The Unholy Fusion

Who knew that if you mixed three or four Tyrannosaurus skulls together you would get a multi- colored monstrosity. In this case, we only have a few pieces of one Tyrannosaurus skull and we want to make a complete skull to be mounted onto our Tyrannosaurus specimen. We then had to go into the collection and find other skull elements of a similar size to complete the skull for our specimen and make it scientifically accurate. Each color represents a different individual or specimen. You also can get a pretty good idea of how many different bones make up a Tyrannosaurus skull by the many different colors. Check back later to see the finished specimen that this skull will be attached to. Our very own Frankenstein monster in the works!!


Side view and view from inside mouth. Skull elements from at least three different Tyrannosaur individuals were used to create this composite skull with some epoxy (blue) to hold them together and sculpt missing pieces. We still need to attach the snout.

Dinosaur Spaghetti

The dinosaur I am currently working on (Corythosaurus) has a mass of spaghetti-like strands running along the tops of the back, hips, and tail vertebrae. They are known as ossified or bony tendons that form within the animal during life to buttress the skeleton very much like the cables on a bridge. One reason for them in this case is to help hold the tail up off the ground. I must say they are a real bugger to prepare though. There are tendons on top of tendons crisscrossing back and forth. I have finished preparing the tendons on one side of the back vertebrae and am now preparing the tendons on the other side.








Finished Tendons

Other side-Tendons still need a lot of preparation because rock (tan color) needs to be removed from between the tendons.

Nighttime is the Right time

Typical Shaw Sleeping Formation

(pre-Jora)

This last sunday Jacob's teacher came and found me after church to verify that Jacob's answer to the question " What have you learned from your parents?" was true. She then informed me that he had raised his hand and said "To pick my nose." I assured her that that was most certainly something he had learned from Allen. In case anyone hasn't heard, my end is swearing like a sailor and screaming tantrums. Any bodily function talent is certainly on the Shaw side. (Later on the way home Jacob said he had also noted that we taught him to pray so you know we are only doing half bad)
Last night, just for kicks and giggles, Jacob came into our room at 1AM and told me he couldn't sleep!?! I must have told him to go back to bed because he came back in at 2AM to tell me the baby was crying and bring her to me. I think I told him to go back to bed again.

Also, on Sunday, Jora Jo decided that she was too tired to take a nap. Allen was successfully wrangling Julia's naptime and I had finally resorted to swaddling JoJo (not PADDLEING, infinitely more satisfying, less effective) and was sitting on Julia's bed with Jo laying on the pillow in front of me. She was struggling to keep her eyes open and Daddy came in and kneeled down by the edge of the bed. He stroked her head and eyebrows and kissed each eyelid, she opened her blue and eyes and turned her head toward him and grunted until he did it again. After the third round of kissed eyes she could no longer hold out and slumbered on peacefully.

Julia has been waking up nights with bad dreams. She comes running in and climbs over top of me to get to primo middle of the bed real estate. (Lately occupied by Jo and her swollen gums) She then flops down, pulling at the blankets and cuddles as close to mom or dad as is humanly possible. It never ceases to amaze me that Allen can sleep on 9 inches of mattress, back to back with Julia while she utilizes 3/4 of his pillow. Allen says he wouldn't really call it sleep. At some time in the night one of us is displaced enough to haul her back to her bed and rub her left foot until she settles back into a good deep sleep.

I know that I will sleep again someday. Though I truly never plan on a solid 8 hours again as long as I live. 20 years from now with Jacob married and Julia and JoJo sharing an apartment at the university I'm sure I will still be waking up and blearily feeling around for that little foot to rub.

Julia's two feet at 8 months

Ohiopyle

Strange Name~ Amazing Scenery~Worlds of Family Fun

Well, even with the craziness that accompanies camping with a 7 month old, a 2 year old and a 7 year old, Ohiopyle is amazing. We spent two nights and three days and want to go back before snow flies. Our only mishap was on the last day when Holly tried to knock herself out on the rock slides. We did some great hikes, played in rivers and waterfalls, ate tin foil dinners and smores and went to bed with the kids at 9PM.

Julia at the Slides

We are hopefully going back the end of this month or in September. We'd like to take some friends with us! Here are some moments.

Shaws in Ohiopyle River

Julie and Jake at the Slides

Holly and Jake at Cucumber Falls

Jora Aftermath

Julia Aftermath

Jacob Aftermath