New Nat Geo video!

Video on one of the discoveries that was made in the Yucatan expedition i was on:


http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/latest-news/maya-zenith-passage-vin/

Foggy Work Morning

So I have a new job! I am working for a great company doing archaeology and graphic design... pretty much a meld of two of my most favorite things (besides caving - which i even got to do a bit of that too to check a cave on a sight). So far my time has been about equally split between lab and field. I got to spend all last week up in TN helping with a phase 1. On morning when we all went out into the field we were greeted with really thick beautiful but very cold fog. Walking out through it people would disappear and appear in front of you so ghost-like.... like the grand tree that kept us company.

Oldest Domestic Dog Found

This is a really interesting article in the realm of Archaeology/Anthropology

9,400-year-old dog found, earliest found in Americas

Cave Archeaology

Where I'm gonna be for part of this summer.....and where I was for 3 weeks last summer.

Phillips Academy - PA Archaeologist Awarded National Geographic Society Grant

Indiana Jones - You Are My Hero!

Tonight as the lights dim around 6:30 and the movie house quiets I know I'm going to literally be so excited that I'll probably squeal. I've waited for 18 years for Indiana Jones, the epitome of archaeology coolness, to make his appearance on the big screen once again.

The official Indiana Jones site is offering some really cool little icons here.

You are my hero Dr. Jones. And I refuse to be disappointed.

The Ghost of Christmas Past (Part 2)

This is an ornament Christin gave me ages ago in highschool.

And a little batty ornament.

Here are some more highlights of our wondrously nutty Christmas:

My Dad and I going incognito at Lowe's. (We did actually buy one of these buckets to put the live Christmas tree in.)

This is a doll that my Mom's Mom (Mimi) made for me long long ago. I can remember snuggling up to it on many a night. Mimi got sick and never was able to finish it. Poor kid had been partially bald for at least 15 year! She finally got the rest of her pretty blond yarn hair this Christmas!

Paul was a bit jealous so she said she would share - although she didn't really think blond was his color.

Ta Da! Isn't she cute?

Paul in his totally sweet Utilikilt. This was one of my big presents I got him. He didn't really say "I want a man-skirt for Christmas" he didn't even say that they were cool...but I thought they were pretty cool - Not to mention he's got some hunky-good looking legs and he can totally pull off a kilt with me hanging on his arm. (Just don't tell his Mom and Dad!) Go watch some of the Utilikilt Mockumercials - they are darn funny!

Here's my dad staring down Christmas super...

And here's his "Happy Plate."

And then there's the dog... in a pair of my clean underwear. Paul did it. They went directly into the dirty pile after this photo was taken.

My Dad at the Birmingham Museum of Art. We went to go see the Pompeii exhibit there. It was really spectacular. They had so much phenomenal jewelry and several walls of frescos. And then the plaster casts... very very eerie. But awesome! If you haven't seen it - I highly recommend going there. Its truly a once in a lifetime exhibit!

Here we begin the Alabama fried foods section:

This is the famous Mickey Mouse okra from Gibson's Bar-B-Que.

And then we have the Christmas ornament onion ring from Soul Burger.

Here you can see my Mom and Dad discussing the highlights of the Christmas ornament onion ring.

Look for both of these fantastic food icons on ebay very soon.

(Letterpress and New Years highlights coming soon to a post near you!)

Touching the Past

So I left off with Sunday morning at the Great Salt Petere Cave Preserve.


Andy had shown Jennifer and Angela some local petroglyphs Saturday afternoon and told us about it that evening. I really wanted to go see them. So Sunday morning before Angela and I took off for Alabama Andy took us over so I could view them.

Talk about touching the past. These petroglyphs are located on a little sandstone outcropping up the hill from a spring. Its wild to think how deep they must have been carved to have lasted this long in sandstone. They were simply fantastic.

Andy and Angela - patiently waiting while I took about 50 pictures...

Here's a close up of the book Andy was showing Angela and I - Rock Art of Kentucky. It that has a nice diagram of the Daugherty Bear Track petroglyph site.

This is the central "figure" of lines.

The circle to the left of the figure.

There's a bear paw print ont he left side - and an odd inverted "V" with another line to the right hand side. They aren't on the diagram, but I think they must be a part of the petroglyph too.