Learning stuff is cool.
Realizing you understand enough to apply it is even cooler.
Last weekend, as a mother's day present, my mom, step-dad Steve and I went on a geologic tour of the Gorge. I know, right, you're completely jealous. It was put on by a local organization that offers all sorts of sciencey classes to teachers. This one started off with a mini-lesson in geology from a professor from the local community college; she was amazing, enthusiastic and excited. Made me want to run right out and sign up for Geology 101. It was a fun day. The weather was perfect, the assembled group friendly and chatty, and I learned all sorts of information about the various stops we made. This is the view from our last stop, just west of the Dalles, in that area where the terrain is transitioning from lush to high desert. I'd never been here before and the hike looked like it might be worth a return trip...especially in the spring because the wildflowers here were impressive.
I took about six photos of this delicate white flower hoping that one would turn out. (Again, I need a real camera.)But, this morning as I sat down to look up the name of whatever this was I was surprised to find that my guess, that it was part of the onion family, was correct. It's called a Fool's Onion... it looks like one but, according to the book doesn't look or smell like one.
How did that happen? When did I learn that?
