i’m already trying to figure out how to stay here longer next year and i haven’t even left yet.

i spent the entire day in the office today helping to sort and label boxes as well as other random things.
just getting myself mentally prepared to go home and get back to my job i guess.
but really, it wasn’t bad at all. i had good company all day long.

aerial photos get taken tomorrow.
the dig is really over. its sad.
i’m pretty bummed out about it. i don’t really want to go home yet.

We had our last day out on the Tel today. The whole day was spent cleaning. Dust clouds of epic proportions and no shade but our Area looks pretty good.

Its my last week in Israel. Lo besedy. We fly back on Sunday.

Here’s a nice group shot of everyone on the dig from last week. (I look ridiculous)

we started taking down our bulk at the top of the square today. i love me some quality makosh (pick axe) time! we have tomorrow to get some serious work done on it. i’m pumped. we’re not really sure what we have up there yet.

going to Jerusalem again this weekend. should be a pretty good time. gotta find some marshmallows.

our 11th century surface has now become a late bronze surface instead. Jeff thinks we have a wall and a house up against the wall. i want it to be a wall so bad. i want to find a wall.

we’re supposed to go back to top of our square tomorrow and start taking down the bulk up there. Mike wants to go all the way back to the crusader wall. i want to know whats down there. i’ve been waiting to get back to the top of the square all week. i want to another hole. i’m tired of this trowling around pottery. give me the makosh (pick axe) dangit.

i’ve been watching pottery reading every day and i’m starting to pick up on some stuff a little bit.

bottle dog has returned after not seeing him all day. i missed him.

Tel Shoqet (which is now the location of a Muslim cemetery)

The Makhtesh (a giant geological crater) at Mitzpe Ramon

Friday

1. Ashqelon
2. Tel Irit (located in a random field by the road)
3. Tel Mefalsim (also located in this field a little farther in)
4. Tel Haror
5. Tel Halif (Modern Lahav)
6. Tel Shoget (now covered by a Muslim cemetery)

Saturday

1. Mitzpah Ramon (giant geological crater)
2. Avdat
3. Qumran (where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls)
4. Dead Sea

Sunday

1. Masada (we climbed up the snake trail at 6:30am)
2. Tel Arad
3. Tel Be’er Sheva
4. Qirbet Kayafa (this was a Safi group tour after we got back)

we’re still digging in the 11th century. we finally finished our 4th and final (also smallest) terrace today, only to start digging it down to ground level immediately after. while digging we started coming upon some pretty large pot shards including one big one that was broken into 3 pieces. these pieces are getting sent to restoration. so that’s pretty exciting.

i’ve have a particularly good past 3 days and today was by far the best. since we finally finished all of our engineering we were able to actually start digging for stuff. i love stuff. and we found some pretty cool stuff. i got to use the pick axe and dig a hole. that my friends is a good day. can i just say that i absolutely love my life right now and what i’m doing? i’m pumped.

oh and we found some copper wires the other day blended in with some roots in our 2nd terrace. basically, there’s a bomb under our square.

we’re heading south tomorrow for the weekend and we’re going to go see some pretty awesome sites.

as of right now we think the large stones we’re finding on our terrace are foundation stones. we found a bunch more today and might strip back our bulk later to get a better look at them. things are going really well with our square. our findings at the top of our square are lining up nicely with the findings at the bottom of the other new square that was opened opposite of us. i also found some pretty big nice pieces of pottery today. we’d just gotten started on our next terrace when it was time to clean up. so tomorrow we move a ton more dirt. in another square in our area an Egyptian Scarab was found today. Jeff said it looked like it was locally made. it was even found by one of the new dudes. we got like 8 new people on our site this week.

i’ve discovered i’m really good at digging holes. probably too good for my own good. i tend to get a little carried away and then i’m not level with everyone else…

my body was not happy with me this morning when we climbed up the Tell. my calves were screaming at me. i can’t wait for that hike to get easy. it will right? eventually? i hope…i stayed up a little too late talking with a certain Megan Dejmal (totally worht it <3) because i haven’t talked to her since i left so i’m pooped. long day of digging and not enough sleep. after lunch i came back to the room and laid in the middle of the tile floor with the AC blowing on me. i actually got cold so i came out here to warm up. seriously, i wanted to warm up. we’re going on a tour of Tell Burna today at 4:30 so no use showering before then and no way was i getting in my bed like this.