furr's blog: flint and bones

Last weekend was a three day weekend. I have missed seeing my sister in Austin, and I have a student that has been wanting a full bone skeleton for his AP artwork. We'd been working with my best HS girlfriend, Heather, this summer, on getting bones to Dallas from Llano. There had been some mis-haps in the bone shipping department that was getting frustration from both ends. I figured that I could kill two birds with one road trip. The solution was to go visit Sister, then go visit Heather and bring the bones (skulls and whatever else we could find) back to Dallas so we could just get on with the art making.

After spending the night with Sister and her family (more on that next post), I went to Llano on the last hot as hades day of the season (so far). Upon my arrival, she had her friend, Kreg, come fetch us and take us out to the ranch he's a foreman at to go look for arrowheads and bones. It's on the outskirts of Llano in beautiful, but very hot and dry country.

Here are Heather and I as we begin our searching.

Along the ranch road, we find this old, circa 1850 drilling mine. I don't have any clue what they are mining for, but the remains are really cool... There is a spring behind this outcrop, which is pretty much dried up, save a little water behind it. Apparently, this was a water driven apparatus with a wheel that did something, what, I don't know... but it's old and neat.

Moving right along... Here is the big granite outcrop that overlooks the road from Llano to Burnett. It doesn't look very big but it is. It's the same geological feature that creates 'Enchanted Rock' that is off the road between Llano and Fredricksburg... Just on a smaller scale. We found lots of flint chips and a few arrowhead pieces in this area... plus a few bones.

It's pretty out here.

More good scenery.

**smirk**

Granite outcrop.

Funny, colorful rock.

Better funny colored rock!

So, after I was about to stroke out (not really, I cooled off with cold water from the cooler that made me scream so loud that Perry, the other ranch hand who was like a mile off, thought I had gotten bit by something), we headed back to Heather's house where we really got to fix some very, very local food!

Local, freshly killed dove! Dove season had just opened and Heather's roommate, Ernie, had shot these the day before. He cleaned and de-boned the breasts, skewered them with jalapeno and bacon, and grilled 'em! OMG!

Heather and I raided her neighbor's garden (she's out of town for the month... so it's not like we took her dinner!) for these greens! Also on the menu, local pears that Heather picked in San Saba and poached in red wine! Heather has always been a great cook! YUMMO!