August 1, 2006

Success! As you can see, I’ve gotten some pictures up at last. I hope you find them as interesting and inspiring as the crew and our field school participants do the real sights. I’ll be able to file some more shots as the weeks go on.

Aside from my computer issues, success came with an adventure of its own. My off day (from the field, not from work) between participant groups left me with a chance to catch up on paperwork and this blog. My latest idea was to go into town (Red Lodge) and find a high-speed connection. The first problem was that the library was closed on this day, Monday, but I’d been told that the coffee shop has a connection. The second problem was that in exchanging groups, while still getting digging done at both Mother’s Day and “Dodson,” I had been left without a vehicle. Red Lodge is several miles and 2,000 feet of elevation away (I may take up jogging when I get back, but not just yet, thanks) so walking did not seem like a good idea.

I was offered one of the YBRA geology vans (minus students on their field course) if I dropped it in town for new tires. Fine. I’d catch up on a few things and then drive on in. When I turned around, the van was gone (off to the airport, I learned – only to have a flat along the way!). OK. Last resort – the old camp truck. Earlier on this blog I was boasting of the Museum’s new Toyota Tundra. Now, I find myself in a 1970 (or thereabouts) Ford 150 Custom. Try that on the camp road for a bone rattling experience. It’s 3 on the floor with overdrive and a new clutch if you can reach it! I only remembered that it has a tendency to shake itself out of gear while fish-tailing on the way up the long, steep, very rough, dirt road hill, after I nearly rolled back down it. Nevermind. The pictures are up and nothing succeeds like success.

What else?…. Oh, yes, the fire. No sign of it now thankfully. I think it’s still a problem for Livingstone but is unlikely to jump to our area just now. And the weather has broken! Just 60 to 70 degrees today – what a relief (although the new winds bring the dust everywhere and threaten to blow down Mason’s less than quality tent)!

Bob, Brian, Mark and Lily, our new field schoolers, are enthusiastic dinosaur diggers and we got right to work today after the requisite geology tour. Brian has said repeatedly that he feels like it’s Christmas – the excitement of unearthing something not seen for 140 million years makes us all feel like kids. A variety of new bones are evident and we will soon get to removing them. I’ll try to tell you how that’s done soon.

Cheers for now!