DIFFERENCES: Way out west in Woodbridge CT.

I am taking a long drive with my wife, stopping and taking walks along the way. After two days of hiking in southwestern CT, the land of the Paugusett, let me mention some differences between here and "back home" in Middlesex MA. Come to think of it, examining differences between here and there is one of the main purposes of taking this long drive. I assume that there will be differences that reflect differences in the history of these places. So without further ado:

There are no large rectangular mounds with hollows. All I see are faintly rectangular outlines on the ground. I suspect these are one of the oldest forms of burial.

While looking for other photo examples, I was looking for outlines and, otherwise, would not have noticed this, in another photo (from Cockaponsett State Forest in MA)

A lesson in how you see what you are looking for (and miss it otherwise) is noticing the oval outline in the middle of this structure. Maybe this is a viewing platform and that inner "circle" was a place to sit? Also this is a lesson in how each little rock is part of the picture and should not be ignored.

Speaking of outlines, there were three examples of a small circle, that are not something I see back home [at least not often]. More on these later:

Anyway....back to the differences:

Everything I am seeing in Woodbridge CT is broken down. Also the piles are made from larger component rocks than the average rock component size back home. Everything being broken down qualifies this as a true "signal". These places are all old compared to Concord and vicinity. Back home we have old, broken down, large component, piles. But we also have many that use smaller rocks. The uniformity of the degree of damage, suggest this "older" southwest CT culture was uniform. In Concord and vicinity we have nothing but variety. The "signal" here in CT is pure and uniform.

Everything I am seeing in Woodbridge is relatively small. Nothing larger than 16 feet across. I am sure there are such thing but I would have seen some by now if they were common down here. 

And then, I am seeing a number of things (especially with Tim MacSweeney pointing out some things I would have missed) that are unique and unfamiliar to me. Namely: lots of "cup marks" in the boulders; a ziz-zag stone row, directly in a spring and heading down hill as a brook forms to one side; and a few suspicious dirt mounds that might not be modern. I'll cover these things more in later posts. But for now, some cups:

The beginning of a zig-zag:

A dirt mound in the background, suspicious because of the rock pile closer to the camera.

This is across from 485 Bethmour Rd in Bethany CT. Saw similar mounds elsewhere but did not photo, they were suspicious for another reason. [Somewhere between Rimmon Rd and the end of Osbourne Ln, possibly along Ford Rd, there is a pond with two identically shaped mounds, next to the pond. Later I was sorry to not have taken a photo. What was slightly suspicious was that there were two earthen mounds. If it was dumped sand, why have two? And why next to a pond? Suspicions but nothing concrete.

Other differences may have slipped my sleep-deprived mind.

Took 70 photos yesterday and about the same number on Friday. Lots more posting to do.