• Monday-What'sUP August 16 - 10:27 pm

Joyce Tormala, sure seems to have the touch, for taking unique photos and finding agates, too. You focus on the hand circling the setting sun in her first photo and then almost miss that there is a rock pinched between those fingers. By the shape and the size, I'm guessing it's an agate, so Joyce captured TWO treasures in one hand. Then she trained the camera on her fellow agate hunter, who is so engrossed in the search, that only a foot and a head are poking out of the water. I wonder if that Superior swimmer is using an underwater flashlight to search for more of those precious stones?

No Paco in these pics?

Wow...at first glance. I thought that was a giant sculpture of a hand...nice photography.

Very creative! I was just thinking about agate beach a few nights ago, need to get there again.

FABULOUS shot Joyce! Way cool!!!

Lake Superior along M26 is totally awesome today with all the wind, she is wild and beautiful!!!

I discovered long ago that not all round rocks are agates!! ;-)

For years and years I use to go up and down the beaches with my uncle and grandpa and I am sad to say I still, really do not know what an agate looks like to pick it. ;O(

I still have a cross my brother made me from an agate.

Very relaxing Hobby.

That first pix is a wonderfully creative one! Unfortunately, like probably many others, my "agate" collection is more aptly described as "little pretty stones"!

We found some nice little agates at Calumet Waterworks, and some bigger ones further up the Peninsula. Once I get them photographed, I'll post a few here....

you have to crack them open to see the real deal

I use to follow my uncles from 382 Caladonia st in Calumet when I was a kid, they'd shoot marbles in the waters edge with sling shots and drop firecrackers behind those bending over for them in hope's to pick up an agate. First the people would jump, then sware and say," Who's dropping marbles in the lake, trying to make them look like agates?" Then my uncles would laugh like mad and crack another Budwiser, us kids just laughed too! Great times! I guess my uncles were S.O.B.'s, Any yooper's rember the Vuolle sister's from 382 Caladonia street?

For those of you who like Lake Superior stones and are looking for a good field guide on the subject, I really like "Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals" by Bob Lynch and Dan Lynch. I bought this book up there last summer, and it has proven to be a great little tome to have along on many a UP trip.

Those same authors also have another book called "Michigan Rocks and Minerals". I got the chance to meet them at the Quincy Mine rock swap last week and congratulated them on a fine job putting together such a great little book.

I haven't had much time to spend on the beaches lately (and most of the ones along Superior in Minnesota are more rock than beach), but I've had lots of good luck picking agates along gravel roads! They're not as nicely polished as the ones you find by the lake, but they seem to be more common, and easier to find amongst the grey and brown of the road gravel.