Summer fun

I had a great Weekend.  D and I saw Jont at the Biscuit Eater in Mahone Bay.  It was a really intimate concert, I love when the performer can have a conversation with you off mike.  Jont has a really relaxed singing style and sometimes it feels like he's just having a chat with a group of friends.  He's a great host,  asking us if our meal was good, if we were having a good time.  I thought at one point he was going to pour us a drink.   Sunday I went for a bike ride with my husband J, and I haven't been on my bike yet this summer, so that was an adventure, good thing there wasn't any traffic.  I went digging at the Popular Grove site that afternoon.  I always learn something new every time I dig.  There always seems to be a puzzling question to answer.  Sunday evening J and I ended up going canoeing on Gaspereau Lake, the water was like glass, it was beautiful and an eagle sat up in tree and watched us the whole time.   In a couple of weeks I'm joining another dig.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Stay tuned.

Jont

The view from my unit 43E

Popular Grove Dig 2013

So I joined up with another Archaeology dig closer to home, this is a Planter/Acadian site at Popular Grove.  I had a great day!  Found some Planter ceramics.  The site is a mystery, and I love that.  When the Planters moved in they took over the existing Acadian home and built onto it.  They is definitely more fun to come.  Today, I got to work with a few members of the Thibodeau family whose ancestors lived on that site.  Public programs like that one are so awesome for that reason.  Helping people get in touch with their past.  They now become ambassadors of their own story and past it down to future generations.  Here are a few pictures.

There's me!

The Birds and the Breeze

I'm sitting at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, on a bench under a tree, taking in the beauty of it all.  I have time to kill before I head to my Thursday afternoon knitting group, at The Gaspereau wool shop.  It's a wonderful day for sitting outdoors, the breeze is cooler after last nights rain cleared the air a bit.   I stepped inside the Gallery on Main St. today to stare at a few of Alex Colville's paintings.  When we lose a talent such as his was, it seems more people become aware of it.  So now that I'm inspired,  you never know what may transpire.  I've finished my Oatmeal Pullover knit with Berocco Karma and now I'm continuing on with my Arc du Ceil sweater, knit with Noro.  Single ply yarns are cool to knit with because of the varied texture.  The piece changes with every stitch, throw in variegated colouring and it looks like a masterpiece.  There is not one person in my sight right now, more people should sit and contemplate I think.  The birds, and the breeze through the leaves, are very successfully drowning out the street noise.

Louisbourg Day 5

It was rainy at the site this morning,  we made a mad dash for the Yurt to cover our work, but it cleared up beautifully.  There were a few answered questions today and the investigations will continue after I leave tomorrow.  My highlight today was the boat ride with the underwater Archaeologist up to Louisbourg.  It's beautiful as you'll be able to see from the pictures. The water was calm and there was even a rainbow.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  I'm always a little sad to leave Louisbourg every year, but I'll be back next year.  I met some wonderful people, Parks Canada Archaeologists who are very dedicated, and I felt very privileged to have worked beside them and learn from them over this past week. 

The Yurt

Me

Louisbourg from the harbour with a rainbow

Heading back to town.

Louisbourg Day 4

It was a foggy day out on Rochefort Point.  We branched out chasing a few leads.  We found a wall and a trench feature.  Not a lot of tourists today because it was drizzling and overcast.  It's perfect weather for seeing soil color, patterns, and taking photographs.

Chasing a few leads

It was a foggy day we couldn't see the water or the lighthouse.

This is a photo taken yesterday of the Archaeologists working on site waving to the Underwater Archaeologists.  That's me in the white hat.

Louisbourg Day 3

Beautiful day at Louisbourg, the weather has been phenomenal.  Nice breeze out on Rochefort Point.  The digging was interesting.  It always gets most interesting as the day is winding down and you have to go home.  Unanswered questions are left for tomorrow.  I get to think over things this evening.  So many aspects of archaeology going on at the same time.  We have Experimental, Terrestrial, Historical, and Underwater.  I love the questions the public ask as they tour by our site.  Especially kids, they always have the best questions.  Getting them to hold something that you just dug up from the ground that's 300 years old, it really leaves a mark on their experience at Louisbourg.

Today's digging got me thinking about the way we perceive death and the way death was perceived 300 years ago.  I found a human burial, my first.  Although it is a common thing in the area where we are exploring.  It makes you think about how they died, how they were buried and who mourned that poor soul. There was more death in those times, but I imagine there being just as much grief, but maybe not as much fear.

Here are a few shots, the underwater team was busy looking for Lime Kilns that are present on old drawings of the time, but no one has found them.  Coastal erosion has them now underwater.

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Archaeology Rap session

A Wall...

Louisbourg Day 2

Another beautiful day at Louisbourg.  At our National Parks you can always see things that are unique because it is a protected area.  I wandered around a bit this afternoon, taking pictures and found some interesting vegetation and landscapes.  I may eventually discover the names of these plants.

Here is where I was digging today. 

The Battery

Replica of a Siege Tent

They are doing a bit of Experimental Archaeology.  These tents were used by soldiers at the siege sites.  There is a Parks volunteer that is staying here for two weeks, in the costume of the day.  He is living the life, getting inside the head of those soldiers to see how it really was. The volunteer says the worst part of his stay are the effects of humidity and insects.  They are trying spruce boughs and hay to see if it makes any difference.  The humidity and temperature is checked daily.  A lot of the writing of the day isn't specific, there are a lot of unanswered questions.  This is what is so great about Archaeology, finding the answers.

Louisbourg Day1

It is my 6 or 7 year at Louisbourg I haven't figured that out yet.  This year I'm volunteering.  The public program has been cancelled.  They have their 300 years celebration underway and it was a beautiful cool day in Louisbourg.  The Archeology team has been working out on Rochefort Point my favorite place to dig.  It's quiet, all you can hear sometimes is the scraping of your trowel against the earth and the surf hitting the shore.  Now that's a beautiful sound.  The Carrerot Property c.1720-1745 is the particular spot.  The house's double hearth can be seen.  It was also used as a burial site after 1745.  So some poor souls still remain there.  An exploratory trench was also opened up to try and find a stable area.  There is a period drawing of the property, which shows these features.  There was a lot of cool equipment being used Ground penetrating radar etc.  I could see out in the harbour the underwater team investigating.  In spite of all these distractions I was able to get some digging done.  Here are some shots...

The House with the Large fence is where we are concentrating.

 

Carrerot House

The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood

When I came across this book I had to read it just based on the title.  It was about the bonds of friendship that grew out of the struggles of life and knitting.  It was a quick satisfying read with a happy ending.  The author did capture the right feel when she wrote about knitting with a group of women (and men) and the meditative and healing properties of the craft of knitting.  No really it's true.  If you don't believe me pick up some knitting needles and yarn.  Actually I find when any group comes together with a common creative interest, you end up sharing a piece of yourself.  Those bonds are the hardest to break.