Joys at camp?

If you have ever worked in northern Alberta, you are probably familiar with camp, in relation to work in the oil sands.  For all you other folks, it’s not hiking and camping in the forest with a fire and some s’mores.  I had heard some (horror) stories in the past, and was a little hesitant to live at a northern work camp because I can be such a picky eater… but this camp was actually pretty great.  We were assigned good, clean, private rooms, and there was a great variety of food to choose from.  The problem, which many will attest to, is that you are tempted to eat WAY too much.  And for me, they had two of my loves just there for the taking 24 hours a day.  Perhaps it was a good thing that I actually wasn’t there too long (gluttony!?)…

What are these loves?  Well, coffee and cookies, of course!  And now I have found the perfect mug, so that I can still have a free hand for checking out artifacts and digging in the dirt.  They make it for lefties and righties, too.  How clever.  Thanks as usual to swissmiss for leading me to notonthehighstreet.com.

New multi-skelly photosynth

A collection, for lack of a better word, of skeletons were excavated during the 2011 season of The SVG Public Archaeology Program.  After identifying “a few bones” on the surface, a second, third, fourth, etc. burial was identified in the course of excavation… and this was during our last week there.  This always seems to be the case, that you find great stuff on your last day.

There were very few artifacts recovered here, though one complete pot was recovered, similar in form though much simpler in design, to the “grave-y boat” recovered with an earlier burial.  But guess what?  There are more burials there that need to be excavated.  Wanna take part?  Join us!

Here is a photosynth of this group of burials.  Play around with it; you’ll see the progress of excavation, as well as some close-ups with excavation complete.  Disregard our toes! These are from work-in-progress photos.

Inspiration is for amateurs

You know it’s been a busy summer when… you’ve had very little patio time, your skin’s as white as snow, … and when you’re not up to date with swissmiss.  A little over two weeks ago, Andrew Zuckerman’s 99% Conference talk was posted.  If you’re not aware, Andrew Zuckerman is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker, who created Wisdom, a book/film/exhibition that includes interviews and portraits of inspiring “elders.”  As I’ve said many times before, I love being inspired.  As an entrepreneur, I need to be inspired; at least I thought I did.  What I learned is that inspiration is for amateurs.  Curiosity and rigour makes things happen, but most of all, what really make things happen, what has made this world rumble and shake, what has created change and instigated success is…

… hard work.

As Chuck Close says, “If you just get to work, something will occur to you.”  That is, something will happen.  In my case, projects like The SVG Public Archaeology Program are born.  Peanuts?  Maybe, but a start. As Bill Wither says, “You can’t get to wonderful without getting through alright.”

Time to get to work.

Andrew Zuckerman: On Curiosity, Rigor, and Learning As You Go from 99% on Vimeo.

Field finds – more than just dirt

A good friend used to say (when I had to make a decision), “Just throw it out to the universe.”  So sometimes, the universe tells you that you should, for example, enjoy being in the forest instead of trying to escape from it.  That’s what happened to me… I left the beautiful city of Vancouver because I didn’t want to work in the forest; I hated it.  Lo and behold, I can’t escape it, and I’ve learned that it’s actually not that bad!  So, time for another one of my mottos: “Find beauty in the everyday, even the smallest things.”  With that, here is a collection of photos of some of the things I’ve encountered in the field this past year.  Just for kicks, they’ve been photoscaped in sepia, i.e., various shades of dirt.

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Day of Archaeology 2011

July 29, 2011 – what were you doing?  You can find out what over 400 archaeologists around the world were doing, and answer some of those burning questions:

1. What do archaeologists REALLY do?  (My nieces think I “dig for worms and rocks.”)

2. Do they carry whips and guns, and wear funny hats?

3. Can I really get a job in archaeology (and survive)?

4. What’s archaeology like in other parts of the world?

What other questions do you have about archaeology?  Perhaps the Day of Archaeology blogspot can give you some clues.  If not, post your question here and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Hey, if you’re an archaeologist, where’s your post for the Day of Archaeology???

Bryan Adams, I wanna run to you!

Your villa, that is. I just found the most amazing picture of it on Elle Travel… I do tell people that the Grenadines are what dreams are made of, and this villa, this island – definitely in my dreams.  I hope to get there one day.

This is yet another teaser of things to see in and around St. Vincent. You should go.

Dan Aykroyd digs for dinosaurs?!!

I think people in general think that archaeology and paleontology are pretty cool, but it really takes a celebrity to bring positive publicity to a significant historic resource site, especially one in Grande Prairie.  No offense folks, but you’re not exactly a top tourist destination.  Maybe now you are, thanks to Dan Aykroyd, his wife, and their celebrity friends, which include Robert Kennedy Jr.,  John Goldwyn and Patrica Cornwell, all of whom joined a team of paleontologists at Pipestone Creek in excavating dinosaurs believed to be at least 70 million years old.  See the full article from the Edmonton Journal here.

Two things I love the most about this story, on top of the great work that’s being done out there by paleontologist Philip Currie:

(1) Robert Kennedy Jr.’s son wants to be a paleontologist. I truly believe if you expose your kids to all the world has to offer, they will find themselves… and their passion.

(2) Patricia Cornwell’s statement: “If we don’t really cherish and respect our past, no matter how long ago that past is, we cannot take care of the present or the future.”

So? Great story, now what? Bring your children on a dig, let history flow through them. Might I suggest St. Vincent?

Why did YOU become an archaeologist?

Recently, Ancient Digger compiled and published a list from real-life (!) archaeologists on why they chose their profession.   As she said, it certainly wasn’t for the money nor the fame!  I thought it was a great list and think you should all check it out… This one’s my favourite: “I love everything that’s old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine… but mainly the wine.” (@YorksArch)

As for me, if you don’t already know the story, here it is.

I thought I wanted to be a fancy suit-wearing, money-grubbing, corporate executive; hence the B.A. in Economics.  But, lo and behold, fate (and my credit card) brought me to England on my first field school, and life changed.  We had found a large chunk of clay with fingerprints in it – Roman fingerprints.  It absolutely amazed me that they were 2,000 years old. Needless to say, I gave away those suits and traded them in for cargos and hand-me-downs… I don’t regret it for a second!

To this day, I am still amazed at how stuff gets buried, and how amazing things are still being uncovered.  Take, for example, the burials we uncovered in St. Vincent.  Elsewhere, fossils, houses, skeletons, monuments, and the list goes on and on… Get on Twitter and follow some good folks; you’ll see how amazing it is!

 

Volunteer Archaeology in and around Calgary

Ok, so you’ve always wanted to dabble in a little archaeology but you’re not quite ready to take the big leap and go on the best dig ever (svgdigs).  Well, stay local and try your hand at a couple of volunteer programs around Calgary. If you’re an avid enthusiast, join the Archaeological Society of Alberta and keep up to date on all future events. Then, when you’ve got the bug, you can think about joining us in the Caribbean…

1. July 11 to 29, Bar U Ranch, near Longview, Alberta. Work on a real dig and get to enjoy everything Bar U has to offer. Open to the public, ages 15 and older. Contact Bar U Ranch for details (David: 709 533-3127 or david.saunders@pc.gc.ca)

2. July 18, Pine Coulee (west of Stavely, Alberta).  Volunteers may be involved in mapping and recording tipi rings, effigies and drive lanes, locating and recording erratics and cottonwood groves, photographing rock art. Contact Lindsay for details: lmamunds@ucalgary.ca or (403) 370-8467.

Social media musings on #smday

It’s Social Media Day!  To celebrate, I am providing you with my Top 5 finds today from Twitter and various blogs.

1.  My official Calgary Stampede nickname is Margarita “Doctor Release” de Guzman.  Ummm… comments? (Thanks @kuwindayyc)

2. 4000 people are officially “attending” Shag an Archaeologist Day.  That’s it??? (Thanks @diggingthedirt)

3. Social Media Day could not have happened without Mashable. Here‘s their article on how social media has changed people’s lives. (Thanks @mashable)  I have really enjoyed blogging and find it a great outlet for organizing thoughts and giving back to the world (yes, I like to think that the whole world is reading this). I think bloggers will agree that it gives you a sense of fulfillment.

4. “How do we help great ideas thrive? By understanding that we won’t know the outcome until we explore.” This is from The 99%, who strives to go beyond creating ideas, finding ways to make ideas happen. (Thanks NP of Platform Design for the tip!)  As an entrepreneur, I am always looking for inspiration. Get inspired!

5. Amber Rae‘s flow chart for making decisions (sorry kids for the F bomb).  ‘Nuf said – fabulous.

And… bonus #6! Love @ancientdigger for posting “30 Reasons Why You Should Become an Archaeologist,” though not everything applies in my case.  I’m betting that if you meet at least half of this criteria, you’d be pretty happy being an archaeologist. Notes: I totally agree with the love for Indiana Jones, #8 is key, I think that women get buffed too, and I think I’d prefer cocktails with my friends over watching archaeology documentaries… but that’s just me.