Review: The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy

The year is 2012 and Florida Man has struck again. This time, he is accused of the surprisingly sophisticated crime of smuggling a nearly complete Tyrannosaurus battar skeleton out of Mongolia, and selling it at auction for over $1 million dollars. Here's the headline: Florida man pleads guilty in New York to smuggling dinosaur fossils.

The Florida Man in this case is Erik Prokopi, the main character of Page Williams' engaging story The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy. Williams' text uses Prokopi's case to take a deep dive into the world of paleontology, with an emphasis on amateurs.

A good chunk of Williams' story is spent bringing the reader up to speed on how the field of paleontology developed. This alone makes the book a worthwhile read. Topics like the Central Asiatic Expeditions or the trailblazer Mary Anning were riveting and I can't believe that as an adult I'd never heard of them. I hope to do a deep dive into many of these topics.

I found Williams's exploration of the amateur side of paleontology to be equally fascinating. I buy her argument that dinosaurs make for an easy entry into the world of STEM. My four year old nephew's infatuation for dinos could easily blossom into a love of science.

While listening to the Dinosaur Artist, Shira and I attended a Foster Parent training seminar on teens and screentime. Yes, the pull of devices is strong, but the Dinosaur Artist offers a unique antidote: fossil hunting. In my experience, kids will gladly put down their phones if you can give them real world experiences as profound as finding the remains of prehistoric creatures. I know it was a special thrill for our crew when we found shark teeth at Westmoreland State Park.

The Dinosaur Artist also helped me appreciate the relatively level playing field among expert and amateur paleontologists; a scenario rare in most scientific fields. Many fossil discoveries depend on being in the right place at the right time, rather than say extensive knowledge or specialized equipment. That explains how three kids could find a scientifically interesting T-rex, a feat any professional would be eager to accomplish.

As for Eric Prokopi, Williams unpacks his case: she makes you appreciate that it's more complicated than the headlines suggest. No, he didn't smuggle a skeleton out of Mongolia; he used shady business dealings to buy raw material, which he painstakingly assembled into a masterpiece. Was Prokopi guilty? Definitely. But ultimately, the three month sentence he received seems fair. He crossed ethical lines and allowed privilege to cloud his judgement. But no, he wasn't some cartoon villain looking to rip off the people of Mongolia.

And speaking of Mongolia, it's remarkable how science has turned its unusually large concentration of dinosaur fossils into a new natural resource it can harness. This would be a plus for any country, but is especially critical for one that's as resource-strapped, and geopolitically tenuous as Mongolia. Well played, science.

Perhaps the biggest side effect from the Dinosaur Artist is my fresh appreciation for natural science museums. I'm looking at you, Natural History, Smithsonian. I admit it: I'd gotten desensitized to these amazing exhibits. I now have a fresh appreciation for the effort and artistry that goes into making fossil displays. The kids who are blown away by what they see have the right idea; the science, countless hours of prep, and creativity that goes into crafting a life-like scene should truly be savored.

Williams does an excellent job of showing how dinosaurs and their fossils impact science, business, governments, and young minds. Not bad for a species that went extinct 66 million years ago.

How It's Done: The Moby Wrap Hip Hug Carry

A while back, a friend who knew I'm a Moby Wrap evangelist, asked if it was possible to comfortably carry her 16-month-old on her hip using the Moby Wrap. I responded with a resounding 'yes' and told her that I'd send her some YouTube videos showing how.

Looking through tutorials on YouTube, I couldn't find one that used the relatively simple technique I've deployed in the past. So, I borrowed her daughter, propped up Shira's phone, and shot my own quick tutorial.

This wrapping method comes straight from the Moby Wrap user manual:

As an aside, I love this manual. Published in 2006, not only does it cover the different holds—some of which are no longer mentioned on the Moby Wrap website—but it also includes advice on Kangaroo Care, how to breastfeed a baby in the Moby, and offers workout ideas you can engage in while wearing your baby. The pamphlet is part baby-wearing inspiration, part how-to, and all a liability nightmare. It's no surprise that it's no longer included with the Moby. It pairs well with my old school (now called classic) Moby Wrap: less sexy than modern options, but still so very effective.*

Shout out to our friend Lori who gifted us this Moby Wrap for our first placement, 14 years ago. Who knew that it would become such a fan favorite, and hold babies of every shape and size. From chunky toddlers, to two itty bitty twins, the Moby Wrap has brought joy and comfort to them all.

*Now I feel like I sound like my grandparents who might offer advice like: a little whiskey on the baby's gums will make those teething woes a thing of the past.

Those bottles of formula will last us how long? And other lessons learned from our latest placement.

If you had shown me this picture a week ago, I would have (a) wished you hearty congratulations on the bundle of joy coming your way, and (b) believed you were well-stocked for feeding the little guy. Oh, how naive I was.

Yesterday afternoon, my crash course on this topic kicked into high gear. We received news of our next foster care placement: two adorable, preemie twin girls. Friday afternoon, we stepped into the NICU and were introduced to these two tiny bundles of joy. The first question from the NICU staff: did you bring in their car seats? Huh, what? As it turns out, before they can be discharged, the girls needed to pass a car seat test, which the staff planned to conduct later in the evening.

While the NICU nurse went through the new parent checklist with us, I found myself constantly distracted by the urge to capture photos of the girls. Sure, yeah, feed them, I get it. But have you noticed just how tiny and perfect their little fingers are?!

Shira and I have cared for several babies, so we're pretty well-equipped with essentials. Need a car seat for a newborn? No problem. However, twins are a whole new ballgame. Need a car seat for two preemies? That's going to take some scrambling. As we visited the twins on Friday night, we kept a close eye on our Amazon alerts. When our second car seat was delivered, we hurried home, grabbed it, and brought it back to the hospital for the big test. Not to brag, but later that night, the girls aced their car seat test. We were so proud.

On Saturday, our plan was to return to the NICU to discharge the girls. However, before we could do so, we had to provide the hospital with official documentation. Apparently, the hospital is picky about who takes babies home. No problem, we had our paperwork in order. Then came the challenge: we needed to fax the paperwork to the hospital. Not email, not drop off, but fax. So here we are, dealing with countless new details, from buying clothes that would fit their itty-bitty frames to figuring out how not to mix up identical twins and I find myself Googling for online fax providers. Here's a pro tip: HelloFax met our needs perfectly. For just a couple of bucks, we sent the fax, and received word from the hospital that we were clear to take the girls home. The discharge went smoothly from there.

Since coming home, it's been a blur of feedings, diapers, Amazon boxes, and photo snapping. To their credit, the twins have been gentle on us. They are eating, sleeping, and pooping like rock stars. With infants, especially two, and even more so with preemies, so many things can go wrong. Yet, so far, the girls have been angels. Sure, we can't get more than two hours of sleep before the next feeding, but that's par for the course. Shira and I are under no illusion that this honeymoon will last. However, we're savoring it and seizing the opportunity to absorb as much knowledge, as quickly as we can.

For example...

That "large" supply of formula pictured above lasted us for a little over two days. The same holds true for one canister of formula and one package of Huggies preemie diapers.

The 'mistake' we made buying a Keyfit 35 car seat instead of a matching Keyfit 30 car seat wasn't a mistake at all. For preemies, they get their car seats customized to fit them at the hospital (who knew?), so having two different models makes it easy to see which girl goes with which seat.

We love our single-baby all-in-one stroller that lets us snap in the car seat. We thought it smart to buy the twins version. Turns out, that isn't practical: the stroller is massive and weighs a ton. Instead, we're going with a bulky, yet much lighter stroller that just holds two car seats. We'll upgrade when the kids outgrow this first stage.

The Munchkin travel pod seemed like a smart way to set up a sleeping area for the twins wherever (like next to my desk as I work). Except, printed on the outside of this portable bassinet is a big 'ol warning that says: do not use for sleep. Looking back at the description of the product, they only implied it worked as a bassinet. We switched instead to Baby Delight Snuggle Nest, which is as compact and functional but is approved as a safe sleep space.

The suggestion we keep hearing over and over to avoid mixing up babies is to make use of colored nail polish. For now, we're using the foam-backed Velcro ID tags that the NICU sent the girls home with. They are secure and skin-friendly. We've also associated each girl with a color of masking tape and liberally apply the tape to avoid mix-ups. For now, I've been slapping a strip of colored tape on the back of each child's outfit after we dress them so I can quickly untangle who is who. Shira is convinced she can tell the two girls apart; I'm way less confident.

One of the first things the NICU nurse wanted to know (after, where's the car seat?) is what app are you using to track bottles and diapers. They don't play around, going as far as asking us to log bottles in milliliters. Two babies ago we used a Google doc and Tasker to track this info. For the last baby, we didn't use any system. We considered using an app from the Google App store, but ultimately, I dusted off and improved my Tasker setup. I'm glad I did, it works like a charm.

It's generally accepted that all babies like white noise at night, which we haven't always used. But, after having been in the relatively noisy NICU for days, these girls really don't like dark and quiet. I found myself dusting off my old Galaxy S8 and running the Sleep Sounds app on it. While the free version of the app has ads, they don't get in the way, and the app runs without a problem for hours at a time. I'm hoping that the 'underwater' profile brings back fond memories of floating around in mom's belly.

And so our education and adventure continue. I'd go on with more lessons learned, but it's just about time to go change diapers and feed the little ones again. My only regret in all of this is that it's against the rules to post photos. So you'll have to picture two perfect babies, and that's what's making our lives interesting these days.

Taming The Moby Wrap

One of my go-to pieces of baby gear is the Moby Wrap baby carrier. I've used it to soothe and schlep countless little ones. From miles of laps around the first floor of our home, to the jungles of Belize, the Moby has been a constant and reliable companion.

To underscore its utility and effectiveness, I'm composing this blog entry at my standing desk with baby L softly snoring away in the Moby.

One challenge with the Moby is that its roughly 900 feet of cotton fabric can make it unwieldy to don. At home, with practice, this turns out to be easy enough to do. But in more hostile territory, say a parking lot, airport or trail head, keeping the fabric off the ground can be a chore.

After over a decade of tripping over this problem, I finally found a simple solution. I stuffed each end of the wrap into mesh reusable produce bags:

Once in this configuration, I had essentially two separate rope bags. If I gently pull on either bag the fabric feeds out. If I stop pulling, the fabric stays put. The result is that I can effortlessly put on the Moby without the fabric flopping around everywhere.

I field tested this setup on our last vacation, and I was amazed at how seamlessly it worked. Putting on the Moby at various trail head parking lots was a breeze. I used this same arrangement again last night, putting the Moby (and baby!) on in the lobby of Shira's gym. Again the process was hassle free.

Hurray for little wins!

Abingdon Adventure - Day 3

After completing two iconic Virginia hikes, I was delighted when we had the opportunity to check off another. Like the previous trails, what they lacked in mileage was more than made up for in distinctiveness. Conveniently, the trail was located half-way between Abingdon, VA and the DC area, so it served as the perfect rest stop on our way home.

The trail was none other than the Blue Ridge Tunnel. The Blue Ridge Tunnel, as the name suggests, is a hike whose primary feature is that you make your way through a railway tunnel. But this isn't just any tunnel, it took 8 painstaking years to create and was completed in 1858. At that time, its length of 4,237 feet made it the longest tunnel in the United States. Because it predates dynamite and heavy machinery, it remains the longest tunnel in the US built using hand tools and black powder.

So this isn't just a hike through a tunnel; it's a hike through history.

The most stunning statistic I've read about the tunnel is this: 26 feet. That's the average number of feet per month that were excavated on each side. (In 1851, just 19 feet a month were blasted on the east side!). That seems glacial considering the hundreds of men working on the project.

This article from the Richmond Daily Dispatch summarized the state of affairs 3 years into the project:

The Blue Ridge tunnel

We have recently heard many inquiries made as to the condition and prospects of the Blue Ridge Tunnel, and the likelihood of its being completed within the present century. We are unable to give our readers any precise information on the subject. The rock at which Col. Crozet is tapping is not exactly as accessible as a "hollow beech tree." Its flinty heart refuses to be enforced or entreated. ... The contest between the iron and the rock is wearing out the iron, while the rock shows little sign of suffering. ... People complain that Col. Crozet does not go through the mountain. Col. Crozet, no doubt, would be glad to do so, but the mountain will not let him. To those who insist that Col. Crozet shall be removed, we reply that they would better undertake to remove the mountain, which seems to deserve it, on account of its in hospitable treatment of Col. Crozet and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Who knew newspaper's of the 1850's could be so snarky? I'm impressed!

Success finally came late in 1856 when the two sides of the tunnel met and were mere inches off:

On Monday morning last, at an early hour, the workmen in the western end of the Blue Ridge Tunnel perforated hole, about two inches in circumference, through the mountain, and, in tho language of Gen. Gordon, "daylight now shines through the blue Ridge." This event caused great joy on the part of the workmen, and every one of them immediately laid down their tools to spend the rest of the day in a frolic.

So accurately had been all the calculations made by Col. Crozet, that the augur holes from both ends of the tunnel were only half an inch distant from each other, when they met, and the length of the tunnel as computed by measurement on the outside, over the top of the mountain, and as accurately measured inside, after the perforation, was less than six inches.

Even with this success, it would take nearly two more years for the tunnel to be opened.

We parked our car at the eastern trail head, and walked the .6 miles of flat terrain to the entrance of the tunnel. The sun was out and we had baby L in the stroller. Approaching the tunnel, the conditions dramatically changed as we found ourselves in the shade of the mountain and cold air pouring from the mouth of the tunnel. We took countless pics at the opening and then made our way inside.

We could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and as promised it was pitch black and quite chilly inside. It was also fairly busy, with many families taking advantage of the hike as a post Thanksgiving activity. So as ominous as the pitch black tunnel was, the mood remained jovial.

Shira and baby L, now out of her stroller an being snuggled by Shira, went as far into the tunnel as to be in total darkness. Shira then had her fill and returned to the sunshine outside. I went deeper, though I didn't make it as far as the western entrance.

Over all the experience was a worthy one and I highly recommend this hike. Hopefully we'll be back in the area in the future, minus an 8 week old, and I'll be able to convince Shira to walk the entire length of the tunnel.

Abingdon Adventure - Day 2

What drew us to the Abingdon Virginia area, and our plan for today, was to summit Mount Rogers, the tallest peak in Virginia. But we had a small disruption to our plans. By small, I mean an adorable 4 week old foster placement. I'm all for taking little ones hiking, but even I thought attempting 9+ mile trek with possibly winter conditions and a reduced window of daylight was a bad idea.

Ultimately, we kept Abingdon as our Thanksgiving adventure destination and brought baby L along with us. We decided to hike in the Mount Rogers area, but scaled the hike to something a bit more child friendly. This article suggested that the 4 mile, out and back, Wilburn Ridge Trail would be a good fit for us. While the AllTrails description and reviews were lackluster, we trusted GoHikeVirginia.org and were richly rewarded.

The specs on the trail were basic: proceed 2 miles North on the Appalachian Trail, followed by 2 miles back. Thankfully, that terse description doesn't begin to do the trail justice. For one thing, because of the unique bald ecosystem, there's no dense tree cover to obstruct views. Everywhere we looked we saw postcard-perfect vistas. In the summer, the lack of shade is no doubt a hinderance. But on our 55° and sunny day, the open area was perfect. And then there are the famous Grayson Highlands State Park Ponies.

When we've seen wild horses in the past, we were quite content to keep our distance. But these ponies, my gosh, are judiciously adorable. The group we found was interested in little more than munching grass and letting us photograph them. While the signs in the area insist that you don't touch them (they bite and kick!), of course, people were petting them. But at least nobody was feeding them. We spent quite a bit of time photographing the ponies and they were definitely the highlight of this hike.

After having a picnic lunch we continued up to Wilburn Ridge, enjoying the slightly technical trail. One or two reviews on AllTrails suggested there was some rock scrambling to be done on this trail, something I wasn't prepared to do with an 8 week old baby strapped to my chest. Thankfully those claims were over-sold. There were a couple of spots that required some extra care while maneuvering, but I'd hardly call them scrambling. Near the turn-around point there was a cool rock tunnel thing you walk through, and because it's in the shade, it was filled with ice. But even that was more fun than scary. On the return trip, out of an abundance of caution, we took a side trail around the rock tunnel.

Oddly, the hike appears to turn around in sight of a rocky summit. If we'd had older kids with us, I'm sure we would have attempted that last burst of elevation. We would have also explored the countless rock-piles we saw along the way. Baby L and Shira were happy at the turn around point, so I took the win and kept the hike as the parameters described by AllTrails.

The Wilburn Ridge via Appilachian Trail is a great example of a hike where the quality exceeds its quantity. Sure, it's only 4 miles and on paper doesn't look like much. But in-person, the combination of the unique bald environment, amazing views and ponies made it a real winner.

After our hike and a stop back in Abingdon, we headed out for an evening adventure: viewing the Bristol Motor Speedway Lights. The Speedway is in Tennessee, and while it's no longer running NASCAR races for the season, it is open for a holiday light display.

The grounds of the speedway were lit up with an impressive number of light displays. And it was sweet to get to drive both on the drag-strip as well as inside the concourse of the stadium. But the real highlight was the moment when we drove onto the race track itself. We entered on one of the crazy steep banked sides, and the what-the-heck look on Shira's face was priceless. We then got to do a lap around the track. Mind you, our lap time was just a tad bit slower than the 150 Mph record set back in 2011, but it was still a thrill to be up close and personal to such a unique venue.

Abingdon Adventure - Day 1

Standing at at the The Great Channels trailhead I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude and relief. So many out-of-our-control variables had to go just right to make even starting this hike possible, and it looked like the stars were indeed going to align for us. For one thing, after days of bad weather reports that suggested we should scrub our trip, we were given perfect weather of mid-50' and sunshine. For another, 8 week old baby L was contentedly snoring on my chest. L came to us a few weeks ago as our most recent foster placement, and she was certainly a curve ball for the hiking trip we'd had planned for our Thanksgiving getaway.

It turns out that L is an angel, and endured the 5 hour road trip to the trail head without incident. After a minor diaper blowout that occurred when we pulled into the parking area, was she was cleaned up and happily placed in the Moby wrap carrier. Our hike to the channels, which I was sure was going to get derailed, was a go!

The channels hike consists of a 3 mile slog to the top of Middle Knob. Because the leaves had dropped from the trees we got glimpses of amazing views, though none were totally unobstructed. The pay off for the hike begins at the 3 mile mark, when a sweet looking 1930's fire tower comes into view. Thankfully, you can't climb the tower, though it does make a fascinating photographic subject. And finally we had access to the truly interesting part of the hike: the channels.

Following a sign into a wooded area we came across a breathtaking overlook. From there, we chatted with another hiker who explained that we were close to the channels; we needed only leave the overlook and descend down a steep but somewhat hidden trail. We followed her advice and found ourselves immersed in other-world looking rock formations. We had been promised slot canyons, and the channels delivered. Around every corner was another amazing rock formation and space to squeeze into and explore.

The hike to the trail head to the channels is well signed. Once you're in the maze-like channels, however, you're mostly on your own. We noticed some red arrows painted on the walls and initially thought they described a route you could take to see the formations. However, we only ever found the red arrows pointing towards the exit. And then it clicked: you're supposed to wander the channels as you wish, and when you want to return home, follow the red arrows. Very clever. I don't understand why the trail maintainers don't make the system official and put clearly marked (and reflective) arrows and instructions in the channels, versus depending on such a primitive and fragile system.

The All Trails reviews of the trail suggested that the channels would be colder than the rest of the hike; and the advice was on point. I donned a puffy jacket over baby L and myself we both remained quite comfortable the whole time.

While there was a bit of graffiti in the area, I was impressed at overall how pristine the channels were. I suppose that's one benefit of having this hike be in the middle of nowhere with 3 miles and 1,300 feet of elevation gain, to discourage would be vandals.

After 45 minutes of exploring the channels, we decided to call it and headed back to the car. The 3 mile hike was straightforward and before we knew it we were back in a warm car with a happy baby.

The Great Channels had absolutely been a worthy hike for the first day of our adventure and I can't recommend it highly enough. Because the rock formations are so unique, I'd easily put this hike on a list of Virginia greats, along with Old Rag, Billy Goat Trail, section A and the Devil's Marbleyard.

For dinner, we hit Greeko's Greek Cafe. Shira's falafel was ok. The salmon in my salmon souvlaki was very good. But the fries and pita were perfection and made the meal an absolute delight. The staff, like the staff at the Fairfield Inn where we were staying, were exceedingly warm and friendly. This all made for a wonderfully pleasant evening and gave us great vibes for the small town that is Abingdon, VA.

Tired from a long day of driving and hiking, we called it a night after dinner. Tomorrow would be more hiking and I drifted off to sleep hoping it would measure up to today's high quality adventure.

(I then was awoken a few hours later by baby L who was hungry. Ahh yes, the joy of little ones and their tiny tummies!)