I know you all would rather see pictures of Samuel, but pardon me for indulging my enthusiasm. It's definitely NOT great to be back, but then one can't spend every day in paradise as one would be tempted to do nothing.
The array of things collected including unidentified process of a femur or humerus, fish processes, shark teeth, alligator scutes and other more inscrutable objects.
One of the larger Shark's teeth I've had a chance to find, and probably one of the largest that is readily preserved in even the mild surf zone of the Gulf. (Great for kids--rays in the morning with minnows and little blue fish, the occasional crab, and for the adults, glorious sunsets and thunderstorms (about which more later).
Just the shark teeth with a quick attempt at orienting them all in the same way. Not knowledgeable enough to do true anterior/posterior and certainly don't know enough to tell you (yet) where in the mouth. But this array probably represents something like 20 species of shark, from Miocene to Plio-Pleistocene in age.
Hope that whets your appetite--or not, as the case may be. More about Venice tomorrow.
Did the teeth come from Casperson Beach? If so, the wife and sons were combing the same beach along with you. My parents live in Venice and Casperson is a longtime favorite with the family.
Dear Mr. Bell,
No, they're from Golden Beach which is a couple (perhaps as many as five) miles up the beach, just a little South of the main drag in Venice. Wasn't on Casperson this weekend figuring that as a public beach it was likely to be unapproachable.
shalom,
Steven
>It's definitely NOT great to be back, but then . . .
If Hell can be imagined as being a place of ice and snow, I remember a young fellow who was all to happy to be leaving it (Ohio) -- for Florida.....
Seriously though, you mention the sharks' teeth as being "from Miocene to Plio-Pleistocene" -- gulp -- y'mean these teeth have survived THAT long, and even get washed up on shore? Not having had much contact with the ocean, I'm awestruck. Thanks for sharing that little glimpse of God's creation!