Ashy Days

Alanna:  Camping is something that I have not done before, but I enjoy.  The rainy days showed me that camping is quite different than expected.  I really love having the chance to socialize with others since it makes us a closer group.  One of my favorite things is to play card games with everyone.  A group of us are pretty great artists with chalk as well and our artistic abilities have really bonded us in the first week.

We are serenaded about every day by Aaron and his mandolin.  And that is very relaxing.  Of course we cannot be camping without s'mores and a campfire.  So beyond our wonderful camp life I have been excavating on the gravel knoll.  We found the usual artifacts of our square such as pottery sherds, shells, and animal bone.  I also found a possible post hole feature in the corner.

With this it is safe to conclude that the square is not back fill from old excavations and it places our artifacts of fire-cracked rock, burnt shells, burnt bone, and burnt pottery sherds in a fire theme.  While shovel skimming we destroyed an animal home inside the square.  Inside the hole we found an old lemon Starburst wrapper and a broken plastic cup.  We also found a pile of ash which has a very different texture and is an exciting thing to observe.  Now that we have been digging a few days, we understand how to identify a rock from an artifact.  And the supervisors have done a great job teaching us.  All together, I really enjoy getting hands-on experience and learning about identification of artifacts and rocks as well as methods utilized while excavating.