JCE in pictures

2008 PF Flyer Crew

2009-01-19T19:52:00.003-05:00

My first year sailing, and I was welcomed onto a boat with an experienced crew who had been sailing together for three years. While this is the last year we'll sail this particular boat, we'll be racing again come spring. I'm the second from the left, getting ready to chase Edward to the bow. We were probably getting ready to take down the jib and raise the spin. We got an honorable mention in the yacht club's newsletter for being the most fashionable crew on the water that day, having worn our snazzy matching polos. (L-R: Edward, me, Amy, Artem, George, Dave, Brian, and Jim)

ALASKA, BABY!!!

2008-11-05T19:10:00.003-05:00

These are my friends Randy and Dave. They live in NYC and both have extremely boring jobs working for law firms. However. Dave is a theatre producer. He owns his own theatre called the Lil' Peach, and Randy's not so secret love (aside from theatre and Dave) is archaeology. In fact, I first met Randy on my last trip to Israel. I met Dave at their Halloween party later the same year.

Well, apparently Randy has parents. And they were having their bazillionth wedding anniversary. So when Randy invited me to go along on an Alaskan cruise to help celebrate, I really had to think about it.....for about 3 seconds. For those of you who don't know me that well, pretty much if I haven't been there and it's supposed to be fun, and you invite me, and there's food, lots of food, I'll go. (I say "pretty much" because I know people for whom qualifiers are necessary for their safety and those around them.)

This trip I was determined to not do anything educational or learn anything about history - too close to what I do for work. My sole objective: eat when I want, sleep when I want, and take lots of pictures. It is a vacation, is it not?

Since it's been a couple months since I took this trip (in August), I apologize if some of my facts aren't entirely correct. My memory is only so good after all. Be sure to click the older posts link at the bottom of the page to see all the photos. There's about 50 of them, so consider yourself warned.

One of the few pictures of Dave

2008-11-05T19:07:00.002-05:00

Because he was always behind the camera. The shadow was from his jacket which he very handily hung off the top of our table's umbrella to keep the sun out of our eyes. This was about 9pm my first and only night in Anchorage. The next afternoon we had a boat to catch.

Welcome to the Hyatt.

2008-11-05T19:06:00.003-05:00

I wonder if Goldie-locks saw something similar after she ate the porridge?

2008-11-05T19:06:00.001-05:00

Alaskan grafitti

2008-11-05T19:03:00.001-05:00

Got a blank concrete block wall? You need Alaskan themed cartoons!

These, or something similar, were everywhere.

Cook Inlet

2008-11-05T19:02:00.001-05:00

Something about a captain, a boat, and an STD? I don't know....

The last stop light in town

2008-11-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

View of Anchorage from one end to the other.

Mush, mush

2008-11-05T18:58:00.001-05:00

Hey, it's the closest we'll ever come to actually racing dogs across frozen tundra. Definitely not something on my bucket list.

(Iditarod starting line, 4th Ave. Anchorage)

What did I say?

2008-11-05T18:56:00.002-05:00

I told him not to call the 8-foot Grizzly an over-stuffed teddy bear.....did he listen?!?!?!

Bunny fur booties

2008-11-05T18:54:00.001-05:00

Specially sized for 3 year old feet....cute, and yet some how, kind of disturbing.

The Saturday Market

2008-11-05T18:46:00.001-05:00

A weekly event in Anchorage where you can purchase Alaska themed children's books, jewelry made from mammoth fossils, and salmon quesadillas.

The tunnel through the mountain

2008-11-05T18:42:00.003-05:00

The A-frame at the base of the big hill is actually the entrance to the one lane tunnel that goes through the mountain to Whittier where we boarded the Diamond Princess, our cruise ship. Every half hour a set of traffic lights, one on either side of the mountain, indicates whose turn it is to go. To my left, there were seven lanes of cars waiting for their turn-the van I was traveling in being one of them. The guy driving the van said he came to Alaska originally just intending to ski for a year and leave....six years later he's still there. He says Alaska is Colorado on steroids.

All aboard!

2008-11-05T18:35:00.002-05:00

The port of Whittier. A town where the grocery, post office and school are all in one high rise along with housing connected via tunnel to the port....or something like that. Apparently they get a lot of snow.

We boarded the boat via a terminal not unlike an airport but for one exception. It seems the people in line have no idea how to properly queue: Excuse me ma'am, but can you remove your enormous gut from my lower back? Repeatedly bumping me with your blubber is not going to get you on board any faster.

When cruise ship SNAFUs work in your favor

2008-11-05T17:25:00.002-05:00

My original room was an interior stateroom completely closed off from any pretty scenery. But because I got mistakenly double booked in a room with the nanny of a family of 20 (complete with poorly behaved children and adults), I got upgraded to a room on the bow with a view. Sweet! (Notice the flowers on the right: my bonus apology gift.)

The big deck

2008-11-05T17:20:00.002-05:00

When I wasn't in my room enjoying my little deck off the bow, I was in Randy and Dave's room enjoying their deck off the stern. It became the hang-out room because they had the big deck. It was here that we watched the glaciers go by. Yes, that's me in Alaska with my nose stuck in a map wearing my real-live-dead-bunny slippers (made from real live bunnies, except their dead....see it makes sense) the warmest slippers ever! Sorry to all bunny lovers out there, but when you're a country girl from KY with cold feet, any tasty little critter with warm fur is fair game.

Fun things on board

2008-11-05T17:14:00.003-05:00

Dave of course, found the theatre. All sorts of shows, movies, and presentations to be enjoyed here. It also served as one of the many muster stations on board should the Diamond Princess decide to pull a Titanic in the Pacific.

Then there's the hot tub. Nothing like a soak in an outdoor tub when it's drizzly and cold. (Dave took the picture).

Another of Dave's shots

2008-11-05T17:13:00.002-05:00

Very pretty so I had to include it. I'm actually not sure, but I think this was taken in College Fjord.

College Fjord

2008-11-05T17:11:00.002-05:00

We entered College Fjord way before the sun came up and I was one of the crazy few who was actually out of bed taking pictures in the pre-dawn drizzle and cold. My absolute favorite shot. The thing that looks like a wave breaking over the mountain is a glacier.

Leaving College Fjord

2008-11-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

I've never seen a cloud do that before.

On the way to Glacier Bay

2008-11-05T17:07:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite pictures of the trip.

Entering Glacier Bay National Park

2008-11-05T17:02:00.002-05:00

The only way to truly enjoy Glacier Bay is by boat. So you're either a hard-core camper/kayaker or you're on a cruise ship. On the way in we stopped to pick up a park ranger who mc'd the cruise through the Bay over the PA system: about an 8 hour tour. One of the better tours I've ever been on since you could come and go as you please, not miss any of the information, and order room service all at the same time.

The Marjerie Glacier

2008-11-05T16:53:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, we were 6 miles away when I took this shot. The glacier is 2 miles wide. The scale on this is almost impossible to comprehend.
The brown section of the glacier on the left is the dirt it pealed off the mountain on its way by. In all, we sailed passed three glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park. We even saw this one calve (when a chunk of ice falls off the glacier's face into the water).

ooh, look! Another Glacier!

2008-11-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Look fast....you might miss it.

Me, Randy, and his folks in Glacier Bay

2008-11-05T16:48:00.002-05:00

Marjerie Glacier is in the background.

The friendly neighborhood gull

2008-11-05T16:45:00.002-05:00

This guy was capitalizing on the fact that most people were enjoying the glaciers and their breakfast while seated on their decks. He performed several fly-bys to ensure no food went to waste.

Skagway: first port of call

2008-11-05T07:38:00.002-05:00

This is the bow of the Diamond Princess. My stateroom was in the front, just starboard of center.

Swim, Spawn, Die, Repeat

2008-11-05T07:35:00.001-05:00

On the way into Skagway I spotted these little tasties, measuring about a foot and a half a piece, swimming in the creek next to town.

Downtown Skagway

2008-11-05T07:31:00.003-05:00

An old mining town in Alaska now solely exists for cruise ship tourists. Behind me is the harbor, in front of me is the length of main street. The saloon in the foreground on the left houses a museum to all of the ladies of the evening that used to be employed there back in the town's more interesting days. I'm not a big shopper, so the fact that the ship spent the most time here out of the three ports of call, rather chafed.

The float through the Bald Eagle preserve

2008-11-05T07:24:00.002-05:00

So you're floating down a river looking at Bald Eagles and they make you wear all this protective gear. Back in my Montpelier days this much protective gear was known as "field sexy" - based upon the fact that decidedly different definitions of sexy exist based on certain situations. Here it should simply be known as "overkill". At its deepest point, the bottom of the river was 2 ft below us.

Subsistence living

2008-11-04T19:06:00.002-05:00

This village at the base of the mountain still survives largely off subsistence fishing. If they don't catch enough salmon during a season, they don't eat. Also, indoor plumbing is not a guarantee. You've got a 50/50 chance of having to use an outhouse while you're over at a friend's house to watch a DVD - the nearest movie theater is 2.5 hours away.

The Mail Wall

2008-11-04T19:03:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time while docked at Skagway, ships could pick up their mail from the wall. Each ship had a spike driven into the wall next to their symbol onto which the mail bag was hung. When they were in port, some lucky sailor got to climb the wall and retrieve the mail.

Dinner

2008-11-04T19:00:00.003-05:00

Always a dressy affair on the cruise.

Temperamental theatre folk

2008-11-04T18:56:00.001-05:00

One minute I'm smiling like an idiot holding a life ring, the next minute I'm being knocked off the boat. You just never know.

Thar be gold in them thar hills

2008-11-04T18:44:00.002-05:00

Panning for gold outside Juneau. I only found a few flakes in one of the three pans I sorted through. Even so, I came away with about a dime-sized collection of gold flake. A time-consuming yet barely lucrative past-time. However, the setting is beautiful. Notice the waterfall coming down from the mountain in the background on the right. Alaska has tons of those.

Whale Watching in Juneau

2008-11-04T18:36:00.002-05:00

Tis feeding season in Alaska, and some Humpback whales have figured out how to hunt in packs. It's called bubble net feeding. They blow lots of air into the water, virtually suffocating and therefore confusing the herring, and then while the fish are confused the whales can get large mouth fulls as they rise to the surface together. Thousands of pounds of sea-faring mammal all rising to the surface simultaneously...pretty impressive.

Fluke shot

2008-11-04T18:32:00.003-05:00

Not quite National Geographic quality, but close. We also saw a double breach - two whales jumping side by side out of the water. Didn't get it on film, but what a sight.

Humpback Whales

2008-11-04T18:30:00.003-05:00

Though we were supposed to stay 100 yards away (to avoid stressing the delicate sea monsters), the Humpbacks had other ideas as they followed the fish. When they swim closer to you, what can you do?

Whale Watching: Orca

2008-11-04T18:25:00.003-05:00

A special treat that only happens for about 10% of those on the whale watching tour, the opportunity to see Orca not just Humpback whales. Hmmm.....not nearly as exciting as seeing it in person.

You know you're a sea lion when....

2008-11-04T18:23:00.001-05:00

...your day is comprised solely of laying on the beach, swimming, and trying not to get eaten. This is outside Juneau right after we saw the Orca.

Welcome to Nowhere!

2008-11-04T18:17:00.002-05:00

You may remember this little town because of the bridge they wanted to build so they could more easily access their airport. For, like many towns in Alaska, there are only three ways in: airplane, boat or birth canal. So it's understandable they didn't like being the National laughing stock for something they saw as necessary for the development of their town.

Zip-lining through the rain forest

2008-11-04T18:14:00.002-05:00

My shore excursion in Ketchikan was to do an obstacle course through the temperate rain forest: 30-75 feet off the ground, zipping through the air, rope bridges, traversing logs at high altitudes = Very, very, very fun.

Creek Street

2008-11-04T18:11:00.001-05:00

Where you build when there isn't any flat space.

En route to Vancouver

2008-11-04T18:05:00.002-05:00

This picture will never do it justice - largely because I've never figured out how to take pictures on my camera in the dark without the image being completely fuzzy.

However, you can still make out the full moon reflected on the water off the bow, illuminating the cruise ship in the distance. Cool night, soft breeze, eerily lit sea....doesn't get better.

Sunrise at Lionsgate Bridge

2008-11-04T18:02:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Vancouver early one morning. This is what I saw from my deck. Absolutely gorgeous.

How much Is the penthouse with the 30 foot tree anyway?

2008-11-04T18:00:00.001-05:00

In July 2009, I met a Canadian architect in Greece who told me the tree on top of the penthouse represents the height the forests of Vancouver would have been had they not been cleared for development. Small world.

Oh, look! It's that bridge again.

2008-11-04T17:58:00.001-05:00

In Stanley Park.
Just around the bend is a monument to some Darwin Award winner who dived off a big rock into the water during low tide. Can you say squish? or is it kersplat?

The other buffet

2008-11-04T17:54:00.002-05:00

Don't let the casual perch on the rock fool you. He's about to move in for the kill. We watched several gulls as they plucked the pretty purple starfish from the shallow water. They then proceeded to gulp down the starfish whole. They would get all but two arms in before they would have to stop and let the morsel digest a bit before they could swallow the rest of it. I'm no gull expert, I'm just assuming. Ah....the beauty of nature.

Canadian Geese in Canada? How strange...

2008-11-04T17:53:00.002-05:00

Usually when I see them, they've flown south.

The Anthropology Museum

2008-11-04T17:45:00.004-05:00

The only educational excursion on my trip: the museum in Vancouver where we saw many objects made of wood. Feasting bowls (top) are used to hold beans, seal meat, or any other type of eatable that is required for mass consumption. Totem poles are used to tell the story of a family's lineage or to commemorate an important event within the community. They can be door posts or gates, indoor or outdoor. Totem poles are meant to deteriorate so that each new generation keeps the story up to date by creating a new one. Because of this, there are very few totems more than a hundred years old or so.

And so ends my Alaskan adventure. Keep reading if you've never seen my Israel blog, etc.
until next time....

The Fourth (and Final) Installment ....

2007-07-29T08:51:00.001-04:00

...of pictures from my trip to Israel this year. These pictures include my trip to Megiddo and Dor from last weekend as well as my trips to Kefar Qana and Beit She'arim from this weekend. I'll be home Wednesday and will begin showing off the 200 other pictures I took that didn't make the blog. I hope you all have enjoyed them.

The Triple Gate at Megiddo

2007-07-29T08:47:00.000-04:00

I can only assume the three gate system was to maximize the arrow shooting, boiling oil spilling fun that can be had from the top of a city wall against one's enemies. Of course, the old girl ain't as tall as she once was, but you get the idea. The tel of Megiddo was inhabited continuously for several hundred years throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages and after.

The Cultic Site

2007-07-29T08:44:00.000-04:00

Even though Randy is not a sheep and I'm not a priest, you get the idea of what occurred on top of this circular, stacked rock feature in the center of Megiddo. (No Randys were harmed in the taking of this photo)

Glad I didn't have to dig it

2007-07-29T08:41:00.000-04:00

Easily one of the most impressive things I've seen on this trip is the water system at Megiddo. To avoid the hassle of trying to get water into the city during a siege, the people of Megiddo dug a huge hole within their city walls down to bedrock (shown in picture) and then continued to dig just as deep into the bedrock and then continued to dig a tunnel equally as long through the bedrock to the spring outside the city. Fantastic idea, but like I said, glad it wasn't me.

Alternative Temporary Housing

2007-07-29T08:37:00.000-04:00

If when traveling to Israel, the thought of staying at a beach hotel bores you, you should try staying at the beach at Dor in one of their "igloo with jacuzzi". That's right, you and a guest can be only yards away from the spectacular beach at Dor and still enjoy a kitchen, living area and...a jacuzzi.

Kefar Qana

2007-07-29T08:35:00.000-04:00

Our rival for the "true city of the first miracle" contains several churches commemorating Jesus turning water into wine in six stone jars. This church is one of them.

The Catacombs at Beit She'arim

2007-07-29T08:29:00.000-04:00

A 3rd-4th century site, Beit She'arim is home to a series of large catacombs used to store the bones of the dead. Burial practices were such that the bodies of the deceased would be left to rot elsewhere and when only bones remained they would be placed in either a coffin or in the loculi (cut out spaces in the walls) within the catacombs. One of the most striking things about the catacombs is the drastic change in temperature; they are much cooler than the outside air. Also striking was the National Geographic employee (who warned us to be quiet because they were filming a documentary) who nearly scared me to death by saying hello and then poking her head through the curtain I was about to walk through to enter the catacombs.

Coffin in Detail

2007-07-29T08:27:00.000-04:00

Many of the coffins in the catacombs were decorated with animal or floral motifs.

The Warmest Chamber

2007-07-29T08:26:00.000-04:00

because of the window to the outside. Notice the three loculi in the back wall below the window.

The Third Installment...

2007-07-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

...in which I learned that everything of interest in Israel is up a hill. A steep, rocky hill...lots of sun....little shade.

Stepping into the Mikvah at Yodfat

2007-07-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

Yodfat is a 1st century village just west of Cana as you follow the wadi west along the northern edge of the Beit Netofa.

View of Cana from Nazareth

2007-07-22T11:52:00.000-04:00

Easier to see in person than in a hazy photograph, Cana lies just across the Beit Netofa Valley from Nazareth. A portion of the buildings within Nazareth are in the foreground.

Tel Dan

2007-07-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

The remains of the Israelite gate at Dan.

The Jordan River

2007-07-22T11:48:00.000-04:00

One of the tributaries from which the Jordan River flows begins at Tel Dan near the Lebanese border. It was very cold, so I only stuck a toe in.

Caesarea

2007-07-22T11:47:00.001-04:00

On the Mediterranean coast. The city from which the apostle Paul sailed for his trial in Rome.

Tiberias

2007-07-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

Resort town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Kinneret as the Isrealis call it.

The Church of the Bread and Fishes

2007-07-22T11:43:00.000-04:00

The church built to commemorate the miracle of the bread and fish is located near the sea of galilee. This mosaic is located in front of the altar within the Byzantine church. The rock above the mosaic is said to be a piece of the rock Jesus used as a table on which to perform the miracle.

Beit She'an

2007-07-22T11:41:00.000-04:00

I visited this site on Saturday. The Roman/Byzantine city is at the base of the Bronze/Iron Age tel.

Columns

2007-07-22T11:39:00.001-04:00

left in place after the earthquake that felled them in the 5th century. They belonged to a Roman temple at Beit Shean.

The Second Installment:

2007-07-13T06:10:00.000-04:00

This week's group of pictures show the sights approaching Cana, Cana itself and a little bit of what I saw on our field trip through the wadi to a site contemporary with Cana, Khirbet Beza.

Sunrise

2007-07-13T06:04:00.000-04:00

This is an Arab village we pass through every day on the way to the site. We stopped to take this photo just before we turned right onto the road that takes us into/through the village.

Sunflowers

2007-07-13T06:02:00.000-04:00

Sunrise over the crops in the Beit Netofa valley.

Cana

2007-07-13T05:59:00.000-04:00

from the floor of the Beit Netofa valley at about 6am. Cana is the small hill with hardly any vegetation in front of the tall hill with some trees.

On the west side of Cana

2007-07-13T02:16:00.000-04:00

...drawing a top plan of Square 30. We've discovered 3 walls, 3 floor surfaces, a plaster covered bench and a doorway.

The southeast slope

2007-07-13T02:14:00.000-04:00

Drawing a top plan for a square to be opened which contains some sort of feature that was carved into bedrock. At first we thought they may have been graves, but now it appears they may be associated with some sort of industry. Doug is carrying the GPS downslope to map something in.

The Breakfast Tree

2007-07-13T02:10:00.000-04:00

One of the only trees still standing on Cana. We hike down to it every morning about 9:30 to eat 2nd breakfast which is essentially lunch since we've been working for four hours by that point.

Cana from the west...

2007-07-13T02:08:00.000-04:00

...as seen from the wadi road. The olive trees in the foreground are relatively young.

Driving through the wadi...

2007-07-13T02:05:00.000-04:00

...west of Cana after a hard day's work. We are on our way to visit Khirbet Beza, a Roman village near Cana. I'm surprised this picture turned out as well as it did what with the road containing such large cobbles and me standing in the bed of the truck to get the shot.

The "olives"

2007-07-13T02:03:00.000-04:00

An olive press at Khirbet Beza. Randy, Helen, and Lauren are playing the part of the olives, and Randy is ensuring the oil and water is directed into the vat which you can't see in the photograph.

Olive Trees...

2007-07-13T02:02:00.000-04:00

...in the valley below Khirbet Beza. The thickness of the trunks indicates these trees could be up to 1000 years old.

Israel 2007

2007-07-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first installment of photos from my trip. I'm working at Khirbet Qana (the ruins of Cana) as a supervisor in the field and in the laboratory. Be sure to click the "older posts" link at the bottom of the first screen to see all the pictures.

The Players:
Doug--the dig director and Professor of Religion at the University of Puget Sound
Tom--a field supervisor and Professor at Centre College in Danville, KY
Barry--geologist from the University of Puget Sound
Gary--(aka Termite) 65, runs his own termite extermination business. Has no formal archaeological training but has been coming to Israel every dig season since 1970.
BW--68, volunteer and philanthropist extraordinaire
Randy--volunteer from NYC, works for a law firm
Lauren & Ryan--the newlyweds (as of last week). Live and work in the DC area. Lauren, Tom's daughter, for different media groups and Ryan, a high school teacher
Helen--high school student and Doug's daughter
Kim--working on her MDiv at Yale, no dig experience prior to this excavation
Liz--will start Master's in contemporary Spanish literature in the fall, former student of Doug's

My Little Hut

2007-07-07T07:40:00.000-04:00

It's one of four in its block. I share it with Liz who is from the Seattle area. I'm staying at Kibbutz Hasolelim which is about 6 miles NW of Nazareth.

The Beit Netofa Valley

2007-07-07T07:35:00.000-04:00

Looking south across the valley from atop Cana. The Beit Netofa runs east/west across a large portion of the Galilee. The little squares in the valley are hay bales that are approximately 4 ft. tall. Thistles are the primary vegetation in the foreground.
Barry is showing Doug something on the camera. Doug is setting up the GPS for the day. He takes all of the elevations and stakes out all the squares using the GPS. It's linked to a "mother ship" tripod on the top of the tell which in turn is linked to the satellites.

The Wadi

2007-07-07T07:32:00.000-04:00

Looking west from Cana is the wadi filled with an olive orchard. Every afternoon a really strong wind comes through this valley keeping us cool but blowing dirt all over us and into our eyes. Gorgeous view though.

First Day on Site

2007-07-07T07:29:00.000-04:00

Liz (left) and Randy (right) are cleaning Square 30 (5x5m) in preparation for this year's excavation. Liz is cleaning a section of the 2x4m probe that was excavated last season. Randy is cleaning what we're excavating this year. Liz has her gufa (rubber bucket) sitting on the base of a column that was found last year.

Our Little Friend

2007-07-07T07:25:00.000-04:00

This little guy came to see us our first day on site. He's only about 2" big, but he stopped to pose for a photo so I took one. Then he started toward my knee and I pitched him out of the square.

How Many Diggers Does it Take...?

2007-07-07T07:22:00.000-04:00

....to move a really big rock out of the way. This ain't no painted piece of Hollywood styrofoam, I can tell you that. The man standing on the right is BW Ruffner, the man who donated the money that funded my fellowship. If you ever see him, give him a really big hug.

Jish

2007-07-07T07:15:00.000-04:00

Jish (or Gush Halav for those who prefer Hebrew) is an Arab town about an hour north of Kibbutz Hasolelim. Just outside of Jish is the outcropping where Barry collected one of his samples.

The Basalt Outcrop

2007-07-07T07:12:00.001-04:00

Kim is helping Barry take some basalt samples from an outcrop just outside of Jish. Meanwhile, Gary and I went down the hill to his friend Wakeem's house and ate some really good watermelon.
The basalt samples will be used to either verify or rule out that portion of Israel as the origination point of the material used to create the roof tiles at Cana.

For Mr. Smarty Pants

2007-07-07T07:07:00.000-04:00

...and this is the rock I found today. An architectural fragment; either a lintle or a door jamb. We'll know more once its actually uncovered all the way. It's at least 11th century and may be as old as early Roman.

Flying to McKinnon, TN

2007-06-26T19:59:00.000-04:00

While I was back home in western KY, we flew my Dad's Cheetah down to McKinnon, TN for breakfast. If you look closely, you can tell I'm actually flying perfectly level at 3500 ft.

The field mouse that could

2007-06-18T12:37:00.001-04:00

On a 19th c. farmstead site just south of Fredericksburg, VA, a field mouse jumped into our well unit, which at this point was 6 ft. deep. You can see him, a little dark spot on the floor next to the wall on the right. Andy, one of the field techs that works for me, was kind enough to provide some scale.

Hanging out at the bottom, figuring things out

2007-06-18T12:36:00.003-04:00

Rock Climbing

2007-06-18T12:36:00.001-04:00

Making a bid for freedom

2007-06-18T12:35:00.001-04:00

Here he is just before he lept for the roots in the humus layer and scurried over the edge and back into the forest.

Heather and I

2007-06-13T07:34:00.001-04:00

Heather and I
Originally uploaded by Gossamer2007

At Wings on the Water, Fredericksburg, VA