2021 In The Rearview Mirror

 

It was a fun year!

I succeeded in 2.5 out of 3 resolutions.

I resisted tyranny successfully and went on a successful fossil hunt.  #3 was "getting back in shape"  Made some progress, but still long way to go! :-) 

Michelle and I went on 4 trips in 2021, twice to Arizona and twice to Florida and a couple of days ago, we went on a fossil hunt!

We did out research, found the site, and plunged in.  I was worried at first, navigating a steep slope down, wondering if it was even legal to be there, and hoping I did not sink up to my ankles in creek mud.

The gravel was so thick, it was like walking on solid ground.  We found nearly 20 shark teeth!  

There were two major experiences this year that jumped out at me....marching out, step by step out of the Superstition Mountains while suffering from borderline heatstroke (stay calm and patient) and daring to overcome obstacles to get our fossils.....long trip, down the slope, stepping into the water, and finding what we came to find!

Good lessons to take into the New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

Dimetrodon is not a dinosaur!

 

The Nazis apparently seem to have returned to Europe and there seems to be a chapter here in the US.  You see enough of that, so let's talk about something else.  It does not matter what the "public health" dictators say, I am still ignoring them.

I had a debate with another patron (no mask either...) over Dimetrodon.  He said it was a meat eating dinosaur.  I corrected him, telling my new friend that it was indeed a carnivore, but it was not a dinosaur.  It was a synapsid and closer to mammals than dinosaurs.  After he looked it up on his phone, he agreed and offered to by me some cookies.

I took an apple instead.

Lots of what we do know is usually speculative.  Nonetheless, we have complete skeletons of this animal and the two things you notice are the sail and the teeth!

My friend said Dimetrodon was the state fossil of Texas, where he was from.

And he was a Cowboy fan.

What did you expect? :-)