One of my favorite hobbies has always been collecting rocks and fossils. I always wanted to be an archaeologist when I was growing up, and it is still one of my favorite subjects. I have a lot of petrified wood and small fossils, but I can't take credit for this particular one. I think my mother-in-law found it and I inherited it when they moved. I believe she found it around the Glen Rose, Texas area, which is about 15 miles from here and is famous for it's dinosaur prints and fossils! They even have the Dinosaur State Park there, as well as a wonderful, drive-through nature preserve full of wild animals, called Fossil Rim. So, when I got to looking at this rock really close, I couldn't get over how much it truly looked like a fossil. It has "eye sockets", symmetrically placed on each side of what would be the head that are very similar in size, along with a very well shaped "beak" protruding from the "front". I have included several different photos from all directions, hoping that someone who knows more than I do can help me out.

If you enjoy rock collecting, Glen Rose also has a yearly Rock, Gem and Fossil show each year. I can remember being very small and going to it back when they held it at Oakdale Park, which is right across the road from a place called "Big Rocks". "Big Rocks" is a really neat place where there are these huge boulders that have actual dinosaur prints all over them. There is also a river that runs through there that you can swim in, although Oakdale Park has a very large outdoor swimming pool that is great for the hot summers we have here! The Rock, Gem and Fossil show is now held at the Glen Rose Auditorium (I believe that is what it is called) a huge, silver, state of the art building where they have everything from rodeos to concerts. Glen Rose, Texas is a really neat place to visit if you are into fossils, and they have some fantastic specimens to look at, just out in the open in their natural settings.

Granbury and Glen Rose are both also known for their Indian artifacts. We live basically at the base of Comanche Peak, where American Indians used to have ceremonial festivities. There are a huge amount of arrowheads and other things that have been recovered from this area. My grandfather's ranch, not too far from here, had an American Indian burial site on it, and some professors from a nearby university came and excavated it, taking all the artifacts and skeletal remains back with them for display at the University. I believe they said it appeared that the body was that of a warrior. I have always heard that you should never disturb the grave sites of Indians, as bad luck will come your way. This proved to be true for my grandfather, as he ended up losing his ranch and dying from a long and painful death from prostate cancer. Since I am a small portion Cherokee Indian myself, I believe in a large majority of the American Indian beliefs. I really don't know what caused him to decide to have this burial site disturbed. I remember it was at the very top of a mountain on his place, and there was a large rock on the north side of the mountain that had an arrow carved into it that pointed up to the top of the mountain. It was a wonderful place for rock and fossil collecting, and I was very upset that the ranch left the family, after a long and heated battle among all of the heirs.

Anyway, Perhaps someone can tell from my photos if this is just a cool "rock" or a genuine fossil! I am suddenly really curious about it. Thank you for looking!