Day 14: 07/01/10 Of Fossils, Trips and Sailing Ships

A Ranger led Fossil Walk revealed sponges, trace fossils (prints of marine creatures), brachiopods, and insight into family behavior (albeit nothing new). Just as bivalves (clams, for example) share common traits, so did the Old Navy T-shirt wearing family, the USC colored clothing of another, the little girl pouting about being drug out to look for fossils, while Mom, Dad and big brother try to have a good time despite frowns and sighs.

So I have to brag on Betty a bit. She was named Interpreter of the Year for 2009 at Grand Canyon. This for an interpreter in a back corner of Park Headquarters in street clothes as opposed to the flat hats in the front lines. I think this speaks volumes about how successful Betty has been marketing her services, improving visibility, and educating staff about the added value an onsite research library can bring to a Park. I mentioned the fact that her term is up this September and must reapply to continue working. She pointed out a Reference Librarian opening at San Francisco Maritime History Park to me, encouraging me to apply. Wouldn’t hurt since I now live in dread of a call from my principal mid July—I mentioned why in my last post. Cataloguing sea chanteys and sailing vessels has appeal. Reminds me of this symposium I went to at UO which included about 15 of us around a table discussing obscure folk ballads from the 18th and 19th centuries. My paternal grandmother was a US Women’s Marine during World War Two, stationed in San Francisco.