BONUS: Monday, June 25th
Went in to The Speaker's House to dig for an extra day because a student needed to make up a day she missed, so I was supervising her. We first mapped level 6 (with its three features) of EU 107. Then we started excavating one of the features (the one that, of course, had rocks, because I am literally a rock magnet this field school...). We started hitting what we thought was a potentially new level so we stopped and instead went to work in EU 110. Here we mapped level 3, and then finally started excavating that.
Hours: 9:00 am to 2:30 pm
Overall Working Hours: 5 hours 30 minutes
Tuesday, June 26th
Excavating in EU 107 was confusing today, I must admit. I don't know if I was just having a really off day, but despite this, I think anyone would have been puzzled as we had three features in a level that ended up not being a level but four features which then turned into two features, then back to three features. Yeah, that sentence probably doesn't make sense, but that's literally what this was like. I also was helping someone who had never done any archaeology before, so I was also focused on watching/teaching her, so my mind wasn't just thinking about the structure of the dirt.
Additionally, my fellow interns and I (as well as the archaeology head and an archaeology intern, who didn't have to help us) took out the trash at Henry's, which included larger furniture pieces as this trash day was also a large item trash day. So, we had to maneuver a shelving unit that was stuck in a corner out to the sidewalk, as well as a trash can filled with asbestos, and a large closet/cabinet. The interns and I then went to Dewee's to take out the trash there too.
Hours: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Overall Working Hours: 8 hours 30 minutes
Wednesday, June 27th
Excavated the various features in EU 107. Thankfully, the confusion of yesterday did not carry into today.
Hours: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Overall Working Hours: 8 hours 30
Thursday, June 28th
Even though it wasn't a field school day, the interns and I were at The Speaker's House digging. However, as it rained hard during the storm the night before, the units were basically a pool of water, and even though they all had tarps covering them, EU 110 was flooded underneath the tarp. We bailed EUs 110 and 107-09 to dry them out before excavating. During this time, I gave a tour of The Speaker's House and it's property. Additionally, the interns and I painted some windows. Then I began digging in EU 108 (my normal unit, 107, was too damp to clean trowel). The other interns were working in the lab, cleaning the artifacts.
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Overall Working Hours: 7 hours 30 minutes
Friday, June 29th
Returned to EU 107. Continued excavating feature 173. Mapped and recorded relevant information for the new level (7), then started excavating it.
Hours: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Overall Working Hours: 7 hours 30 minutes
Saturday, June 30th
Sadly, today was the last official day of the field school. We started by back-filling EU 105 with dirt. Then I continued excavating EU 107. I started with level 7, found a new feature (178?) and therefore a new level (8). Made all relevant recordings, then started excavating the feature, followed by level 8, the latter with a fellow intern. We quickly found the start of level 9, but we were unable to make much headway. I unlocked Henry's for my fellow interns to give tours. I also helped map the profile of the eastern wall of EU 106. Finally, we finished the day by back-filling EUs 106 and 110 (EUs 107-09 will be worked on throughout July). As it was the last day, we took a group picture and then went to Dairy Queen for some much needed cold snacks.
Hours: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Overall Working Hours: 9 hours