More photos from the Houston Museum of Natural History

Joan loved these flowers

Dinosaur bones

A raptor

A petrified conifer

Carved from a block of gemstone

The chair structure was carved from a solid block of gemstone

Joan gets the drill on drills

This is a gemstone. I know, I know

Another beautiful gemstone

This too is a gemstone

Joan poses with a large geode

This gift from a Russian ruler was carved from a block of gemstone

Real enough to make you nervous

Uranus reminded Joan of her giggling boys in her 8th grade science class