Today we did another pit firing: Dig the hole, line it with rock, burn a fire down to coals, load the pottery, rebuild the fire, heat it to 850F, let the second fire burn down, cover the whole mess with a pile of dirt, leave it overnight. We didn't start with enough wood to raise the temperature to 850F, so we brought the saw along to make more. EDO has been running a saw professionally, so I turned it over to her while I did the swamping.
Yesterday we went to Range Creek (where VSO's pompom took up most of the space). The canyon is probably considered to be the most important Fremont archaeological site in the state. Researchers have found dozens, if not hundreds, of small granaries, generally located high on the canyon walls. I think they are difficult to notice, but VSO has an eye for them. She spotted this one (below, at right) from the road on the valley floor. Amazing.
Yesterday, I was walking the ridge above Bear Canyon in the Turtle Canyon Wilderness. On a small rocky outcrop at 9090 feet, I encountered a colony of hedgehog cactus. (I'm assuming it is from the genus Echinocereus, though I don't really know my cacti.) I found it beautiful, but odd. Why grow here, on a dry ridge above 9000 feet? Wikipedia has the answer: "In the wild, several of the species are cold hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as -23 C, but only in dry conditions." So there you go. The other living creature that caught my attention was the Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana). Flocks of this busy, noisy corvid circled and followed along the ridge, probably there to feed on (and cache) limber and pinyon cones. I finally found one sitting still long enough to capture it on film.
VSO has been cataloging artifacts at the Prehistoric Museum. The other day she sent me this picture of a piece of wood removed from a Fremont granary in Range Creek by an early archaeologist. We speculated about the origins of the artifact and looked at some of the literature from Range Creek. For the most part, researchers believe that Fremont builders used primarily Douglas fir and Utah juniper. But, how can they tell? What, for instance, is pictured above?
Yesterday, I made a run to the top of the pass above the canyon to see what was out there. Douglas fir, limber pine, big tooth maple, aspen, Rocky Mountain juniper, mountain mahogany, pinyon pine, Gambel oak, and Rocky Mountain maple. (I was surprised to see the limber because it is not on the range map.) I didn't see Utah juniper at that location. At any rate, it made me wonder if Fremont construction might have used a larger number of species than those listed and whether it would be easy to tell the difference between them. I collected pieces of dead wood to compare with the artifacts. This one (below) is pinyon. And it is definitely not the same as the artifact, which I will concede is most likely to be Douglas fir.
Since we sold 420 Grand in 2021, we've moved three times: Out of 420, Alice out of Harbor Circle, out of The Homestead. As part of each process we've hired storage units (four total over that period). Yesterday, we cleared the last of them. After selling a reasonably nice truckload of furniture to a local dealer for about one tenth of the price of the storage unit (above), VSO pointed out that the economics were unfavorable. It is true, but there are other benefits to storage: First, when it is time to close on the deal, you gotta get your crap out and sometimes you simply need a place put it. Second, when there are other family members involved, you sometimes need to wait to see what they want to keep before you dump the rest. At any rate, no more storage fees: We've moved, sold, or dumped it all.
Just on the outskirts of Blanding, or possibly even within the city limits, there is a small natural bridge. VSO and I went out there today and climbed up to it. Very nice. Unfortunately, its proximity to town means that it is crowded with loud people and loose dogs. Two of my favorites.
Today, EDO competed in the inaugural Bears Ears Marathon. She started just before sunrise in Blanding, Utah and finished a little under three and a half hours later in Bluff, Utah. The weather was nearly perfect: Bright and clear, but not hot.
This was EDO's second marathon. Last year, she finished 34th out of 154 at the Top of Utah Marathon with a time of 3:46. This year, she was 18th out of 94 in 3:25. Last year, she finished on the podium (first and only in her age group). This year, she finished on the podium as the second female finisher overall.
