View of Penzance

 

Pigeons at Falmouth Beach

Really proud of this one:

A personal anecdote about George Carter

 A personal anecdote about George Carter and the crude stone tools of Concord: I looked carefully for stone tools in Concord and had to learn the look of percussive flaking in order to know which rocks to pick up and examine closely. Arrowheads don’t just sit, lying on top of the surface. Instead, as small bit of percussive flaking may be all that you can see sticking out of the ground. Percussive flaking creates concave facets around the edge of a rock. Having learned this percussive “look”, I cannot unlearn it when I see percussive flaking in unexpected materials – like granite; or in unexpected sizes – like choppers weighing hundreds of pounds. This puts me in the position of thinking several things about stone tools which most people would dismiss. I don’t make a big deal out of it and don’t expect anyone to believe me. Yet, over time I have developed what I believe are legitimate statistical arguments about shape comparisons. Anyway, I was talking with one of the ladies from NEARA who knew George Carter and was planning to visit him. At the time, Carter was sick and near the end of his life. I am not sure this is a true memory but I believe I asked her to show Carter a couple of crude stone tools from Concord, to ask his opinion. And what I remember is that he thought they were “just rocks” . Too bad he is no longer alive to argue with. I think he was not familiar with igneous rock and parts of America where it was the only material available for toolmaking. Either that or I am kookier than George Carter!

Same scene, different weather

 Another nor'easter at Stoney

Quisset in early winter