old days

just watched a special on Windover, which is actually very close to here--in the 80's in the middle of a proposed development, artifacts were discovered especially in a pond that had apparently been in existence for thousands of years. the newly discovered (as if they had been lost) Native Americans were called the Windover Culture and it was discovered that they had used the pond as a burial/entombment site beginning 7-9000 years ago where they would stake out the bodies so they wouldn't float, place things that must have been important to them, and then over the years, the tannic acid would preserve unbelievable amounts of remains. The archaeologists were actually able to not only discover brain tissue but brain tissue that had useable DNA, as did teeth, bones, bone marrow, etc. This was a large burial site but so far the scientists have only discovered one young man that died as a result of violence--apparently he was hit with a thin spear---thrown with a carved stick or bone called an atlatl(or woomera in Australia) that would increase the velocity and distance of the spear-- the researchers were able to determine that this young man died a quick death and received the same burial as others---i wonder if they considered that perhaps the young man died accidentally---hmmm--anyway, other burials included a teenager with spina bifida, which would have left the young person with perhaps an open spine, but certainly paralyzed and in constant pain---the scientists said that this debunked the idea that all ancient peoples would either kill such a person at death or allow them to die---also there were bodies of folks in their mid-60's-perhaps later--again, common belief was that older members of the group were allowed to starve or just die at the mercy of nature----now the big controversy is that some scientists think the dna proves that these people came from Europe instead of Asia---now that would indeed be interesting---so again the one thing proved was that we never know as much as we think we do
peace
-will-

Autumn

been a while since i've found my way here--Samhain has passed again, cool weather even in Florida, which means 40's and 50's at night and 20 degrees or so warmer during the day--of course, it will be colder later but i feel for friends and family up north or norther (?)--i guess the years in Florida and places like Australia made my blood thinner---ahhh, life goes on--should be working on old truck or triumph and maybe, just maybe this week, i will find enough energy to do that--it's been way too long since i've roared down the road in or on either---the triumph--well, the megaphones in exhaust pipes i fear are either missing or purposedly destroyed--no, not by me---a kind constable in Australia--where your exhaust can be no louder than 100 db's at 2000 rpms checked it as part of a mandatory "safety" test---since i don't have a tach, he hooked up his own and as i watched the tach approach 2000, the db meter climbed well over 120 and was still climbing when he had me turn off the engine at about 1700 rpm--he had me start it again and then called my attention to something in the distance and before i could look back, he told me to kill the engine--expecting the inevitable, but he smiled, pronounced the dbs were exactly 97, i opened my mouth to say something and he shook my hand and said, "Welcome to Oz, Yank"--no, i didn't flinch, though i never got used to being called a "Yank" --but i managed to return the firm handshake as he said, "Nice bike, that's one thing the Brits knew how to do"--I thanked him, a smile-"No worries, mate"- I offered to buy him something to drink or lunch--he smiled, looked down, finger to side of nose, "Uhh, no mate, I've got (smile became bigger) some real inspections to make--careful riding--bikes don't do too well tangling with roo's or emus."
I like Aussies--if i had a "bucket list," it certainly would include going back to OZ, especially the outback in South Australia and Adelaide--a beautiful city that at least then liked Yanks.
We just shared a Veteran's Day with them, even though it was originally called Armistice Day, and came to be called Remembrance Day in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.(WWI ended in 1918, "on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month"---though true to the way that war was conducted and the "peace accord" was signed, all the guns continued to blast away right up to that "eleventh hour" and in many instances past then).

peace (maybe someday we will find it)
-will-
peace