Tuesday, August 19, 2014

SUNSETS

I finally find myself back in the city after a long plane ride and a good night's sleep. Not that I'm happy to be in the city, but it is nice to be that much closer to home and getting ready for another semester of school.

 I'm going to miss Nebraska. I learned more at Ashfall than I probably ever will in a single semester of school, and I got to teach. There are very few things that feel better than doing what you're meant to do.

 It's just the ending of one more adventure for me. But it isn't goodbye; paleo is a small field, and I'm likely to see the others again. It's just opening the door for another adventure to start. If the sun sets, it's just spinning around getting ready to rise again.

 Meanwhile, I am thankful for the people I met, the things I learned about paleo and myself, and for the laughs and mini-adventures along the way. The field season will roll around again. For now, there's work to do here.

 (IN THE MEAN TIME I'll try to update whenever something relevant to paleontology happens, though it may be more sporadic.)

 The interesting part of Nebraska is this; I didn't get what I was expecting. I was expecting the flat land of the Midwest that allows you to see for miles and disorients me so much, since I'm used to trees and hills. A different kind of beauty. When talking to one of my mentors here before leaving, he told me that he was excited for me but jealous because it really is a special, beautiful place.

At first, I didn't see it. But after a few sunsets, seeing lightning that can light up the sky like none I've seen before, seeing a meteor shower without Walmart lighting in the way, and watching the sky turn green, I understood. Nebraska does have it's own beauty, just like any untouched part of nature. But it's good to be home.

May 22




June 9







 June 25
June 25
July 11
 July 30 (sunrise)










July 30 sunrise











July 22
 July 30 sunset











July 30 sunset
 August 2













August 2











August 2
August 16

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My Story (Very briefly...)

Lots of people claim that they wanted to be paleontologists at the age of 3. So did I. The problem is, I never really grew out of it. My third birthday party had dinosaurs. Everywhere. I grew up digging in fossil dirt from Aurora, NC, looking for coral and shark teeth. I practically lived at my local science museums (and still do, only now I get to do research, fossil preparation, and work in collections!) When local paleontologists discovered a dinosaur with a "fossilized heart" (no longer considered such) when I was little, I got to meet the man who led the work. And then, years later a dinosaur bone with soft tissue turned up. I was officially hooked.
No longer was I dreaming about dinosaurs. I was actively pursuing the science behind prehistoric creatures. I didn't want to read about it, I wanted in on the action. So I started working at the museum, and finally going on my own adventures. And thus, I needed a place to share them and maybe inspire others the way I was inspired. I have gone from watching fossils be prepared from one side of the glass at the museum to working on them on the inside of the glass. I am a student working toward my goal. I can finally start to call myself a paleontologist.