Archives
February 2006
Friday, February 17, 2006
Subject: Tortillas with the Russians
Time: 2:38:00 PM CST
Author: mtblanco1
One of the most impressive displays at the recent Tucson Gem And Mineral Show
was Feyodor Shidlovski's Museum of Russian fossils. He was featured in the
May 2005 National Geographic. He and his team brought amazing fossils from their
extensive museum in Moscow. After watching a video of how they collect
fossils in Siberia, with Feyodor, Igor, Alexander and Feyodor's lovely wife Oksana,
I was given a personal tour of their incredible Siberian specimens. First
there was the complete Mammoth skeleton, met by a fleshed-out model of the same.
Utilizing the several kinds of hair from yaks, and real mammoth tusks, the
life-like effect is really convincing. And speaking of yaks, there for the first
time in my experience was a complete skeleton of a fossil yak. Oddly, it looked
like a small cow and didn't even seem to be the same animal as a stuffed one
close by. The fleshed-out Woolly Rhino is totally convincing. Their very long
but thin horns are still the subject of debate. The horn itself, is actually
matted hair which grows from a nearly flat but bumpy surface on the nose and
front of the head. The puzzle is that, often the front of the horn is worn flat,
and looks as though it has been cut by a straight edge with a saw. Did they
use it to sweep snow out of the way? That has been considered. It occured to me
that maybe they wore it off rubbing against the ground as they grazed with
their mouths flat to the surface. Maybe they rubbed on each other like horses
will bite another horse where it wants to be bitten itself.
The museum was only part of the Russian display. Another tent housed a second
Mammoth skeleton. As the artist Vladimir said, "I take it down, I join it. I
take it down, I join it in another place." On the floor were sets of beautiful
black and blue tusks weighing 150 lbs. They were Mammoth tusks of all sizes
in the tent and all kinds ivory carvings form scrap mammoth tusks.
At dinner, we went to La Fuente, a nice Mexican restaurant. The Ruskies
didn't know what all that stuff on the menu was. "What is tortilla soup," Oksana
asked. I told them it was good. So that's what they ordered. As in all Mexican
restaurants, corn chips and salsa was served prior to the meal. Oksana pointed
to the chips and said "Cheeps?" "Yes, I assured her, and added, they're flat
tortillas." At that the otherwise beautiful and sophisticated blonde began
laughing to the point of tears. When she could finally talk, she told the others
in Russian. Everybody was laughing now. Finally, gathering her composure, she
explained that they thought "Tortillas" were a little creature...like a
cheekin." Then I laughed.
Joe
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Subject: Tortillas with the Russians
Time: 2:38:00 PM CST
Author: mtblanco1
One of the most impressive displays at the recent Tucson Gem And Mineral Show
was Feyodor Shidlovski's Museum of Russian fossils. He was featured in the
May 2005 National Geographic. He and his team brought amazing fossils from their
extensive museum in Moscow. After watching a video of how they collect
fossils in Siberia, with Feyodor, Igor, Alexander and Feyodor's lovely wife Oksana,
I was given a personal tour of their incredible Siberian specimens. First
there was the complete Mammoth skeleton, met by a fleshed-out model of the same.
Utilizing the several kinds of hair from yaks, and real mammoth tusks, the
life-like effect is really convincing. And speaking of yaks, there for the first
time in my experience was a complete skeleton of a fossil yak. Oddly, it looked
like a small cow and didn't even seem to be the same animal as a stuffed one
close by. The fleshed-out Woolly Rhino is totally convincing. Their very long
but thin horns are still the subject of debate. The horn itself, is actually
matted hair which grows from a nearly flat but bumpy surface on the nose and
front of the head. The puzzle is that, often the front of the horn is worn flat,
and looks as though it has been cut by a straight edge with a saw. Did they
use it to sweep snow out of the way? That has been considered. It occured to me
that maybe they wore it off rubbing against the ground as they grazed with
their mouths flat to the surface. Maybe they rubbed on each other like horses
will bite another horse where it wants to be bitten itself.
The museum was only part of the Russian display. Another tent housed a second
Mammoth skeleton. As the artist Vladimir said, "I take it down, I join it. I
take it down, I join it in another place." On the floor were sets of beautiful
black and blue tusks weighing 150 lbs. They were Mammoth tusks of all sizes
in the tent and all kinds ivory carvings form scrap mammoth tusks.
At dinner, we went to La Fuente, a nice Mexican restaurant. The Ruskies
didn't know what all that stuff on the menu was. "What is tortilla soup," Oksana
asked. I told them it was good. So that's what they ordered. As in all Mexican
restaurants, corn chips and salsa was served prior to the meal. Oksana pointed
to the chips and said "Cheeps?" "Yes, I assured her, and added, they're flat
tortillas." At that the otherwise beautiful and sophisticated blonde began
laughing to the point of tears. When she could finally talk, she told the others
in Russian. Everybody was laughing now. Finally, gathering her composure, she
explained that they thought "Tortillas" were a little creature...like a
cheekin." Then I laughed.
Joe
Written by mtblanco1 Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
