We're hunting Dinosaurs!

Last month we had the opportunity to dig for dinosaur bones at the Dana Quarry in Wyoming. We were invited by a dear friend of ours, Kirby Siber, owner of the Saurier Museum Aathal in Switzerland, and world renowned paleontologist.  You wouldn’t think two people who have spent most of our lives digging rocks would have been so excited for this opportunity.  But I have to say it was quite and adventure.  Even if we didn’t get to keep any of our finds! 

The Dana Quarry site was discovered more than 15 years ago by Kenneth Tanner.  It is located on his property near the tiny town of Ten Sleep, in Wyoming, where ancient sand and mudstone deposits form the Morrison Formation date back to the late Jurassic Period approximately 150 million years ago.  Though the quarry isn’t very large, over a dozen individual virtually complete dinosaur skeletons representing a variety of species have been recovered there.  These species include:  Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Amphicoelias, Camarasaurus, Allosaurus, Ornitholestes, Coelurus, Elaphrosaurus, Torvosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Othnielosaurus, Camptosaurus, and Stegosaurus.

Digging dinosaur bones is obvious hard and tedious work.  You have to be very careful as you remove the dirt less you accidently chisel into a bone.  All of the bones are carefully removed, glued, labeled and wrapped either in tinfoil or in plaster cast; so that they can be sent to the laboratory where they are painstakingly repaired and reconstructed to try to get as complete a skeleton as possible.  Afterwards we took a dip in a freezing river and Art went off to hunt fish with his crossbow. 

For Bruce the highlight of the trip was when he and Kirby pulled a vertebra out together.  But for me the most interesting part was when we took a lunch break with us two Americans, Kirby (Swiss), a Belguim, a Serbian, and a Dutch man.   As we discussed the universal problems faced by young people today; economics, drugs, lack of ambition and lack of respect for anything, it was never so apparent what a small world we live in!

 

See us at www.oakrocks.net for fossils for sale. And Happy Hunting!

A recommendation to check out!

If you haven't check out www.billatkinson.com yet you are missing out!  Bill is a truly unique, intelligent, talented and all around nice man and I feel privileged to call him, and his lovely wife Sioux, my friends.  

Bill was a member of the original Apple team and is credited with developing the pull down menu as well as many of the graphic design features.  Now Bill is a photographer and he is amazing.  He is especially talented in photographing close up shots of beautiful polished rocks and his lovely pictures adorn all the walls in my house.

In 2004 Bill self publish the book Within The Stone.  This stunningly visual book has 72 close up shots of colorful natural polished rocks and they are accompanied by literary pieces written by authors asked to view the pictures and share their thoughts.  In order to insure the colors and vibrancy of the pictures, Bill himself help develop the printing techniques.  In the book Bill shares his methods for photographing polished rocks and at the Tucson Gem Show this year he shared his set up and tips with me.  I certainly hope you find it shows in my quality of pictures on my website as I implement his suggestions.

Bill sells his polished rock pictures on his website and I am proud to say you will find a selection of our rocks in his gallery.

The one below I just got this February and haven't had time to frame it.  It was a lovely piece of Chrysocolla Cuprite, otherwise known as Sonora Sunset.  When he brought it to me at the Tucson Gem Show several people tried to buy it on the spot, but I could never sell it!  You can however buy one like it on his site.

Even more fun, if you have an iPad you must get his free app- Bill Atkinson PhotoCard - available through the iTunes store.  In this app you can send virtual postcards using Bill's awesome pictures, or your own pictures, to anybody by email for free!  And for a very small amount you can send gorgeous actual postcards through snail mail.  He offers a collection of wonderful pictures, not just the polished rocks, but of course those are my favorites!

See us at www.oakrocks.net to see more polished rocks.  And Happy Hunting!