Henodus is Back

Henodus, Triassic Turtle

Nothosaurus (False Lizard or False Reptile),

Triassic Semi-oceanic Creature

This morning Amy found the plastic Henodus I'd lost on the floor last night. It was the same color as the rug. I had been feeling inordinately out of sorts for losing it, because I was finally making progress with the giant pile of stuff that needed cataloguing and photographing before putting on the site. The Halloween items were all organized in a folder with their info and Lee was working on them. Next I'd taken on organizing and photographing the extinct sea creatures when Henodius went missing. And, I was really tired.

There is not much in the Triassic category right now, so it will be good to get these guys (and their friends) online finally.

My Web Page: Tapirback.com

Plastic or rubber ammonite replica (extinct sea creature)

I finally got it! Taking pictures of animal figurines, replicas, stuffed animals, etc. for my online gift shop is fun for me, but every once in awhile I get one that for no apparent reason (until maybe later) has me SO frustrated. This was one of them. But with persistence and trying different backgrounds, lighting, cameras and settings, I finally got the colors almost exactly right and got an exposure I'm happy with. Sometimes I get them in one shot then mess with them a little in PhotoShop, but this one took about an hour. I don't know whether it was the gold, the bright white next to the darker colors, the specific color palette, or what. But here it is, I'm thrilled. By the time I was done with this plastic ammonite, I had a great appreciation for it. I really love it! Once I get some of the mechanical web production done, it will be fun to do the research. From the tag that comes with it, it sounds like a pretty interesting critter. There's a VERY cool representation of a living ammonite on this page. Now I'll find a good HTML template to adapt and go to work on it :)

When I was young, one of the things I wanted to be was a paleontologist. I often think that having an animal store and a web site gives me a lot of the satisfaction in studying a variety of things and producing them online that I might have wanted from a career like that. Plus, the variety of what I can do is endless. I love building stuff on the Internet, and so many people appreciate that we're here doing what we do. (I guess I'm enjoying myself today!)