Thursday, April 01, 2010

Artifact: Installment 3 Of A Series: Final Question

If you are still with me, let me apologize for the lack of videos in this post.

My Hughesnet internet service went down last night and I haven't had time to spend an hour on the phone talking to an Indian techie.



Here at school, I've had luck with only one video upload today ... the last of the series.

That's okay, but I wanted to show you the intermediate scraping that took place under a shed roof during the rainstorm that came up.



Still photos will have to do ...


Above is the artifact, still on the picnic table, just before the rains started. You can see that even with the clay adhering to it, a face is becoming evident.


Here is the face, cleaned up and removed from the matrix holding it to the disc below. I had this all on video of course, but arrrrghhhh!


The grooves that turned out to be ... fingers? ... were full of clay of course, but the handy screwdriver of science made short work of this.




Here are the two artifacts together with a ruler for a sense of scale.
This is after both were washed of clay film.




Above is a close up of the face.
Is it a face or a skull? I don't know.
The material is heavy, light colored where I nicked it, and coated with a strange coppery substance (copper colored at least ... who knows?).





A close up of the ... hand. There is a definite palm impression there, but only 3 fingers. I held it this way and that in different light situations, but I never saw more than 3 fingers.
It's very odd.





I tossed in this collage as a review of the past 3 days, plus one of my commenters said she could not see videos so I wanted to help her out a little.
There is no time order to the collage, it's randomly arranged.





The only video I could upload today turned out to be the final clip anyway, so I will let it close this unusual chapter of discovery and wonder.
Ain't life grand?





























29 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are absolutely NUTS! Can't wait to be your neighbor!
Lightnin

LibraryGirl62 said...

Was this by any chance near where the meteor hit last year around this time???

Thunder said...

I'm just trying to figure out how you'll appologize for burying momentos that your kids spent so much effort making back when they were children!
Oh the shame, the shame of it all!

Anonymous said...

Pretty elaborate for an April fools joke............

Anonymous said...

Hi FC,

Better start digging some more. You might find the body of a little alien man that got hit by last years meteor. Clearly he was hit so hard that it knocked his head right off. Even his hand covering his face couldn't protect him. Or he was carrying a big chicken and you've yet to find it. We'll never know.

P

robin andrea said...

Say these words to that extra-terrestrial face: Gort, Klaatu barada nikto. It will understand and know that you are its commander and long-lost leader! This is a very big find, FC. I'm sure all the news outlets will want to know about it.

debbie said...

I also think that they look like art projects that your kids may have given you years ago. So, is this a joke on us or a joke on you by your own children?

Dani said...

Hopefully there won't be any irate people like last year. ;)

Bill said...

Cool!

Billy

threecollie said...

I am thinking thoughts of PT Barnum as I think about how sweetly you sucked me in.

Cathy S. said...

State Bureau of Archaeology calling. Mr. FC, do you have a permit for these excavations. It is a very big fine to disturb human remains and it looks like you are in violation of many state laws. Unless of course, this is April 1 and then, we waive all fees. Not! Happy digging.

Sandcastle Momma said...

That's great! I have a cousin who used to see UFOs a lot and then they stopped coming around. It's obvious now that they crashed at your place.
Do you think they were in search of the Datils?

jean said...

Snort. You are too much. Mrs. FC is one lucky lady.

Pablo said...

So are you really making a shrimp pond, or was that part of the ruse?

Gin said...

You had me all along...one of those hook, line, sinker things.

lisa said...

That is so awesome! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Cathy said...

That's almost as cool as the Higg's Boson that didn't show up in Switzerland.

(Thanks to Three Collie for sending me over her :0)

swamp4me said...

Oh the lengths to which some people will go... ;)

R.Powers said...

Lightnin,
Even so, I notice you chose a safe distance.


Library,
I estimate about 100 feet from last April's meteor strike and about 250 feet from the oil strike about a year before that.


Dave,
I can honestly say, the kids had nothing to do with these artifacts. I will take a lie detector test on that question.


Angry,
I've really gotta google this April Fool concept. It is foreign to me.

Patio,
Well, I think last year's cosmic event was merely a small meteorite, not a vessel of any kind.
Speaking of chickens... we had a blessed event here today.


Robin,
You know, the press coverage last April was so intense after I found that still smoking meteor, I think I'll just keep this event between us.



Debbie,
Did I miss the punchline? Was there a joke someone told? My kids are all artsy, but they've never laid hand on these artifacts. I have them in the safe.


Dani,
I try not to ruffle feathers. Just trying to get by being quiet and shy in a push and shove world.
Oh, speaking of feathers ... Laya (best chicken ever) ..did good! News tomorrow.



Billy,
I owe any coolness to my association with certain high school chums and Ozzie of course.


3Collie,
I have always admired his chutzpah.
Dang, I hope that's the right word.
Miz S?


Cathy S,
Oh no. Not THOSE guys. They think they are the only ones who can find stuff.


SandMomma,
Gosh, Datils are barely known here, I can't imagine news of the best pepper in the universe has reached Alpha Centauri.


Jean,
She might debate that upon occasion ... like right now when I left the kitchen a big mess.


Pablo,
Ruse? Typo? Yes, I am determined to grow these shrimp. I have to make the best use of tanks I have, but I want to incorporate a lined, shallow pond too. This is more like a raceway, long and narrow, and rectangular.


Gin,
Hook, line, and sinker ... that reminds me, I really need to go fishing.

Lisa,
Are you an archaeology fan too? I think we all have a little treasure hunter in us ... a little Bob Marx and Mel Fisher in our soul.


Cathy,
WOW! It's been a long time. Welcome back!


Swampy,
I know. Just imagine the time it took for some ancient being to create these artifacts. Like the building of the pyramids, we are
left to ponder, Just How Did They Do That?

jojo said...

all day i wanted to come see whaat you were up to alllll daaay! i had a doooozy of one too. but through it all, elbow deep in goat ( you figure ) and i really kept thinking what is FC up to for his april fools day!!!!

love it. :)

SophieMae said...

Ya know, we still refer to you as 'the oil baron' around here. You had me for about 2 secconds, then it hit me, you posted this yesterday. HA!

Elaine W. said...

Hey FC,
Clever! March was officially Archaeology Month in FL. If you want to come for a visit and see how archaeologists really work - that could be arranged! We are over on the East Coast.
P.s. we have atlatals

Dani said...

*tapping fingers*

peep, peep.

R.Powers said...

JoJo,
Glad it was worth the goat infused wait! LOL!


Sophie,
Yes, I am living high on the hog from that oil strike. Teaching is just a hobby doncha know.


Elaine,
Welcome to Pure Florida!
Hey, that sounds great ... even without the atlatl teaser! :)


Dani,
Too funny chicken lady.
I have some traveling to do today ... Junior is going to an Arctic Monkeys concert and I am dropping him off with Emma, ... eventually I will squeak in thepeep,peep post.

Ericka said...

you're silly.

Pablo said...

Also, strictly speaking, those shells you unearthed would not be fossils since they hadn't yet turned to stone. And they wouldn't have been artifacts either, though the other items you turned up would be.

Freste said...

Jeepers,
If the shells and artifacts you unearthed were indeed "100 feet from...meteor strike and about 250 feet from the oil strike...before that then that adds up to about 350 feet. Didn't you document that this was precisely the number of footprints you observed leading up to the obscure hatch you're still digging up? Yipes!!

R.Powers said...

Pablo,
Okay, back to school for you. Fossils come in a wide variety ...
"any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, as a skeleton, footprint, etc. "
The Latin origin just means "to dig up".
Molds, casts, imprints, etc are fossils too, along with stony fossils like dino bones.
I am not, as some imply, a fossil.


Ericka,
What? What?


Freste,
Now you are pulling my leg. This is serious arcaneology here!

Freste said...

I know, I know. Just wanted to let you know I enjoy being on the witness side of your ritual cabalism.