Member of the Month - June 2018 - Belemniten

[Kane]

As spring leads inexorably to summer, many of our members are enjoying some serious collecting. The days continue to lengthen, and that hopefully bodes well for longer days out in the field! It also means that it is time to announce our new Member of the Month for June! It took some doing as our previous MOTM was hiding out in a rundown motel in Poughkeepsie with the MOTM crown, but with some artful negotiation, the crown was retrieved.  

     Belemniten   

Sebastian has been with us for a relatively short time (since August 2015), but he has quickly and consistently distinguished himself as a solid and respected member here. Wise beyond his modest years, Belemniten has been a steady source of encouragement and positivity in his engagement with other members, and he is no mean slouch at finding and preparing lots of interesting finds. His natural prose style and detail makes his trips a real pleasure to read - with vivid scenic descriptions that almost make you feel like you are right there.

 

We are definitely blessed here on TFF to have such outgoing and engaged youth members, and they are TFF's future. In our view, members like Sebastian exemplify and embody all the great cardinal virtues of what TFF stands for. 

 

Sebastian has the perfect mix of wonder, curiousity, encouragement, and maturity that truly make his presence here highly valued. Being so precocious, we have no doubt that he will continue to grow and remain a positive and exemplary force here on TFF. 

 

 

Sebastian, Thanks for all you do and contribute here on the Forum!

Congratulations Sir! Wear this Crown with joy as you earned it!

 

Here is your opportunity to tell us your story - about your passion for fossils, and how you came to TFF!

 

On behalf of the staff here on TFF, congratulations!

[Monica]

Congratulations, Sebastian!!! @belemniten

[doushantuo]

Way to go ,Seb!

[old bones]

Congratulations, Sebastian! Wear the crown with pride

[caldigger]

Oh please, I've never even been to New York!

 I was actually tracked down in an upscale hostle in Hvannadalshnukur. How was I to know they wouldn't except the crown as payment.

Anyway, you are the new "King of the Hill" this month Sebastian. Now put on your crown and strut around doing the Mick Jagger chicken dance.

[Ludwigia]

Yay, Sebastian!

[TqB]

Congratulations, Sebastian, a thoroughly deserving recipient!

[digit]

Congrats, Sebastian!

 

It's good to know that TFF's future is secure with a good crop of passionate younger fossil enthusiasts in the ranks of our membership. Thanks for your great trip reports and your mature interaction with other members which belies your youthful age.

 

2 hours ago, caldigger said:

I was actually tracked down in an upscale hostle in Hvannadalshnukur. How was I to know they wouldn't except the crown as payment.

I'll actually be in Iceland in a little over a week. I wasn't planning on climbing to the top of Öræfajökull Volcano in Vatnajökull National Park but I've never been in an "upscale" hostel so I may have to drop in for a visit.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[JohnJ]

Sebastian, thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and interest in paleontology.  Your contributions here set a great example for younger TFF members in the future.

 

[Auspex]

Sebastian,

I noted your potential early on, as a poised and enthusiastic young man with a respect for knowledge.
You have earned this recognition. Congratulations, and thank you for your congenial participation.

[Fossildude19]

Congratulations!!

 

Thanks for all of your substantive, well written contributions, Sebastian.   
They are appreciated. 

Enjoy this well deserved accolade.   

[Max-fossils]

Woohoo!!! Congrats Sebastian! Definitely well-deserved. Your trip reports are every time indeed incredibly fun, interesting and beautiful. 

Looking forward to hear your story! 

[Nimravis]

Congrats Sebastian.

[KimTexan]

Has anyone invited Sebastian to the party? 

Maybe he’s out fossil hunting.

 

Congratulations Sebastian!!!

[belemniten]

Hi all 

 

Thanks so much for all the congrats and all the kind words  Thanks to Kane for his words ! They are probably some of the nicest words I have ever heard !

This award is a huge honor for me 

And I had never expected such an honor, so it was very surprising for me ! 

 

I am on holiday without a good internet connection, so I will later post more. For example, more about me and how I came to TFF, although it was not a very special 

 

But for now I want to say that this forum is really awesome and there is no better way for me to contact other collectors and read or write reports about hunting trips. Especially in the past I often asked for ID and there were always kind and friendly people who gave me great tips ! Just an epic place to learn new things and there are unlimited new things to learn here ! Many thanks to all the moderators and to all the other people , who created this wonderful place and who keep this forum running !

[Fruitbat]

Heartiest congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

 

-Joe

[digit]

And Sebastian's response shows exactly why he's MOTM for June.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Pagurus]

 

Thanks for sharing your fossil trips with us. Always interesting and fun to read. Well done!

[Tidgy's Dad]

Very much enjoy reading your posts, Sebastian, and always some lovely fossils to be envious of. 

Congratulations, most excellent that you have won this much deserved award.

 

[Miocene_Mason]

Congratulations Sebastian! A Well earned achievement indeed!

[Sagebrush Steve]

2 hours ago, belemniten said:

Hi all 

 

Thanks so much for all the congrats and all the kind words  Thanks to Kane for his words ! They are probably some of the nicest words I have ever heard !

This award is a huge honor for me 

And I had never expected such an honor, so it was very surprising for me ! 

 

I am on holiday without a good internet connection, so I will later post more. For example, more about me and how I came to TFF, although it was not a very special 

 

But for now I want to say that this forum is really awesome and there is no better way for me to contact other collectors and read or write reports about hunting trips. Especially in the past I often asked for ID and there were always kind and friendly people who gave me great tips ! Just an epic place to learn new things and there are unlimited new things to learn here ! Many thanks to all the moderators and to all the other people , who created this wonderful place and who keep this forum running !

Congratulations, Sebastian.  Looking forward to hearing more about you.  I hope your holiday includes a trip to the Solnhofen limestone!  I’ve always wanted to go there.

[belemniten]

Thanks all ! 

It's great to hear that so many guys like the reports of my hunting trips ! Such a great recognition 

 

52 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

Congratulations, Sebastian.  Looking forward to hearing more about you.  I hope your holiday includes a trip to the Solnhofen limestone!  I’ve always wanted to go there.

I think I have to disappoint you. This is not going to be a fossiliferous holiday  I wasn't in Solnhofen until now although its not that long to travel from my home. It's still on my wish list. Especially those great museums 

[ynot]

Congratulations!

I also enjoy Your wonderful reports.

[Coco]

Hi,

 

Good choice ! Congrats Sebastian

 

Coco

[belemniten]

Thanks Tony and Coco !

 

Here is my "story":
I am a child of two academic parents. Both of them were studying maths as well as my uncle, my grandpa etc I also like maths I wonder how this comes
I might even want to study maths in the future. But no force is involved
By the way one of my not so good subjects is English. Hopefully you guys don't recognize that so much.

 

So how and why did I started collecting fossils:
I think it was about 5 years ago that I began to collect fossils. Before that time I got many minerals from my parents as a gift and I had a little cabinet. But as some of you might know I am living near the famous collecting location Holzmaden, where you can find many fossils from the lower Jurassic period. Because of that we were sometimes there, for instance, to celebrate birthdays but I wasn't that interested in fossils at that time. I mostly found common fossils like ammonites or belemnites. But those fossils were enough to create more interests in paleontology and I started to hunt  at other places mostly for invertebrates as well. At this time period I found this lovely forum ! At first I only read all the posts and learned many new things. After about one year I decided to sign up and as I already stated at the first period of time I mainly asked for Id but then I began to write hunting trips and began to create some galleries ! After this my interests were also changing from invertebrates to vertebrates and I found some good friends, who showed and show me how to find vertebrate fossils like teeth or bones in Holzmaden.
And now I am here

 

For me the reasons why I am collecting fossils are that it's an incredible feeling to hold an animal in your hands, which lived millions of years ago and you are the first one !!! And it's a hobby where you can always learn new things ! 

 

As you can see my "history" with or in the forum isn't that long but I am sure that there will be many more nice moments and many more good friends, who I will meet here!