Still on vacation when I, in this case, chose my ring, we ended up leaving early since hail isn't the most relaxing weather when you are living in a tent. Luckily, before the surprise hailstorm, we were able to take a 3-4 hour hike around the campground. We were staying at the spillway beneath a dam, and though I don't know when or why, the campsite and surrounding forests are flooded at some point during the year and then the river is dammed up again, quickly lowering the water level and leaving hundreds if not thousands of small fish and animals on dry land. On our hike through what we ended up calling "fish forest," Brandon found the skull of a small animal. I'm not one who minds getting her hands dirty, but I definitely have a problem touching dead animals. We saw many dead fish...most almost completely dried out, with the skin still attached. It's what I imagine they would look like if they had been freeze dried. I had mentioned to Brandon that part of me wished the dried fish didn't disturb me so much, because they could be an interesting material to use in my work somehow. They were fully preserved, not rotting or anything, but I still didn't feel comfortable bagging up dozens of dried fish to take home.
Brandon found this skull, and because it was completely clean and sun-bleached, I decided to us it as a found object for Day 7 of my challenge.
The eye sockets allowed the skull to be worn in a number of ways. It is quite disturbing to place your fingers through the holes, but for me, taking this skull and documenting it in this way commemorates the life of this animal, giving it a better resting place than the "forest of death."
Day 7
Ring
Animal Skull
March 27, 2010
You could flock the skull! Is that a possum? Glad you had a little vacation.
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