Windom Shale formation behind the Drugstore

The hill is mostly made of Windom Shale from the Middle Devonian and contains: Nautoloids, Brachiopods, Crinoids and a Trilobite or two.

My gear for this trip included the Nikon D90, the Nikkor 50mm Prime lens, a canvas backpack, a hammer, many ziplock bags and padding for the shale.  The shale is very fragile and can get sharp, so a little caution is advisable.

Being a geeky kinda guy I ended up spending a little over 3 hours digging, splitting and sorting.  For all of my effort, no good Trilobites “:(  I did end up with a nice collection of almost everything else tho

An assortment of old dead, well preserved things

Another assortment of old dead, well preserved things

Gonna get this little guy ID'ed soon

For more, you can check my Flickr Photostream.

So there you have it!  A quick and cheap trip, with something to do when you get there!

Be vewwy, vewwy quiet! We’re Hunting Fossils! is a post from: PhotoEscapist

CNY Blooms Entry Display

This was my first visit to CNY Blooms at the Oncenter in Downtown Syracuse, NY.  From the description on the webpage and the flier in the newspaper I was expecting a lot more.  I thought I’d find flowers, plants and landscaping vendors from wall to wall.  Walking through the doors I was greeted by a great display put together by the CNY Nursery & Landscape Association.

CNY Nursery & Landscape Assc. Display

CNY Nursery & Landscape Assc. Display

Sadly the rest of the Oncenter looked more like this:

*Sigh*

I thought there would be more companies along the lines of the Holland Bulb Farm, Michigan Bulb and Spring Hill Nursery.

I wandered around for an hour an took a few pictures.  There were a couple of eye catching displays but nothing quite as good as the CNY Nursery & Landscape Assc. Display.  I did run across another local Photog, normaJean,  who had some very nice canvas wrapped prints on display.

Overall the show for me was a bust.  Being that it was my first time there, I’ll assume it was the poor economy which made the event so lackluster.

If you do go parking was free at the Oncenter lot (mention you are there for the CNYBlooms Show) and tickets to enter were $10.

I have this odd urge to go out and find a VW Minibus now….

CNY Blooms at the Oncenter is a post from: PhotoEscapist

It’s been a while since my last post.  In the middle of November I went back to work and haven’t had the time to do much traveling or photography.  I recently solved that problem by quitting my job, after nine weeks, so I could go back to college and finish my Computer Science degree.  It’s been seventeen years since I last attended formal classes, and things have changed a little.  Two of the biggest I’ve changes so far:  Class information is posted on the web and the average age of students looks to be 14 (there was no way I was that young when I went to college!).

I have a very light class load, seeing as my re-matriculation paperwork didn’t get submitted , eight credits in total.  To add to the fun, my degree program does not exist in it’s original form.  It’s divided and mutated in to two distinct new programs.  I have to work with the Department Head to see what credits are going to be good and what kind of credits I can get for work experience credit.

It’s good to be back in school, tho I’m using parts of my brain that have been idle for a very long time.  On the plus side I can positivity identify the math part of my brain is about two inches behind my right eye!

Things here are going to be pretty rocky.  Without being matriculated, I can’t get any student loans which means my savings may just make it till the new semester.  It’s going to be really close

I will have more time to get out and around again.  I’m planning on attending some local events, taking pictures and posting here.  I’m also working on another web site which I hope to unveil sometime in late spring or early summer.

I did attend a Aikido Seminar, whose benefits were donated to the relief efforts in Haiti, and should have a Post and the pictures from it up soon!

Long Time no Post! is a post from: PhotoEscapist