Chance Encounters

It's been a pretty quiet week - no big thunderstorms, field trips, or life-changing events.  I spent almost the entirety of last work week digging a small test unit (1x1 meter) - it just kept getting deeper and deeper, and I couldn't find any indication of sterile (sans artifacts) soil.  Alas, today my supervisor and I pulled out the big guns - a rock pick - and after some probing, he decided that it's probably an early kiva (circular subterranean structure).  So it looks like I have a lot of digging to go, but at least now I have some perspective.

I sit under this tree during lunch, and also occasionally nap.

This past Saturday was Crow Canyons second annual Open House Festival - visitors came from near and far to explore our reconstructed pithouse and pueblo, learn to throw an atlatl, and enjoy Chef Jim's delicious green chile stew!  It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to see so many families enjoying campus.  It's days like these when I realize that while I enjoy archaeology, my passion is also to teach and make research accessible on lots of different levels.  As many of you also know, I am quite fond of talking, and it was fun to get to chat with so many different people during the Open House as well.

Friendship dance with the Pow Wow dancers at the Open House

On Sunday I made an expedition to a local coffee shop, in search of some good coffee and a change of scene.  The coffee was indeed delicious (I had the Guatemalan blend, of course), and I had some time to catch up on letters.  I also spent several hours in friendly conversation with a local storyteller (Remember Lorenzo?  This man was like his PG counterpart).  Cortez is such a welcoming place.  The community, if not the landscape, is probably my favorite thing about the area.

Mom and Dad are due to arrive in less than 48 hours - I can't express my excitement!  It will be so much fun to show them around Cortez and Crow Canyon, and I'm especially looking forward to our expedition into the mountains: Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Rico, and Dolores.  The best part?  Each town has its own brewery!