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Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Aquilla appears at Lowest Level in Years

Aquilla is in the same shape as ALL other lakes in North Texas. Remaining many feet below normal levels. The drought continues!
UPDATE: Friday's ominous weather brought strong storms and tornados to the area, but the rain most definitely raised the lake level. However, we are still far below normal.



Pray for RAIN!





Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Growing Infrastructure

Pipelines, flowlines, gathering lines.
The activity continues to develop. Saw these heading southbound out of Rio Vista on Hwy 174. Lots of pipe has aleady gone down in this area.


Why did the pipe go under the road? To get to the other side, of course. This line will go under Hwy 174. Not as much of a challenge as shoving ETP's 42" line under I-35.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Merry Christmas to ALL!

EOG Resources TAM Lease

Located on the W.R. Baker survey, 0.8 miles NE of Aquilla,TX.
Picture courtesy of Rex Falkenberg.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Go Cowboys!

Dallas Cowboy Defensive end Marcus Spears #96
Snagged an autograph from the 'big' guy a couple of nights ago at Walmart, while doing some Christmas shopping.
DE - Spears, Marcus
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 298
COLLEGE: LSU
YEARS: 2

Dale Resources, LLC


GET YOUR COLD HARD CASH RIGHT HERE!

A recent Dale Resources flyer for leasing city lot's in Ft. Worth. This was published several weeks ago, so it may have expired. Four-Sevens offered us $500 and 25% for our lot.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

FM 933 - Whitney to Aquilla

Go south from Whitney on FM 933 for approx. 8 miles. This is an aerial view. If you are familiar with the area, it's very easy to find. When in doubt, check out Mapquest and it will give you the best route depending on where you are coming from. (Map courtesy of Google Earth).

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Powerchutes - Look Mom - NO HANDS!

Powerchutes sailing through the evening skies just to the south of Blum, TX. Thought they might come closer, but they both veered southward and disappeared below the timber line. Looks like the perfect way to relax and forget your troubles, or view your gas well from above. I've seen a billboard in the Blum area with Craig McPherson's name on it advertising; 'Dreams Of Flying'. Is that you Craig?

J-W Operating's Craig-Davis Lease


The new road cut to the rig has the strong scent of a Christmas tree farm. Mountains of cedar trees were pushed aside to make room for this drill on HCR 1212.

J-W Operating's Craig-Davis Lease

Pallets of drilling mud additive.
















Old cedar post fence just down the road from the Craig-Davis drill.
















Make sure those motors are running smooth, and that drill bit doesn't stop turning.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Drill completed at Gerik Lease in Aquilla

It appears that the drilling stage at the Gerik Trust lease in Aquilla has been concluded. The rig has been disassembled, and I'm sure has found another temporary home somewhere in the Barnett Shale/Ft Worth Basin. This photo shows all that remained at the site as of Friday, Nov. 3rd.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Quicksilver's Binkley Lease (J-G Ranch)

Darkness moves in quickly just minutes after sundown on the J-G Ranch. The Binkley lease, on the J-W Crain survey is highly visible from FM 933, lighting up the night sky about 4.5 miles SW of Blum.
The Opus lease, on the Steiner Valley Ranch, is also being reworked. Northern Hill is once again a flurry of activity.

Quicksilver's J.G./Steiner Valley Activity

Quicksilver Resources is stepping up drilling again on the J.G. and Steiner Valley Ranches in northern Hill county

Woodrow-Osceola Water Supply

Lot's of activity taking place not far from this 'watering hole' in northern Hill county, according to the TX/RRC. I stumbled across this pump station while looking for J-W Operating's pad for the Craig-Davis lease. Not being familiar with the area I didn't see any activity, but I must have been close.

Cleanup on Segar's property

A little cleanup work on the Segars property near the junction of FM 67 and FM 3049, just out of Blum. (A.H. White survey).
Clarification: This cleanup was NOT done by J-W Operating, as originally stated, but was in fact done by the Segar's Farm Crew.
Sorry for the misinformation, and thanks to A.J. Segar's for clarifying this.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Aspect's Updated Pipeline Proposal (northern)

Northernmost section.

Aspect's Pipeline Proposal (southern)

Southernmost section of map.

Aspect's Entire Pipeline Proposal

Upper & Lower sections crudely put together. Aquilla Lake is the large V shaped body of water. Shaded areas below the lake are ROW's. The resolution and quality are compromised due to not being resized properly, but you get an idea of the layout. Click on picture for full view. (Map courtesy of Atexpal).

New activity at Quicksilver's Opus Lease

Saw this sign last night on FM 933, pointing down HCR 1145 LP N in the direction of Quicksilver's previously drilled Opus lease, on the Steiner Valley Ranch. I guess they are getting after it again.
*UPDATE - This sign was removed 10/21/2006.
*UPDATE #2- This sign was back up 10/28/2006, along with a Patterson -UTI rig sign. See photos above.

The old 'Peacock' Homestead

When my dad purchased this land in 1962, this old house was livable. Seems hard to believe now, but we spent several cozy nights here. Now in extreme disrepair, it is used as a make-shift barn, to store an occasional bale of hay. We no longer own the acreage the barn sits on.

End of the Line for HCR 2125

Aspect Energy's proposed pipeline will cross HCR 2125 only 1/2 mile past this dead end. This old overgrown roadbed travels east towards Lake Aquilla, and years ago went straight through to Peoria, TX.

Hill County Rainbow - Beautiful!

Snapped this picture last Wednesday afternoon following a much needed rain. I was parked at the Sonic in Whitney, and couldn't pass up the opportunity. You're looking NE from Whitney in the direction of J-W Operating's latest lease permit, the Craig-Davis #1H. Maybe there's a rig at the end of that rainbow.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

'Sideshow Bob' from 2500 feet

Quicksilver's 'Sideshow Bob' Lease location from about 2500 feet above. Blum, TX is approx. 3.3 miles to the southwest off Hwy 174, and Rio Vista is about 6 miles northeast of here. Photo courtesy of GoogleEarth. http://earth.google.com/

Injection Well or Maintenance Yard?

An updated view of what I believe is a Patman Bros. rig located about 2 miles NE of Blum on Hwy 174. I am not sure if this is a rig maintenance yard or an injection well site for Sundance Resources. There is another rig lying on the ground about 100 yards behind this one.

A Sign of the Times

The landscape certainly has changed over the last several years. I can't ever remember seeing this type of tanker headed down FM 933 during the past 40 years. However, with the heightened drilling activity in southern Hill county, it is quickly becoming commonplace. These guys are EVERYWHERE!

Shine on 'Harvest Moon'

There's nothing quite like a harvest moon to grab your soul, and lift it higher. We are ALL showered with blessings from up above.
Peace my friends!

Monday, October 09, 2006

Snow in Early October?

No....Picture of huge cotton harvest in Central Texas on our way home from Galveston last week. If you look close you can see an oil rig and gas well tanks in the distance.
Texas truly is 'King Cotton' country. Click on the text above photo for link to more info.

Coastal Pipelines

Snapped this picture at Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island last week.
Couldn't get away from reminders of what was happening much closer to home with the Barnett Shale.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

'Camels in the Desert' - Awesome Photo

This picture (courtesy of National Geographic Magazine) was recently sent to me in an email. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Barnett Shale, but I found it fascinating! Look closely at the photo. This is a picture taken directly above these camels in the desert at sunset.
It is considered one of the best pictures of the year.
Look closely... the camels are the little white lines in the picture.
The black you see are just the shadows!! Click the title above the photo for a link to National Geographic ENJOY!

Hill Co. Sun Sets on 'Sideshow Bob'

What a magnificant view. Sundown provides an awesome backdrop for Quicksilver's latest drill in Northern Hill county. The title above this photo doubles as a link to Quicksilver Resource's website.

Patterson UTI - Safety First 'ALWAYS'

Patterson - UTI's drill on Quicksilver's 'SIDESHOW BOB' boldly projects the theme of ALL drill's in progress....Safety is PARAMOUNT!