I love opals. They are my birthstone and there is something about them that I enjoy. I would especially enjoy having these opals around because they are very beautiful. I feel very sick and these photos are helping me feel a little better.
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The opal has been cloaked in magic and mystery for centuries. It is set apart from other gemstones because of its characteristic appearance and vibrant colours, which change and flash as you turn the gem in your hand. No two opals are alike. The word ‘opal’ comes from the Greek word opallos, meaning “to see changes of colour”, although the Romans are said to have based their name opalus on the Sanskrit word for precious stone, upala.
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Opal is classified as a precious gemstone. It is a formation of non-crystalline silica gel. Millions of years ago, this silica gel seeped into crevices and cracks of the earth’s sedimentary strata. Through eons of time and through nature’s heating and moulding processes, the gel hardened and can today be found in the form of brilliant opal.
Opal contains about six to 10 per cent water and consists of small silica spheres arranged in a regular pattern. Colour is caused by the regular array of silica spheres diffracting white light, and breaking it up into the colours of the spectrum. The diameter and spacing of the spheres controls the colour range. In potch opal, which displays no colour, the silica spheres may be absent or too small or arranged irregularly to produce colour.
Generally, opal measures 5.5 to 6.5 on MOH’s hardness scale with diamonds measuring 9 to 10 and pearls 4 to 5. Opal is recognised as the birthstone for October.
I feel just awful today. I picked up a cold somewhere along the line and today it has decided to run me into the ground. Everything hurts. It might be the flu.
So here is a photo I took a few days ago of a store window. It’s pretty cool and it goes well with my present condition.
I did manage to write a post over at NewsLink Briefs but I don’t think it is very funny.
We arrived home without any problem as the traffic moved quickly out of the city and Interstate 95 going south was full of automobiles running at top speed. And I have been looking through some of these photos while transferring them from the laptop to the desktop computer. Some of them just make me happy. Capturing something that is lovely makes my day. And I know some other bloggers who feel the same way. If you are one of them please let me know so that I can see what you are doing.
The city is making a happy humming sound outside my window this morning here at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The rains have passed and it is Friday of course. Our plans include visiting Beth’s friend Kurt and seeing the Library of Congress from his viewpoint. Then it is back to Richmond and a happy reunion with Sparky and Malarkey our two faithful German Shepherds. They become so moody when we leave.
I was exhausted last night after going to the zoo, the museum and the symphony last night. But it was a happy day that included one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It deserves a post of its own when there is time but let me just say that I was sitting very near a human being or perhaps a superhuman being who played a piano concerto by Sergei Prokofiev that brought me to tears.
It was an awe inspiring 16 minutes as Louis Lortie tore through this very difficult but beautiful work from memory and with the accompaniment of a superb National Symphony Orchestra and the premier performance of its new conductor Mark Elder.
This was the first time this orchestra had done the entire Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Op. 10 and it was an extraordinary performance. Louie Lortie has been performing with symphony orchestras since he was thirteen years old. He seemed to be in another world beyond time and space as he thrilled us last night. Listen to him play on his website here.
So this morning I am rested and ready to go again as Beth sleeps soundly. The last thing I remember from yesterday was her watching a slide show of the unedited panda photos. She was laughing so they must be good.
I have so much to do here this weekend. Grab a feed and come along for the ride back to Richmond.
