So we are done with the site. Phase II complete... 20 units dug! Kinda crazy week. Beautiful, rainy, hot, and that was just today!
This site was messed up, it was an agricultural field, therefore it was plowed. It's a flood plain, therefore it has alluvial deposits. It also appears to have been bladed, or partly bladed, off, reducing our sample size. So essentially we had 20cm of disturbed soil to find stuff. But because of all the disturbance there is no vertical provenience. So we can't tell what's older than what.
Crappy site, crappy weather, but at least we were back to work! But I'm not so sure that we will be in the field again next week. The rain keeps coming, which keeps the rivers full, which means we can't work on them. So if I'm in the field I'll keep you updated, if not, I'll be back when we get back out into the field!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Hmmm, rain day?
Well, today started off slow. Everyone seemed tired, and HOT! I had sweat dripping off my eyelids by 8am... another humid day! The humidity finally gave into a sprinkle, with dark skies on the horizon. We eventually packed up our stuff when the thunder rolled in. After sitting in the trucks for 30 minutes we booked it out of there, mostly due to the fear of not being able to get out because of all the mud on the "roads". Seriously, like 12" deep mud! It's crazy out there.
When we got back to the hotel
a couple of us went to the mall to waste some time. On our way back we realized how lucky we were that we didn't stay out in the field. We could have looked like this guy getting back into his car.
When we got back to the hotel
a couple of us went to the mall to waste some time. On our way back we realized how lucky we were that we didn't stay out in the field. We could have looked like this guy getting back into his car.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Back to the grind
Today we started a Phase II just south of Coralville, IA. The site is just outside a gravel quarry. I mean JUST outside. We get to drive through the quarry to get to the site... and by get to I mean HAVE to, and by drive I mean SLIDE around EVERYWHERE! We opened 5 units today. They are in chest high grass, between a levy and a line of trees following a creek, which doesn't make for the greatest air flow!
Anyway, it was like 90 degrees and 100% humidity. It was horrible. Especially since nobody had any water!
My unit (and I think most of the other ones)is down to 30cm after one day. Unfortunately I don't think anybody has found anything... and it sound like we each might be digging 3 units this week. That's 15 units on ONE SITE!
It's gonna be another scorcher tomorrow, but I've got some water and sunscreen, so hopefully it will be a better day!
Anyway, it was like 90 degrees and 100% humidity. It was horrible. Especially since nobody had any water!
My unit (and I think most of the other ones)is down to 30cm after one day. Unfortunately I don't think anybody has found anything... and it sound like we each might be digging 3 units this week. That's 15 units on ONE SITE!
It's gonna be another scorcher tomorrow, but I've got some water and sunscreen, so hopefully it will be a better day!
Friday, June 4, 2010
We've got a swimmer!
So my puppy Fritz and I joined our friend Megan and her dogs Bailey and Buzz for a few hours at their cabin.
Meg had watched Fritz while we were in Boston last week. She told me how great a swimmer he is. Since he never goes into the water without provocation, I didn't believe her.
Turns out she was right! He swims like a bullet, if bullets swam... He's super fast! Today he also went off the dock. Not very well the first couple times, he pretty much just fell off face first into the water. After Bailey showed him how to do it a few times he finally figured it out!
I should have brought my camera, but I didn't even think about it. Oh well, I'll remember next time!
Meg had watched Fritz while we were in Boston last week. She told me how great a swimmer he is. Since he never goes into the water without provocation, I didn't believe her.
Turns out she was right! He swims like a bullet, if bullets swam... He's super fast! Today he also went off the dock. Not very well the first couple times, he pretty much just fell off face first into the water. After Bailey showed him how to do it a few times he finally figured it out!
I should have brought my camera, but I didn't even think about it. Oh well, I'll remember next time!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Let's Type Again!
Alright, so I took a year off. I think it is time to get back to posting, even if nobody reads this dribble.
So, a lot has happened since we last talked. I was laid off, had to find a new job, found a new job, had to move back in with my parents, and got a dog named Fritz!
I'm still an archaeologist, just working for a different firm, located well away from Duluth. It's in Cresco, IA, which is like 20 miles west of Decorah, IA. There are a bunch of cool people at work, including another guy from WI, one from MN, and some from IA. I'm sure you don't think cool people from Iowa exist, but I've met a few...
We have been working along the Mississippi River evaluating a bunch of sites for the Army Corps of Engineers (which was the final jeopardy answer today). Essentially we are determining if there is enough physical remnants to extrapolate any more data from the site. OR, we are looking to see if the stuff that is left (if there is any) will allow us to understand the site any better. Most of the sites have been pretty crappy, with little to no artifacts remaining, but we have found a couple that are really cool, even if they do have a bike path resting on top of most of the site!
Just got back from out East. Jeremy just graduated from Yale, but he can't find a job... educational psychology...
Anyway, that's a huge post! I'll try to keep it down next time, which I hope will be soon!
So, a lot has happened since we last talked. I was laid off, had to find a new job, found a new job, had to move back in with my parents, and got a dog named Fritz!
I'm still an archaeologist, just working for a different firm, located well away from Duluth. It's in Cresco, IA, which is like 20 miles west of Decorah, IA. There are a bunch of cool people at work, including another guy from WI, one from MN, and some from IA. I'm sure you don't think cool people from Iowa exist, but I've met a few...
We have been working along the Mississippi River evaluating a bunch of sites for the Army Corps of Engineers (which was the final jeopardy answer today). Essentially we are determining if there is enough physical remnants to extrapolate any more data from the site. OR, we are looking to see if the stuff that is left (if there is any) will allow us to understand the site any better. Most of the sites have been pretty crappy, with little to no artifacts remaining, but we have found a couple that are really cool, even if they do have a bike path resting on top of most of the site!
Just got back from out East. Jeremy just graduated from Yale, but he can't find a job... educational psychology...
Anyway, that's a huge post! I'll try to keep it down next time, which I hope will be soon!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
International Wolf Center
Drove up to Ely to visit the International Wolf Center. Turns out it was under renovation, but we still got to see their wolves.
It was pretty sweet to sit and watch them interact with each other. They look a lot like dogs playing. Grizzer, one of the wolves, was huge, I wouldn't want to run into a hungry version of him in the woods.
The pics are also on my Picasa web album. Hit me up if you want to see them.
After the wolf center, JC and I walked to the waterfall between Fall and Garden lakes. It was mostly froze over, but it was still pretty cool.
Then we went to an archaeological site I know in the same area. It was difficult to see anything with all the snow, so we gave up and made snow angles on the lake. Great day, but I don't think it will compare to our trip to Winnipeg in a couple weekends!
 |
| From Wolf Center '09 |
It was pretty sweet to sit and watch them interact with each other. They look a lot like dogs playing. Grizzer, one of the wolves, was huge, I wouldn't want to run into a hungry version of him in the woods.
 |
| From Wolf Center '09 |
 |
| From Wolf Center '09 |
The pics are also on my Picasa web album. Hit me up if you want to see them.
After the wolf center, JC and I walked to the waterfall between Fall and Garden lakes. It was mostly froze over, but it was still pretty cool.
 |
| From Wolf Center '09 |
 |
| From Wolf Center '09 |
Then we went to an archaeological site I know in the same area. It was difficult to see anything with all the snow, so we gave up and made snow angles on the lake. Great day, but I don't think it will compare to our trip to Winnipeg in a couple weekends!
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