Sal Avella's Ashaway Village, Hopkinton, RI Amethyst dig for 2006

I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get to dig there again...
 

Due to a series of conflicting family events I had been able to make it to the amethyst dig the last two years.  Although from what I have been told missing last year's dig was probably a good thing.  Not only was the weather not good but very little amethyst was found.  There was an overabundance of water in the form of rain and ground water to make things very messy.
 

This year it had appeared, that due to a confluence of circumstances, that I would once again miss the amethyst dig.  The dig was originally scheduled for Saturday October 28th but because of the awful weather forecast, torrential rains (which turned out to be very accurate) it was at first rescheduled to the Friday the day before, October 27th.  As a result I would have been absent; tied up with work and absolutely unable to do anything about it.   But things started to fall into place for me as Sal was unable to get the backhoe for Friday.  The backhoe was already scheduled for use elsewhere.
 

The result, the dig had to be rescheduled for Saturday November 4th.  This was the latest in the year that it has been held since I got my first opportunity to collect here with Sal back in 1996.  Sal has always tried to schedule the dig for after the first frost to eliminate the danger of triple E from mosquitoes but before it gets too cold.
 

A little background for those unfamiliar with this amethyst location seems in order.  Sal started collecting here back in the early 80's after the owners kept calling him to come see their purple rocks.  Their persistence paid off for Sal as he finally went to take a look and found himself in awe of what had been unearthed.  For years his digging there with a couple of friends was substantial but as he got older the format changed.  He turned his digging there into an annual affair with invited collecting guests and a back hoe.  (For additional information on the early days see the  Rocks and Minerals,  September/October 1986 issue)
 

Not even sure what year Joan, my wife, and I met Sal but after knowing him for a few years or so I was invited to participate along with my friend, Jim Bavosi in 1996.   So for all but two of the last eleven years we have gone and had a good to a  great time.  The dig has been far from successful every year but the good years have been more plentiful than the bad.  In addition there were a couple of great years as well.
 

The experience has been one that I can only say thank you very much to Sal for having had.
 

The location is in the very southwestern corner of Rhode Island,  not far, only miles, from Connecticut and the ocean.  The annual itinerary for the amethyst dig is to meet at Sal's just before 7:00 am.  We have always arrived early.  Back in the early days it was 6:30 am now it's about 6:45 am.   Once everyone has arrived at Sal's he takes us all to local breakfast spot for what else breakfast.  He wants to make sure that we are properly fueled for the day's collecting.  After breakfast we travel down to the dig site in Hopkinton, RI.  It's about a forty minute drive or so.
 

This year it turns out that the weather, although a little below normal temps, (mid 40's) was great.  There was no wind and nary a cloud in the sky.  Thus making it a very comfortable day for collecting as long as you dressed appropriately.
 

We arrived at the dig site a little later than usual about 8:40.  The back hoe was and had been active for a while.  And the three collectors who had preceded us to the collecting site were well into collecting amethyst specimens already.  This was the earliest in my experience to be getting into such productive ground.  So it was take a couple of quick pictures and start raking through the piles with the long and short handled four prong rakes.  It didn't take long and the "ohs" and "ahs" were frequently being heard from one pile or another.  We were off to a good start for sure. 

There was significant purple being found.
 

However we have learned that it is virtually impossible given the amount of dirt and clay which manage to adhere to the specimens to know just how good they are until after cleaning.  There have been years when the cleaning of the specimens brought their many initially hidden imperfections to light. 

Other years the cleaning was a further revelation of their beauty.  What would this year be like?  Only time and cleaning can and will bring a definitive answer.   But the initial observations and everyone's reactions were certainly encouraging.
 

The entire morning was spent in working the ever enlarging pit.  The backhoe would scoop and the piles would be raked out looking for specimens.  Others would periodically check the developing pit to spot where the amethyst was located and to direct the backhoe operator to the most promising areas.
 

Soon it was after noon and time for more fuel.  Sal had sent out a runner for pizza and soda for the crew.  The food was welcome after a very busy morning of collecting.
 

It was soon back to collecting.  By now the initial pit had become a trench on a northwest-southeast trend that continued to produce until a little further into the afternoon.
 

Finally the back hoe was sent off to try another location while more collectors poured into the trench to collect the amethyst specimens. 

Finally except for one small area at the northwest face the trench stopped producing.  The back hoe moved on to yet another area after the test pit was void of any amethyst to dig another test pit but again with no amethyst found.  The back hoe tried one more test pit but again came up with nothing.
 

Meanwhile Jim and I continued to work that one last northwest face which kept producing some amethyst periodically almost all afternoon.  The specimens were not large, nor were they clusters but just some nice purple singles.  That they are not exciting to collect however would be an understatement.
 

Some years we have had the benefit of a power washer to help clean the specimens before packing them up for the trip back to Sal's.  This year no power washer just a hose;  extended use of which tended to push the well's pump to need periodic breaks.  This helped clean off some of the gross dirt and clay but was not nearly strong enough to really get the specimens clean of the dirt and especially the clay.  Therefore it still was not possible to get a real good read as to the quality of the specimens.
 

Soon the early afternoon had become  later afternoon and it became time for the backhoe to start covering the various pits and the trench before it was dark.   It was time for the crew to gather up their tools, cameras etc. and head back to the vehicles to pack up and leave.
 

Then for those interested in purchasing specimens it was time to head back to Sal's.
 

After unloading and unwrapping the specimens at Sal's it was time for some serious looking and a little more cleaning to determine which specimens I wanted to consider purchasing.  After a quick supper of beans and franks it was time to get Sal's okay on my purchases.  It is always necessary to consider the other collectors and what Sal might want to keep for himself. 

After a couple of specimens were removed to accommodate Sal's wishes I was pleased and hopefully so was Sal with my selections.
 

Jim Bavosi made his selections and paid Sal and it was time to head home after a great day.   The drive back went very quickly with lots to discuss regarding the days events.
 

The verdict is still not completely in on the quality of the specimens.  The over all color is not as dark an amethyst as sometimes in the past.  The formations are different with various growths of scepters unlike those of the past.  However cleaning some of the oxides off has proven to be difficult so far.  There is a growth of messy white quartz over the tops of parts of some the specimens which is proving very difficult to remove.   It may be necessary to try sandblasting.  Finally there are also dings which are there that just did not show them selves initially.   It's a mixed bag to be sure.   Still had a great time though.