Backyard Archaeology

When we decided to add a screened in porch to our house I'll admit one of my first thoughts was "Cool! Backyard Archaeology!" When the men arrived to dig the holes for the posts, I also thought, "Cool! STPs!" Shovel Test Pits, for my non-archaeologically minded friends.

Here are my seven "STPs":

 

They are each 16 inches wide, and three feet deep. The township has approved them for being filled with concrete.

The men hand digging the holes described the soil as rocky, too rocky to use an auger. To them they were just holes. To me, they were glimpses into life below. In the first hole I saw a piece of metal, and part of the sprinkler system the former owners installed and which we do not use. I hope they did not install it as a "selling point," but rather because they enjoyed having a lush, green lawn. Not wanting to damage the post hole, I begrudgingly left the piece of metal.

I then stuck my trowel in each mound of dirt wishing I had borrowed a screen from Newlin, as well as their Monsell charts. If I had realized the dirt would be around untouched for a week, I would have. I thought once we received the approval on Thursday that they would be filled the next day.

I also wish I had a metal detector. I did find two pieces of metal, which I still need to dry brush, as learned at Montpelier and other places. Mostly I found pretty rocks (a particular talent of mine), which I collected in a jar and will wash off and display in the new room.

The plan is for the screened in porch to be completed in seven weeks, six if you consider one week has already passed. We are still waiting for materials which were to be delivered on Friday or Monday. Don and I still have a lot of decisions to make -- many more than I would have thought for a seemingly simple project. Our biggest hold up has been a half-wall vs. full screen. We found a compromise.

We still need to choose ceiling fans, doors, and flooring before choosing patio furniture and other decorations. We opted to do some of the work ourselves to save money, but we don't have a timeline of when we need to paint the railings. 

Meanwhile, life continues.

Mounds of dirt. Various shades of 10YR and 7.5YR. Some very dark. Patches of redder dirt. Claylike with stones ranging from pebbles to large stones. Similar to what life is like digging at Newlin, but without the artifacts. No nails, which is another one of my super powers. I can find nails moments after someone in the know tells me there are no nails. 

Feels like fill. I know until the mid-80s this area was farmland. It has been a housing development since I moved to the area in 1988. It is where Don's family (Ed and Carol) lived before we found our house in January 2000.

After this project, I'd like to put in some bushes. Maybe I'll have better luck with those holes. I might even have a metal detector by then.