Ever since I took archaeology (and studied Anthropology, really) I have been determined to locate my very own archaeological site. Whenever I am somewhere Nature-y I find myself doing what you might call "a foot survey"- which means I just walk around looking at the ground. Occasionally I pick up a rock that looks interesting, perhaps a triangular shape, maybe an arrowhead once banged out by an attractive and young Native American male - approaching his much anticipated rite of passage. Typically when I pull said triangular shaped rock out of the ground it is not triangular at all. In fact, I may have the worlds largest collection of non-arrowheads. (I did however construct an arrowhead once for a school project out of the
obsidian my mom, brother and I found in the outskirts of Mexico City - what's funny about that is that my teacher actually considered it a dangerous weapon. Very 1996. That is another story entirely)
During a "foot survey" of sorts yesterday evening along the snowy shore of Lake Donner I encouraged Jon to help me find ancient Native American fishing lures which are sure to be just
littered amongst the rocks. He walked up next to me and looked down and said "Ummmm...."
"They won't jump right out at you" I said, instructively.
After awhile I had picked up about 3,000 rocks that all had, what I considered, absolutely no level of archaeological importance. I told Jon, in frustration:
I'm looking at these rocks
and all I see are stone tools!
To which he replied: You'd be a very optimistic Native American.
And I have to tell you that that notion is really comforting.
