TFF, one of a kind!!

[minnbuckeye]

Six years has elapsed since my fascination with fossils began. Without the Fossil Forum, I would not be where I am today with regards to both my fossil finds and the knowledge gained through the forum about my discoveries. Let me thank  the MANY, MANY individuals that have helped with my adventures. I must first of all thank (from me) and blame (from my wife) @Bev  for getting me initially involved in fossils . From our early hunts, a passion for the hobby emerged. But you all deserve a BIG pat on the back for helping not only me but so many others trying to gain knowledge in such a wonderful segment of science.

 

More specifically,  I have had the opportunity to taste the wonders of Floridian fossils over the last few years. @digit,@dalmayshun, @Plantguy, @MikeR, @Sacha  @Shellseeker, @joshuajbelanger and more have all  assisted me in one form or the other, making my vacations to the Sunshine State successful. Special thanks goes out to @jcbshark. He is the Florida version of Bev to me, taking this fledgling under his wing and making sure that I experienced  an exceptional hunt each and every time that I visit him. Hopefully, he embraces our  new friendship as much as I do. By the way, Jeff, are the fish biting????? It won't be long.

 

During my first trip to Florida, Jeff volunteered to guide me to some fossils and took me to the infamous "Cookie Cutter Creek", known for its very tiny Isistius shark teeth. As a newbie to the art of shark tooth hunting, like everyone during their first hunt, I wanted BIG teeth, and I was successful at pulling a 2"meg out of the gravel!!!! As I sifted for more, Jeff was collecting fine matrix. It just looked like sand to me as I peered into his full 5 gallon bucket  that took a day to gather, not appreciating what he had. Fast forward to today, I have matured a bit (don't tell anyone) and now totally appreciate the fact that bigger is not always better. Presently, I kick myself in the tush for not having  done a little sifting for Cookie Cutter shark teeth, especially since the  stream has currently been "cleaned up" and all the fallen trees removed, leaving the creek just a straight  flat rock bottomed  drainage ditch. My hopes of sifting for some cookie cutter teeth sadly disappeared with the creek's improvements.   

 

Then came the 2019 Rolling Auction to benefit the Forum, where @Darktooth   kindly offered up "cookie cutter matrix". My wife knew my emotional attachment to this creek and my desire to find access to some matrix. So, since my birthday was the following week, she gave me the OK to bid away. I contacted @digit ,who collected the offered matrix,  to see the likelihood of Isisteus teeth being present. With Ken's comments to me, I began bidding, that is until it jumped from my bid of $65 to $100 with many days left until the auction ended. Who was this @MSirmon character. How dare he blow my bid out of the water! Fearful that the bidding would go beyond what even I was comfortable spending, I elected to hold off further bids until hours before the auction ended. This was a mistake as you will soon see. And MSirmon  won the auction with no additional bids. After reading the auction results and taking a few deep breaths, I posted this congratulatory note.          

Posted July 13

Congratulations @MSirmon. Great donation to the forum and great batch of fossils offered up by Darktooth who accomplished his goal of a $100 bid. Enjoy!!!!!!! My wife knew I wanted the cookie cutter mix terribly. My first fossil hunting trip to Florida was on this creek and it is a special place to me, full of wonderful memories that I will cherish. To make a long story short, as a "birthday gift" next week, she said BID AWAY!!! My intent was to be that last hour bidder making sure the prize came home! BUT unfortunately, I fished in the heat all day yesterday, came home, ate a great meal, and proceeded to fall asleep at 8:00. Slept until 2:30, at which time I woke up in a sweat, realizing what I had done. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! So watch out you future bidders, I have a green light if I see anything that tickles my fancy.    

 

 

To return to the point of this post, that being how wonderful forum members are, I will continue my story. A package postmarked from New York arrived a few days ago and was HEAVY. I questioned my wife if she had purchased any fossils for me and she said no. Still not believing her, I said if this was from her, then she would also owe me 100 backrubs. She agreed to this,  convincing me that the origin of the package was unknown. I was perplexed. To solve the mystery, I went ahead and opened the package. Inside was a huge bag of "sand" and a note from Darktooth  saying "Happy Birthday! This package is being sent on behalf of MSirmon (Mike) as a birthday gift.  These are the items he won from my recent offerings (yes, there was more than the cookie cutter matrix in the box)............

I was stunned to say the least. What generosity from a person that I do not even know!!!!  I now want to say to a special person

THANK  YOU  MIKE, from the bottom of my  heart             

 And a smaller, yet also heart felt thank you to everyone else. 

 Mike

[caldigger]

Just to add to that huge kudos to Mr. Sirmon, the add on portion of that lot that I put up of items I have personally found in my hunting adventures was sent directly to another lucky member that unfortunately had his "bidding funds" tied up in a kitchen remodel.

  Thinking his interest was in the matrix, I sent him some very fossiliforus stuff from the spot I have been working in from the Miocene Temblor Formation of Bakersfield, California.  I am sure his kids are going to have many hours of fossil finding enjoyment from that batch.

 

Michael Sirmon is truly a very generous one of a kind individual.  Once again, way to go Mike!!!

[roostarr]

This is truly heartwarming, in today's world where there's seemingly constant proof of the worst of humanity this is a lovely show of the good that still remains.

[minnbuckeye]

@caldigger, a few years ago, you had pestered me for a long time to put up an avatar. The time for change is now. I just want your approval!! LOL

 

 And yes, after 2 handfuls of matrix, I have found a cookie cutter tooth pictured here!!!

[caldigger]

I LOVE IT!!!!!!

[caldigger]

7 minutes ago, roostarr said:

This is truly heartwarming, in today's world where there's seemingly constant proof of the worst of humanity this is a lovely show of the good that still remains.

I see the Forum as humanity's last stand that there is some form of kindness and decency left. 

Oh gawd, I'm tearing up!

 

[Sacha]

It's easy to go out of our way for nice people Mike, and you are a nice guy. 

[fossilnut]

Yes Mike minnbuckeye is a nice guy. Happy Birthday and Many More! Also like to acknowledge MSirmon's generosity. What a pleasure it can be to make another individual very happy. We can do that by giving a kid a shark tooth and seeing their eyes light up and the smile on their face. All the best to both of you.

[Coco]

Great story !

 

Coco

[jcbshark]

Thank you for the kind words mike, it’s always a pleasure to get out with you not sure if they’re biting at the moment but we’ll sure try. Very kind gesture from mike @MSirmon as well. If you’d like some matrix I’d be happy to send you a box when winter rolls around down here and the creeks Are at a level where I can collect some matrixhappy bday mike 

[snolly50]

A wonderful account! 

[digit]

Yup. The welcoming environment we strive for here on the forum does tend to attract some really nice and generous folk. I've had the distinct pleasure of meeting up with a number of members outside the forum (and more importantly in fossil rich areas). My with Tammy was just in awe over the welcome we received on our last two roadtrips where we got to go out hunting with TFF members in a variety of novel locations for us. South Florida is blessed with some really great fossil diversity (sadly, no dinosaurs though ) and the South Florida TFF Welcoming Committee that Mike mentioned above does its best to try to host out of town members to a memorably fossil hunt when they visit. We do our best to give them a chance at meg teeth which is always on the list for those from out of state.

 

I don't do other social media (if TFF can be considered such) as I try my level best to minimize strife and negativity in my life and it seems that (and cat videos and pictures of food) is all that social media is good for. TFF membership is widely diverse and (though US-centric) widely distributed across the globe. Though our membership comes from all walks of life and certainly holds a wide range of divergent beliefs beyond the realm of fossils, it is in our shared passion for finding and sharing these treasures from the past that makes our differences dissolve as we are united in a great (and highly addictive) activity.

 

Though it warms my heart to hear of such great generosity, it does not particularly surprise me.

 

 

@MSirmon 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[FossilNerd]

Stories like this are the reason I joined TFF! I lurked in the shadows for a while. Perusing the site without a login. Gleaning what information I could. It was seeing posts like this and the friendly community that convince me to join.

 

Congratulations and a belated birthday Mike! 

 

@MSirmon , People like you are the reason I joined TFF, and one of the reasons I continue to come back (besides the cool fossils!) You are very generous and kind. Keep it up, it makes a difference!  

[joshuajbelanger]

Well, I’m currently en route to Colorado.(presently spending the night in Chattanooga). Once I am well established, feel free to come on over and hunt some Colorado and Wyoming fossils with me!!!!!

[caldigger]

1 hour ago, FossilNerd said:

I lurked in the shadows for a while.

That was you?!!  I had a feeling we were being watched! 

[FossilNerd]

8 hours ago, caldigger said:

That was you?!!  I had a feeling we were being watched! 

 

I’m busted! 

[digit]

I too lurked for some time (but I did create an account straight away). I read all the posts I could find about the Peace River (my primary hunting location) and didn't post anything for at least a year or so--now you just can't get me to shut up. I posted some Peace River unknowns for ID and was amazed by the quick (and informative) response. Been hooked ever since.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Plantguy]

Mike. Wonderful stuff and a belated Happy bday! Kudos to MSirmon-very awesome act.

Yep the forum is a unique and special place for alot of us. Glad to be a part of it..

Congrats and continued hunting success! 

Regards, Chris 

[Darktooth]

@minnbuckeye I am happy to hear that you were able to find a Cookie Cutter tooth in the matrix. Hopefully there are more present.

[Bobby Rico]

I can testify from a personal experience the kindness falls like rain on TFF. I have made some amazing friends world wide and in the UK.  I feel like the members are not just members  but act as ambassador on behalf of TFF.

 

Nice thread @minnbuckeye . Cheers Bobby 

[RJB]

 Great story.  and this Mike guy is one heck of a guy.   Nice to see stuff like this.  Gives me faith in us humans.

 

RB

[MSirmon]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 10:37 AM, minnbuckeye said:

Six years has elapsed since my fascination with fossils began. Without the Fossil Forum, I would not be where I am today with regards to both my fossil finds and the knowledge gained through the forum about my discoveries. Let me thank  the MANY, MANY individuals that have helped with my adventures. I must first of all thank (from me) and blame (from my wife) @Bev  for getting me initially involved in fossils . From our early hunts, a passion for the hobby emerged. But you all deserve a BIG pat on the back for helping not only me but so many others trying to gain knowledge in such a wonderful segment of science.

 

More specifically,  I have had the opportunity to taste the wonders of Floridian fossils over the last few years. @digit,@dalmayshun, @Plantguy, @MikeR, @Sacha  @Shellseeker, @joshuajbelanger and more have all  assisted me in one form or the other, making my vacations to the Sunshine State successful. Special thanks goes out to @jcbshark. He is the Florida version of Bev to me, taking this fledgling under his wing and making sure that I experienced  an exceptional hunt each and every time that I visit him. Hopefully, he embraces our  new friendship as much as I do. By the way, Jeff, are the fish biting????? It won't be long.

 

During my first trip to Florida, Jeff volunteered to guide me to some fossils and took me to the infamous "Cookie Cutter Creek", known for its very tiny Isistius shark teeth. As a newbie to the art of shark tooth hunting, like everyone during their first hunt, I wanted BIG teeth, and I was successful at pulling a 2"meg out of the gravel!!!! As I sifted for more, Jeff was collecting fine matrix. It just looked like sand to me as I peered into his full 5 gallon bucket  that took a day to gather, not appreciating what he had. Fast forward to today, I have matured a bit (don't tell anyone) and now totally appreciate the fact that bigger is not always better. Presently, I kick myself in the tush for not having  done a little sifting for Cookie Cutter shark teeth, especially since the  stream has currently been "cleaned up" and all the fallen trees removed, leaving the creek just a straight  flat rock bottomed  drainage ditch. My hopes of sifting for some cookie cutter teeth sadly disappeared with the creek's improvements.   

 

Then came the 2019 Rolling Auction to benefit the Forum, where @Darktooth   kindly offered up "cookie cutter matrix". My wife knew my emotional attachment to this creek and my desire to find access to some matrix. So, since my birthday was the following week, she gave me the OK to bid away. I contacted @digit ,who collected the offered matrix,  to see the likelihood of Isisteus teeth being present. With Ken's comments to me, I began bidding, that is until it jumped from my bid of $65 to $100 with many days left until the auction ended. Who was this @MSirmon character. How dare he blow my bid out of the water! Fearful that the bidding would go beyond what even I was comfortable spending, I elected to hold off further bids until hours before the auction ended. This was a mistake as you will soon see. And MSirmon  won the auction with no additional bids. After reading the auction results and taking a few deep breaths, I posted this congratulatory note.          

Posted July 13

Congratulations @MSirmon. Great donation to the forum and great batch of fossils offered up by Darktooth who accomplished his goal of a $100 bid. Enjoy!!!!!!! My wife knew I wanted the cookie cutter mix terribly. My first fossil hunting trip to Florida was on this creek and it is a special place to me, full of wonderful memories that I will cherish. To make a long story short, as a "birthday gift" next week, she said BID AWAY!!! My intent was to be that last hour bidder making sure the prize came home! BUT unfortunately, I fished in the heat all day yesterday, came home, ate a great meal, and proceeded to fall asleep at 8:00. Slept until 2:30, at which time I woke up in a sweat, realizing what I had done. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! So watch out you future bidders, I have a green light if I see anything that tickles my fancy.    

 

 

To return to the point of this post, that being how wonderful forum members are, I will continue my story. A package postmarked from New York arrived a few days ago and was HEAVY. I questioned my wife if she had purchased any fossils for me and she said no. Still not believing her, I said if this was from her, then she would also owe me 100 backrubs. She agreed to this,  convincing me that the origin of the package was unknown. I was perplexed. To solve the mystery, I went ahead and opened the package. Inside was a huge bag of "sand" and a note from Darktooth  saying "Happy Birthday! This package is being sent on behalf of MSirmon (Mike) as a birthday gift.  These are the items he won from my recent offerings (yes, there was more than the cookie cutter matrix in the box)............

I was stunned to say the least. What generosity from a person that I do not even know!!!!  I now want to say to a special person

THANK  YOU  MIKE, from the bottom of my  heart             

 And a smaller, yet also heart felt thank you to everyone else. 

 Mike

You are very welcome Mike and I hope you had a great birthday. I don't remember the day or year I joined the forum (I know its easy to look up) but from day one the members of this forum have made it a special place to be and a tremendous fellowship to be part of. I've always had a fascination with fossils but thanks to you all that has blossomed into healthy obsession. 

 

Cheers and Happy Hunting

[digit]

1 hour ago, MSirmon said:

but thanks to you all that has blossomed into healthy obsession

Our work is done here.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Darktooth]

14 minutes ago, digit said:

Our work is done here.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Our work here, is never truly done, Ken!

[caldigger]

35 minutes ago, Darktooth said:

Our work here, is never truly done, Ken!

Well at least the hook is set!