Update 2-5-08

Hi,

For some reason, my copy of the update for this date is missing.  But here's a long letter from Steve Cohen that was sitting in the appropriate place in my file, so it might have constituted the entire update, and I simply kept the original.

From Steve:  It’s the end of January and the temp is 49, candidates are dropping left and right, so I better get going with this thing-before I am the last holiday letter left standing. Medical matters and a couple of surgeries kept me sidelined from last December to June, but as soon as I was released -- well, actually a week before I was officially released -- I was off.

June -- Galapagos
After a decade long absence and after visiting all seven continents, I can still say, there is no place on Earth where you can walk amongst such an astonishing array of animals that exhibit no fear of humans. Pretty special. There certainly has been an increase in the tourist population, so if you can, pack up the family and bring them here before we turn nature’s wonderland into Disneyland.

June -- Machu Picchu
Leaving the islands, on and up and up to Machu Picchu (a decade ago, the companion trip was the Amazon). Talk about a “shining city on a hill.”  Simply put, it is breathtaking-literally and figuratively. It survived and was not destroyed because it was never found. I believe that this is the argument my brother uses as he lives his life as a hermit.

July -- North Dakota
My intended four week dinosaur and turtle dig expedition was reduced to one week because the bronchitis I developed  on Machu   Picchu was severe enough that upon my return, my doctor wouldn’t let me fly again for a while. Actually, what he said was, “Are you crazy-you are going where to do what?” The sad thing about getting older is that you are forced to take seriously their sentences and stares. However, it was great to be back in the badlands-even if, only for one week. I did receive a stupendous North Dakota gift, generously given by Tyler Lyson that now graces my living room brick wall-a three thousand year old bison skull-a startling specimen.

September -- Easter Island
It is the most remote inhabited place on Earth. I figured, surely here, I could find a date. Actually, it was a two week field expedition to assist in the enormous task of an island wide project to catalogue every archaeological artifact. The entire island is an artifact! This program in conjunction with the investigation of the Áithic farming techniques developed by these early people will shed new light on the civilization that carved and transported the extraordinary monolithic iconic statues and lead to better understanding of how this flourishing society was decimated, almost to extinction. I must say that standing beside the statues is a sight to behold.

October -- Austin, Texas
I, with two colleagues, spent all the time at the Paleontology conference, creating a promotional and fundraising video of the Society and its members. A wonderful opportunity to interview the greatest and soon to be great paleontologists from around the world. We even got Newt Gingrich on tape talking with us-but that is a fun, longer story, that is for another time, so e-mail me if you are interested. It will take many months and probably four, one week sessions in the editing studio in Dallas, in addition to all the work at home. I have already spent 120 hours on it and we have a long way to go. More about it in the 2008 letter.

November -- Texas
A reunion dinosaur dig. What, you may ask, is a dinosaur reunion dig. Well it turns out, that we all get together at our decade plus dig locality and we.....go fishing. Around the pond, casting, throwing my hook three times to the treetops above and behind me, passed my pole to a buddy, went back to camp, picked up a shovel, my pack, water and digging tools and walked to the quarry in search of bones I found a year ago and had to rebury as there was not enough time to collect them. Though a year of unprecedented torrential Texas rains had moved a lot of dirt, I had taken a sighting last year from the wall of the quarry so it didn’t take too long to find it and by days end was able to extract it and send it on its way to SMU. Unfinished business-completed.

December -- National Geographic television special
DINO AUTOPSY, a one hour program about our Hadrosaur with mummified skin-very rare specimen, was aired. There are a couple shots of me working with the excavation team preparing the dinosaur for extraction. Also pics of me and the story of my scorpion stings in the companion book, GRAVE SECRETS OF DINOSAURS. (Also a children’s book, DINO MUMMY). OK, so I have now had my 15 seconds of paleo-fame.

December -- New York City
During the holidays, I was fortunate, on two occasions, to show my beautiful city to out-of-town friends. It was for me a joy to see the city that I love, all decked out in its holiday best, through the eyes of friends first time viewing of Rockefeller Center, its tree and ice rink, St. Patrick’s and across the street, Atlas with the weight of the world on his shoulders. But smiling.

Wishing you a healthy and happy of what is left of a new year.