Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Spring arrowhead finds: Part 2

     This is a continuation of my previous post from a couple of weeks ago.
  
     With plenty of free time to search, I decided to revisit some places that I had identified previously but had not found anything. One of these places was a sandy slope some distance from a lake. On a previous visit I had found some quartz chips. Dave and I went there on a nice afternoon determined to spend some more time. This was an interesting find.
     It is a stemmed arrowhead with a blunt tip. The tip was flaked deliberately into that shape. I am calling this a hafted scraper. I really like the material, a transparent smoky quartz.
     Nearby, something broken. Perhaps a piece of a knife.
     Not much to show for a fair amount of time spent in this place but better than nothing and always a thrill to make a first find at a new place.
     Dave and I also decided to give a second chance to another place not far away, right on a river. A previous visit had not yielded anything but the location seemed perfect. I found some chips and Dave found this broken tip of a very large blade made of a striped felsite. Tantalizing. I will be back for sure.
     On another day, I returned to a favorite place but walked for a long time before finding anything. I was thinking about giving up when I spotted this pretty triangle.
     The tip and one corner have minor damage but it is mostly there and nicely made. I like it. I don't find many triangles in this place, the people here seem to have preferred the stemmed forms.
      I went to another place but only found this grim little skull, from a bird I think. I find lots of animal bones on the ground in the spring.
         We got a good rain so I went back to the place where I had found that triangle. What's this?
     I like it!
     I really like it. It's thick, the quartz is glassy and fine-looking. I'm not sure which side is better. A good find.
     I spotted this poking out of the sand. I hoped the square end was the base...
     But, it's the tip. Or where the tip used to be, I should say. Broken.
     Walked for a while longer, and then... A whole one?
     Another lucky find! Just missing the very tip.
     I found a couple of fragments as well, all quartz. It really feels good to have a lucky day. The right place at the right time.
     I'm not sure just what it is about this particular point that appeals to me so much but I am thrilled with it. It's so pretty.
     Since these finds we have had very, very little rain. The ground is dusty and most places aren't worth searching, I have looked but found little. I am longing for a good thunderstorm.

3 comments :

Kierran Broatch said...

Awesome finds! We NEED rain.

pwax said...

Wow again!

pwax said...

You are right about that being a awfully nice point. How often is one that translucent? Museum quality.