A bad day fossiling...

     To co-opt the sentiment on a popular bumper sticker, a bad day fossiling is better than a good day at work.  Word!

     After I cleaned out my amazing fossil honey hole it was back to the newbie world of poking around in the river and looking forlorn while the old guy's announced their treasures, one find at a time.  I no longer received any sympathy, however, as they were all aware of my good fortune and never hesitated to point out that I was entirely able to find my own fossils now.  

     We gathered in the river one weekend and I moved off to the side to dig around a tree stump.  I felt a sharp disappointment that I wasn't finding anything good.  Mentally, I was bitching and moaning and trying to decide whether or not to move to a different spot, etc.  I made myself a little bit miserable doing something I love.  

  It wasn't until that evening, when I was sorting through the day's fossils, that I realized I had actually had a pretty good day.

     I found an assortment of beautiful shark teeth, 3 full glyptodon scutes, a perfect scute from a giant armadillo, tortoise foot pads, turtle scutes, interesting shell casts, etc. I had to step back and rethink how I was going to approach this hobby.  I have yet to suffer a total shutout but it could happen and if it does, I don't want to view that day as a loss.  Every day I spend on the river is an opportunity to not only find some great fossils but to also be active, be outside, and be witness to a unique activity and a side of Florida that relatively few people ever get to experience.