For you Marcellus fans.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/pub/map/map001.aspx

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Today is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Burgess Shale fossils by Charles Walcott in British Columbia, Canada. One reason for their fame is that they are an excellent example of soft-bodied preservation of Middle Cambrian organisms.

http://paleobiology.si.edu/burgess/

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Here is a recipe I found on the web. The author (unknown) suggests that you serve it in a flower pot complete with gummy worms and artificial flowers. Sounds gummy, I mean yummy!

KANSAS DIRT CAKE

• 2 pkgs. vanilla instant pudding
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
• ½ stick of butter
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 12 oz. Cool Whip
• 1 pkg. Oreo Cookies

Mix the vanilla pudding and milk in a medium size-mixing bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Mix cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the vanilla pudding and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the carton of Cool Whip and mix until blended.

Line 9 x 13 in. pan with Oreo cookie crumbs. (I use 2 Oreo crusts and mash the crusts up with a fork. You need one crust for the bottom of the pan and one to put over the pudding mixture.) Pour pudding mixture into the pan and spread the rest of the Oreo crumbs on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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The good news, and the bad.

http://newsok.com/gas-reserves-hit-new-high-forcing-prices-downhill/article/3396324?custom_click=pod_headline_business

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Not much about energy but interesting if you like quartz crystals.

http://www.greatbasinminerals.com/Collecting%20Reports/Petersen%20Dig%202,%20Oct%2019%20to%2026%20Oct,%202007/Petersen%20Dig%202%20Report,%20Oct%2019%20to%2026,%202007.htm

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Oil development in an interesting part of the world.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=79700&hmpn=1

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Record low energy prices should translate into lower electricity bills. Consumers are realizing this is not the case.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125124404769158793.html

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The real winners are the pipeline owners, some of whom are paying less than $2 per MCFG at the wellhead and not passing this savings on to the consumer. My electric bill this month was the second highest I have ever had. Last month was higher. Even if Ultra Petroleum can find and develop natural gas for $1.10 per MCFG (a statistic that I find hard to believe) their profit is still low if the purchaser is only paying them $1.80 per MCFG (actual posted price, not NYM spot).

What do we do with the excess gas when there is no more storage capacity and sixty or more days remain before the beginning of heating season, and the liklihood of yet another warmish winter? My personal opinion is that we need to raise Alfalfa Bill Murray from the dead!

http://jubakpicks.com/2009/07/16/369/

Another energy producer.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/21/eco.algaebiofuel/index.html

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Oklahoma very much affected.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125106951994952269.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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Good news for the future of North American energy.

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2227

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Last week, Clematises were growing up the trellis on the south side of our house.  I took a few pics as my dog Patch looked on, wondering why I wasn’t playing ball with him instead of looking at flowers.

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     Last week, Clematises were growing up the trellis on the south side of our house.  I took a few pics as my dog Patch looked on, wondering why I wasn’t playing ball with him instead of looking at flowers.

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The temperature in Oklahoma this summer has gone from hot to hotter, with little relief in sight. Growing up in Louisiana, long before air conditioning, we used to keep cool eating chilled watermelon and home-made ice cream. I still like watermelon and ice cream but I’m older now and also enjoy an occasional nip. Here is a recipe for an alcoholic summer cooler I think you will enjoy. For the kiddos and you teetotalers, just omit the rum – it’s still good!

Okie Watermelon Cocktail

• 1 watermelon, cubed
• 1 cup water
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• light rum
• zest of 1 lime

Blend watermelon in batches, in a blender. Pour through strainer into a large container; add water, sugar, salt, lime juice and zest.

Pour mixture and about 2 jiggers of light rum over ice cubes and stir. Top with a lime wedge, freshly sliced strawberries and a sprig of mint. Enjoy.

Makes about 8 (12 ounce) cocktails

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“-perhaps the biggest gas field in the world.”

http://www.epmag.com/WebOnly2009/item44216.php

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Sometime back I sold a geologic prospect to a company in Amarillo.  They drilled the well, looking for a deep formation called the Arbuckle.  After setting production casing, they began testing the deeper formation.

Finding no commercial production in the lowest zone, they still managed to exhaust all their completion money.  They did have a zone up the hole that looked prospective, but they had no money left to test it.  They decided to plug the well as a dry hole even though I lobbied them to continue testing up the hole.

“If you like it so much, we’ll sell it to you,” they told me.

“How much?” I asked.

“It’ll cost us about fifteen thousand to plug it.  If you pay us that much and take the plugging liability, you can have the well.”

After taking a deep breath, I somehow managed to scrape up the fifteen thousand bucks and began thinking of a way to test the zone up the hole without bankrupting myself in doing so.  I began selling bits and pieces to my buddies and the largest share to an operator that saw things the same way as I did.  I ended up with a small carried interest in the well and my money back.

The untested zone up the hole was the Mississippi Lime.  The day finally arrived to perforate the Mississippi and fracture it with fifteen thousand barrels of water.  The operation went without a hitch; the well was soon making so much natural gas that it was rocking the frac tank catching the return water.

After making a rough calculation of how much the well was producing, I quickly began thinking about all the debt that I would be able to repay, the vacations that I would be able to take and the new cars I would be able to buy with my new-found wealth.  It didn’t turn out quite the way I planned.

Because of a title glitch in the ownership of the well, my override was disputed and put into suspense.  After five years, it is still in suspense.  Even though the well is producing primarily because of my efforts, I am the only one not benefiting from its production.

Well that’s the way of the oil patch!  You should never count your chickens until the zone you are testing is producing into the tanks and in my case, when and if you actually begin seeing some money flowing into your bank account.

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Traders, like detectives, search for clues to give them answers, but sometimes the minutiae is only that.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=ahN8mWQKX6Ig

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Oil supplies take an abrupt dip of 8.4 million barrels.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=aMMw6wmp.AtI

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Bill set to miss the Gulf.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

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Chesapeake accused of starting earthquakes.

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1539285.html

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We experienced the “Summer of Love” forty years ago, in 1969, along with Woodstock and the first man on the moon.  There was also Vietnam.  I had just graduated from college and planned to marry in August.  Before the marriage occurred, I sat my first oil well.

It was early July and I waited in Houston, Texas for my first assignment as a mudlogger with a company called Core Lab.  My new mentor was a degreed geologist named Ed M. and we were soon on our way to Mississippi.  The 60s in Mississippi were still racially charged and we had to peel off the Core Lab sticker from our company car before driving into the state.

Many in Mississippi thought of CORE as the Congress of Racial Equality, not an oil and gas service company.  Being from Louisiana, I was somewhat used to racism, but not even close to what I encountered in Mississippi.

My first well was a 17,500’ wildcat, just outside of Laurel, Mississippi.  Ed and I found a room at a local boarding house.  Ed liked boarding houses – he had married the owner of the last boarding house where he had stayed in Monroe, Louisiana.  I liked them too because I did not have a lot of extra money for the local Hilton.

The drilling rig was big and noisy, but I was not destined to see the well through its total depth.  Instead, I drove to Weslaco, Texas to finish logging a well drilling there.  I never finished that well either because Core Lab sent me to log yet another deep wildcat, this one near Talco in east Texas.

While young hippies were smoking dope, cavorting around with no clothes, and listening to rock music, I spent the “Summer of Love” on an assortment of noisy drilling rigs from Mississippi to Texas.  My boss begged me to sit a wildcat for him in Nicaragua and put off my marriage until later.  I thought about it, and the extra money he offered, but my bride-to-be would have none of it.

Five months later, I was married, drafted into the Army and training for a traumatic trip to Southeast Asia as a hired gun for Richard Nixon.  Yes, I missed the wild and decadent parts of the “Summer of Love” but I tried making up for it during the “Disco 70s.”  Maybe it is a good thing because I don’t think I could have survived both.

Eric’sWeb

Another player in an increasingly crowded market.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=79322&hmpn=1

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There are many fine restaurants in New Orleans, Galatoire’s Restaurant among them. I found this recipe for Shrimp Rémoulade on their website, galatoires.com. Check it out when you visit NO.

Galatoire’s Shrimp Rémoulade

Shrimp Rémoulade is in every New Orleans girl’s arsenal of favored dishes for relaxed entertaining. Serve this simple dish on elegant china and it is fit for a king- Mardi Gras or otherwise. This is our most popular dish and most frequently requested recipe. Bonus for the home cook: The sauce is definitely best made a day in advance and refrigerated, then all that’s left to do is toss in the shrimp and plate and serve. It’s a snap to make, yet it’s always impressive.

¾ cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)
½ cup chopped curly parsley
1 cup chopped yellow onion
½ cup ketchup

½ cup tomato purée
½ cup Creole mustard or any coarse, grainy brown mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, or to taste

¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Spanish hot paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup salad oil
4 dozen jumbo (15 count) shrimp, peeled, boiled, and chilled
1 small head of iceberg lettuce, washed, dried and cut into thin ribbons

Mince the celery, scallions, parsley, and onions in a food processor. Add the ketchup, tomato puree, Creole mustard, horseradish, red wine vinegar, paprika, and Worcestershire. Begin processing again and add the oil in a slow drizzle to emulsify. Stop when the dressing is smooth. Chill for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Correct the seasoning with additional horseradish, if desired after the ingredients have had the opportunity to marry.

In a large mixing bowl, add the sauce to the shrimp and toss gently to coat. Divide the lettuce among 6 chilled salad plates. Divide the shrimp evenly atop the lettuce and serve.

Serves 6

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Gas in storage moving toward all time high.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/ngs/ngs.html?src=email

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An interesting article.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=79226&hmpn=1

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“Cutting your nose off to spite your face.”

“http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=aNb81TzDKuPc

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More indication that the U.S. is lush with natural gas.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=79114&hmpn=1

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A very interesting article for a Monday morning.

http://geology.com/press-release/drilling-to-mantle/

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Welcome news for oil producers.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=a.iYx2FpVhsc

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Earlier, I told the story of my first visit to New Orleans, and to the Court of Two Sisters on Royal Street in the French Quarter.  Here is a recipe for Barbecue Shrimp (one of my personal favorites) that I found on the restaurant’s website.

Barbecue Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 48 large shrimp, heads on
• 4 tbs. Ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
• ½ lb. melted butter
• 1-cup water
• ½ lb. melted butter
• (DO NOT add salt)
• French Bread

 Procedure:

Select 48 (approximately 2 ½ lbs.) 16-20-count shrimp with heads on and place in a shallow baking dish large enough to contain shrimp in a double layer. Add water and one half pound of butter. Sprinkle shrimp with black pepper and cayenne and cover with second half pound of butter.

Place in a hot oven (375 to 400 degrees) and roast for ten minutes. Turn with a large spoon and roast for another ten minutes until shrimp are an even robust pink. Serve with extra loaves of French bread to mop up the delicious liquor created by the butter and roasted shrimp. Serves 4.

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A crushing fall in profits in 2Q 2009 has pushed Chevron to cut it losses.

http://www.epmag.com/WebOnly2009/item43175.php

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The answer to the question the entire industry has been asking.

http://www.chk.com/News/Articles/Pages/1314522.aspx

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Commodity brokers caught between the “here and now.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=aLAbVuzeFdCk

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Fewer disruptions this year in the GOM.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2009-08-04-hurricane_forecast_scaleback_N.htm

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Most small oil companies make far less than this amount, and they do all the work.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/107456/100-million-payday-poses-problem-for-pay-czar.html

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Steady prices encourages drillers.

http://investor.shareholder.com/bhi/rig_counts/rc_index.cfm

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Headed for an almost certain shortage in natural gas, buyers begin taking heed of the commodity.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=ahb.d2VtmuxU

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A good way for oil producers to start a Monday morning.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=a4TS0OFxDuto

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   I don’t know if I have put this picture up before or not, but it is my Grandmother Dale Pittenger. The picture was taken in 1918, the year before my Dad was born, on the banks of Caddo Lake near Trees City, Louisiana.

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My mother loved peanuts, pecans and popcorn and was always searching for recipes to use these ingredients. Here is one of her recipes for a dessert that combines all three ingredients. I loved it then and I think you will too.

Oven-Baked Caramel Corn

·        6 quarts freshly popped corn

·        1 cup unpopped corn

·        1 cup dry roasted peanuts

·        1 cup pecan halves or pieces

·        1 cup margarine or butter

·        1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

·        1 cup sugar

·        ½ cup light corn syrup

·        1 tsp salt

·        ½ tsp baking soda

Combine popped corn, roasted peanuts, and pecans in a large roasting pan. Melt butter in a large saucepan; stir in sugars, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil; boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in soda.

Pour sugar mixture over popped corn and nuts; stir well. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. Yields 6 quarts.

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