprentice stand poised at the threshold, ready to decipher the secrets of the earth's most precious treasures.

Let's begin - Click here to Meet Peridot.

Patrick B. Ball, G.G. alias, Adamas Bontemps.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

Morning Coffee

In this episode, Morning Coffee . . . Now, I’m not saying everyone needs coffee. Some folks get by just fine on, I don’t know, sunlight and positive thinking. Me? I’m pretty sure I started drinking the stuff sometime around the Reagan administration. Reading John Gierach’s "Ode to Campfire Coffee" in Trout Bum (a book that should be required reading for anyone who sees sleeping on the ground as recreation) got me thinking about how we’ve managed to complicate something as fundamentally simple as boiling water and adding grounds. Taste, you say? Look, black coffee is an acquired taste, like tequila or cilantro. I just don’t get it. Gierach, bless his heart, mostly drinks his java streamside, probably while wearing wool socks and waders and contemplating the mysteries of the universe. As for me? My outdoor coffee experience is a bit different. Picture this: the High Sierra, where campfires are banned (to avoid agitating Smoky Bear), and I’m huddled over a Whisperlite , coax...

The Endless Work of Wisdom

It always makes me smile. The moment people learn I've officially entered what I like to call the Great Un-Working (retirement), they almost immediately ask the same question: “So . . . What do you do now?" I think they're expecting me to say I'm restoring a vintage sports car, hiking the John Muir Trail, or finally becoming fluent in French.   Instead, I tell them: "I live life deliberately." That's usually the point when I get a polite nod, followed by the unmistakable look of someone wondering whether I've simply found a more sophisticated way to say, “I’m becoming a bum.” Apparently, "living deliberately" sounds suspiciously like unemployment, just better branding. The truth is, what living deliberately looks like for me right now is taking time to synthesize a lifetime of experiences into these weekly reflections. It's slowing down long enough to ask what those experiences have taught me, while keeping the door wide open to the poss...

A Tucson Typewriter Tale

One of the great joys of wandering without much of a plan is that the universe occasionally rewards your lack of organization. During my recent visit to Tucson, AZ, Robert and I were strolling through the Annex this afternoon, doing what tourists and newly minted retirees like me have elevated to an Olympic sport: meandering. The Annex is one of those places where every few steps there's another handmade candle, artisan coffee, or vintage object someone rescued from a garage sale and convinced the rest of us was always destined to become art. Then I saw something that genuinely stopped me. A young woman standing quietly behind a manual typewriter. Not a laptop designed to look like a typewriter. Not a quirky Bluetooth keyboard. An honest-to-goodness mechanical typewriter—the sort of machine that once announced every sentence to the entire office with a satisfying clack and enough force to wake nearby pigeons. With an iPhone 16 sitting in my pocket in an age when people write novels...

A B+ Kind of Life

Welcome back to this week's On the Fly . Retirement has taught me something unexpected: life gets a lot more enjoyable when you stop chasing perfection. Lately, I've been having an absolute blast playing executive par-3 courses like Rancho Carlsbad . A short iron, a sunny morning, and nowhere to be except the next tee—that's my kind of day. This Thursday, though, I'm raising the stakes. I'm heading to The Links at Lakehouse in San Marcos, a full-size par-71 course with enough water hazards to keep the local fish well-stocked with my golf balls. After shooting a 64 on a par-3 course, I've set myself a new goal: shoot an 89 before my birthday next August. Why 89? Because on a par-71 course, that's bogey golf—one extra stroke per hole. For non-golfers, think of it this way: par is like earning 100% on a final exam. Bogey golf is a solid B+. You got the job done, learned something, and probably had a lot more fun getting there. The older I get, the more I appre...