Fossils Are International For Friendship

[Raistlin]

As some of you know I work in a factory setting and do fossils as a hobby when time allows for me. The factory I work in was German owned with a lot of German made machines. We are now South African owned but still ran by Germans, but that is beside the point. Well this past week a guy that works for the company that made the machine I work on has been over here doing some work on it and always teaches people something else every time he is here.

This guy has always been nice and is cool to work with despite sometimes having communication troubles. I decided to share some of my hobby with him by giving him a few blastoids from the Golconda formation Pentremites sp. I showed them to him and he did not know what they were I told him fossils and that they were blastoids. He asked "what do I do with them"? I told him to look at them or show to other people. Finally I figured out he thought I was saying puzzles. So I wrote down fossil on paper and he exclaimed (I will try to write it how it sounded) "Oh fahseals".

I then looked up the translation for everything I wrote about them and only had to translate the word age (alter) and formation (bildung). I do not think he was a fossil guy but I might just yet peak his interest. Tomorrow I will be working OT by his and our mechanics request to help finish lining to line out properly. I am taking several fossils from different places to show him.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Gut Werk!

[sward]

It's always nice to share our passion with others. You never know when you might ignite the passion in someone new.

Since returning to the area I grew up in, I've had the opportunity to re-connect with family members that I hadn't seen in years. My nephew had gotten married to a wonderful girl who has a son from a previous marriage. I never had the opportunity to meet my nephew's new wife and her son until I recently returned. They stopped by to visit a few weeks ago while I happened to be in the garage prepping some of the trilos I had just found. My nephew's step son came to the garage to see what I was doing so I showed him some of my fossils from Texas and explained they were from the Cretaceous period (60-70 mya). I then showed him some of my recent finds from Missouri and explained they were from the Silurian period (approx 400 mya).

His eyes lit up with excitement. He seemed very fascinated and enthusiastic about finding some fossils of his own. He made me promise to take him fossil hunting at some point. Of course, I'll have to get his mother's approval for him to get muddy.

I think it's always a good thing when we can get others involved in our pursuits, especially young people. You never know when you might influence someone to pursue the sciences.

Good job, Robert!

[Auspex]

Fahseals are the ultimate puzzle, no?

[Uncle Siphuncle]

sward, it's even better when broken down geezers like myself can enlist a young, enthusiastic strongback to assist with the yeoman's work...trading knowledge for brawn is a time honored tradition in myriad pursuits, and all involved walk away with an equitable cut of the spoils. i've taken a few young forum members under my wing in this precise fashion...no complaints on either side.

Edited November 19, 2013 by danwoehr

[Raistlin]

Well today he got a chance to see some samples from other formations. I showed him trilobites, recepticlites, Archimedes screws, favosites coral, rugosa coral, cephalopod, gastropods, blastoids, and operculums. He found them interesting and was surprised at the ages. I am not sure if he will go back and look for any on his off times but he will certainly have some to remember and think about in the blastoids he received the other day. Maybe while he is out fishing in the future he might take a second to look at a rock or so near by.