siteseer Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hi Ken, You should have said you were "Digit" though you didn't know who I was then either. I should get a Fossil Forum t-shirt or hat or maybe we should have our own duck call or something (might still have the ocarina I got in Cracker Jack in the 70's). I talked to a collector named Ed about Mazon Creek. Shellseeker's avatar looks familiar. Was he the man who asked the question about the predatory gastropods? I didn't know there were going to be presentations so those three were a nice surprise. I'm going to try to get to the Tampa show next year too - haven't been there in a few years now but it depends on work. Jess Jess, It was nice to meet you at the meeting. A real shame you couldn't make it out to the quarry as we had a good time and the weather was marvelous. You'll need to visit your friends in Florida again around another meeting/field trip and this time don't go out for food the day before. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Don't usually think about running into other TFF members in the "real world" though it was more than likely at the FPS meeting (there were several of us there). Jack (Shellseeker) was there as well but I don't remember him asking questions during the presentation. We do need some good method (other than a secret handshake) to identify other TFF members. Maybe a smartphone app that clicks like a Geiger counter when we get close to other TFF members (though it wouldn't work well for me in my Luddite flip phone that makes phone calls and does nothing else). Seriously though, some sort of TFF pin would be a nice unobtrusive way to "announce" our affiliation in various fossil related activities. Maybe I'll look into having something made and donating it to TFF to raise some additional funds with sales. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khyssa Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 A pin or something similar that could be attched to hats or backpacks would be good seeing as most of us have either one or the other with us when out hunting. I had thought about posting about the trip before hand to see who was going but never got around to it. That would have at least given us a heads up as to who would be attending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Here is the small piece of crab claw that I found at the quarry. It was originally mostly encased in more limestone but with a little soaking in vinegar large portions popped off the relatively smooth carapace. Amazing that there is still lifelike color after some 35 million years. Maybe one day I'll find a whole crab but for now it is quite an interesting little souvenir from the trip. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Here's a peek at some of the smaller echinoids I found at the quarry. Most are under 2 cm in width and show varying amounts of detail. The small spatangoid (heart urchins) along the top row are all Oligopygus haldemani which seemed fairly common at the site (if you spent a lot of time searching for them). The "sand dollars" on the bottom row are all Weisbordella cubae except for the smallest one of the left which is probably Durhamella ocalana. Along with the larger Eupatagus antillarum that makes a respectable diversity of echinoderms from a first quick collecting trip to the quarry. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khyssa Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Nice, Ken! I haven't gotten beyond removing some of the worst of the limestone from my echinoids with an exacto knife. Hopefully next week I'll get the chance to finish cleaning them up. I tried to chip some of the limestone away from the piece of crab claw I found but barely made a scrath. Hopefully the vinegar will work as well on it as it did on yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Yup. Soak it in some vinegar for a few hours and then you'll find the limestone will be more willing to be scraped away. I used small jewelers screwdrivers (flat blade) and dental picks (amazing what you can buy at flea markets) to chip and scrape down larger attached chunks of matrix. When I got down close to the fossil itself I switched to something less likely to scratch or gouge like a stiff toothbrush. You can try leaving them in vinegar overnight to see how that works (but I wouldn't start extended soaks with your best specimens--try the broken ones first as an experiment). Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Lovely thread! I know it's a bit old, but it's always great to see TFF members collecting together and what they find. I love the fried egg as well! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Thanks. It was a fun trip with good participation from TFF members on this trip report. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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