Escape to the Field Museum . . . .

 This weekend I got to go to one of my favorite Chicago haunts: the Field Museum! There was a lot to see and do; we spent around 5 hours there on Sunday.

Mammoths and Mastodons is running until September, and I highly recommend it; it was a fascinating exhibit showcasing these elephant forebears with a combination of artist renderings and skeletons, showing just how impressive and massive they really were.

The best part, though? Baby Lyuba, the well-preserved baby mammoth who was just a month old when she died and was preserved under the earth. You could even see her little closed eye; she was pretty amazing!

 I would not have wanted to be a mammoth or mastodon hunter back then; I would've gotten stomped on pretty fast. You cannot believe how huge these creatures were!

It was also Sue's 10th Anniversary this year, and the Field was celebrating by having her original discoverer, Dr. Sue Hendrikson, there to answer questions and sign autographs. There was also a rather sophisticated Sue puppet: she roared, opened and closed her eyes, and enchanted everybody:

The dinosaurs are always one of my favorite stops when I visit the Field Museum, and this year was no exception. I am always astonished by these amazing creatures, gone now for millions of years. I was one of those nerds as a kid who knew all the complicated scientific names of all the dinos;)

 It was such a beautiful day on Sunday; this is a view from the Field across to the Adler Planetarium. I need to stop there before I leave for SoCal!

I even got in a little research for the current book, stopping to look at the Native American artifacts and clothing;)

It was a fabulous visit. It's hard to believe it will be my last for a while. I know LA has tons of museums I'll come to love, but the field Museum will always hold a special place in my heart.