Ok - While we do occasionally do some silly things while up at the site (i.e. headstands on columns, rock bands in the apse, bowling in the street - see below, and have ribbon cutting ceremonies), it should be said that on the dig, the American team is actually compared to the military. People say Dr. Schuler runs his team like we are the army - it may have something to do with the enforced, "Water Break!" calls and the ever popular Schuler catch-phrase, "Get back to work!" So, while you may think we don't get a lot done, please do not be fooled. This Dr. Schuler character runs a tight ship... Here are some pictures from the past few days... 
I kinda had some crazy hair yesterday... 
Oh...and I may have gotten hit by a rock - but hey, we learned a valuable lesson - it wasn't a good idea to move the rock that way! 
Ok, time to pack and go to sleep...keep visiting, though!
Special Debut!
The rockin' new group The Strangled Cats* perform for the first time in Israel in the apse of our very own Northeast Church!
*Name courtesy of Dr. Schuler, who may have commented that we sounded like cats getting strangled when we sang. He's our biggest fan.
Just a tidbit:
A couple days ago "the boys" (Matt, Kevin, and Jon) and I went to Tiberias for a couple hours. On the way over, we were trying to learn some Hebrew words from the driver.
It just so happens that "banana" in Hebrew is "banana" and "avocado" is "avocado." Tomato is something different entirely and I can't even remember what it is, which is ok because I wouldn't know how to spell it out for you.
But now you know two more words in Hebrew.
Ok - I know I've been slacking a little bit the past few days on getting posts and pictures updated, but I've just been partly lazy and partly busy going into this last dig week.
I just want you to know that I do have more pictures and videos coming, so stay tuned at least through Friday or Saturday - I'll probably be doing some stuff at the airport while we're waiting to get on the plane.
Until then, it's time for bed!
Today we had a special celebration in honor of the finished street - complete with ribbon cutting and a parade! No elephants, though, which Kristina was looking forward to...
Only 2 more nights...wow.
In the drawing class I took to help "train" myself to do technical illustrations before my first year on the dig, my professor used to make me do what seemed like rather silly exercises to help me draw better.
There's a trick to drawing what you see instead of making it up or trying to fill things in incorrectly, and this is part of what I had to learn in order to do the kind of accurate drawings Dr. Schuler needs.
Some of the exercises Marko (my professor) made me do included drawing without looking at the paper, drawing with my pencil and paper actually behind my back, drawing negative space around something instead of the actual object, and even drawing a picture while looking at it upside down.
These things do help improve drawing skills, because it makes your brain focus on what the lines look like and how they connect to each other to make something instead of your brain trying to already "know" how it thinks something should look and encouraging you to draw from "memory."
Anyhoo - yesterday I decided maybe employing some of these different perspective skills could help with the drawing process...
Remember a long time ago when I told you about how we worship here? Sitting in yellow plastic lawn chairs on the beach? I just thought I'd give you a visual, and remind you to think of us when you are at church tomorrow, because it is about the same time we will be worshipping, celebrating the Feast of Mary Magdalene.
This is our "sanctuary."
Oh no, I haven't posted in two days! Have you missed me? I suppose I was just enjoying my weekend...or being lazy...or uninspired...perhaps all three!
So...here's what I did this weekend.
Yesterday a small group of us went to the coffee shop...
I had a milkshake...
We shared some fries...
And Jon and I played 2 games of chess - I lost both, but yes, I can play...
After dinner, some of us went back to the coffee shop for some wine...
It is beautiful, sitting there by the water with fun people.
Today, Jess and Dr. Schuler and I returned to the mountain to do some drawing. Jess at the mosaic, and me drawing the stones on the street. On our way down the hill...
We ignored the signs...
...so that Dr. Schuler could show us burial area and tombs on the other side of the barbed wire...
It has been a lovely day!
I need to set the stage a bit for this one...(you'll have to bear with the seeming random-ness of the story; just trust me that it all comes together in the end! And...I'm going to enjoy making this longer than it really needs to be, so read on!)
The first year I came on the dig (2 years ago), the team found 3 cisterns in the church (in addition to the one that had already been found). I volunteered to explore these underground water storage "facilities" but Dr. Schuler did not like the idea of just sending a student into the ground without knowing what they might find (I'll admit he was very justified in this concern). He said to me, "What would your dad say if he found out I let you go down a cistern in Israel?" To which I replied, "My dad bought me a motorcycle and paid for me to go skydiving for my 18th birthday, I think he would be disappointed if I didn't go!" (This is one of my dad's favorite stories from the first year).
I did get to end up going down the cistern. In fact, I went down with Dr. Schuler to map out the floor and the walls in order to draw the inside!
Random fact: While I was drawing walls in another room - the diakonikon - I might have thrown my pencil into the cistern (the one where gold was found nearby).
Year Two: Dr. Schuler told me that he would be excavating one of the cisterns - the same one I threw my pencil in - and that I would be part of the team that got to go down! Hoorah! he also suggested that we bring along headlamps to wear on our hardhats (makes sense, yeah?)
At school, I slept on the bottom bunk and had made a sort of "tent" for myself by draping a blanket under the top bunk mattress and letting it hang down. It was very cozy, but also very dark. So when I read at night, I had to use a small flashlight and I always complained to my lovely roommate that I needed to just get a head lamp so I could read without having to hold the light. Well, wonderful girl that she is, Stephanie bought me a present...a dinosaur headlamp that roars when it is turned on. Excellent.
Dr. Schuler said I needed a headlamp...I knew exactly what I was going to do.
I waited until it was time to go in the cistern. Dr. Schuler went down first, and while he was down there, I peeked over the edge and said, "I'm ready to come in, look!" When he looked up, I turned on the light - it roared three times - and Dr. Schuler stared, rolled his eyes, and lowered his head and started shaking it from side to side (I'm convinced there was a smile on his face and he was laughing). It was everything I had hoped for.
Since then, I have tried to convince Dr. Schuler to wear the light, to which he refuses. He went down the cistern once and said he had to go get his light first. I told him, "You can use mine, it works really well!" He said, "I don't care how well that thing works, I am NOT wearing it!"
Well...thanks to a little bit of photo editing and the assistance of Cameron Heiliger, who created this picture for me...now we all know "what might have been..."
(Dr. Schuler - I just think you should know that it wasn't even my idea to post this...)
P.S. I found my pencil last year - still sharp!
It was a good day to be involved in this project. In the chancel area of the church, under the floor, there is a tomb. The bones of the bodies had been taken out of the sarcophagus a few years ago when the tomb was first opened, and today Dr. Schuler returned the bones to their resting place.
He also placed two coins inside the sarcophagus: a 2007 penny, and a Minnesota quarter...just in case this ever gets uncovered again.
With a liturgy prepared by Dr. Rhoda Schuler - by adapting funeral texts from Greek Orthodox tradition - members of the other teams came and joined our team at sunrise for the "Rite for Reburial of the Holy Twelve."
Fragmentary remains of 12 different individuals were returned to their tomb. The anthropoligical report revealed that at least 3 of them were female, at least 3 were male, one was an infant, and two of them were very tall. I'm not quite sure what it all means.
The service was very nice...I have cut and pasted some clips for you to see here... And then the tomb was covered up again...
Everlasting be your memory, O holy twelve, our sisters and brothers in Christ, who are worthy of blessedness and eternal memory.
And here is one of my favorite images from this morning. The sun rising over the tomb area. Funny how this idea reminds me of another "son" rising from a tomb...
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