If I had to sum today up in one word it would be "exhausting." Woke up and immediately got to work on some drawings while in my room. Around noon, the excavation director and I drove out to the site to draw a feature that needs to be removed in order for work to continue tomorrow. It was a challenge, to say the least. On Statia, the wind constantly blows from east to west. When I say "constantly", I'm not exaggerating...there is always a breeze every second of the day. Normally, the wind counters the heat of the day nicely. However, at an archaeological site with such fine soil, dirt and sand gets into everything...EVERYTHING. I spent a good deal of time removing sand from my eyes and ears, all the while laying precariously across two wooden planks suspended over this feature.
After successfully completing the drawing, we headed back to the Science Center, where I conducted my own archaeological dig to remove sand from my equipment and myself. Then, I was brought up to the St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research's (SECAR) building, which is located on the north face of the island's dormant volcano, called The Quill.
The view from SECAR is breathtaking and I couldn't take my eyes off the landscape, even in the midst of good company and conversation. What can I say? I'm distracted by beautiful things!
This pic really doesn't do the scene any justice. I took a panorama with my cell, and the distortion is crazy. The northern hills and cliffs (remnants of an extinct volcano) are MUCH closer than the pic shows.
Ate dinner and am in bed by 8 pm. 22 year old me would kick 40 year old me right in the shin.
On a separate but important note, our project is heavily focused on public outreach here on the island. This involves a gradual introduction to the islanders of what we're doing and how it affects them. Here's a brief press release that the island's government just launched:
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