Cepholopods and Concretions of the Britton Fromation trip 3

[KimTexan]

On 5/23/2018 at 4:52 AM, Monica said:

Hi Kim!

 

I'm with you re: paying for dinner (sorry guys!).  I let my husband pay for the first dinner or two when we started dating, but then I insisted on taking turns, and that's pretty much how we've handled things ever since.  Perhaps it is a generational thing.

If I ever get down to Texas I will definitely let you know... (And if you're ever up here in the Toronto area, please do let me know, too.

 

Monica

Monica, 

Thanks for the support from a woman’s perspective. The TFF definitely has a disproportionate number of males. The few ladies on here have to stick together in such matters.

I will definitely let you know if I’m ever up there.

[KimTexan]

11 hours ago, Herb said:

we had a nice time collecting with Kim, it was generous of her to show us some sites. Thanks again Kim.

You are always welcome in Louisville.

Yes, and Herb paid for my lunch and the girlfriend that I invited along too when he was here. 

Thank you again Herb.

[Kane]

Perhaps not even about gender in re: who pays for what - just basic give and take between people.  I know with Deb, we share finances and household bills, so it doesn't make sense to quibble over who pays as it all comes from that shared pot of money. 

 

17 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

Monica, 

Thanks for the support from a woman’s perspective. The TFF definitely has a disproportionate number of males.

That may be true, but the women of TFF are equally as intrepid, knowledgeable, and passionate when it comes to fossils.  And, as an egalitarian space dedicated to respect of all people regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, orientation, faith, political affiliation, or other stuff that may be extraneous to our shared love of fossils, TFF remains a lovely bastion of respect and learning for all. 

 

I can say I'm pretty lucky to have a partner who shares my passion, and is an equal in the field as we both do the hard work of clearing overburden, removing slabs, and splitting rock together. When I have to collect alone, I always feel something is missing from the experience.  

[KimTexan]

9 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

F. dichrous is the most common crustacean in the Britton.  You can never have too many.  My buddy Brent amassed about 500 over the years, now at SMU.   Even bigger at times is Cenomanocarcinus (vanstraeleni?)  There are also shrimp, maybe Upogebia. Lobsters include Astracodes and Linuparis. Àlex Osso probably knows of some oddballs that round out the faunal list.

I’m wondering if that little fragment may not be one of the heteromorph cephalopods that has kind of a j shaped hook on one end and that is the edge of the curve. I can’t remember which one’s name that  I’m thinking of. I have one in my hash plates.

So do you think the last big one may be a Cenomanocarcinus?

[Uncle Siphuncle]

12 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

I’m wondering if that little fragment may not be one of the heteromorph cephalopods that has kind of a j shaped hook on one end and that is the edge of the curve. I can’t remember which one’s name that  I’m thinking of. I have one in my hash plates.

So do you think the last big one may be a Cenomanocarcinus?

Lamentably, I can’t tell unprepped from one pic viewed from my phone.  Prep can be tough on these nodules, FYI.  Often the cortex preps easily for a couple mm, then they get really hard inside, where the shell gets “sticky”.  More often the case with larger nodules.  For that reason, I halted prep on my big Cenos to prevent damage.

[KimTexan]

23 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Lamentably, I can’t tell unprepped from one pic viewed from my phone. 

I do understand that completely. I should have phrased it “General are the larger ones Cenomanocarcinus?” What are the distinguishing characteristics other than size? Or do you have a reference to point me to that I may educate myself by it?

[KimTexan]

48 minutes ago, Kane said:

Perhaps not even about gender in re: who pays for what - just basic give and take between people.  I know with Deb, we share finances and household bills, so it doesn't make sense to quibble over who pays as it all comes from that shared pot of money. 

 

That may be true, but the women of TFF are equally as intrepid, knowledgeable, and passionate when it comes to fossils.  And, as an egalitarian space dedicated to respect of all people regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, orientation, faith, political affiliation, or other stuff that may be extraneous to our shared love of fossils, TFF remains a lovely bastion of respect and learning for all. 

 

I can say I'm pretty lucky to have a partner who shares my passion, and is an equal in the field as we both do the hard work of clearing overburden, removing slabs, and splitting rock together. When I have to collect alone, I always feel something is missing from the experience.  

I know, my comment was directed in terms of debate on the specific topic. TFF is a very fair and safe place.

Some females may have equal knowledge and such, but I must admit I am lacking in the area of brawn. When I’m trying to extract stuff from rock the males be hunted with bare much better equipped to have the power behind the hammer to do the job than I am. I think I need lessons on use of the tools to be more effective.

[Kane]

18 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

I know, my comment was directed in terms of debate on the specific topic. TFF is a very fair and safe place.

Some females may have equal knowledge and such, but I must admit I am lacking in the area of brawn. When I’m trying to extract stuff from rock the males be hunted with bare much better equipped to have the power behind the hammer to do the job than I am. I think I need lessons on use of the tools to be more effective.

I think where you may lack in brawn you more than make up for in other ways, applying more finesse where that is required.  When in mixed collecting company, sometimes it is that mix of skills unique to each individual that make all the difference where each plays their part and everyone comes away happy. And, besides, you have an excellent eye for finds!  But in terms of power, I'm a big proponent that training is something most people can do, and it doesn't need to involve being a gym rat, either! Power behind the hammer can be increased through some exercises that target the groups responsible for that motion (tricep, bicep, shoulder, forearm). It can be as simple as using light weights with high repetitions, resistance bands, etc. In this way you're increasing strength, not size. As evidence, shortly after I met my partner I introduced her to some training exercises and in the last few years her strength and stamina in the field has increased dramatically. And she's 54, so even age is not always a limitation.  She may never be flipping 300 lb slabs, but she can go through a lot more rock than when she started, and her finds are definitely testament to that.

 

And, of course, where you strike is just as important (if not more so) than how hard you whack it. As Ben Franklin said, "small strokes fell big oaks."  A concert of tools definitely creates a lovely symphony -- chisels and pry bars in addition to the hammers. 

[KimTexan]

@Kane A couple weeks ago I went on a kayaking fossil trip with a group. My daughter found a little bivalve embedded in matrix. I gave it a few wacks but with little impact. I gave her my rock hammer and chisel and told her to have at it. There were other of the same bivalve lying around loose on the ground, but she wanted that one. There was an older gentleman in the group who is a retired paleontologist walked over and proceeded to show her how to approach it. He was good! With very little force or muscle and small strokes he had it out in a couple minutes. I had walked away and wasn’t watching, but wish that I had been. I have much to learn.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Sorry, phone having trouble grabbing links at the moment.

[Fruitbat]

Links?  Did I see somebody ask for links?  I've got links for you!

 

Frantescu, O.D. (2014). Fossil decapods from the Cretaceous (late Albian) of Tarrant County, Texas. N.Jb.Geol.Palaont. Abh., 273/3.

Frantescu, O.D. (2013). Cretaceous lobsters from the Pawpaw Shale of northeast Texas. N.Jb.Geol.Palaont. Abh., 268/3.

Frantescu, O.D. (2013). Systematics, Paleobiogeography, and Paleoecology of Cretaceous Decapod Faunas from Northeast Texas. Ph.D. Dissertation - Kent State University. (354 pages)

Garvie, C.L., J.S.H. Collins and C.J.T. Mellish (2017). A new family, genus and species of crab (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Cretaceous (middle Albian) of Texas. Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum, Number 43.

Guinot, D., F.J. Vega and B.W.M. van Bakel (2008). Cenomanocarcinidae n.fam., a new Cretaceous podotreme family (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Raninoidea), with comments on related families. Geodiversitas, 30(4).

Schweitzer, C.E., et al. (2016). Early Cretaceous (Albian) decapods from the Glen Rose and Walnut formations of Texas, USA.  Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum, Number 42.

Stenzel, H.B. (1945). Decapod Crustaceans from the Cretaceous of Texas. The University of Texas Publication, Number 4401.

Vega, F.J., J. Jackson and À. Ossó (2014). Exceptional preservation of a late Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) crab from Texas, U.S.A. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, Volume 66, Number 1.

 

-Joe

[Coco]

On 23/05/2018 at 4:19 AM, Fruitbat said:

just wait until you try to pay for dinner!  

Joe and other men of FF, if you come to Paris, France (3 hours by car from my home), I shall indicate you the best restaurants to invite me !

 

Coco

[Fruitbat]

Ce serait un plaisir, chère dame!  Of course...I'm not likely to be in France for a while.  Perhaps we could meet in Rome.  I'm planning to take my daughter to Italy some time this year (with luck).  We took a trip to my old home towns in Germany (Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Munich) last year.

 

-Joe

[Nimravis]

1 hour ago, Coco said:

Joe and other men of FF, if you come to Paris, France (3 hours by car from my home), I shall indicate you the best restaurants to invite me !

 

Coco

Coco- if I was out there I would definitely take you and pay.  

[Coco]

But I shall not let with you make, I am as Kim. But thanks !

 

Coco

[KimTexan]

 

@Coco I am laughing so hard I am crying!

4 hours ago, Coco said:

Joe and other men of FF, if you come to Paris, France (3 hours by car from my home), I shall indicate you the best restaurants to invite me ! 

This comment made it sound like you had no problem with letting them pay. Maybe something was lost in translation or maybe you set the men up with a very skilled fineness none of us saw coming.  Whatever the case, your response came off so well that I am laughing really hard.

 

I think this is a good humored women vs men mindsets debate. One of those "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" things where we women don't speak the same language as the men. We are just different creatures.

 

I wonder where the generation gap happened for us women. I'm 50, Monica's 40. I have no idea your age Coco, but I wonder if @GeschWhat, who is of a different generation than Monica and I, has a different mindset or maybe @fifbrindacier I have no idea how old she is either, but she may have something to say. I have a liberated woman's mindset in a number of respects, but I am by no means a feminist. I like my soft feminine side even if I am a bit of a Tomboy. I also see men definitely have a lot of unique perspectives, approaches and abilities to offer, which often complement what women have to offer very nicely. Each gender has its beauty and strengths even if we are of different mindsets at times.

[Herb]

I always take whomever shows me around to collect to lunch, regardless of gender. It is just polite and the mannerly thing to do when someone takes time out of their day to help another collector out.

[Fruitbat]

Polite...mannerly...courteous...respectful...dignified...gentleman...these are words that don't seem to mean the same thing these days.  Yeeeeesh!

 

-Joe

[Miocene_Mason]

I’m 15 and though I’m not going out to dinner with my friends too many times a year, when I do I try to pay for them, regardless of gender. Though it seems this might just be something I was raised to do, as many others my age would rather split the bill. To each his own I guess.

 

[GeschWhat]

1 hour ago, KimTexan said:

 

@Coco I am laughing so hard I am crying!

This comment made it sound like you had no problem with letting them pay. Maybe something was lost in translation or maybe you set the men up with a very skilled fineness none of us saw coming.  Whatever the case, your response came off so well that I am laughing really hard.

 

I think this is a good humored women vs men mindsets debate. One of those "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" things where we women don't speak the same language as the men. We are just different creatures.

 

I wonder where the generation gap happened for us women. I'm 50, Monica's 40. I have no idea your age Coco, but I wonder if @GeschWhat, who is of a different generation than Monica and I, has a different mindset or maybe @fifbrindacier I have no idea how old she is either, but she may have something to say. I have a liberated woman's mindset in a number of respects, but I am by no means a feminist. I like my soft feminine side even if I am a bit of a Tomboy. I also see men definitely have a lot of unique perspectives, approaches and abilities to offer, which often complement what women have to offer very nicely. Each gender has its beauty and strengths even if we are of different mindsets at times.

Hey, Kim - I'm with you and Monica. I'm 56 and feel weird when other people pay unless of course it is my hubby. I always let him pay so I have more $$ for poop (he just wastes his mad money on dumb old guns - boring). Seriously, I do pay if it's my idea to go out to eat - he just likes to go out to eat more than I do. If someone paid for my lunch (male or female), I would pay for theirs the next time. I was somewhat of a Tomboy growing up. I loved climbing trees, playing with snakes, looking for rocks, etc., but also liked pretending to be a princess (too many Disney movies). When I was a teen, my dad taught me how to fix my own car. I have replaced several carburetors, but unlike you, have never re-built one. When I was dating my husband, I helped him replace the alternator on his car because his hands were too big to get in there to get the bolts loose.  Of course I don't think I could even fit under a car these days. The heavy lifting was always my downfall as well. I have cursed men on more than one occasion for having better upper body strength as I was shoveling heavy, wet snow left at the end of the driveway by the plows. I don't consider myself a feminist - just a person. I like what I like - much of which doesn't fit the tradition female mold. 

 

Nice trip report by the way. I usually have a hard time keeping up with the fossil ID threads, and don't get around to checking out the fossil hunting trips. 

[doushantuo]

You played with snakes?

[Herb]

1 hour ago, Fruitbat said:

Polite...mannerly...courteous...respectful...dignified...gentleman...these are words that don't seem to mean the same thing these days.  Yeeeeesh!

 

-Joe

sadly, so true Joe

[Nimravis]

That’s it, if I ever go collect fossils with any of the women on the FF, I am going to have them pay for dinner and a big dessert as well as carry my Fossil bag and I will also expect any cool fossils that they find to be placed in said bag.

 

[GeschWhat]

1 minute ago, doushantuo said:

You played with snakes?

Still do! Snakes, frogs, toad, lizards...

[GeschWhat]

1 minute ago, Nimravis said:

That’s it, if I ever go collect fossils with any of the women on the FF, I am going to have them pay for dinner and a big dessert as well as carry my Fossil bag and I will also expect any cool fossils that they find to be placed in said bag.

 

I'm definitely not opposed to someone carrying my fossils for me. You could keep any of the cool fossil provided they weren't coprolites