Snow, 12/27/10

The Great Blizzard of 2010!  Eastern NC

First Stop on the NiftyKnits Meerkat World Tour: Rural Blounts Creek, NC!

Etta the Meerkat arrived here in rural Eastern NC all the way from England, and her creator Heather of Niftyknits! What a sweet little kat she is! After unpacking, we set off on a geeky fun adventure together: a trip to explore some of the sharks teeth that our area is internationally known for, at the Aurora Fossil Museum!
As you can see, Etta was in awe of this Great White replica and all the fossil sharks teeth!

Later, back at my house, Etta had a tour of our 75 acre property. My husband Howard is a ham radio operator and she was intrigued by the four huge radio towers in our fields. All of a sudden, Etta was gone! I guess her taste for adventure got the best of her, as I spotted her climbing the 130 footer! Bad Etta! By the time I got there, she was hanging on for dear life!

Luckily she managed to pull herself up and climb down

with no harm done... what a girl! Happily, we went on to safer pursuits.


I think Etta enjoyed seeing the gourd art from my Midnightcoiler shop, and some of my gourd harvest. She told me the egg gourds were her favorites! Tomorrow my little Meerkat friend leaves for her next stop. I'll always remember Etta and what a good time we had together! To see more of Nifty's fabulous Meerkats, check out her shop, NiftyKnits. Read her Blog and join the Meerkat World Tour Fan Page on Facebook to follow all of Etta's adventures, as well as her sibling, Treasure, who is also traveling the world!

Fossil Hunting for Sharks Teeth- Hunt for yours on Etsy!

Since I was little I've always imagined finding treasure or artifacts. Back then it was digging a few inches under my mom's hydrangeas, thinking I would find golden doubloons buried by pirates. I started sketching "cat pirates" and then prehistoric animals, and decided I wanted to be a paleontologist. While that dream never worked out, there is still a fascination with buried treasure and artifacts of all kinds.

Now I live near an area that is famous around the world for fossils of extinct sea life, the Lee Creek deposit also known as Aurora in NC. I enjoy spending time hunting and collecting sharks teeth and other fossils at least a few times a week. It's always a thrill when I find one! Most of the teeth I find range from early Miocene (12-26 million years ago) to Pliocene (2.5-12 million.)

The photo above left shows a whale vertebrae at the rear. The large sharks tooth is from an extinct megalodon, the most fearsome shark ever. (closeup at right) This tooth is from a small one, only 1 3/4", as teeth larger than a mans hand have been found! The white lines on the back of sharks teeth are from their teeth scraping bone as they fed. Notice the serrations on the edges! The close up above right shows fossil shell in matrix (upper left corner,) to the right a possible coprolite (fossil poop,) shark vertebrae, ray mouth plates, shark teeth, pieces of bone and coral.


I've had so much fun discovering these buried treasures that I've started offering some of my fossils on Etsy, for use in mixed media and as jewelry componants. Check them out! Interested in fossil ID? Here's one of the sites in my area that can help:
http://www.elasmo.com/

"Summer Selections" Fiber Fantasy Show in NC

I recently made a trip to Gallery C in Raleigh NC to see a show which included the other-worldly fiber creations of Pamela Zimmerman. If you go, prepare to be blown away!

Using sculptural basketry techniques, clay and mixed media, her work transcends the idea of "traditional basket," and draws the viewer into a haunting world of yearning emotion.

Contorted fiber forms, twisting curves, secret places and surreal faces abound and astound. Her signature "face baskets" evoke a sense of mystery, and her "multi-fiber" pieces subtly continue that mystery by leading the observer through an undulating maze of discovery. Viewing her work, one is likely to end up with more questions than answers. Pamela prefers for observers to interpret her work from their own perspectives, but she does give a bit of insight into her themes on the Gallery C website.

Go to http://www.galleryc.net/ to learn more about this artist and to see some of her works on exhibition.

If you're lucky enough to live near the Raleigh area, I encourage you to visit Gallery C and view her ethereal work in person!
(pictured: 'Trade Cargo: Passages')