Odds & ends

Okay, here's a picture in which you can find the bone. I found this group of junk on a hillside the other day. It has chert, petrified wood, concretions, probably some sandstone, and a piece of bone too. But which is the bone? Totally unfair, since with the quality of the picture and the washed-out noontime light I'm not even sure I could spot it just from this. But hey. I will tell which is the bone next time.

On our day off, Katie and I went to Holbrook. On the way we stopped at Stewart's Rock Shop, which is a creepy tourist trap off the highway. Just a taste:

The interior of the shop was dark, cluttered, and crammed with petrified wood and fossils. Some of which were blatantly mislabeled. I made some comment that prompted the employee at the counter to say, "Hey, you guys would be good paleontologists." This was reassuring.

After that we continued to Holbrook, where there are a variety of dinosaurs (most of which did not actually live in the Triassic). I fell in love with this one, but sadly human-dinosaur romance is not sanctioned in our society. Some day, we will be together. For now, all we can do is hug.

The fresh air and southwestern cooking have really been good for Katie, and she's grown since we came out here:

Most of the dinosaur sculptures out here have a distinctive, child-bearing-hips look. I have been told this is to ensure stability of the concrete model but I think it's ridiculous.

I will leave you with these great sites from our visit. I am not making these up.