Alan’s Blog


In September 2024, I was interviewed for a podcast focusing on the Falls of the Ohio State Park. It is part of a series called IN the Parks, one that focuses on Indiana State Parks. The podcast runs 32 minutes. Enjoy!

https://shows.acast.com/in-the-parks/episodes/falls-of-the-ohio-state-park-dont-take-fossils-for-granite

Alan pressuring washing the fossil beds.

Happy 2025! I plan to post more blogs and add content to this website. However, it will garner more attention after I retire in November. The start January, I am posting several photos and a newspaper article related to the Ohio River’s greatest flood in January 1937. These photos are part of the family history I’m scanning and sharing.

Cannelton Indiana at the height of the 1937 flood.

Cannelton Indiana at the height of the 1937 flood. My grandparents’ house is on the upper right edge. It has a sloped roof. It was above the crest.

Flooded houses closer to the river channel in January 1937.

Flooded houses closer to the river channel in January 1937.

A newspaper article in February 1937 – about my grandfather who accurately predicted the crest in Cannelton, Indiana.


I found a specimen in Steve Garza’s inventory labeled as ‘blue calcite’ from Miller’s Quarry, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It turns out that there were no photos from that locality of the Mindat.org website so I added it. Here’s the specimen:

Calcite in three slightly radiating xls of stacked smaller negative rhombs. Bluish from pyrite inclusions. Largest is doubly terminated, 11.5 cm long. Miller Quarry, Lancaster, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. An unusual specimen.

My catalog entry: Calcite in three slightly radiating xls of stacked smaller negative rhombs. Bluish from pyrite inclusions. Largest is doubly terminated, 11.5 cm long. Miller Quarry, Lancaster, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. An unusual specimen.


My booth - a photo from the 2023 show - but it looks the same.

The Kyana Geological Society is the Louisville area club for folks interested in avocation geology – collecting, lapidary arts, minerals, fossils, field trips, etc. The weekend before Thanksgiving, the three-day show is held at Camp Crestwood, a church camp in Oldham Co., KY, about a mile west of Crestwood. I’m selling minerals from Steve Garza, Bob Robinson, fossils from David Horn, some of my stuff, and Rachel’s lapidary items. It allows me to talk to people interested in minerals and fossils.


This is a calling card that my great-grandfather Edward Alec “Pop” Cohen gave my great-grandmother in 1908 or 1909. The back says (in pencil) “With Compliments from E. A. Cohen To Jettie Brenner.” This is another piece of family history that has been passed down from one generation to the next. “Pop” died in 1975 so he was part of my life for 16 years. Grandma Jettie lived a few years longer but developed dementia a few years before she passed away.


Mid America Paleontological Society’s National Fossil Expo – Oct. 2024

I attended the National Fossil Expo in Springfield, Illinois. It’s held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Fossil dealers from around the country attend. I last came two years ago. The Orr Building is spacious and there is plenty of room. The fossils I saw were interesting and ranged in age from nearly 3.5 billion years to the Pleistocene.

The only thing lacking was customers. I sold enough to more than cover expenses but just barely. David Horn’s large horn corals were popular. The question may be asked if fossils have lost their luster with the public. I’d guess the answer is ‘no.’ However, publicity is essential to connect fossil enthusiasts with fossil dealers. A show is MUCH better than on-line sales because you can hold the specimen and ask questions.

The show was held in April for decades but shifted to October when the moved to Springfield four years ago. Unfortunately, it is two weeks after the Springfield geology club’s annual show (in the same building) and (as far I as can tell) publicity and signage is pretty light. I did see a local TV reporter making the rounds on Saturday.

The show is moving to Mother’s Day weekend next May and back to late April in 2026. I won’t attend in 2025.

Here are some interesting fossils I photographed: two for sale, and two on display. I’ll photograph some of my acquisitions and post them.

This is a late Mississippian fossil fish from the famous Bear Gulch formation in Montana. It produces fish with soft body preservation.

This is a late Mississippian fossil fish from the famous Bear Gulch formation in Montana. It produces fish with soft body preservation.

A Vendian (= Ediacaran age) Precambrian fossil from the White Sea, Russia. This is an arctic locality. The number is the price.

A Vendian (= Ediacaran age) Precambrian fossil from the White Sea, Russia. This is an arctic locality. The number is the price.

A prepared slab of crinoids from the Middle Mississippian, from a quarry in Gilmore City, Iowa. Marv Houg specimen.

A prepared slab of crinoids from the Middle Mississippian, from a quarry in Gilmore City, Iowa. Marv Houg specimen.

Crinoids from the famous Legrand, Iowa quarry. These are unique because a protein is  preserved in the calcite giving different species different colors.

Crinoids from the famous Legrand, Iowa quarry. These are unique because a protein is preserved in the calcite giving different species different colors.

My friend, Chris Cozart, at his tables with fossils.

My friend, Chris Cozart, at his tables with fossils.

The interaction of Double-crested Cormorants and Great Egrets at the Falls of the Ohio State Park

At the Falls of the Ohio, water birds – wading and diving – are pretty common, except when the river is high enough to cover the fixed weir dam. When I started working at the park in 1993-4, Great Egrets were scarce at the Falls. Now they are abundant except in the winter. Double-crested cormorants have been common. On multiple occasions, I’ve watched egrets and cormorants interacting in a way that is symbiotic or at least commensal in nature.

Cormorants swim around the feet of the great egrets when they are wading. And when the egrets are on the shore, the cormorants will swim close to the shoreline. I am curious whether this is a local phenomenon or if it has been documented elsewhere. Here are several photos I took on September 28, 2025.

Cormorants swim close to the great egrets.

A great egret flies over cormorants that are swimming in the same direction.

Mixed great egrets and double-crested cormorants fly a foot or two above the still Ohio River waters.


Imaginarium Convention July 2024

This blog was created and lost due to hacking issues on my website.

Mid-July means it’s time for the Imaginarium Convention, Louisville’s largest writer’s convention. (It also has a film festival and co-splay activities – but that’s not my interest.) On the first day, I moderated a panel on writing accurate settings when using nature in a story (i.e., a novel). Then I was a panelist in realistic settings in fantasy and science fiction. On the third day, I hosted a workshop on critique groups. In between, I attended many interesting sessions and attended the awards dinner.

The 'Writing nature settings' panel - I'm sitting third from the right.

The panel of authors in the creating good nature settings in stories.

The organizers of the Imaginarium Convention, Stephen & Holly, are presenting awards at the dinner.

The organizers of the Imaginarium Convention, Stephen and Holly presenting awards at the dinner.

Alan (me) at my critique group workshop, part of the Imaginarium Convention in Louisville, KY.

My workshop was on the value of critique groups. I’ve been involved with three different groups since ~2012. The current Louisville Writer’s Meet Up, I’ve attended since the second meeting in March 2015. I’ve been a co-organizer since 2016 after the organizer went in a different direction.


Total Solar Eclipse, April 8, 2024

I went to Brown County State Park near Nashville, Indiana for the eclipse. With help from the outreach director for the Louisville Astronomical Society, I had three members helping me – Greg Gapsis, Rick Williams, and John Anderson.

Greg Gapsis, John Anderson, Rick Williams and Alan Goldstein in a field by the pool 4-8-24. Eli Major photo.
Greg Gapsis, John Anderson, Rick Williams and Alan Goldstein in a field by the pool 4-8-24. Eli Major photo.

We came up on Sunday afternoon. Traffic wasn’t a big issue. I presented my Tucson Star Party program to a full room. As before, it was well-received. That evening we went to Patrick Haulter’s birthday and farewell party. Patrick used to work at the Falls of the Ohio about 10 years ago.

Alan preparing to give my "Grand Canyon of the Sky" program.
Preparing to give my “Grand Canyon of the Sky” program.

We had a beautiful rainbow before sunset. I hoped it was a sign of good luck. We had overnight rain, but the Monday morning was cloudless.

Late afternoon rainbow on Sunday.
Late afternoon rainbow on Sunday.

Vista behind the Brown County State Park nature center on Monday morning.
Vista behind the Brown County State Park nature center on Monday morning.

I talked to visitors set up near the nature center. After lunch, we went to our observing site near the north gate – a field by the pool. Eli Major, the interpretive naturalist at the park, set up the brand new 8″ Dobson-mounted telescope. A bunch were obtained t=from a Duke Energy grant for parks inside the totality. (None for the Falls, 99.3% wasn’t good enough. – Kidding.)

I helped many guests get photos of the partial phases through the telescope.

Helping a visitor take a photo through the scope. Rick Willams photo.
Helping a visitor take a photo through the scope. Rick Willams photo.

And I took a few photos before, during and after totality with my iPhone and an old point-and-shoot Olympus camera.

Taking a photo through the scope. Rick Willams photo.
Taking a photo through the scope. Rick Willams photo.

The eclipse was amazing. Here are photos taken with my camera & 600mm lens, and through the telescope with my iPhone and Olympus cameras. They show varying amounts of detail.

Totality with my Canon DSLR with a 600 mm lens
Totality with my Canon DSLR with a 600 mm lens
Totality with my iPhone through the 8" telescope (about 50x).
Totality with my iPhone through the 8″ telescope (about 50x).
Totality with my Olympus camera through the 8" telescope (about 50x).
Totality with my Olympus camera through the 8″ telescope (about 50x).

The detail in the solar prominences with the 8″ telescope sans solar filter during totality was amazing! Unfortunately, they were over exposed in my photography through the eyepiece.

This Rick Williams photo with a 500mm lens shows the prominences and inner corona.
This Rick Williams photo with a 500mm lens shows the prominences and inner corona.

Tucson Show – Weird Minerals

I was on the lookout for unusual minerals to photograph. The weird stuff tends to be expensive because of it shows mother nature at her most unusual.

I’m not a big fan of agate. A lot it is dyed to make a bland specimen more colorful. Ideally, agate should be natural and if colorful, so much the better. But if color isn’t great, weird patterns – like faces – make for interesting specimens.

Mutant Ninja Turtle Agate from Mexico on $1,750 from Pinnacle 5 Minerals
Mutant Ninja Turtle Agate from Mexico on $1,750 from Pinnacle 5 Minerals

Amethyst geodes are commonly found in Brazil and Uruguay – from the same deposit. The Uruguay location has been a source of darker purple quartz, but the geodes are bigger than I’ve seen at shows in the past.

A trio of agate geodes from Brazil or Uruguay that look like a face.
A trio of agate geodes from Brazil or Uruguay that look like a face.

Crystals can grow in aggregates forming spheres (called botryoidal – like grapes). Chalcopyrite (copper iron sulfide) are unusual. I collected spherical sphalerite at the Bardstown Quarry in 2011. Weird but not as dramatic as this specimen.

Spheres of chalcopyrite from the Tonguishan mine in China, Arkenstone specimen.
Spheres of chalcopyrite from the Tonguishan mine in China, Arkenstone specimen.

Pyrite concretions are widespread, though they don’t always have good symmetry. They may contain framboidal pyrite – a microscope form that is notorious for getting pyrite disease which causes them to decompose. (The cause is sulfur-eating bacteria.) I’d ask the dealer about the location and history to determine if there is a history of decomposing before plopping down big bucks!

Pyrite concretion, Dongchuan district, China. $50.000 Arkenstone specimen.
Pyrite concretion, Dongchuan district, China. $50.000 Arkenstone specimen.

Pyrite on the edge of calcite can be spectacular but isn’t unusual. I’ve seen specimens from Pennsylvania in Steve Garza’s collection. Granted, the crystals are smaller…

Pyrite on the edge of calcite crystals. Manaoshan mine, China. $18,000, Brazerte specimen.
Pyrite on the edge of calcite crystals. Manaoshan mine, China. $18,000, Brazerite specimen.

Vivianite is a mineral that tends to be unstable over time, especially in humid environs. There was a major occurrence this year because large crystals were at many dealers. Prices were also astronomical.

Vivianite "praying mantis" from Cabeca do Cachorro claim, Amazonas, Brazil. $18,000. Schwartz Fine Minerals specimen.
Vivianite “praying mantis” from Cabeca do Cachorro claim, Amazonas, Brazil. $18,000. Schwartz Fine Minerals specimen.

Bisbee & Tombstone, Arizona

It’s not all mineral and fossil shows. We went southeast to Bisbee – an old copper mining town. It’s nestled in a valley surrounded by colorful hills. At 5,500 feet in elevation, you might call Bisbee Arizona’s “mile-high” town. The layout is highest on the north end, but I wouldn’t recommend skateboarding from one end to the other!

Mountain town of historic Bisbee, Arizona looking north
Mountain town of historic Bisbee, Arizona looking north
Looking south into the extension of the Lavender Pit - that hole originally was a big hill!
Looking south into the extension of the Lavender Pit – that hole originally was a big hill!
Looking 840-feet down into the copper mine. Some nasty acidic water at the bottom.
Looking 840-feet down into the copper mine. Some nasty acidic water at the bottom.

We looked at the Sacramento and Lavender pits. The land was originally hills, but now they are over 800-feet deep! The Copper Queen Mine offers interesting hour-long tours for $14. You ride inside the mountain wearing a hard hat, reflective vest, and a battery-powered lamp. You see a stope – where ore was removed (still sparklies in there) and learn how miners drilled and blasted rock.

The tour guide gives an orientation before we go into the mine.
The tour guide gives an orientation before we go into the mine.
The stope - an area mined for copper and other minerals. That's a mannequin in the back.
The stope – an area mined for copper and other minerals. That’s a mannequin in the back.

Then we went to Tombstone, a tourist attraction. Dating from the same time period as Bisbee, the terrain is flat, the elevation is above 4,000 feet. The gunfight at the OK Corral is re-enacted, though not while we were there. The main street is not for cars – just pedestrians and horses.

Main Street in Tombstone - full of stores - a few of which are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Main Street in Tombstone – full of stores – a few of which are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Stagecoach tour of Tombstone and it's ribald history.
Stagecoach tour of Tombstone and it’s ribald history.

Tucson Star Party – February 3, 2024

My interest in astronomy goes back to 1973 when I was in Junior High – thanks to Mike Brooks, a friend with a small telescope. Flash forward 51 years, and I attended the Tucson Star Party at Pima Community College East. I was one of four presenters. Retired astronomer and long-time Tucsonian, Rik Hill, kindly took me to and from the star party.

Michael Bakich, retired astronomer and ASTRONOMY magazine editor, spoke on the upcoming total eclipse.

ASTRONOMY editor (chief) Dave Eicher (whom I’ve know since 1977) presented on some connections of astronomy and the Civil War. (Dave is a part-time C.W. historian).

David Levy, a discoverer of comets, talked about the discovery of Comet Showmaker-Levy 9 and its demise as over 20 fragments plunged into Jupiter 30 years ago. (I remember seeing one dark hole in Jupiter from an i pact through a telescope.)

I gave a new program developed for this event: The Grand Canyon of the Sky – Connecting the Distance of Objects with the History of Life. It’s based on an article that was published in ASTRONOMY in 2022. Since light travels one light year in one year, observing the globular cluster M13 which is 22,000 light years from us means the photons reacher your eyes are 22,000 years old. Those photons headed in our direction when mammoths roamed the United States!

You can observe galaxies with photons traveling across the universe since T. rex roamed, or when trilobites first appeared on Earth. I make “fossil light” into something tangible – like real fossils!

I'm connecting the age of photons with the history of life on Earth,
I’m connecting the age of photons with the history of life on Earth,
David J. Eicher, long-time friend, spoke about astronomy and the Civil War.
David J. Eicher, long-time friend, spoke about astronomy and the Civil War.

After a nice chatty dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant, we went back to the star party to observe. The campus was well-lit, meaning you couldn’t have truly dark observing, but this was a public program, so it didn’t matter. I observed the Orion Nebula and Jupiter (which looks white or tan depending on which eye I used). Then I found a gentleman with a Unistar telescope – especially a high-powered astro-imager. It builds images with a computer and the “piece” is like a telescope eyepiece, but it’s really a small monitor. I was able to take some astrophotos with my phone, simply holding up the camera lens and snapping a picture! Wow! What a cool way to do astrophotography. Here are some examples:

The Horsehead Nebula in Orion.
The Horsehead Nebula in Orion.
Open cluster M46 in Puppis with a small green ring - planetary nebula NGC 2438.
Open cluster M46 in Puppis with a small green ring – planetary nebula NGC 2438. See it?
The classic barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300 in Eridanus.
The classic barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300 in Eridanus.

Tucson Show – February 2024

Tucson hosts the largest aggregate of gem, mineral, fossil & jewelry shows in the world. It’s so large, that many of the dealers are up for nearly a month! There are wholesale-only shows for folks in the trade (dealers from everywhere), shows that are wholesale and retail and dealers that do both.

I came for a week to look (most specimens are priced way beyond my budget), shop, and schmooze with old friends. What a relaxing experience – even if I walk 7,000 steps.

Myself with Port Angelese, Washington, specimen miner, John Cornish, whom I've known for several decades.
Myself with Port Angelese, Washington, specimen miner, John Cornish, whom I’ve known for several decades.
Australian collector and dealer Geoff Thomas, whom I've known since the late 1980s.
Australian collector and dealer Geoff Thomas, whom I’ve known since the late 1980s.
Colorado Springs miner & dealer Joe Dorris and I, whom I've known since the mid-1980s. He's also a writer of historical fiction.
Colorado Springs miner & dealer Joe Dorris and I, whom I’ve known since the mid-1980s. He’s also a writer of historical fiction.
A dinner-plate size specimen of crocoite, from the Red Lead mine in Tasmania. Yours for $14,000!
A dinner-plate size specimen of crocoite, from the Red Lead mine in Tasmania. Yours for $14,000!
Blue fluorite from a pegmatite deposit in Brazil. Yours for a mere $25,000!
Blue fluorite from a pegmatite deposit in Brazil. Yours for a mere $25,000!

This is one of two rainy seasons for Tucson – the other is in July & August. This makes for some beautiful sunsets.

An unusual Tucson sunset - backlit rain and roiling clouds.
An unusual Tucson sunset – backlit rain and roiling clouds.

Florida

Attended my niece’s wedding in Fort Lauderdale in mid-December. It was wonderful. Enjoyed time with my siblings and their families. Dani accompanied me. We visited Key Biscayne and Everglades National Parks. Explored the Upper Keys. A bee crawled inside my shoe and stung my foot! The wind and temps eliminated any plan to spend time in or on the ocean.

Alan at Key Biscayne National Park, Dec. 2023
At Key Biscayne National Park, Dec. 2023
Osprey outside the room on Key Largo, Dec. 2023
Osprey outside the room on Key Largo, Dec. 2023
Alan pointing at a large 50K year old coral colony in the wall of the quarry on Windley Key.
I’m pointing at a large 50K year old coral colony in the wall of the quarry on Windley Key.
Purple Gallinule wades over leaves in the Everglades, 12-23
Purple Gallinule wades over leaves in the Everglades, 12-23

Louisville Book Festival Experience

I attended my first book festival at the convention center in downtown Louisville. I was one of some 150 authors participating. I shared my table with Wendy Zagray Warren, who wrote a book on how the ‘No child left behind act’ and its negative impact on most students. The tables were a mix of genres from picture books to non-fiction to a broad spectrum of fiction.

At my table at the Louisville Book Festival
At my table at the Louisville Book Festival

At my table, in addition to a supply of The Dragon in My Back Yard, I stapled my AlanGoldsteinsUniverse.com business card to a small baggy with a fossil or fluorite chip to promote this website. As conversation pieces, I brought some fluorescent minerals and a UV flashlight (visible in photo) for children to use and for adults a copy of James Bond’s ‘Birds of the West Indies’ and discussed its connection to Ian Fleming, the creator of 007.

Over both days, I sold a full box of my novel and talked to many adults and children – so the event was a success. Too bad it will not be likely to attend again next year as they have a new crop of authors each year.

A small portion of the Louisville Book Festival with authors and visitors.
A small portion of the Louisville Book Festival with authors and visitors.

Now its time to plan smaller events at bookstores and libraries. I organized an evening with four published authors in our Louisville Writers Meet Up group. In October is was at the Jeffersonville library. Dec. 7 will be at Mickey’s Bookstore in New Albany.

My empty chair, Erv Klein, Meghan N Simpson and Darrell Zuercher at the Jeffersonville library on October 12, 2023
My empty chair, Erv Klein, Meghan N Simpson and Darrell Zuercher at the Jeffersonville library on October 12, 2023

Setting up at the Kyana Geological Society Show

November 17 – 19, 2023 is the Kyana Geological Society’s 53rd annual show at Camp Crestwood off Clore Lane in Crestwood, KY. I last set up at the show more than a decade ago. I’ll be bringing Steve Garza’s minerals, Bob Robinson will be there with his minerals and other items, and I’ll have fossils. Show hours are 10 to 5 on Friday and Saturday and 11 to 5 on Sunday.

Tables in driveway full of minerals for the show.
Working on fossils for the Kyana show.

Louisville Book Festival participant & panelist

I’m participating in the Louisville Book Festival on November 10 and 11, 2023 at the Louisville International Convention Center. Carmichael’s Bookstore is handling the book sales. I’ll have a table to talk to attendees. Bringing some business cards attached to fluorite chips and Archimedes bryozoan screws. I’m also participating in a 50 minute panel on debut authors at 2 PM on the 10th.

Check it out at: https://www.louisvillebookfestival.com/festival-info/2023-festival/


Sale of Steve Garza and Bob Robinson collections, Sept 9 & 10, 2023 – Background about the collectors & collections

I’m hosting a sale of minerals from Steve Garza’s collection and minerals and fossils in Bob Robinson’s collection on Sept. 9 and 10. Steve’s minerals will be 50% off and Bob’s 33% off. It will be in my driveway. Contact me from the contact page (or email if you know me) for details.

Steve’s collection I’ve been selling off since 2017. He started collecting in 1965 and stopped with a stroke in 2016. One good days he can help identify specimens that I don’t recognize. His collection filled up a 2 1/2 car garage wall to wall, floor to just below the light fixtures. With more in the pole barn. I’ve learned how to recognize many obscure U.S. mineral localities going trough this collection.

Shelves with boxes of minerals after most have been gone though.
Shelves with boxes of minerals after most have been gone though. In 2017, you couldn’t even see the shelves, much less the back wall!

Bob Robinson started collecting minerals and fossils in the late 1980s and into the 2000s. He did a lot of collecting trips for Arkansas quartz, area quarries and road cuts, even fossils near his house. He also bought many flats of minerals from dealers and put them in the basement. I have barely tapped his inventory. His collection is better organized than Steve’s and better labeled. But if he bought something without a label… it still doesn’t have a label.

Flats of minerals and fossils shelved in Bob Robinson's basement.
Flats of minerals and fossils shelved in Bob Robinson’s basement.

These collections are large enough that I expect to be selling them for many years. The collector’s yard sale has targeted marketing to rockhound clubs. It will take several trips to gather the boxes from both collectors in August, 2023. Reach out to me for information – even if you can’t make it to the sale. The collections will be selling for a long time and new things will come up from the bowels of the storerooms.

Flats stacked in preparation for the Clement Mineral Show. This is a small portion compared to the yard sale show.
Flats stacked in preparation for the Clement Mineral Show. This is a small portion compared to the yard sale show.

Imaginarium Convention in Louisville (Days 2 & 3)

Spent Saturday attending panels, especially with marketing for writers. One of my weaknesses. And yes, blogging is a form of marketing, even if I’m not saying “BUY MY BOOK!”

Attended sessions on:

Increasing reviews (some say its essential, others say it isn’t – what’s a writer to do?), Amazon algorithms (how to be visible amongst the million other books on Amazon), Space operas – Sci Fi or Fantasy? (a fun to listen to panel discussion, but nothing I took notes about), Marketing your book in 15 Minutes, a workshop with Stephanie Ferger (tips to do something, especially since writers don’t know jack about marketing themselves or their books – we are writers!) Q & A with Terry Brooks, the first “famous” author I wanted to meet at the Imaginarium Convention.

Terry Brooks interviewed by Sandy Lender

Sunday, July 16, was my day to be a panelist. In the morning it was “Writing for Children” with Kimberly Hoffman, Carrisa Turpin, and Jen Selinsky.

The Writing for Children panel. What a happy group!

In the afternoon I was on the “Attractive Blogging” panel with Becky Steele, Morgan Hazelwood, Collen Green, and Carl R. Moore. Hmmm… something like this? Turns out Becky Steele (sitting next to me) is an avid Astronomy magazine reader – and recognized my name.

Panelist for the session on blogging

Other sessions I attended on Sunday: Self-editing for writers – a workshop with JoAnn Sky, Hybrid genres (writing novels that incorporate two or more genres (like funnt horror), Building your website, and The magic of middle-grade: Exploring the power and potential of children’s fiction, a workshop with Carrisa Turpin. I enjoyed conversations with with Janie Franz and Stephanie Ferger.


Imaginarium Convention in Louisville (well, Jeffersontown, KY) – Day 1

July 14 marked the first day of Louisville’s largest convention for writer’s – the Imaginarium Convention. This is there 10th one and I’ve been going since 2017, if memory serves. There are many topics from which to choose among the panels and workshops. Today, my focus was marketing. That’s something that I know enough about to know that I don’t know enough! (How’s that for confusing!)

I chatted with the well-known fantasy author, Terry Brooks (and his wife). I’ll try to get a photo of him tomorrow. I couldn’t find any of his books and Barnes & Noble because the conference bought them all for the book signing!

I had a hard time remembering to take a picture while listening intently. Here are a couple of times where I remembered!

Stephanie Ferger’s session on marketing for authors.
Science fiction writing panel

Alan’s Favorite Galaxies

I will post information about galaxies that I enjoy observing. Galaxies are distant masses of stars, gas and dust. Our Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. Look for additions to this blog as time allows.

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 – NGC 5194 / 95) – Canes Venatici – 8.4 / 9.6 magnitude – 8.2’x6.9′ / 6.4’x4.6′ diameters – classification SAbc / Peculiar

Bright enough to be seen in large binoculars (if you know where to look), I observed it in small, medium and large telescopes over the years. In small instruments, it appears as a double smudge separated by a gap. In larger instruments, the spiral structure in NGC 5194 is visible. If you haven’t seen spiral structure through a telescope, this is one of the best to start.

Not all galaxies fit into a classification “shoe box.” Those oddballs are designated as peculiar galaxies. NGC 5195 is one of the brighter examples (although M82 and NGC 5128 are brighter). Here is a galaxy with dust that has unusual placement in the galaxy’s structure. It might be due to interacting with NGC 5194.

Hubble Telescope photo of M51

The galaxy can be found by sweeping four degrees southeast of Alkaid, Eta Ursa Majoris – the end start in the handle of the Big Dipper. It is located close to the vertex of a right triangle of fainter stars (the vertex star is in upper left in the photo below).

A photo of M51 taken by Michael Carter in the nights of film astrophotography. (Days of film astrophotography doesn’t seem appropriate.)

My best views have been in telescopes of 20″ and up. However, under excellent skies, M51 is spectacular in an 8″ to 12″ instrument. It’s best seen in the spring when the Big Dipper is high overhead. What size telescope was needed for you to see the bridge between the two galaxies?


February was my first visit to the world renowned Tucson Show. Although this blog is much delayed, I want to relay my experience.

My sister has a house in Tucson, so she, my brother-in-law, and nephew greeted me at the airport. It was my third visit to the city -the first with Dave Eicher in 1980 was to visit Kitt Peak National Observatory during a cross-country astronomy junket. The second was in 2000 when the National Association for Interpretation had its national conference there, and the state of Indiana paid for the visit.

Northeast of Tucson – from the window of my Southwest Airlines jet.

This time, it was longer and strictly for pleasure. My sister has a wonderful house in the foothills near Sabino Canyon. Their family was fascinated with the show and spent more money than I did, buying decorative pieces – minerals and fossils – for their house.

My sister’s back yard – with a pool and hot tub, trees and hills covered with saguaro and shrubs.

I did do a little “work” – talking to dealers about buying wholesale for the Falls of the Ohio State Park’s gift shop. I collected business cards and talked to folks. Any purchases were for my personal collection, not for resale. There is an endless array of materials – minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, art with stone, just to name a few. There are also many individual shows that are ancillary to the Main Tucson Show, hosted by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society. (Which I’ll talk about soon.)

We started with the 22nd Street Show – tents than run for several blocks with four rows of dealers. This photo scarcely does it justice!

Hundreds of dealers fill this show that runs for 2 or 3 city blocks.

Here are a few photos of things that captured my attention. They were far above my budget!

I’m standing in front of Early Cretaceous paddlefish from China.
A table-size slab of Green River Shale from Wyoming with a tree branch and fish preserved.
Alan with Cambrian trilobite mass-mortality from Morocco (try to say that three times fast!)
A bench for your garden made out of petrified wood from Arizona. I think it was something like $50K.
Carcharodon megalodon jaw reconstruction with actual teeth! And they are all installed backwards!!!

There is a lot of art to be found through the satellite shows. Some of it is pretty, some weird, and some unbelievable! This self portrait below falls in the last category.

An artist with a self-portrait made of beads and polished stones that took him a year to make.

I’m pausing here to explore wildlife I observed in my sister’s neighborhood. The lots are large enough and contact enough natural acreage to maintain habitat. I saw a coyote, quail, and a plethora of other birds. I emailed birder Del Striegel for identification, though some I could identify because they were distinctive.

Pyrrhuloxia in bush – resembles a cardinal.
Townsend’s Solitare – a handsome bird
Phainopepla – a bird with a funny name – common in the neighborhood.
Goldfinch are startlingly bright – America’s canary!
Gambel’s Quail resembles the California Quail, but is a different species. This is in my sister’s front yard – one of a dozen that ran through.
Curve-billed thrasher has a distinctive call.

The Main Tucson Show opened Thursday, February 9. We made the mistake of coming in the morning when the line was extremely long. Since there wasn’t anything in particular I was striving to get, I didn’t need to “beat the competition.” Next year, I’ll come late in the day or on Friday.

Panorama of the convention center and the main Tucson Show.
My name was at one booth. But they aren’t my minerals!
My last name was at another booth. But they aren’t my slabs of petrified wood. Too bad they weren’t next to each other!
An example of vibrant Australia opal. It occurs in a vein a millimeter or two thick so it has to be split open “just right.” Luckily, opal forms a weak surface so it can be done.
Pineapple opal (pseudomorph after calcite. White Cliffs, Australia. Price on request – that means – really expensive!
Polished agate for $928. The slab on the right is Indiana and on the left Nevada. How’s that for an imagination gone wild?
Silver from Germany in herringbone crystal growth. Yours for only $22,500!
Wall sculptures involving triangular polished slabs for mountains, disks of travertine for the moon, and air plants. Pretty creative!

A fossil collection inside a penny.

This is my smallest fossil collection, found at the family farm near Lanesville, Indiana. I collected these from a weathered exposure of Salem Limestone, then washed an shorted them with a microscope.

How old? These are from the middle of the Mississippian Period, about 350 million years ago. Fossils of this size when in massive layers form the building stone known as Indiana Limestone. Most of the Salem Limestone has normal limestone layers or interbedded shale seams making the rock better for aggregate than building stone.

Fossil ID key: 12 to 1 o’clock – crinoid columnals, 2 o’clock – blastoid Pentremites conoideus, 4 to 8 o’clock – various snails, 9 to 10 o’clock – horn corals, 11 o’clock – Fenestrate “lace” bryozoan fragment, by Lincoln’s ear – Globendothrya baileyi – a foraminiferan, by Lincoln’s nose and neck – ostracods, above “2001” a sea urchin socket plate and spine.

Penny fossil collection

The wilds of Florida’s Gulf Coast

The first vacation of the year with my daughters was to St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. The goal was to relax and do some wildlife watching. The weather was partly cloud with temperatures in the low 70s to mid 60s. Warmer than home but not too hot.

Emily & I spent the first full day at Crystal River, about 2 hours north. We went with a group kayaking to see manatees. We saw one.

Manatee barely visible in the water.
See-through kayak

The kayaks we used were clear so we could see the vegetation and occasional fish. Never saw a manatee under it.

I was able to get some great bird photos, including an anhinga, black & yellow-crowned night-herons.

Anhinga doesn’t have oil on its feathers so it has to dry them off after it dives for fish.
Black-crowned night-herons hides in a hollow tree while seeking prey.
Immature yellow-crowned night-heron on the river bank

On Thursday, we went to the St. Petersburg Pier, which this of the the year wasn’t busy. I got distracted by small planes flying over my head doing touch and go at an airport may 1000-ft south of the pier. I looked up and saw a beautiful solar halo in the cirrus clouds.

Solar halo in the wispy cirrus clouds.

From there we wanted to see nature, so we went to the Body Hill Nature Preserve on the south side of St. Petersburg. There was a nice little nature center. Outside, they had caged raptors that were unable to be released. We hiked several trails looking for alligators. (No luck.) We saw a limpkin and snowy egret close enough that a telephoto lens was hardly needed. We also saw a gopher tortoise, but as soon as it saw us it hightailed it back into its burrow. Played tag with a palm warbler for a few minutes trying to get a decent picture. Eventually, it landed in the middle of the path.

A limpkin and snowy egret
Palm warbler on the path

Friday, we went to Egmont Key State Park. The highlight of the trip was on that excursion. After walking around the island and photographing gopher tortoises, my first loggerhead shrike, and other sites, the girls and I settled on the beach not far from the boat that ferried us over. A flock of gulls and terns – like from The Birds” came down around us. Fish were jumping out of the water and some foot-long ones were cruising literally at the edge of the beach.

Note the small fish leaping out of the water on the left while laughing gulls and common terns feast.
Fishing jumping to get away from the shark, right into the mouths of gulls like this one.

I told Emily I thought a barracuda might be around. Not 10 seconds later, a four-foot long shark cruises right in front of us! It circles one more time. I had my camera handy so I could take pictures. Emily shot video.

A four-foot long black tip reef shark about 25-feet from the edge of the beach.

The boat captain and his assistant were on the boat and saw it, too. He told me that it was only the second close approach of a shark to a beach he’d ever seen in all his years piloting boats.

Here are photos of the loggerhead shrike and gopher tortoises. The latter are common in this state park, isolated from the rest of the world. They can move fast when approached.

Gopher tortoise out for lunch
Loggerhead shrike – a bird that skewers its food on thorns
American White Pelicans resting on or near small sandy shoals.
A ship carrying petroleum (probably gasoline) in the channel preparing to enter Tampa Bay. It weaves its way between Fort Desoto and Egmont Key.
Bottlenose dolphin were seen both coming and going, mostly in the calmer waters closer to the small islands away from the open Gulf.

Saturday, I wasn’t in the mood to go anywhere, so we hung out on the beach by the condo.

Folks flock to the beach to watch the sunset.

Sunday, we took Rachel to the Tampa airport and Emily & I went to the Tampa Zoo. The weather was miserable. I bought an umbrella from one of the gift shops. Parking was good – front row. And there wasn’t much of a crowd. The busiest place was the cafe in the zoo! We saw some animal action, but many were out of sight, preferring the warm, dry interiors.

A family of young Red Wolves don’t mind the cool rain at all.
Koala nibbling on a eucalyptus leaf. Both were active. Usual I see them sleeping.

We stopped at IHOP for breakfast before heading to the Tampa airport and the flight home. Emily spent her birthday at 3 airports and 2 flights. She and Rachel had seafood at most meals except breakfast. Me? I’m not a seafood consumer. I had more standard fare.


National Fossil Expo

I attended the National Fossil Expo sponsored by the Mid America Paleontological Society October 21 – 23. My last visit was in 1987 when it was in Macomb, Illinois! This year it was located at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, in Springfield – a couple of hours closer.

The drive from Louisville to Springfield was about 6 hours with lunch and bathroom breaks thrown in. I decided to take I-64 almost to East St. Louis, cutting north to I-55 via Illinois 4. Traffic was light and construction was limited to about a half-dozen bridges on I-64 in Illinois. I found out later that if I had taken I-65 to Indy and I-74 west, I would have had dozens of miles with construction lane restrictions. I lucked out!

When I arrived and got out of the car, my luck continued – I looked around and saw a bald eagle flying over! It stayed around long enough for me to pull out my camera and put on the telephoto lens. How often does that happen?

Bald Eagle flies over the Orr Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

When I checked in, my two tables were assigned to the northwest corner of the building. I put my folder there and went to my car to start unloading. When I returned, someone else was at my tables and my folder was gone! What the heck?

I tracked down the show chairman who apologized and said someone else needed five tables so they moved mine and another dealer to a new spot on the far side of the large building – about as far as one could get from the original location! On the positive side, I was able to drive in and unload the boxes of fossils right next to my new space (see photo). They also through in another table at no charge. I set up my space of two and a half six-foot tables primarily with fossil corals. I was next to a couple selling paleontology books that used to be in Charlie Oldham’s library.

Alan Goldstein’s Universe at the National Fossil Expo.

Set up completed, I met up with some friends also at the show. I also had time to visit other tables and gawk at lots of interesting (and expensive!) fossils. I ignore price since my interest in acquiring expensive fossils has never been a goal. I’m happy with obscure and cheap! (As long as it has good data…) Photos below are examples of expensive fossils. Preparation for display is what makes them expensive.

Borucrinus and Rhodocrinus from Montana
Illaenus trilobite mass-mortality from the Ordovician of Oklahoma
Mass-mortality of Waldron Shale Eucalyptocrinites elrodi

There was a privately organized fossil & mineral show at the Northfield Hotel where most of the dealers and Expo organizers stayed. (The Fossil Expo doesn’t allow minerals to be sold.) The rooms had dealer names visible from the hall. There were probably 20 rooms with dealers but some I never saw an open door. I believe that show opened on Wednesday or Thursday and went through Saturday. I got most of my fossils from a couple of dealers in the hotel.

On Friday, I did a presentation on the fossils of the Waldron Shale, focusing on the fauna in Clark Co., Indiana, which is a bit different that the classic Waldron localities (photo below). On Saturday, my topic was the Falls of the Ohio. Hmmm. I wonder why?

Presenting at the MAPS Fossil Expo. No the screen isn’t tilted!

So what did I think of my first National Fossil Expo in 35 years? As shows go, I’ve attended and set up a few that were busier. When I asked people what they were looking for, most said dinosaurs. No surprise. I’ll freely admit that more people are interested in dinosaurs than corals. But my inventory consisted of inexpensive, beautifully preserved specimens. Sales were sufficient to cover all of my expenses and I picked up some cool fossils for my collection. (I’ll post photos of those later.)

Will I return next year? You bet! I’ve already been asked to write an article for next year’s Digest. (Dr. Kate Bulinski & I wrote an article on the Waldron Shale fossils for this year’s publication.) Dale Brown & I came up with a laundry list of activities that would boost attendance at next year’s Expo. There are plenty of marketing improvements to be made. There are also program and activity ideas that won’t cost anything to incorporate. The first marketing effort is this – come to Springfield, Illinois, next October 20 – 22, 2023!