By Mary Fairchild Waikiki Beach, Oahu, 12/30/2012 The Hawaiian Archipelago is the oldest and longest chain of islands in the world. When our family landed on Oahu it was just after sunset so we could not get a good feel for where we were. It was Friday night and the traffic was very heavy as…
Wisconsin’s Glacial Mounds
By Mary Fairchild Known as the “Driftless Area,” southwestern Wisconsin escaped glaciation. A low plateau deeply cut by stream valleys, it is an old landscape whose rougher surface contrasts with ice-formed topography. Astellated buttes, spires, and pinnacles were sculpted by Glacial Lake Wisconsin breaking on sandstone outliers of the Driftless Area. This is a view…
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art: Chinese Jade Carvings, Fossils, and Minerals
By Mary Fairchild The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art displays a large selection of Chinese jade and hard stone carvings from around the world as well as lapidary materials, fossils, meteorites, and minerals. My husband and I stopped in and chatted with Dorothy Ascher who is the granddaughter the museum’s founder, Joseph Lizzadro. Flickr Pictures…
Mid-America Paleontology Society Annual Fossil Show Moves to Iowa
By Mary Fairchild Is it dinosaur? This fossil was found in gravel in northwest Iowa. Flickr Picture Set The huge continental glaciers that advanced and retreated across Iowa during the Ice Age picked up large volumes of rock and other sediments as they moved across the continent. Today, reworked and transported Cretaceous fossils, which underlie large areas of the…
February: Falling Back in Love With Sea Kayaking
By Mary Fairchild In water, any rescue takes a lot more time and energy than an elegant roll. A reliable roll is one that can be done when not expected. Rough water, or skookumchuck, can psychologically make things difficult. Find ways to practice in all conditions. A roll will help you get more proficient at…
Baja Winter Kayak Expedition: Wind, Waves, and Lipstick
By Mary Fairchild Loreto Bay National Marine Park. Pictures on Mfairlady Flickr here. Our trip began in the little seaside fishing village of Loreto where we had breakfast together in a local restaurant with a local Chihuahua that sat near our table while I caught up on the local news in the “Gringo Gazette.” The waters around Loreto and the…