Wyman had to get out of the house yesterday.

[butchlambert]

Yesterday was special. Since boyhood and being raised in the rough country along the Brazos in the rolling plains I have harbored a fascination with wildlife, archeology, paleontology, and the process of evolving, whether with wildlife or vegetation, in an unforgiving environment.
So yesterday’s chilly, calm conditions lured me into the badlands to explore and try for great imagery.
My main intent was predator images but in that search I would be studying every foot of my treks through the rough country. The endeavor was a success.
In traversing the arroyos and ancient clay/silt hills my searching eyes spotted a flint projectile point, created by hungry hands and once hafted on an arrow with the intent of securing food perhaps a millennia before our time.
Also crossing seeping waterways were coyote tracks, leading in all directions, no doubt evidence of a predator in search of life sustaining food.
Juniper roots also told of a life story of survival and death, their winding roots probing for moisture in a soil reluctant to share in its meager supply.
Finally, after much walking, I found a good location to hide from prying eyes and soon lured this inquisitive coyote within camera range, completing what I consider a near perfect morning.
As I drove home the words of explorer Randolph Marcy came to mind when he traveled through this exact piece of badlands in 1852.
“It is a forbidding land I doubt will be inhabited into the next century.” To some that entry might seem of a negative connotation. But to me I say…it is the land that shaped my life, and for that I am thankful…

 

[Doug Casner]

I used to hunt arrowheads up here in Mo. when I could walk. The only places I found them in was fields that had been worked to plant. No till did away with the rock hunting. Doug

 

[butchlambert]

I used to hunt arrowheads up here in Mo. when I could walk. The only places I found them in was fields that had been worked to plant. No till did away with the rock hunting. Doug

Doug, we have a couple draws on our property and we find some only very occasionally after a rain.

 

[Doug Casner]

I tried hunting the creeks and draws found one. I hunted worked ground after a rain. I dont have a big collection . I didnt pick up the broke ones. Got a couple of tomahawks some celts a few arrowheads. Fun sport. Doug

 

[Cecil S.]

The Arrow Head is a gem. Being broken make me wonder if it was a miss.....great stuff.

 

[jxb]

That's one good lookin dog and excellent photography.

 

[bobke]

Butch-have you heard anything from Wyman regarding West Texas fires or have you been affected by same? Be safe out there!

 

[butchlambert]

Butch-have you heard anything from Wyman regarding West Texas fires or have you been affected by same? Be safe out there!

The fires are in the panhandle and we are far away. I was most concerned for David Tubb as this is where the fire is located-Canadian, Texas. I think at this time Mike Bryant is far enough south to be out of danger.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

 

[butchlambert]

A note from Mike Bryant:

We are in Elk City will be heading home this morning. My Mother lives in Elk so spent the night with her. I was in the shop at about dark and Beverly came out and asked if I was concerned about the fire. Told her not really. There’s a wheat field west of us and a haygrazer field north of us that we had cut short and baled so not much fire danger there. I walked out of the shop and smoke was rolling over us. I turned the sprinkler system on and we loaded the dogs in the car. They were telling everyone to evacuate south so we headed to 83. It was bumper to bumper at 25 -30 mph. So took off on 592 and took the back roads to Texola and got on I-40 there.

 

[butchlambert]

Update from Mike:
When we got home, everything was fine here. We drove up on a hill and a neighbors house they were saying last night was close to the fire didn’t have any black around it , so his house was good.