Amazing Weekend

My weekend started on Friday, and what a fabulous weekend it was! Lab and Field called out to us Friday and we answered with a resounding whahoo, but ended with a loud sigh followed by passing out from exhaustion before heading out again for the evening. I really loved working in the field. My group went out in the morning and got right in the trenches clearing the dirt and finding artifacts. I didn't find anything that would change what it means to be human, but I did find several pieces of pottery sherds, which I'll be honest, looked a lot like rocks to me (guess I don't have that trained eye yet). It was hard work being out in the blazing hot sun for hours, but it didn't feel like a super long time. We were working right out in nature and yes, I did stumble across a few critters--a precious little field mouse (so cute!) and a few lizards, and I regret to inform you that I did disturb a whole colony of ants, who truly did not appreciate me digging up their home. We came back in for lunch and then did lab work, which I regret to say I mind-slept through. My head kept nodding and I had a hard time focusing, probably because my tummy was full and I'd been out in the sun all day. The lecture was great, I was just struggling with sleepiness. I found I have a knack for dendrochronology, dating with tree rings. It was all about finding patterns in the rings, and I love patterns (haha!). I would not, however, want to be a dendrochronologist. That is a lot of sitting and monotony. Can't handle that. A second wind was a lovely reprieve as Jan, Marjie and I got a ride from Mark into town to do some much needed laundry and then to attend Becky's birthday bash (love the alliteration!) as Koko's. That was a blast. Becky is one of our educators at Crow Canyon and she is pretty much amazing (she lives on the Ute reservation and is a very talented artist, working mostly with beading and has a website http://www.onthebeadingpath.com/ you should really check it out!). I had the opportunity to chat with the interns (who are sadly leaving this week:( but we'll meet some new interns very soon!) which was a lot of fun. One of the girls had taken classes in forensic anthropology so it was fascinating to talk to her about her actual experiences defleshing human remains etc. (oh Bones!). She was awesome. Another intern, Tuesday (her dad was a big Lynard Skynard fan :-)) gave me loads of advice about what to see/do around here. I really enjoyed meeting those girls.





Saturday was a busy yet not so busy day. We headed to Durango around 10 and spent most of the day browsing shops, walking around downtown etc. I had some great food at the farmer's market (all natural beef sliders, and some awesome pizza with egg, basil and ham...I'm still dreaming about the pizza...). It's a beautiful town with a lot of character. Some of the group decided to get massages while others of us decided to just kind of chill in the pub. Later, we met for dinner at an amazing place called Ken and Sue's. Oh yummy! I had herb roasted chicken stuffed with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes over smashed potatoes. It was my first experience with goat cheese, and it was really quite tasty! Marjie is all about good food, so I told her I may never leave her side again (:-)) because she did a fantastic job finding the good food. After dinner a few of us went to Wild Horse, a western bar and grill, where we hung out, watched Marjie dance (she was the only one in boots :)) and talked (while I sang most of the songs...country girls can survive).







Despite our late arrival back to the Hogan Saturday night, we were up again on Sunday morning and headed out to Four Corners Monument and Monument Valley. I do not have the words right now to describe this amazing experience. It literally takes your breath away and for me it was a moving experience too. The Valley really proves how small we are compared to the vast and beautiful world we live in. We took our rental car (a Kia Optima) down the very bumpy dirt road (it didn't get stuck in the sand though, Jennifer and Molly; apparently the red clay is a lot more conducive to two wheel drive off roading than sand ;-)).



I loved that we went out, but it was a long drive and when we finally got back to the hogans, we pretty much just passed out from exhaustion.



Today we have a few lectures and then leave for Farmington, New Mexico! I am stoked. Tired, but incredibly excited to just experience everything! :-) Happy Monday Everyone!