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Blog Day 12- Talulah May

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  Today was the last day of our A-Term trip and while it was certainly sad, we will forever cherish the memories and connections we made. There were many ups and downs through the trip, for one the girls finally finding a porta potty then finding out it was infested by wasps, but overall everyone agreed it was a pleasant experience. We started the morning off strong with some April fools day antics from Dr. Salem. As we walked in the room we encountered, arguably the worst thing a student can encounter, a pop quiz. The room shared a big sigh as we scavenged for spare pens and pencils, and mentally prepared for the ten question test we were told was in front of us. Luckily as we turned the page over we pleasantly faced a blank paper with a big smiley face, and a question asking “ what do you do if you’re dealt a 10 and 2 offsuit and someone else bets big?”. We all shared a laugh, and Dr. Salem’s big smile stretched across his face showing his excitement at the, admittedly genius, prank
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day 11- alice

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 we started the day off with a late start. we got a quick introduction on what we were going to be doing today. This included cleaning the vehicles we traveled in, doing an analysis/reflection, and watching a movie about the Cambrian and Permian eras. We learned a lot about ourselves and others while doing the reflection. As a class, we discussed what went well and what we could improve on in the upcoming years. The end-of-the-day movie was a nice way to wrap up the course and was a quick recap of the creatures we found out in the field.  Niko cleaning out the "Blue Jasmine" andy vacuuming the floor of the car more vacuuming  the girlies taking a quick break reflecting on our week our class reflection
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Day 9 - Andy Walsh

 Students got up bright and early this morning to pack their bags and clean up their houses in preparation to hit the road. The group met for a final breakfast at the Ranger Creek Ranch before loading up the van and heading back to Houston. We started the drive by filling up with gas one last time in Seymour then we were "east bound and down" towards Fort Worth. As the drive continued, Dr. Salem decided on barbecue for lunch. This led us to stop at "Texas's Best" barbecue joint outside of Fort Worth. After we ate, the group decided that despite not being the best in Texas, it was still a solid lunch for the day. We then continued south towards Houston. After an uneventful 250 miles, we pulled into the school parking lot and began to unload the bags. It was a successful travel day for the group and we are all happy to be home after a long and exciting week in the field. 
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Day 8 - Ariana

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Because we couldn't get morning coffee the day before the girls were determined to start today with a cup of caffeine. In the small town of Seymour, there is only one cafe that serves lattes, B' Nutritious & Sweet, first step into the cafe and the entire atmosphere was totally transformed. Somehow the suede furniture and hanging lamps didn't emit retro vibes. Once the task of retrieving coffee was completed we assembled at the whiteside museum and made our way to the dig site.  As this was our sixth day digging we were all well acquainted with the daily routine, or rather the routine of the sun moving across the sky. The combination of crusty dusty dry air and the scorching hair frying afternoon sun in the rural city of Seymour could inflict a catastrophe for city folks. And thus our first line of action was to set up a tarp for the groups that’ll get burned in the afternoon. Though this shouldn't have taken up a good chunk of the morning, it took 7 people and 7 tim
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Day 5- India

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 Our day started with a delicious breakfast provided by the lovely ranch workers. Shortly after, we headed to the Whiteside museum to begin our day. To start we went to our dig site and began excavating. Shortly after arrival I, India, found the ulnar of India the dimetrodon, and a few fin spines to match her massive physique.  Aside from that, the boys continued to work on their plaster project. In the afternoon Claire found an impressive dimetrodon skeleton. Alice also discovered a tiny ouranosaurus, so far only a few minuscule parts have been found, but nonetheless, even just the discovery of the minute creature is impressive.  To end our day we were accompanied by Chris, Holly, and a few other workers on the site, to a local steak house. The dinner was fantastic and a great way to end an amazing day. 
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Day 6 - Blake

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     On day 6 of the trip, we woke up at 7:45 and started the day with a breakfast of biscuits, sausage, cereal, and cinnamon rolls prepared for us by the chef at the ranch. During the day we continued to work in the field digging for fossils. Members of the group found fossils of dimetrodon skull, fin bone, shoulder, and numerous other fossils from dimetrodon and other creatures from the Permian period. Connor, Niko, and I worked on a bone bed where we had found a dimetrodon skull and a scapula. After digging for the whole day we found a few vertebrae and other small fossils.      In the evening we went to an annual crawfish boil hosted by the ranger creek ranch. The crawfish boil had all types of games and activities. A local band performed live music for the first half of the crawfish boil. For dinner, they served boiled Crawfish, sausage, shrimp, and corn. After eating the food we went on a hayride that took us around the property and showed us the amazing view of the hills and the
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Day 7 - Claire

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  Day 7  Post Oak On the Rocks The day started at the houses where we all had breakfast and then left for The Whiteside Museum. We then drove to see some sandstone and learned about the geological history of the area. We got tiny hand lenses and looked at some of the rocks we found on the ground. Chris’ father Jim taught us how to classify rocks and how to identify the different grains in the rock and if they were smooth or not. Then we walked to go look at some coprolite, fossilized poop.  Then we got back to work on our fossils.  After lunch we went back to the Whiteside Museum and got to look for shark teeth in sandstone, by wetting it and sifting through it in water. India glued the pieces of her tibia and fibula from her skeleton together.  After that we retired to our houses and went to the lodge for dinner.
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