Tuesday, August 3, 2010





Thursday, July 29

Jonathon and I continue our work on removing the trench bridge. I tell Matt that at the rate we are going we will not get it all out by the time we leave on Friday. I suggest that we add more people but this is declined for practical and technical reasons. I suggest that we narrow the length that we are removing and this is done somewhat, though I know it won’t be enough.

The tension between properly sifting what we are digging and Peter’s impatience for progress continues throughout the day. As if to prove our point, I find another coin in the morning. It is the smallest of my now four coins (and it will prove to be the last). If we had been working at Peter’s pace I never would have noticed it and credit would have gone to the metal detector folks who are on site everyday sifting the spoils heap for things we have missed.

In the evening I discover that the college has cut off our wired Internet service. I go down to the main house to use the wireless, hoping to get more of this posted. While I am working, the folks at the Cathedral decide they need to practice their bell ringing and it goes on for more than an hour. Then the preteen girls choir who have moved in decide to do some practicing and they begin to clash with the bells. Finally the wireless Internet fails. I take all three events as signs from the god of archeology that I should start drinking and I go out and find the pub that the crawl is currently occupying.

Joining the crawl tonight are several of the Archeology Services people we have been working with for the last four weeks, including Peter. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up so I spend some time chatting him up. Peter is quite in his cups by this time and I finally get the nugget I have been looking for. With no prodding, or apparent reference to the topic then under discussion, he blurts out, “I don’t care about finds, I only care about cobbles!” There, I have it! It is as I have suspected for weeks!
At about midnight, the crawl prepares to move on yet again and I take my leave. There is still much work to be done tomorrow and a bigger party tomorrow night. Must Pace Myself.

About the images:

1. Tea Time on the second to last day and the crew is wiped out.
2. Jonathan & Michael discussing their next move.
3. & 4. Michael at work. (Thanks to Catherine Zagar for the images.)

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