Hi everyone!
This morning Nancy and I were sweeping and getting the mosaics ready for final photography. She sprayed them down and then Dr. Schuler photographed them for reference. We all got to see the beautiful colors in them before she and I covered them with a fine layer of sand. This is to protect them from sticking to the felt-type material that comes next. I heard on the way down the hill this afternoon, that the material is waiting for us in the Forum. That's just down the decamanus and in the Haifa area. After the felt comes dirt. No one will know there is a mosaic under there and the mosaics will wait for Hippos / Sussita to become an official destination for visitors. I feel very honored to have worked on them and to have even seen them at all. Who knows when they will be uncovered again???
Speaking of the Haifa area, the whole forum is emptied out and that team looks like it will be done tomorrow. We will finish digging in the last 2 open squares tomorrow and that's all the digging we will do for this year. Before I forget, it was almost 100 degrees F today. The bus driver told the Haifa team that he couldn't come and get us until 12:30 today. So that gave us an extra 1/2 hour to work :O Dr. Schuler was nice enough to give us a rest break at 10:00 (20 MIN.)
Dan was working with Dr. Gimbal and Liz on a deep probe I think. I helped with the mosaics and then went to a square with Chris and then Nancy. They dug and I hauled buckets. That Chris, he fills those buckets to the RIM. I walk to the edge of the abyss and heave the dirt and rocks over. I did that for about an hour to an hour and a half today and I am whipped. I dug for about an hour, but kept running into tesserae. We save those so every time I put the turreah to the ground, there were 5-6 little tesserae. It really slowed the digging down.
Dan got overheated at about 11:15, so Dr. Schuler put him on the basalt bench by mosaic #2 under the shade cloth. He immediately went to sleep and was very difficult to wake up for the bus. He didn't even think he could carry his back-pack.
I skipped lunch today because I was so hot and tired I did not feel hungry. I rested and put my legs up in the cool airconditioning of my room until 3:00. Arnie and Linda came over and walked across the highway, just outside the kubbitz, to a restaurant. I don't know what the restaurant is called, but it has a fantastic menu. Daniel and I shared a filet minon kabob each and mashed potatoes. It was about $33 US but it was worth it. Then we each had a "designer" style dessert. His was called a balero and mine was a blizzard. Neither of us felt like eating at the dining hall for dinner tonight.
Dan missed pottery washing tonight. He is fast asleep in my room on the extra bed. He did make it to the Sea today, which is better than I did. After digging up all of those tesserae, I had to scrub them too. That's just not fair.
After pottery washing today I skipped dinner and went over to the gift shop at the fish restaurant to buy some last minute things before we head home. Shopping instead of dinner??? The tummy is still too full.
Dr. Schuler went over the schedule for the rest of the week after devotions. Tomorrow we finish digging. Thursday we get to clean and brush everything for final photos. This has to be done without shade since that equipment will be returned to the Haifa team. We return all of the large tools to a shipping container so the University of Haifa can send them back to their campus. Then we organize all of the Concordia tools and equiptment and store them in a condemned building at the kubbitz in what was the shower stall. :() Then we pack our personal stuff.
A special treat on Thursday, just before sundown (Darryl's idea), is to charter a boat and go on a short cruise to the middle of the Sea of Galilee. The "grown-ups" raised the money for that since most of the students are completely out of money. I know that Daniel will really enjoy that part of the day.
Please write and catch us up on what is going on in your lives. I would like to know who is reading the Blog. Write us at terryandtina12@aol.com
Stuff...
My sister De has won an award given by Maybelline cosmetics. She is one of 10 women in the United States being honored in New York in September and will be featured in Self Magazine in the September issue. She (as always) does not want to brag or gloat, but I am doing it for her. She is being recognized for her tireless work in returning books to the children of the Mississippi Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Way to go De! Sorry, it's not something that you should keep quiet. People will want to make sure to buy the magazine. (She said,"Wait until it happens.") "It is happening!", I told her :)) "I'm hitting the save / publish button...here goes, now everyone knows (snicker, snicker)."
Glenn went home yesterday. He needs to get home so he can go on vacation. :)) (We missed him at the back of the line of hikers this morning)
Well 3:30 comes too quickly. Love and kisses to all, T&D
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