fossil-tastic

Hi Henry, how are you?

I'm doing great! We're just taking it easy out here on the West Coast, even though Erik has to work every day. During his lunch this afternoon we went to the library to return some books, and we saw all kinds of neat stuff. I started running from one thing to another and calling Erik to see it, but because we were in the library, Erik said, "Shh! Sometimes the best adventure is the quietest adventure!"

It's been really hot again, so Erik let me take a picture of the sun through the eucalpytus leaves. Eucalyptus trees were brought to California hundreds of years ago by Spanish explorers. This part of California didn't have a lot of trees, and the early settlers wanted to have some lumber. Now they grow all over the place!

We also walked by some pepper trees that the Spanish brought to Southern California, too. They smell really nice!


At the library, Erik and I looked at some fossils discovered in the area.



When they started digging the foundation for the building, the construction workers found pieces of giant sloths, wolves, walruses with huge tusks, mammoths (like hairy elephants) and even clams! Erik says that the ocean used to come a lot further inland, and that's why people find sea shells in the ground so many miles from the beach!


See this saber-toothed cat skull? I'm sure glad he went extinct 10,000 years ago. There aren't any more of them around! Erik told me since I'm so small, I'd only be a snack, but he would be the main course.


After we were were done at the library, Erik let me explore the playground next door. It has some rides shaped like dinosaurs! And some sculptures of sea turtles!




I also went swinging and sliding and even walked underneath a fossilized whale! Erik says it's an "ichthyosaur," not a whale, but he typed that word for me. They lived so long ago that the dinosaurs weren't even born yet!


After that we walked back to work. On the way I saw lots of flowers and trees. Because it's sunny most of the time, Southern California is a desert, but some parts of it are like a big garden because people water it! Flowers bloom all year round and many of the trees are always green.



Here I am by a California Oak tree.



Compared to the oaks in Wisconsin, the California oak has such tiny little leaves! It only grows here, so I'll bring you a leaf when I come home. I think it will fit in the envelope with me!

Your friend,

Flat Stanley