NYC

We’re into our second week on the road and haven’t had the urge to strangle each other yet. A 19’ camper can go from feeling like a cozy nest to a prison cell depending on someone’s mood. Fortunately our spirits have been high and we’ve seen some great stuff.

Our first stop to NYC was centered around meeting with Carl Mehling, the collections manager for fossils, reptiles and amphibians at the American Museum of Natural History. We have a lovely guidance counselor at the Fletcher Elementary School, Ms. Chisholm, who was able to introduce us to Carl through a mutual friend. So after spending about 5 hours following Jackson as he meticulously combed every inch of the AMNH, Carl took us behind the scenes to the lab where they prepare the fossils they’ve collected from all over the world.  We watched one of the scientists working on the skull of a dinosaur that looked like a minotaur, a new species recovered from Mongolia.

It was fun to watch the back and forth, questions and answers between Carl and Jackson. Carl was fantastic, playing 20 questions with Jackson, and seemed to really enjoy sharing his work with us. And Jackson surprised me yet again with what he actually knew and the things he could identify in the fossil samples we saw. Anna, who was feeling under the weather, was an absolute trooper, never complaining as she watched her brother, hour after hour in all his glory.

                                                    Jackson and Carl

While we were in NYC, we were fortunate enough to stay in the city while the camper was parked at a train station in NJ. Sarah, aka City Mouse, was generous enough to give us her apartment in the city while we were there. I always love my visits with Sarah and wish we could have had more time together. But after visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for Anna’s Flat Stanley project at school, we decided to head to Washington D.C.

    Anna took this one. Freezing with sideways rain. Awesome!

      

                      Top of the Empire State Building