I found the fossil of a seashell, a type of angelwing, on my walk this morning - a whole two-inch angelwing nestled in the caliche in the middle of the road, just waiting for me, reminding me that I'm at an (extinct) seashore. Back home, I placed it into the wire basket holding other fossils we've found over the years...other angelwings and coquinas, spiraled naticas and moon snails, lots of cockles and clams. I've picked up three in the past month alone.
Soon after we moved to Lago Vista, I was exploring the mostly-dry creek bed that divided the hollow behind our renthouse with my kids when I found my first seashell fossil. It was just lying there next to the creek - a huge, whole, spiraled natica. It could have been the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the way my kids and I reacted. The neighbor kids with us, who had grown up exploring that creekbed, weren't sure why we were so excited.
That's one of the good things about growing up in the geometric-plotted, green grass and concrete 'burbs: we don't take these things for granted. We still find it wonderful and amazing that there are fossils lying around right here where we live, not just enshrined in a museum or a national park thousands of miles away, or just pictures in a science book.
I guess I should mention I've always liked rocks.
