Of New Year resolutions and Dinosaurs galore

Well, 2013 is upon us, full of exciting possibilities and new stuff to blog about. I never make New Year resolutions, as I have no vices that I can think of. 😆 Some people may decide to go on a strict diet after over indulging during the festive season. I thought I was okay, as my skinny jeans still zipped up, but that was until I stood on the scales at The Natural History Museum. The first one informed me that my weight on Jupiter would be 380 lbs. I comforted myself by saying that I had on my boots, jacket, a few layers of clothing, and was carrying my shoulder bag,  but….Oh my goodness!….. the next one I stood one said 3,300 lbs if I was on the sun. Not to worry about that though, as I would be burnt to a crisp, so shouldn’t weigh anything at all.  Apparently if I were to visit a neutron star, I would weigh 2 TRILLION lbs! Now there’s a scary thought. I decided to stay earthbound., and not go ‘Swingin’ on a star’ after all. 🙂

One of the first exhibits we saw was the 15.5 ton Williamette Meteorite which, billions of years ago, hit earth at 64,000 kph, in Oregon. It was discovered in 1902, and has been on display at the museum for 100 years, and has been touched by an estimated 50 million people, of which I am one. 🙂

Of course, Tyrannosaurous Rex is one of the most impressive exhibits. It’s composed of fossil bones of two T Rex skeletons, discovered in the early 20th century in Montana. I wouldn’t be smiling like this if he was still alive.

The Sauropod, one of the herbivorous dinosaurs, seemed to be attracting the most attention, probably because of its length. It was quite difficult to get it all in the photo. Size does count. 😆

Here is a Lestodon, a ground sloth which became extinct 30,000 years ago. There is evidence that these creatures and early man shared the same caves, although not at the same time. 🙂

This creature with its huge beak, looked as though it could be Donald Duck’s ancestor.

There’s always a first time for everything, and I decided to pat this Allosaurus  Fragillis on the nose. He didn’t look terribly fragile to me, but at least he didn’t bite. 🙂

The children for some reason only known to themselves, seemed really excited to see these prehistoric camel ancestors.

The Megaloceros (Irish Elk), is the largest deer that has ever lived, and used to regrow these massive antlers which could weigh up to 40 kgs, every year.

Did you ever see a turtle quite as friendly as this one? He looked as if he was saying, “Hi, so pleased to meet you.” 🙂

Or a pair of jaws as huge as this Megalodon? I bet they really cleaned up the sea life on a grand scale.

This giant clam shell was of great interest to little Max. The sign meant nothing to him, as at 20 months old, he can’t read yet. The meat from this clam would have made a decent amount of Clam Chowder.

We all had a such a great time, exploring the wonders of the museum. It was my third time there, and I will definitely go again.

We have just passed Washington DC, on our way back to Florida. The roads are busy but  traffic is moving quickly. Tonight we are staying at Emporia, in Virginia, and we should be there about 6-30, in just over two hours. Hope you’re all having a great New Years Day. Now I will endeavour to catch up on my 971 e-mails. 😯