Contagion!

This was a really good movie. But almost too close to real for comfort. Its one of the negative sides of living in a world that's so connected. It is definitely sticking with me though, and that's my definition of a good movie. Anyway, worth watching if you get a chance!

National Fossil Day at Glen Canyon

On Saturday we also celebrated National Fossil Day at Glen Canyon for the second time. We had a good turnout as Katie and I provided materials for dinosaur drawings and rubbings and stamp pictures and dinosaur footprint watercolors and clay dinosaurs...

I don't usually get to spend my days working with kids, and really enjoyed being pumped up by their enthusiasm! Their excitement, and wearing their new Junior Paleontologist badges and knowing the answers to all my questions during my therizinosaur talk.

What a great setting for National Fossil Day the visitor center was this year. Last year's milestone of getting a fossil case in was impressive. But this year to be surrounded by amazing artwork and the mounted therizinosaur skeleton and pictures of the Western Interior Seaway and the moving plesiosaur and the Pteranodon outside--surrounded by stories of Glen Canyon's ancient past!

A little more subdued in all ways from last year, it left us free to focus on the kid's joy and parent's curiosity.

One year ago today...

Glen Canyon lost two great rangers--Laurie Axelsen and Brent McGinn. We still think of them often and wish they could be back with us. We are inspired by what they taught us. In their memory I wrote a poem last year.

Harsh landscape

Sun and shadow

New ant hills on smooth riverbanks

Grateful to be alive

Tears leaking out

Beautiful landscape

Photos of wreckage

Haunting

Bright colors

Survived by parents

Tragedy

I can only imagine

Wind-whipped hair

Firm piloting

A good teacher

Winks and barefeet

The helpless feeling of knowing you can never name enough things after them