Last Field Work of 2013

We went out to collect a last few samples before winter truly set in - though we may have been a few days late for that. The result was successful rock gathering and some pretty spectacular scenes.

 

 We even got some time to look for dinosaur tracks while we were out there...

I took my Geomorphology class to the Grand Tetons, and then the National Parks all got closed by the government.

Though the weather was rather cold, we got some great streaks of luck to carry us through a most successful field trip.

Awesome luckiness #1: minutes after getting to camp a big bull moose walked through and managed to not poop on anyone's stuff.

 

Awesome luckiness #2: ran into the son of the late great David Love, who wrote the geology of the Grand Tetons. He gave the class an overview of the geology. It was fabulous!

  

students drawing sketches and taking notes

 

 Gros Ventre landslide

 Spectacular view from Lizard Creek camp at the north end of the park

 Spectacular view from Gros Ventre camp

Spectacular view from the driver's seat right before heading home

I went to Paris for a geomorphology conference and all I looked at was this giant mirrored structure...

So I got to present at the 8th annual IAG (International Association of Geomorphologists) conference in Paris, which was a pretty awesome conference in terms of learning cool geomorphology stuff - but, as a tourist, I pretty much sucked. You would barely even know that I was IN Paris. Oh well, the "Geode" was super cool looking and it was right at the Cite des Sciences, which is where the conference was.

La Geode: view from Cite des Sciences

La Geode: late afternoon

  

La Geode: sunrise, as seen from the apartment

 

La Geode: sunset, as seen from the apartment

  

La Geode: fooling around with mirrors like a funhouse

The above is only a very small fraction of the photos I took of the Geode. I think I have 200 photos from Paris and 190 of them are Geode-related. Anyway, below is the majority of the other 10 photos.

  

Hilarious diorama in the window of an apartment I walked by daily on my way to the Cite des Sciences

 

Ultra creepy window... "decoration"? of a hair salon... with dude playing piano inside (as inexplicable as the dolls...)

 

Oh look! It's the Seine!

Sweet lion sculpture and some sort of famous structure in the background

I spent almost my entire time in the Louvre within the confines of the basement Egypt exhibit. Because it was AMAZING. Look at the freaking detail in those hieroglyphics!!! Look at the face! The feathers! I was completely blown away.

And then I saw the mummies. The Egyptians mummified EVERYTHING. Scarab beetles. Ibises. Cats, dogs, crocodiles, small rodents. They even had sarcophagi. I think I looked at mummies for an hour, and then an announcement went over the PA system that they were closing in 15 minutes so I dashed off to find the Mona Lisa...

...but I got distracted by Roman mosaics, which were spectacular as well.

I did take a moment to look up at the Eiffel Tower as well. It's definitely a neat structure, it's no Geode... but it's pretty neat.

You can help my derby team get to Oregon!

JCRD Trainwrecks are bouting in Oregon September 7th and 8th and we need your help to get there!
Anything helps, and right now we are just over 10% to our goal. With your help you can bring us a little closer to our WFTDA bouts in the Beaver state! Puh-leeeze help us - we really don't want to have to forfeit :/

I made a thing

It's about time! When was the last time I sewed anything? I miss it. I'm glad I sat down and did the making today - this thing is pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

 

What is this thing that I made?

 Let's unzip it and see...

Keep on opening it...

 Tada! It's a grocery tote (a bacon grocery tote) - YAY!

 I made it following this handy tutorial here. Very pleased with the results. The canvas is a bit tricky to stuff in there, but it'll be sturdy I'm sure. I think the next one should be a combo of canvas on the bottom and handles, and maybe a lighter cotton for the sides.

Wedding at Croctuta

From one wedding straight to another... drove up to some of my most favouritest mountains and celebrated a cabin-mountain-meadow wedding in the hot California sun.

Casual, rustic, short & sweet.

Since we were in the neighbourhood, had to make a trek to Lassen Volcanic National Park and hike up Mt. Lassen.

It was bright and sunny, but the air was cool, which made for perfect hiking weather and also perfect "sunburn the crap out of yourself" weather.

This fatty chipmunk went directly from the peanut he was shoving in his mouth to the green m&m he wished he'd noticed first but was glad he discovered before any other critters got to it.

After hiking Lassen we went to check out the (extremely disappointing) cold boiling lake. Not much of the lake was "boiling"... most of it was "filled with plants".

But... 2.5 miles later, the trail did take us up into Bumpass Hell via the little-traveled back route, which made it completely worthwhile.

I went to Ottawa, watched kitties get their teeth brushed, and then I went to an awesome gay wedding in a barn in Port Hope

It's all true. In that order. Here's some photos to show off the short but fun trip!

 R soothes 18 in preparation for the procedure

mmmm... chicken flavour toothpaste!

the product

BEG brings 12 in for treatment

vampira!

center: me and the two happy grooms. clockwise from top left: km's happy mama, beet hummus, old friends from Kingston days, first dance, R being the grumpy cat (unknowingly - he'd never heard of grumpy cat before), R being his more normal self, blue grass band, really weird wine ingredients, BEG wearing the fun hat

Two derbies

Our team has a connection with the demolition derby show in Ogden, so some of us went down to exchange volunteer time (timing between car hits) for roller derby promotion. Timing cars was actually kinda fun... must remember ear plugs next time!!!

 

Check out the car that came down from British Columbia! I don't understand the penguin... but whatever...

 

Pretty setting for an ugly event.

  

This guy from Idaho liked our logo so much he painted it on his truck.

 This guy was quite the dancer across the way in the audience... I think his "vest" is made out of balloons???

And then, this weekend my old roller derby team made the drive from Bakersfield to come play my new roller derby team. It was a blast, and a lovely reunion and a good bout and we won!

The semester ended, and I went into the field

Field work this spring involved borrowing some rafts and getting a couple of special permits to collect samples in Desolation-Gray Canyons... while rafting down said canyons...

It started out pretty ominous and with a few snafus, but by day 2 everything had worked itself out, including the weather! Many samples were collected during the week on the river, it was spectacularly beautiful, hot, loads of dead animals floating down the river, too much food, and overall a grand success.

 

 stormy beginnings

 

 open skies

 

 just the right amount of white water

 

 desert blooms

 gorgeous camps

mountain lion tracks

parking boats at awkward landings to reach awkward outcrops to do field work - hooray for lots of field assistants!

can't complain about that.