Gas Drilling

The Albert Straley homestead from the well-site.

Looking "up" at the well site from the house.

 Discovered last  weekend that a Marcellus gas well is being drilled on the old family farm that played such a role in my upbringing and my kids childhood.The thought of the money that is being realized from this is really secondary to the memories of growing up there. My Grandpa Fred and Uncle Albert farmed that land for at least 40 years, struggling to raise a family and feed the kids. They barely made it. The kids went on to successful careers and had successful kids themselves. Grandpa and Uncle never had a pot  to pee in and any left over dollars, and there were darned few, were plugged back into the farm. They managed to educate their children with college educations and keep food on the table. They would be shocked and pleased at today's developments. To think that something so far underground could be worth so much more than the things on top of the ground. Potatoes, corn and milk surely were not worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars. My emotions are very mixed about these developments, and I can't decide whether I'm for progress, or against it. So many good and bad things seem to be developing connected with this "progress". The ever present need for fossil fuels to run our industries, heat our homes and fuel our vehicles is making people money crazy. The profits must be huge to these companies that are spending billions to get this noxious and notorious gas out of the ground.

Sorry, but this makes a real mess out of a beautiful scene.

View from half mile away