That's it for the season and this time I really mean it!

I love hunting for fossils

but my back is now officially 50 years old

and I depend on the off-season to recover from the rigors of digging gravel every week.

So, OF COURSE, water levels have dropped to the point

where I actually have to get out of my kayak and drag it through shallow areas,

and I know it's a bad sign when I'm tired BEFORE I get to the river.

I even told Mike to stop me next week if I say I'm going fossiling...

...so now I'll have to sneak out!

 I've officially crossed into the realm of the rockhound as well as the fossil fanatic,

aided by Florida's beautiful fossilized coral. 

I quickly learned that the color of these coral fragments is just on the surface but it's striking and exciting to find.  I have tried to research what causes the different color variations and how long it takes but to no avail.  I assume it has to do with minerals in the water or soil.

It's hard to grasp the translucency in a photo

but these little chips are like a window to the inside of the coral structure.

Even in areas with few other fossils

I manage to find a thing or two.

Florida's rivers have lots of fossilized oysters and most are pretty rough but once in awhile I find one with so much character, I take it home with me.

The group shot.

When I found this substantial chunk of mammoth enamel (top), I stared at it for half a minute wondering what kind of coral it was because I haven't found anything like it in this area.

The "bison" tooth might be a modern era cow tooth.  

I need to learn how to do a "burn test" to find out.

The fossil in the middle is an intriguingly shaped piece of bone that I really, really, REALLY wanted to be a sabertooth lion fang.  Sigh...

Fossilized medial phalanx from a horse (left) and a shiny turtle "peace sign" scute (right) underneath single tiger shark and hemi teeth.

I enjoyed finding the larger shark tooth in matrix (bottom) but it will be difficult to ID as the root is hidden in the stone and the tip is gone.  The tooth is serrated like a meg but has a shape similar to a great white.  I'll take it to the next club meeting and see what the consensus is.

Pam and I have been on a roll 

with finding eyewear this season.

Had I known how many eyeglass lens we would find, I would've kept count.

I think around 6 in one area which is SO weird!

And then someone told me about a ditch

where I could find a different color of coral.

Describing this location and the effort it took to get there as "unpleasant" would be an understatement

but I'm a sucker for the hunt.

This is an area just a bit to the north of Tampa and apparently this whole section of Florida is lined with fossilized coral...10-20' below the surface of the soil.  Chunks of coral get turned up during construction or ditch digging, as in this case.

I doubt that water levels would be a factor here but insects and thick vegetation will relegate this site to winter-only visits from now on.