As a child in Austin Texas I was always picking up rocks and wondering "What is this?"
One of my grade school teachers had a large pyrite cube on her disk. Thus I learned my first mineral name and began collecting, trying to find the names of each one.
Somehow over time all my early treasures dribbled into oblivion.

In 1955 I stared taking geology classes at BYU in Provo Utah where I learned many mineral and rock names and how to identify them. Something I think every school child should be blessed with.

Visiting poor families in Artigas Uruguay in 1957 I saw numerous beautiful amygdule chunks with thin green outer shells and the interior covered with large amethyst crystals from the surrounding countryside being used as door stops. I was given one as a gift. I had no choice. My serious collecting began.

How can anyone be bored being in the beautifully fantastic universe we are in?