Dinosaurs and Grandchildren
Recently I heard about a new find of the largest dinosaur
that ever existed. The completeness
of the Dreadnoughtus remains, discovered in Argentina in 2005 and unearthed
between 2005 and 2009, allowed scientists to estimate its weight with unusual
precision. At 65 tons, Dreadnoughtus was heavier than many models of the Boeing
737. It's the largest dinosaur whose weight can be accurately calculated, says
discoverer Kenneth Lacovara of Drexel University, who named the beast after the
vast 20th-century battleships called dreadnoughts. Well, this finding took me
back to a very special conversation with Connor, one of our grandsons who grew
up in the dinosaur-rich West.
One night as I was
telling him bedtime “bear stories,” he asked about dinosaurs. What was the
biggest her asked? I think he already knew the answer, but was just checking in
on my knowledge. I said, maybe it isn’t the longest, but the most ferocious was
Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Mesozoic age. It was the true “king of the jungle” at
the time. They called him “T-Rex.” It was over 40-feet and 12-tons and
carnivorous, eating everything in its way having 12- inch septic teeth. In
fact, it was discovered just a few miles from your home here in Montana. Well,
apparently that fact did the trick as Connor’s eyes opened wide and he
stuttered, “Does he eat little boys.” At that shaky utterance I needed to tell
him that he no longer exists to hurt little boys, but he sure used to. I’m not
sure if our conversation was preparing him for bedtime or for taking up arms to
protect the family compound. I suspect the latter.
Years have gone by
and Connor is still interested in dinosaurs and arming himself as a hunter-marksman
as well. Now that is a family tradition being passed down, not necessarily
because of dinosaurs. We gave Connor my old solid bronze miniature dinosaur
collection from the Milwaukee Museum as his own. They stand alert on one of his
collection shelves in his bedroom today.
I’m still not sure
if my bear and dinosaur stories are right for bedtime, but Connor and his two
brothers sure enjoy them as they huddle together with a bed quilt pulled up to
their noses for protection. I guess this kind of story from a grandfather named
“Paga” is just part of the right of passage for little boys to ponder as they
go to sleep in peace with monsters prowling around looking for someone to
devour outside.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.