This one’s for you dear fieldcrew

It is good, but a little weird, adjusting to office life, after spending 11(?!) weeks in the field. You sort of forget how to sit down in a chair and type on this thing called a “computer.” You get confused by the switch in environments and are left wondering: where is my graph paper? where is my bucket hat? why are there no mosquitos here? how come i am so alone!?”

Well, the grass has grown over the back-filled pit and everyone has gone their separate ways (*cue violins*). I am missing many things about being in the field, mainly my fellow field-crew members (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE GUYS! this blog is for you)

This year we had a few volunteers (new and seasoned), a lot of visitors, a dog, a bumblee, and one solid field crew consisting of Shalen AKA Shale, Isaac AKA General Danger, Claude AKA ?, and myself AKA Chips, under the supervision of Dr. Kristmanson AKA The Boss.

Not being at PAV anymore there are lots of Things I miss, such as:
the beautiful view of the water, participating in the history of PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND every day, the feel of a cool breeze on a hot day, Bideford bootcamp (improv post-work workouts on red dirt roads), listening to Lady Gaga whilst cataloguing on rainy days at the KGH (King George Hall), carrying around really big guns (arm muscles), the sounds of a certain someone SCREAMING e-v-e-r-y time he found an artifact, uncovering the mysterious “poop” soil, bucket hats, plaid shirts, knives!, those days someone nice (usually someone named Dave or David) would stop by with a treat (H2O, strawberries, popsicles, muffins, etc.) and my dear friend Burt Reynolds whose daily presence at the site initially terrified, and eventually comforted, me.
(*Burt Reynolds the bumblebee, no relation to the actor).

Things I don’t miss: MOSQUITOS FROM MORDOR, weird sunburns, dirt in my eyeballs, the weather extremes (experiencing both freezing AND boiling weather), dehydration, the commute from Charlottetown to Low Point and back every day, the fatigue and exhaustion, thunder & lightning storms trapped at King George Hall, having limited will-power against road-side french-fries and ice-cream, an ear-splitting impersonation of Dolly Parton, SomeONE (ISAAC – I Know what you did last this summer) throwing rocks at me in my general direction while I walked the shore at lunch.

But you know, the funny thing is, I even kind of miss the things I don’t miss.

A day in the life

A day in the life of PAV 2011 Dig looked like this:

Good Morning: arriving at the site

The set up: rounding up our tools, setting up tents

Opening a new unit, removing the sod:

‘Digging’ with a trowel, a dustpan to collect the soil, and brushes to uncover

Take field notes, take measurements, record artifacts recovered, changes in soil, features found, etc…

Screening soil:

Water screening:

More digging, Hopefully recovering lots of artifacts along the way!

Time to tear down and pack up:

Homeward Bound: Mixed emotions

PAV June 2011

Here’s a slideshow of photos from the early days of the Dig this June.

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Pointe-Aux-Vieux 2011

Dear Blog,

I have not forgotten about you. I hope you have not forsaken me.
You have been patiently waiting, often nagging, at the back of my mind. After a long field season the excavation at Pointe Aux Vieux has finally come to a close, and I have returned to the city to sync back in to some resemblance of a ‘normal’ life. (Definition of a normal life: not living in a cavernous hole in the ground, covered in sweat, dirt, bugspray, sunscreen, eating canned fish…)

Back in the office, my first priority was to blog dust off my computer, chair, and desk that lay dormant all summer. Okay, so my 2nd priority was to upload and organize the massive amounts of photographs taken at PAV this summer and collect my thoughts and reflections on the Dig so I could update you, Dearest Blog.

I hope you accept my apologies and that we can still be friends, like the good ol’days.

Pointe-Aux-Vieux 2011

Hello, Hello!

The 2011 excavation at the Pointe-Aux-Vieux has officially opened. This year marks the 3rd field season at this site and we are excited to be working there again.

Stay-tuned for lots of updates on my poor neglected blog that lay dormant all winter.

Storm Hits Hard at Pointe-Aux-Vieux

It is with sadness that I write this…

Last week’s severe windy weather and storm surges have drastically affected the landscape at Low Point. From photographs I’ve seen, the bank that had been separating the foundation from the beach looks as if a bulldozer came in and ripped it off. There is no buffer zone now between it and the elements. Half of the fireplace foundation has been swept out by the sea, granite field stones lie strewn along the shore, and a large, heavy stepping stone is about 30 feet from where it once was.

Damages from the heavy wind and rain storm were felt all across the island. Because December was so mild and saw so much rain, the ground was not frozen, making the land extremely susceptible to this kind of damage. With the high-rate of erosion and rising sea levels affecting the Island, we know the site is going to eventually be lost, and there is nothing that can be done about it except protect it as best we can. However, I was not prepared for the site to be completely changed in one fell swoop of the sea.

There are a couple of positive sides to this unfortunate event. This only further fuels the sense of urgency to document and record archaeological sites on the Island before they disappear. And while it is so sad to see the beautifully constructed fireplace/oven footings damaged, I am thankful that that area has already been excavated and recorded over the past two field seasons.

Taken from the shore, A View of the Early Acadian foundation with the bank missing (note: 'brick-like' oven footings to the Left).

View of the foundation from the shore, sans bank.

Thanks to Claude Aresenault for the photos.

Underwater Archaeology Workshop

I recently attended a workshop in Underwater Archaeology at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia with my Boss and Colleague. The workshop was hosted by the Nova Scotia Archaeology Society. They were happy to have another Atlantic Province in attendance (unfortunately no one from New Brunswick or Newfoundland was able to attend). Underwater archaeology is not an area I am familiar with, so it was a valuable learning experience.

Despite the fact that Prince Edward Island is, indeed an island, surrounded by water, very little underwater archaeological work has been done here. Our mainland neighbour on the other hand, has had much more extensive experience in the field owing in large part to Nova Scotia’s long, and infamous history with shipwrecks and treasure hunters.

I soaked up a lot of info by listening to the presentations and groups discussions about the types of underwater archaeological work being done in Nova Scotia, elsewhere in Canada, and beyond. In turn, we were able to contribute to discussion and bring a P.E.I. perspective to the table. Hot topics included Nova Scotia’s Treasure Trove Act (the repeal of which is soon to be complete), and how to educate and spread awareness about underwater sites to divers and public.

I think there is great potential on the Island for underwater archaeological projects in the future, pending interest and funding. The waters surrounding the island are likely ripe with submerged sites. There were thousands of ships wrecked off the coasts of P.E.I. and due to high rates of erosion much of P.E.I.’s archaeological sites are already under water. I would usually say that the sites have been “lost to the water”, but now I will re-think that phrase, perhaps not all is lost…

The Yankee Gale, 1851. By George Thresher. Oil on canvas. Collection of CCAG.

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Painting depicting the “Yankee Gale” of 1851 a terrible storm that ripped through the area taking out upwards of 100 ships, and 150 plus lives (many of whom were part of an American fishing fleet from New England, hence the gale’s name).