dinodigger Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hey Gang, I'm a month into my new job as Museum Director at the Whiteside Museum of Natural History here in Seymour, Texas. We're still in the construction phase, but luckily the major stuff is done. We're on to painting the walls and finishing up the electrical. Then the fun begins. Moving in exhibits and making a hundred year old building look like a museum... Meanwhile I'm still plugging away at the two big Dimetrodon skeletons out in the field. Currently we are trying to finish up the first round of jacketing to prep for the removal. I'm guessing the jacket weighs close to a ton. We've jacketed pretty much three quarters of the block. While trenching around the backside I noticed a whopper of a Dimetrodon maxillary fang sandwhiched between two levels of hard clay. Serrations can still cut paper after 287 million years. Dang. Young guy too. While prospecting a part of the ranch we try to hit up at least once a week, Ms. Mallori, one of the museum paleontologists found a killer artifact, probably the nicest I've seen come from the ranch. Artifacts are not uncommon, most of them have been small birdpoints and lots of flakes. This one looks to be Archaic or possibly Paleo. PhD Archeologist buddy thinks its a Dalton point, 5000 years. Funny how things like that amaze us just as much as something 287 Million years old. We were the first humans to lay eyes on a Dimetrodon a mile away from the artifact, and the first modern humans to see the artifact itself. Anyhoo, enough philosophy... ready to crash. Oh by the way, check out the photo of the braincase. Only the third I've seen in 8 years on the ranch. Relatively uncrushed. Going to have more pics of that one as I prep it. Just a thin rind of caliche on it should prep quick under a microjack and my sweet sweet saliva... More later, Chris http://www.flickr.com/photos/45026327@N05/sets/72157640341672644/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Cool. Any thoughts on how you plant pick up this really big jacket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busyeagle Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Awesome stuff, love the pics. Hope the rest of the museum setup goes smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinodigger Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Cool. Any thoughts on how you plant pick up this really big jacket? Yeah, we have a few good tractor operators in town. We've employed their dino moving services before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Nice looking stuff Chris. Any chance you showing a few pictures of the museum as it progresses? What town will the museum be in? I may have to schedule a trip! Ramo For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Are you hiring? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 MUSEUM DIRECTOR!!! Huge congrats, Chris! That is outstanding news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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