Oh sure, there were tons of rocks at the 2000 Silver Falls symposium and we talked about our dreams of what to do with those tons until we were all a marvelous shade of blue from the neck up. But our gathering during the last week in September provided us much more than tips on tool buying and the secrets of a perfect polish.

We had conversations. That’s right, we talked to each other about things having nothing to do with rocks, and the benefits from that were truly monumental. It turns out that the Silver Falls gang is filled with fascinating people who just love to talk about almost anything, and I mean anything.

For instance: the benefits of really getting to know the Earth Spirits, of how we’re never too old to climb mountains and, of course, all about God and why she exists.

I heard speculations on the perfect gift to give your spouse, why it’s so hard to publish poetry, and where extra-terrestrials really come from. There was a discourse on the hidden and obvious benefits of really good alternative schools, and someone actually said how much fun it is to work for the government. We even had a group of amateur physicists delving into that nagging old problem of why water assumes the shapes it does when spilling from a stone lip. This particular quest for knowledge took place with our necks craned to look up from behind Silver Falls itself, and revolved around the mysterious effects of gravity on water tension.

Yes we are a lively lot at Silver Falls, and we are never more lively than at our annual auction of all good stuff that is sold to benefit the work-study program. It’s true that we brought sculpting tools and chunks of rock to sell, but, there were other, more esoteric things as well. Like the bottle of home-made Blackberry Cordial, which caused a brisk flurry of bids and ended up making its samplers very cordial indeed. Other assorted goodies included everything from art prints of ducks and fused glass earrings to a stuffed monkey mother and child. We gave good money for packets of sticks that we were assured could be assembled into something useful at home. In other words, the collection of things brought to the auction reminded us of what a valuable thing diversity is and what a contribution it makes to our workshop, which is really a wonderful kind of family reunion every year.

I can’t wait for Silver Falls 2001 when all these wonderful people will have another year of stories and interests to share. And, of course, there are always new people. It’s anybody’s guess what they will be talking about.

Now don’t worry. We’ll certainly have a fabulous time going on about the fabulous carving of our latest fabulous rock, but I will also be greedily listening for those soul-lifting conversations that we have. Because, after all, it’s not just about rocks.