American Spirit Renewed

Spirit renewed in a land where "One nation under God" meant something.

Old Glory rippled proudly in the evening wind, sun on her face, mountains behind beckoning those from distance lands to join and witness a sport that some may argue defines America.

As if trained to be in unison hats were removed and heads were bowed as the historical anthem was sweetly sung by a local rising voice.

An excited crowd waited in anticipation knowing that momentarily man and animal would seemingly become one as they race around the ring to showcase skills that seem to be innate.

It was a time where generations were defined by moments of greatness.

Around the outskirts of the ring banners of local supporters hung on peripheral rails as a sign of traditional acknowledgement.

A seasoned voice introduced each rider like a father proudly sharing the accomplishments of his young son.

With unwavering determination cowboys and cowgirls displayed skills that intoxicated the crowd for hours that seemed to pass by as minutes.

Each proudly wearing worn Wranglers, secured with a silver belt buckle, starched shirt, leather boots, and a hat.

One stood out, a simple man, face weathered, muscles cloaked by plaid, and the name of Jesus Christ embroidered on the collar.

As the sun set, events rounded up, winners were recognized, patriotic hymns filled the air space, and as if on cue, "Spacious skies" were illuminated by bursts of color.

Familiar words were then sung and eyes filled with tears. "Proud to be an American" took on a new meaning... Indelible images of our country's forefathers chilled the skin of young and old confirming what was meant by "Liberty and Justice for all."

Frankie

She sits studying the ground with years of experience guiding her expert eyes.

She carefully selects a fossil out of the organic dark gray overbank deposit and reflects on the historical significance of the ground below her.

She thinks about the movement of the Western Interior Cretaceous Seaway. Her mind jumps forward to the continental glacier melting back and thinks of the annual erosion rate constantly increasing.

Somber delta like deposits of brown and yellow layers, organic rich ground exposed. Thoughts of the KT boundary roughly defined by lignite deposits above the fossil line flood her head.

She grasps the fossil in her weathered, sun-burnt hands turning it over and over as though it were a prized possession.

She smiles, recognizing that it is a therapod metatarsal, a find that will help fill in the gaps yet lead to more unanswered questions.

She closes her eyes and is transformed back 65 million years...
She can hear him walking, toes gripping the lush land in search of a meal to satisfy his veracious appetite.

She wonders if he was aware that someday in the distance future, with the sun beating down her back she would collect a fossilized remnant of his existence.

His image goes extinct...

She opens her eyes re-enters the moment knowing that she must tell his story. The story of the 65 million year old, 3 foot tall therapod that was discovered in the Hell Creek Formation within the Foreland Basin. This mere realization makes the seemingly endless days out in the field completely worth it.

Toils of the geologist's heart

If only he could use his geologic tools to uncover the origin of this magnetic attraction.

His core drill and cryogenic magnetometer would confirm the origin of the long tender embraces, the late night calls, the endless declarations that echo in his head.

If only he could extract a small subsurface sample. He would cut through the many layers to reveal her angle and measure her difinitive orientation.

He longed to determine the strength of her proclamations.

He needed to confirm if her love was similar to the basaltic flows of Hawaii.

He was determined to eliminate any stray fields that may surround her inner feelings.

If only he could get a better understanding and make sense of all that he was experiencing.

Geology, despite its often uncertainty, now seemed to be more concrete then that of metamorphic love.

He agnonized hoping that her core was like an old internal, thermal remnant, where there may have been moments of chaos but after a period of cooling and realignment she would be a stable abnormally on the surface of his heart.