Dig Day 4

Sometimes it is the little things in life...in this case a plan for laundry! After getting filthy on the first day, and unable to scrub the dirt out of my old running clothes, I've decided to wear the same clothes day in and day out, and just rinse them off in-between.

Charles, the go-to grad student in charge of logistics, came up with a solution ... on weekends we will drop off a garbage bag of clothes and for 10 shekels (less than $3) they will be returned to us clean on Sunday. I doubt the running shirt I'm using will ever be clean, but I can hope for less smelly.

My task at the dig site was to clean the walls and make them look even and pretty. To take away all the loose dirt. Trouble (for me anyway) is the more I brush the clay loose dirt, the more it comes off. I can't seem to keep it even, nor can I keep it (and the floor) clear of loose dirt. I stink at the most menial of tasks. Meanwhile, I'm surrounded by rock stars. There is Connor who has done a lot of archaeology and always has a smile and a kind word. There is Steve, a man about my age with the strength and passion of the Energizer Bunny. There is Haley who is only 21 and prefers adults to people her own age. She is writing a story about those of us. We have more, such as Katey the high school chemistry teacher who lunches with my next door neighbor (yes, small world). Katherine who covers herself in white clothes that remain spotless and is bound and determined to leave Israel without a sunburn (she succeeded). We have our leader, Emily, who is a marathoner and a powerhouse. I'm testing her patience since everyone else is a major workhorse. All in all we are about 10. I'll try to count better tomorrow.

I've taken to setting up for Second Breakfast -- everyone's favorite time of day. David (the leader) picks it up from the Kibbutz and we work together to lay it out in an orderly and consistent fashion. This I understand.

I realized on Friday I seem to be the only one with a teenager and a husband at home. Most are undergraduates or grad students in their early 20s. A couple in their 30s. A few volunteers in their 50s and 60s (as I am two months away from 50, I'll include myself in that group). People get along, but there are clearly generational gaps. I am pleased when they choose music for all of us to listen to they choose the music their parents had them grow up on -- 80s music. Ouch! Yes, most are young enough to be my child. I mother them -- reminding them to stretch and drink water. 

On the end of Day 4 we took the shade cover off of the site. It was then, and only then, we all really appreciated the cover. It is brutal without it! The plan was to take drone videos of the site on Friday morning, as long as the drone is working. 

Alex, our photographer (I volunteered to assist him, but have not heard anything about that yet, and did not hear about that until the last week) had us hold white sand bags to block out the sun so he could photograph something before we . Not as easy as it sounds trying to figure out how the sun is slipping in. It was a nice break from work.

Things keep changing. Our section might be closing soon, unless we find something really exciting. The dormant one next to us (the only we nearly cleaned out on Day 1) will be opened and have a power team dig down fast. Obviously I was not chosen for that task.

I knew there was a lot of monotony in digs, but I was also promised there are a lot of jobs for all strength-levels. I'd like to learn more about the database powering this site and the technical side of things.