Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Adventures of Three Old Poops

Thought for the day:  One aspect of serendipity to bear in mind is that you have to be looking for something in order to find something else.  [Lawrence Block]

Thanks to our anniversary trip to Dahlonega in May, Smarticus and I have a new-found interest in rocks and minerals. (Believe me, no one is more surprised by this unexpected development than I.) Anyway, because of this new interest, we went to a rock, mineral, and gemstone show a few weeks ago.

[Psssst! Guess where it was held? At a museum. Woo- HOO!]

See, as many of you already know, I'm an unabashed sucker for museums. Even though Tellus Museum is only about an hour's drive away, we'd never been there before, so by sheer serendipity, we were once again exposed to another new adventure.

Most of the rock show was set up outside, but the admission price included entrance to the museum, as well. The show was fun, with lots and lots of gorgeous rocks, jewelry, and fossils, etc, to gawk at, and I even bought grab bags of goodies from a couple of the vendors. (Okay, so I'm a sucker for grab bags, too.)

But enough of that. I want to tell you about the museum. Especially blogging pal Sherry... she and her family will be relocating to Georgia pretty soon, and I just KNOW her Bubba would love this museum...

Its transportation section contains a nifty collection of motorbikes, cars, airplanes, and even space age displays. There's plenty of variety to capture interest, but not an overabundance of any one thing. This 1886 Benz Motorwagen is the world's first automobile.

The museum's rock and mineral collection is large and eye-catching.   The little boy in this picture (a future geologist?) stood transfixed in front of these fluorescent minerals for quite a while, watching them transition from being illuminated by artificial light to startling glow-in-the-dark luminescence when the light was turned off. His dad finally had to pull him away.

In addition to all the geodes, gems, and whatnot on display, there's also a place in the museum to pan for gems and hunt for fossils. Smarticus wasn't interested in digging in the dirt for itty bitty fossils, but we did pan some teensy weensy gems.

Another section of the museum is called My Big Back Yard, and it's specifically designed for children to explore and learn. It looked like fun, but we're a little outside the demographics for it, so we didn't spend any time there. Now, the last section... the last section is my favorite. Dinosaur fossils!

Check out this bad-ass! The dunkleosteus, meaning terrible fish, had bony armor over most of its body, grew up to twenty feet long, and instead of teeth, had sharpened edges in its super powerful jaws. Needless to say, he was at the top of the oceanic food chain. This particular specimen, however, must have been a loner: he had no body. Nope. He's just a scary-looking head attached to a wooden cut-out.


I've always loved pterodactyls; don't you? Of course, none of them have ever chased me and tried to nibble on my flesh, either.


Of COURSE I touched it. What kid could resist? Boys, especially, love to be grossed out at the idea of touching an old pile of fossilized dinosaur poop.


I don't remember what this guy is, but he's kinda cute, isn't he? For some reason, he reminds me of a dog that should've been part of Mad magazine's Spy vs. Spy cartoon.







Naturally, Tellus has its very own fearsome-looking T. rex.


I tried to lure Smarticus into posing in front of this big-mouthed fossil with his mouth opened wide, but darn it, my favorite old poop wouldn't bite. However,  I had no problem with acting the fool. Actually, come to think of it, the role comes rather naturally.




So there ya have it. We went to look at a bunch of rocks, and discovered a whole new museum to explore. A terrific museum, with a diverse smorgasbord of exhibits from rocks... to old cars and satellites... to kid's stuff... to dinosaur poop. What more could ya ask for?

{The following weekend, we had another kind of adventure. After going to a car show, we stopped at a new-to-us place in Lawrenceville to have pizza. Best pizza we've ever eaten in the state of Georgia! For all you locals reading this, the restaurant is called Romeo's. Fantastic! Everything in this New York-style pizza place is handmade in-store, except for the cannolis, which they special-order from a bakery in New York City. Mama mia! They have-a some good food!}

                                      Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


     [Don't be a procratinataur... embrace an adventure today! It's life's whipped cream.]

90 comments:

  1. Wow! That sounds like a great place! I really do love museums and discovery centers. That pre-historic fish is amazing and I'm so glad it no longer dwells in the oceans! Can you imagine that thing coming at you??? Great post! Thanks for sharing your adventure! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a terrific place. Yeah, I'm kinda glad that prehistoric fish is history, too. I might not be so enamored of the ocean if creatures like that were lurking in it

      Delete
  2. Great pictures, Suesan. I am a museum junkie,but I never seem to go to ones close, but love the ones I visit when I am out of town. Go figure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think most people have a tendency to overlook the attractions in their own home towns. Like here. Stone Mountain Park is a terrific place not to far from us, and it has lots of attractions and activities, overlooked by the famous carving in the mountain of Jackson, Lee, and Davis. Alas, most locals take it for... granite.

      Delete
  3. Great post today. I love rocks and minerals.
    Growing up in Arizona (a million years ago) every kid studied rocks and minerals. Everyone had a rock collection and many had a tumbler in their garage. I am thinking of getting one myself. Moving back to Tucson the memories are very strong.

    cheers, parsnip


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. My hubby has been having a grand time with his tumblers. So much so, all the rocks we've already collected are well-polished and on display. Now he's itching to get some more. (Can't let those tumblers sit idle!)

      I vote you should get yourself a tumbler or two. From what I've read, Arizona has some amazing rocks! Enjoy!

      Delete
  4. What a fun museum! I have only seen one live dinosaur (Trainrides..."My Encounter With Tyrannosaurus", 2/15/11). He was not in evidence at Tellus, but I am most impressed with the wonderful and kid-friendly museum. Well-chosen and instructive pictures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it was definitely a fun museum, but you know how we old poops are. Gotta squeeze all the fun we can out of every situation. I missed your post about the Tyrannosaurus, so I'll just have to go back and check it out!

      Delete
  5. I love that last quote Susan... the one about if good things come to those who wait, why is it bad to procrastinate...

    It sounds like you had an awesome trip to the museum.. we have a couple in Halifax, they are great places to get lost in and learn a little something along the way :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heck yeah! We procrastinators of the world should unite... maybe tomorrow? Or sometime next week...? Or...

      Delete
  6. I love museums, too, and I probably love pizza even more than I love museums. Ideally, I'd like to be eating pizza while meandering through a museum.

    Ironically, I had pizza for dinner last night - - but museums are not an easy find here in the wilderness of TX.

    Just for the record, my mouth is as big as that big-mouthed fossil when I'm eating pizza.

    Having nothing to say has never stopped me from leaving a comment on a blog.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By golly, I think you may be onto something! What could enhance the whole museum experience better than a big ol' slice of pizza? Sounds good to me!

      Geez, I hope you have SOME museums there. Even a not-so-good one should have air conditioning...

      Oh, cowboy, don't kid yourself. You ALWAYS have something worthwhile to say.

      Delete
  7. Got to love T Rex, massive jaws for tearing flesh and strong legs for running but tiny little arms that were worthless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, poor things. No wonder they died out. With those little bitty arms, it must have been difficult to procreate. I mean, how could they hug and cuddle?

      Delete
  8. Procrastinataur? ::shaking my head:: Yer funny. heehee

    And I thought the exact same thing before I read what you wrote about the Spy vs Spy doggie. Perfect.

    I, too, love museums and we were very fortunate to grow up and live either in or very close to Washington DC where all the Smithsonians are free. Still, the post inspires me to take Wallene into town and visit the Civil War and Train museum. [Yes, our new little burg does it right - a liquor store and Confederate history. What more could a girl ask for? A girl that doesn't drink. ha!] So, we thank you for that. :)

    And since I am here, let me just say, teaching my family how to play cowboy rummy was just a cruel move on your part. Cruel Swiderski, just cruel. But? Thank you. We're having a heck of a good time with it. And we found the more people we have playing the more fun it is [read: HARDER] Can't wait to kidnap Squirrel and bring her home and subject her to the hilarity too. You're the best.

    Hope you have a great day. Oh, did I tell you I am reading your book for the third time? It's official. It's my new favorite book. Thank you for that too.

    xo Lil' sis 12:34

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Smithsonian museums are my absolute favorite, because no matter how many times you go, you always see something new, and you can NEVER see it all. I hope you guys DO go to that local museum. You might be surprised. If it's good, you'll enjoy it and learn something: if it stinks, you'll find something to laugh about. See? Win-win.

      Talking about WIN, I hope Wallene has started sharing some of the cowboy rummy wins with you. And I'm really glad y'all are enjoying the game.

      Wow. Thank you. You have just officially made my day. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my book that much. Really. (sniff) 12:34

      Delete
    2. I posted a mini review on my FB page and looks like you may have a few more orders coming your way. 'Cause you know, I am, like, influential and stuffz like that. ::wink:: [I posted it today. Are we friends on FB? If we aren't you know how to find me, but I think we are. Go read it. I swoon.]

      xo

      Delete
    3. You are SOOOOO sweet! Thank you. No, I don't think we ARE FB friends, but I'll fix that "rat now." I'll go read what ya wrote, Thank you!

      Delete
  9. I had a friend who was a lapidary nut and ground cabochons and such offer to make me a ring set with a coprolite. I thanked him. I don't have the ring. (That particular coprolite was not pretty...)

    Diana at About Myself By Myself

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At least he thought enough of you to give it to ya. Dunno why, but it reminds me of a fella from college. He gave me an orchid that he'd raised in a hothouse. Pretty enough, I suppose, but I've never been a big fan of orchids. Especially when they're sitting in my dorm room filling the air with enough sweetness to gag a maggot. (ahem) But I digress.

      Delete
  10. If I ever make it to Lawrenceville I'll have to give Romeos a try.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love these pics. I love museums but haven't been in forever and ever! The dunkleosteus looks like it would have been a cool fish to see :) but a hard one to reel in lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well then, it sounds like it's about time for you to go to a museum real soon. Does your college have one? Some of my favorite museums are on college campuses. Not always huge, but always interesting. Emory especially has a terrific one.

      Yeah, I wouldn't want to catch that fish. My fishing rod only has 40-pound test line on it...

      Delete
  12. That's a wonderful diversity of things to look at!
    I've never found museums interesting, the ones I've been to in the far distant past are mostly walk around-don't touch-no photos-nothing to see-boredom. So I stopped going.
    That fossil you don't know looks like a dinosaur sized mosquito.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The diversity in that museum is one of the things I liked about it. A little something for everybody, and not so much of any one thing to overwhelm anyone.

      Another museum in our area is part of the school system, and there are signs all over the place encouraging people to touch. Pretty neat, huh?

      Hmmm, you could be right. I believe I may have seen mosquitoes of that particular stature the last time we visited Tennessee...

      Delete
  13. I love a museum where kids can touch and learn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heck, I like to touch the stuff, too! The museum I mentioned in the reply to River is ideal for children. There are some displays off-limits for curious little (and not-so-little) fingers, but there are plenty of things to provide hands-on experience and exploration. We took our kids there a bazillion times when they were growing up.

      Delete
  14. I too love museums. I get to our Nature and Science museum about once a year. That's where the gems and dinosaurs are. I've never seen a fossil like that dog-looking creature with the long beak before, though. That is just wild! And I totally would have posed with you with my mouth open in front of the giant jaws of death. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All right! I LOVE that you would have posed with me!

      Delete
  15. Oh boy, I remember spy vs spy (and mad libs and my favorite, Mad's smart answers to stupid questions)! I wish we had a cool museum like that around here - all we have are art museums, which is great but...some variety might be nice. Glad you and smarticus had fun :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved "Mad" when I was a kid, and can still remember some of the ridiculous song parodies and poems they had in there. And the January 1961 issue stands out in my head because of its cover. Giant numbers 1961... which looked the same upside down and right side up.

      I love art museums, too, but wouldn't enjoy ALL art museums ALL the time. Maybe if you do a google search, you'll find some little museums in your area that don't get any publicity. Maybe. (It could happen!)

      Delete
  16. Some nice shots
    Hope you didn't expose yourself lots lol
    As far as museums go
    Seen one seen em all at my show

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh dear, how'd you get that way?
      About museums, so blase?
      There's oh so many things to see
      And each one's different... and fun... to me.

      Delete
  17. We love museums here too. I've never been in a bad one, and I've been in some really, really nice ones!! Looks like yours was fab.

    Glad you found a new interest. :) Happy anniversary trips rock! Pun intended. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never been in a bad one, either. Some aren't as fabulous as others, but they're all fun.

      HA! Yeah, anniversary trips DO rock. (Especially THIS one!)

      Delete
  18. That looks like a great museum!! Glad you all had fun :) The pterodactyl skeletons remind me of something off of The Nightmare Before Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was definitely a FUN museum! Yeah, the pterodactyl do look like they'd fit right in on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Must be that long lean profile they have... reeeeeeally lean.

      Delete
  19. That museum truly has a little bit of everything. It is a bit of a mix of a museum and science center. I love science centers because they are interactive. It sounds like this museum has some of those elements. Fascinating that it has so many different things. Cars, gems, fossils. That is diverse. There is something there for everyone!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! That's why I enjoyed it so much, and I'm pretty sure our grandkids will like it, too.

      Delete
  20. I would've been like that little boy standing in front of those rocks :)

    Y'all had a great time!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love museums, Susan, and rocks too! We visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller Alberta (big dinosaur area).

    Checking out those kinds of things keep you interesting, and keep that brain active.

    http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lord knows, at my age, I've gotta keep poking at my brain to keep it from growing mold. Thanks for the link... I'll check out your museum. (I've never been to one in Canada before!)

      Delete
    2. I checked out that site. Wow! That looks like one fantastic museum! Have you gone to their fossil dig... and even better yet, have you found anything?

      Delete
  22. I love a good museum, especially the Smithsonians and every art museum I've ever visited. It's so nice of you to let Sherry know that Bubba will enjoy this one.

    Love,
    Janie, who can be kind of an old poop

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, me, too. Museums do all that hard work bringing so many neat things into one place; the least we can do is go look at it, right? Thanks. I really do think Bubba would love it. (He seems like SUCH a neat kid!)

      Delete
  23. I know that I am shallow because after reading this post, all I wanted to do was to go to Lawrenceville for pizza.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, no, no, no! It's REALLY good pizza, so it's perfectly understandable that you'd be somewhat distracted by its ooey gooey cheesy goodness.

      Delete
  24. Fossilized dinosaur poop? Of course it must be touched. Just to say you did.

    ReplyDelete
  25. You are absolutely right! Bubba would love that museum. And so would I! We'll definitely have to check it out. Thanks for the post about it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Super! It's located in a town called Cartersville. I hope you guys are settling somewhere close enough to make a visit there plausible.

      Delete
  26. We have relatives in Georgia, so we're there semi-regularly. Now we have two new places to visit! The pizza place sounds especially good ... mmm ... pizza.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yeah, that pizza is GOOOOOD. A slight yeasty taste to the dough, perfect sauce, fresh toppings, and lots of ooey gooey cheese. Darn, the more I talk about it...

      I definitely see pizza in my near future...

      Delete
  27. I want to go just to see the dinosaur poop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HA! My kinda gal.

      Thanks for stopping by and for signing on as a new follower. I do appreciate it. Welcome aboard!

      Delete
  28. You are never too old or too cool to touch dinosaur poop. As long as you wash your hands before eating yummy pizza. Both adventures sound right up my alley. My hubby and I are going to the Dallas Perot museum on Thurs. I was there in the spring. He's never been. We plan on all day fun with a lunch break at El Fenix - tasty Tex-Mex.

    as always - good post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's right! I never had the, um, "golden opportunity" to touch dinosaur poop as a kid, so why should I deprive myself now, right? Right! Your adventure on Thursday sounds like it'll be an eye-opening, waist-expanding one, too. Have fun!

      Delete
  29. Adventures and museums are a little bit like eating potato chips...one leads to another.

    I already had dinner, but dangit, now I want pizza.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely. Adventure is addictive, especially if one has a nice broad definition for adventure. (Attitude is everything, right?)

      HA! I'm ready for some pizza, too. Maybe we'll have to hit Romeo's again this weekend.

      Delete
  30. Old poops for sure. Expect the next report to come from a honky tonk. But, does look like a cool museum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, and proud of it! Matter of fact, I HAVE been reading up on a honky tonk in Texas...

      Delete
  31. I love museums, too. And I've always been fascinated by rocks of all sorts.

    But, Susan..."He has no body"? {{{GROAN}}} (Good one!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good job picking up on that one... sorry, I couldn't resist.

      Delete
  32. Looks and sounds like a great time! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it was. (We don't have a gorgeous beach to walk on like some people do, so we have to amuse ourselves with dinosaur poop...)

      Delete
  33. LOL! That dinosaur totally looks like it should be from Spy VS Spy!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Fascinating stuff. I love fossils and rocks (being a rockin' ol' fossil myself).

    I don't know how that Spy vs Spy doggie-dino held that gigantic head up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love 'em, too. (Why do ya think I liked the "old poop" so much?)

      The only way that doggie-dino (great name!) could've held up that head is if he spent a lot of time at the gym working out, and had one of those thick football player necks.

      Delete
  35. There's ALWAYS a gem and mineral show somewhere in Arizona. Love the dinosaur pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We hear lots of good things about all the great places to dig rocks in AZ, so I'm not surprised you have lots of shows there. Maybe some day...

      Delete
  36. I love putzing around museums and it looks like you found a good one. My kids and husband lose all patience with my slow pace, but I get lost in the history. My latest museum was the Gettysburg battlefield museum and battleground. But we biked around the battlefield. Too cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, if you're at a museum, you've gotta savor the experience, right? When our kids were growing up, my cue that it was time to step up the pace in a museum came when their eyes (and my husband's) started to glaze over.

      We're originally from MD, so we've been to Gettysburg many times. Love it! This year would be the time to visit, though, with all the activities going on for the 150th anniversary.

      Delete
  37. Fun post. I enjoyed the pictures and I love the Spy vs. Spy reference. That's exactly what it looked like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I'm glad ya liked it, and glad you could see the Spy vs. Spy doggie resemblance. Uncanny, right? I always wondered what happened to those critters... and now we know.

      Delete
  38. Interesting exhibition, Susan. The pictures you took are intriguing.
    I also love visiting different kinds of museums.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was very interesting, Julia. Glad ya liked the pics.

      Delete
  39. LOVE the "Spy vs. Spy" dog. You nailed it! I used to love pouring over Mad magazine. I always thought I was getting away with something when I read it, hunkered down under the covers at my family's lake cottage.
    My favorite thing about it was those little drawings in the margins...
    Thanks for the museum tour, and for all the support as of late.
    ~Just Jill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I meant "poring". I think.

      Delete
    2. Um, depends. The sweat coulda been pouring off you, or you coulda had a glass and bottle of soda under those covers with the magazine...

      Yeah, I liked Mad, too. And Cracked. (Remember that one?) I loved the sarcasm in them, and emulated it. (I must have been an annoying kid.)

      My pleasure, m'dear.

      Delete
  40. Susan,

    Think I shall not burden you with one of my long, rambling comments, this time.

    So briefly, such an in-depth posting that certainly wasn't an old pile of poop. I know you are a sucker for museums. Have you been to the "Lollipop Museum" in Suckerville, Maine? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HA! No, I haven't, but it certainly sounds like a sweet place to spend some time.

      Delete
  41. 'Of COURSE I touched it.'

    :) Sus, I'm trying to picture the look on your face just before you did.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Sounds like a wonderful museum! Great photos, and I'm glad you had a firsthand experience as a "pooper scooper!"

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, it was! I have considerable firsthand experience as a pooper scooper, but this was my first official encounter with dinosaur poo. (Who knows how many times we might have stumbled over it in the wild, right?)

      Delete
  43. Hi Susan .. what fun - while from the Pizza stop interlude - sounds like you will be back.

    The Tellus museum looks a great attraction for all ages - love that little lad! Then you with your mouth open!

    Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was great fun, and yes, you're right. It just so happens we went back to that pizza place this past Saturday. (And I bet we'll keep right on going there!)

      Delete