Drought Over? Don't bet on it!

A very hot, humid day in Whitney finally gave way to some light showers that produced a rainbow in the southern Hill county skies.
What a day of contrasts! An ominous sky filled with lightening and loud claps of thunder produced only a few light sprinkles. Maybe we are finally beginning to see a small taste of some much needed rain. However, I'm afraid that the drought we are stuck in is FAR from over. Pray for RAIN!

Felderhoff Drilling at Grace Lease

Have never heard of this drilling company, but if it's the same one that DTE is using to drill the Hook's lease units, then WATCH out!
Apparently these guys have been around for over 50 years, so they must be doing something right.

Amazing GRACE!

DTE Gas Resource's crew was pushing pipe tonight at the Grace lease in Whitney. Come on 'GRACIE', show us what you've got!

Can you say GRACE?

The 'Gracie' well is up in Hill county! I hope the success that DTE has had with the Hooks wells continues in Whitney with this major development. The Grace spud will give Whitney it's first well of the Barnett era. I am praying for a monster! It's about 3.5 miles NW of my property. (Photo courtesy of Kent Eubanks). Check the title link above the photo for RRC/TX info.

Forest Oil's Upcoming 3-D Seismic

Forest Oil has a 3-D seismic shoot scheduled for sometime in Sept-Oct. Aquilla Lake will roughly be the center of the action. The boundaries of the seismic (in white), are taken from a seismic survey map and are approximate, but not exact. If you own property within this area you may soon be contacted by the permit agent, if not already.

Blum, TX USA

They really roll out the 'red carpet' for you in Blum. No seriously, I love this small, quaint old Hill county town.
I believe that the city has let jackrabbit park his classic Chevy Impala ragtop right in the downtown area as kind of a 'welcome mat' gesture.

Click on the caption link above the photo for more about Blum, Tx.

Infinity's Taylor # 1-H Wellhead - Erath Co.

Denver driller's production up 60%
By DAN PILLER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Infinity Energy Resources of Denver reported Thursday that it has drilled 16 wells in the Barnett Shale natural gas formation in Erath County, achieving initial production rates averaging 1.3 million cubic feet per day.
"We're into serious field development," Infinity President James Tuell told investors and analysts. Infinity reported that its Barnett Shale production increased by 60 percent in the past three months.
The company says that it has permits to drill 30 more wells in Erath County and has identified up to 200 well sites, with emphasis on the southern half of the county.
Infinity has been one of several companies testing the western boundary of the Barnett Shale, focused on Wise, Denton, Tarrant, Johnson and Parker counties. Until now, industry opinion has been split about the viability of the Barnett Shale around Stephenville where Infinity, EOG Resources of Houston and other operators have begun to sink wells.
Tuell acknowledged that the gas yields from Erath County wells and those that Infinity is beginning to drill in Comanche County won't be as prolific as those in Johnson and Tarrant counties but that the Erath and Comanche county wells are shallower and less expensive to drill.
He said Erath County wells could be brought in for as little as $1.7 million, including fracturing and tie-ins to pipelines, versus $3 million and up for the deeper wells in the so-called "core area" of the Barnett to the east.

Forest Oil increases Barnett holdings in Hill and Erath Counties to 20K Acres

Forest Oil getting ready to hit Hill and Erath counties HARD!
Forest Oil Announces Operatorship of the Katy Field and Acceleration of Barnett Shale Program
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 2006--Forest Oil Corporation (NYSE:FST) (Forest or the Company) today announced two transactions which will comprise additional building blocks of Forest's 2007 capital program beyond the "Big Three" properties. On August 1, 2006, Forest assumed operatorship of the Katy Field, located in Waller, Fort Bend and Harris Counties, Texas from Exxon Mobil and, separately, executed an exploration joint venture agreement with a third party increasing Forest's current gross acreage to 20,000 in the prolific Barnett Shale primarily in Hill and Erath Counties, Texas.
Katy Field (52% Working Interest)

Barnett Shale (48-100% Working Interest)
Forest has recently increased its gross acreage position to approximately 20,000 acres in the Barnett Shale play in North Texas through the execution of an exploration joint venture agreement with a third party for its acreage in Hill County which covers approximately 14,000 acres as well as ongoing leasing activity. The acreage is located primarily in Hill and Erath Counties with 3-D seismic over a portion of the acreage. The first horizontal well in Hill County was spud in July, 2006. After this initial well and further evaluation of the acreage, Forest anticipates developing an active drilling program in this area in 2007.

Drillers plan to increase Barnett rigs

By DAN PILLER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Two major producers in the Barnett Shale natural gas field said Wednesday that they plan to expand operations in the field adjoining Fort Worth despite a slump in gas prices this year.
Devon Energy of Oklahoma City, already the largest producer in Texas and in the Barnett Shale, said it would add at least five more rigs to its current fleet of 25 drilling rigs in the Barnett Shale.
Devon Chairman Larry Nichols said the recent purchase of Chief Oil & Gas of Dallas will add 70 million cubic feet to Devon's current daily production of 640 million cubic feet. Devon has drilled more than 2,500 wells in the Barnett Shale and has expanded beyond its original base in Wise and Denton counties to drill heavily in Johnson County south of Fort Worth.
Operators have continued to lease and drill in the Barnett Shale this year despite a retreat in natural gas prices from highs of $12-$14 per thousand cubic feet late in 2005 to less than $6 per thousand cubic feet a month ago. The price has strengthened this week on the news of heavier demand from utilities during air-conditioning season, rising to close at $7.80 per thousand cubic feet in trading Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Devon President John Richels said the company has seen "encouraging results" from its experiment of drilling wells as close together as 20 acres, as now allowed under new Texas Railroad Commission rules. Under the old rules, wells had to be at least 300 acres apart.
"We were getting 2.4 million cubic feet of initial production from the 20-acre wells," Richels said.
Devon on Wednesday announced a 32 percent increase in its second-quarter profit, to $859 million, or $1.92 per share. The company has 137 rigs drilling in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, the Caspian Sea, China and the Gulf of Mexico.
Another Barnett Shale driller, Quicksilver Resources of Fort Worth, plans to add six new rigs to the 10 already working in Hood, Parker, Somervell and Bosque counties. President Glenn Darden said Quicksilver will drill 100 wells in the Barnett Shale this year, 15 more than originally planned.
Darden said Quicksilver recently brought in a well in north central Hood County with initial production of 5 million cubic feet per day. He said two wells spaced at 55 acres apart in southern Hood County recently had combined initial production of 6 million cubic feet.
"We're seeing consistent performance in our wells," said Darden, whose company has 285,000 acres under lease south and west of Fort Worth and has also built a processing plant near Granbury served by a 120-mile pipeline gathering system.
Darden said the processing plant, which opened late in 2005, will be expanded in capacity from the current 75 million cubic feet per day to 200 million cubic feet per day.

No Slowdown on Barnett Shale

Natural gas prices have fallen more than 50 percent in the last six months.
But you wouldn't know it from watching the new "Flex 4" drilling rig that EnCana Oil & Gas is operating in the Barnett Shale on a picturesque rise on the Bonds Ranch overlooking Eagle Mountain Lake northwest of Fort Worth.
The Flex 4, built and leased by Helmerich & Payne of Tulsa, has its own tracks that allow it to move around on a drilling site without the expensive and time-consuming process of disassembly and truck shipment.
The Flex 4 also has a hydraulic-powered "V-boom" that lifts pipe into place, eliminating one of the more dangerous tasks performed by roughnecks.
The new rig also has a state-of-the-art communications system that better controls both the drill bit and the mud flows as the drilling proceeds more than 7,000 feet into the Barnett Shale below the North Texas prairie.

Gerik Trust - Drill Still in Progress 8/5

Although seemingly slow, there was still activity at the Gerik Lease south of Aquilla on 8/5. Maybe it takes longer to drill a vertical well, or in this case a 'data' well. The only 'worker' I saw was sitting in the shade of a large umbrella on the platform.

High Above Gerik Trust

Aerial view of the Gerik Trust lease just south of Aquilla. This was taken before Aspect Energy set their rig back in June. Picture courtesy of Google Earth.

Barnett Thickness County by County

Article from Republic Energy, quite lengthy but lots of interesting info on the Barnett Shale thickness in the Fort Worth Basin, karsting and faulting, the Ellenburger and Viola formations and more. Click on title link above this map for more. 

Big Birtha's Local Diner in Blum,TX

An old picture I ran across, but well worth posting. Another local business begging for exposure on jackrabbit's website. Absolutely the best burgers in Hill county, or so I've been told. Corner of FM 933 and the 'main drag' in Blum, TX. Click on title above the photo for a link to jack's Blum Texas site. Lot's of good information resources about the Barnett Shale

BNSF headed into Rio Vista on Hwy 174

Freight train, freight train - goin' so fast......
I don't care what train I'm on, as long as I keep rollin' on.
Anyone out there old enough to remember that one?

Entrance to 'Gracie' lease site in Whitney

Well, it won't be long before DTE starts rolling in the heavy equipment to the Grace lease on HCR 1236. The night sky in Whitney will soon be aglow with that familiar string of 'Christmas tree' lights. Maybe we'll get a glimpse of 'oilfieldtrash' during the frac process. Man, this has been a long time coming. Let's hope for one of those 'monster' producers!

I'm GAME!

I had no idea that there were 'game reserves' around these parts. This one is located just inside the Whitney city limits off of FM 933 on the county road that runs next to the High school.
I'm not sure what kind of animals I saw. They ran before I could snap a good picture. I need a telephoto lens like Willie Kidd.

Whitney, TX USA

GO Wildcats! The caption above this photo doubles as a link with information about this small (but growing) rural town in southwestern Hill County Texas.

Gerik Trust Rig is UP - Ready, Set, GO!

Aspect Energy's rig is indeed up. The lights shine like a beacon illuminating the night sky deep in Southern Hill county. Let the drilling begin. Sorry about the picture quality, all I had with me on that hot day in July was my camera phone. Notice the water puddle near the front gate. Sadly, it hasn't rained in the Aquilla area since.

Update 8/4/06: DeeDee (Wilson) from NARO/TX board posts that there is still much activity at Gerik with the rig still up.

Gerik Lease Solar Controlled Gate

This is an 'up close and personal' picture of the gated entrance to the Gerik lease. The gate is recharged by the 'solar panel' that is seen in this picture.
Apparently Aspect Energy believes in going 'first class'. The gate was made by Apollo Gate Operators in San Antonio, TX. Info about Apollo is in the link above the photo.

Gerik Trust comes to LIFE!

Gerik Trust Lease - A bustle of new activity over the past several days. Picture courtesy of Diane (Dee Dee) Wilson.

Jack Be Nimble.....

It's amazing what you might run across in Hill county, if you look hard enough. There is even a special place for my friend 'jackrabbit' to cross FM 933.
Soon, you should be able to see the lights from DTE's Grace lease in Whitney almost directly behind this sign.

Gerik Trust - Bring on the RIG! 

Continued Work on the Gerik Lease site

Construction continues on the Gerik lease pad in southern Hill County. If I am not mistaken I believe that digging out the sludge pit will be the next step in the process. I will post additional pictures as work progresses. Also, I plan to take my digital camera next trip, instead of the camera phone.

Aspect Energy's first Hill County Drill

Aspect Energy filed a lease permit for this drill on Tuesday, May the 16th. This is a picture of the new road and cattle guard leading to the pad, which was already being constructed just 2 days later. The rig will sit on the edge of a beautiful cornfield just south of Aquilla on Ronnie Gerik's property.
This lease was filed as a 'vertical' drill, which should provide some good data on just what can be expected from this area which is located in the southernmost part of Hill County.

Proposed Pipeline for Hill County

The pipeline will run from north to south just to the east of the Whitney city limits almost to the Brazos River, then it turns almost 90 degrees east and runs below the Aquilla Dam. It then turns back north near the Vaughn cemetery and runs towards Osceola, or so I've been told. I only have a portion of the map that was copied and given to me. Sorry but my scanner wasn't working and I took a digital phot of the copy I had.
It is NOT Willie Kidd quality! 

Aspect's Proposed Pipeline Infrastructure

Scanner was on the blink so I took a close-up picture of the map with my digital camera. You can see due east of Whitney the pipeline will run north to south then near the Brazos turn back east. Notice the shaded areas are ROW's that are already leased.
This pipeline will enhance the infrastructure for a large part of central and southern Hill county.

Aspect Energy's Pipeline Proposal Map

This is a partial picture of the proposed pipeline in Hill County. This was all of the map that was given to me. I hope it can be seen well enough to see where it travels to and from. The resolution is NOT that great.

God Spilled the Paint!

This picture (courtesy of Susieque) has absolutely nothing to do with oil and gas, but I thought it was really beautiful and just had to share it. I get a very strong feeling it is nowhere near Hill County, Texas!

Lake Aquilla BEFORE the recent rains

Talk about getting 'down and dirty'. The lake was at it's lowest levels since it was completed.
We still need more rain, LOT's of it! 

2 -D Seismic Shoot in this area!

Seismic was recently completed by Aspect Energy in this vicinity near Vaughn. Areas around Abbott, West and Penelope were included on the 2-D shoot. Proposed pipeline may come close to this area and curve back west below Lake Aquilla dam before turning 90 degress and heading to east Texas and on to the Gulf coast area.

 

Jackrabbit's Blum 'Hideaway'

Jackrabbit's hangout in Blum. It's where Jack goes to relax, now that his lease negotiations are over. You came out smelling like a rose Jack. Not from here - from the lease negotiations! lol

 

I think this means YOU!

I recently saw this 'Welcome' sign off of FM 934 near Blanton.

Still Waiting on Seismic Results

A lot of seismic testing activity around the Steiner Valley ranch area in January. It's a safe bet that Trace Energy Services will keep their findings (just south of Blum) to themselves and provide the potential $$$$ details to only the Operator. 

EnCana Oil & Gas is VERY encouraged about Barnett Shale in Hill County!

This recent article, written by Dan Piller of the Star-Telegram, details EnCana's interest in the non-core areas of the Barnett Shale. It was taken from a recent webcast. EnCana plans to increase production by 20% in the Barnett and drill 200 new wells in 2006.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/13886276.htm

Which way to the nearest gas well?

I was near the Segar's unit off of 67 several nights ago, and had to get out and capture a shot of a sign pointing out directions to a couple of my favorite Hill county towns. The sign seems to be suspended in mid-air.

Willie Kidd's Hill County Survey

This link will take you to Willie Kidd's Hill County Survey.
Willie has created a digital picture commentary of past, present and hopefully continued future activity relating to the Barnett Shale. He has also proven himself to be an excellant freelance photographer, both of wildlife and numerous historical locations. Willie has hundreds of archived pictures. It is well worth your time! Check it out and ENJOY!
http://www.hillcountysurvey.blogspot.com/

Steiner Valley Area Seismic

Seismic equipment by gravel road near FM 933. Just a small portion of the seismic activity going on around the Steiner Valley Ranch area as you head south out of Blum towards Whitney.

Wildfire! No - Just a Beautiful Hill County Sunset

The sky was on fire this evening as I left my property off HCR 2125. I glanced westward and just had to stop to catch this gorgeous 'fiery' sunset. If you can't tell already, I LOVE sunsets!

Christmas Sunset on Barnett Shale

It just keeps getting better and better. I was out driving and saw this rig somewhere in Johnson County, with a beautiful sunset for a 'backdrop'. Just had to take grab the camera and shoot!