Vacation weekend!

I hate to rub it in for you snowed in people in New England, but every weekend here feels like a vacation. We work hard, play hard.

Today was easy - light house work followed by an afternoon swim. You thought yesterday was good?! Today we saw everything: 1 turtle, 2 eagle rays (one feeding!), the angel fish, BABY trunk fish, caught 2 lion fish, and 10 or 11 inch cow fish. The reefs were alive today.

The best part was the conch out of it's shell, we watched the tentacles feeling out the ocean for a while. Just as we turned to go on I spotted something snake-like on the coral. I thought it was an eel out of it's hole which is rare to see, but it turned out to be better: it was an octopus. Not just and octopus but an octopus sticking its tentacles in a hole with appeared to be occupied by an even larger octopus. We watched for a long time while the little one tentatively put its feelers down the hole and flinch back time after time as the larger one in the whole kicked back. We were trying to figure out what was going on - territory dispute? mating ritual? just messing around? We may never know.

Tonight is the last day for the archeologists, so we've made some evening plans after they are done putting the final touches on their field work. I'm beginning to like tourist season here. Good company abounds!

image from: http://marinebio.org/MarineBio/News/Letters/i/ceph.jpg

Great swim

Check it off the list:

Turtle

Cow fish

Check.

Check.

Finally, after 3 turtle sightings since I got back (which I missed), I got the privilege of seeing one. It was a great fish day yesterday. The tide was way out so Rory and I were able to go out further than usual.

First we went to see the "good reef" which tends to be a good spot any day. We saw my friend the trunk fish, then a bigger 10 inch trunk fish (huge!) and the now familiar French Angel fish who also lives on the reef.

It was slightly hazy so the fish were bold. You could just make out outlines of schools of large fish that moved on just as you came into view. They were everywhere. Sensing that it was one of those days where the big guys were around, I veered off across the reefs to see if I could get sight of something great.

The turtle was just hanging out between a break in the reef and swam away as soon as I came across it. I followed it, but it they are fast little buggers! A few relaxed flicks of his flippers and he was way ahead of me, cutting through the strong current like it was no big deal as I struggled to keep up. As he swam away I noticed he only had one back flipper. Poor guy. I turned back around to swim over the reefs, content to check another item off my list.

Since the tide was so low there were waves breaking over a reef far out that Rory and I hadn't swam to before. We assumed there was another "good reef" out there and went to check it out. Turns out it was quick raise from 6 or 8 feet deep to 2 feet. We rode the waves for a bit until the tide pulled out even farther and we began to imagine getting crashed down onto a piece of fire coral or black urchin (the ones that sting!). We moved on.

Farther out.

I was convinced that we were close to the wall. the water was beginning to change color to that eery dark blue and with every stroke I was sure that we'd come into view of that terminal edge. Realizing it wasn't as close as I thought it was, Rory and I stopped for a moment to analyze the situation. The current was still pulling out and seems strong (like we were getting sucked over that 7,000 ft like a waterfall - which is not how tide works, I know, but I swear it was pulling harder than it was a few yards ago.) Practical sides kicking in, Rory and I decided that today was not the day for the long swim and headed back in.

The fun wasn't over yet, as I swam over the "good reef" once more to see if the turtle had returned, Rory called me into shallow waters. I didn't hear what he said, but I've learned to swim hard and fast when called and ask questions later, or you miss the good stuff. The cow fish, similar looking to the trunk fish, has also eluded me all these weeks. Rory has seen at least two. I'm telling you there is a conspiracy - everything gets out of the water when Jessica gets in. My luck seems to be turning though as Rory pointed one out and we watched it float in the current. Rory also pointed out that the cow fish only had one eye.

A one-eyed cow fish who's days are numbered and green sea turtle with one foot. Neal gave us a disbelieving look when we told the story. There is a rule that if it doesn't seem plausible and Neal didn't see it, it didn't happen.

But with two witnesses, it's undeniable.

That was truly an unusual swim.

images from: http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/images/fish/angelfishes/french_angelfish_NJ_IMG_0057_web.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hawaii_turtle_2.JPG

http://www.caribbean-scuba.net/Utila/Scrawled%20Cow%20Fish%20at%20Ship%27s%20Stern.jpg

Archeologists - The Real Deal

Betsy Carlson, author of Talking Taino.

I can't get over my Indiana Jones archeologist fever. Who do you know that has met real life archeologists?! I feel so privileged! But I also think I'm driving the team mad.

Unlike the guys, who participated in the reality of digging 1 foot holes straight down for 7 hours a day and craning over screens trying to distinguish dirt and rocks from artifacts the same color as dirt and rocks, I get to just sit back and watch the magic happen.

So the group comes back from the day, covered in dirt, and set about cataloging and note taking, and then have to deal with me sticking my nose over their shoulders asking what they're doing and demanding that tomorrow they find an effigy. 3.5mm beads just weren't exciting enough for me.

"Always so unsatisfied! People always want more!" they told me.

"That's what keep you digging," I countered.

It's like a librarian/archivists/nerdy person's dream to live with walking encyclopedias. I made the DECR (Department of Environment and Coastal Resources) volunteer name all the shells I pick up off the beach. I'd never seen an Atlantic wood-louse shell before and he was able to anme it in the common name AND Latin. Crazy.

I also learned that for native peoples conch was the hardest material. So to release the conch meat from it's shell, they would use the pointed cone from a small conch to break the foot of the animal. They knew exactly where to hit it to release the conch meat. The one pictured here with the hole is a 1,000 year old conch shell.

The fun didn't stop there. You should have seen my eyes bug out when I saw the two toned 1,000 year old pottery. "But it's glazed! And colored! They could do that?"

I was given the "of course these people had a highly developed culture" look.

Yes, of course, I should know better. I've visited some of the best museums in the world, but I still find it difficult to imagine the lives of pre-historic people. Most of the artifacts we found were dirt colored. This particular piece of pottery was large and beautiful, and indicative of a higher quality of life than the contrasting worn down shells and fish bones. Changes your whole thought process of these people's lives.

Also on this site were artifacts from mid 1700 to the mid 1800's. This was much more familiar territory. Still, I learned a lot about the construction of bottles and platters - ginger bottles, blown glass bottles, different china patterns - the familiar white and blue patterns of the 1770's and more colorful, but also more drab, brown and yellow of the 1800's.

Essentially, we were looking at the results of various kitchen accidents. You can imagine the cook: "Oops, broke the plate/bottle/vase, mistress is not going to be pleased." And throw it on the trash pile.

Going through these people's trash is really just a diagnostic measure. No longer useless, these items have been waiting around all this time just to tell us when their owners lived here.

Since we are just doing a survey of the site, we'll be putting the objects back where we dug them up, keeping only the information and some select pieces. This way the historians get the history, but the context stays intact for the next archeology team who enter the site. They'll also be able to take our notes and identify areas already investigated by the bits on the ground. Or they'll know that the site has been tampered with if things aren't where we left them.

It's really interesting to get an overview of the whole archeological process. You should hear my tours these days! I don't have a problem keeping people's attention since now I have all these great stories - governor's visits, Fort George stories, Lucayan artifacts, new research on shipwrecks, and now a possible location of the fabled Cork Tree Plantation. I'm loving how all these projects we do point to the rich histories of the islands. The locals who attended our event last night were astounded that just a few feet under their feet are all this evidence of the people before us. I guess that's the magic of archeology.

Neal and I talk a lot about the next generation of museums. My vote is for replicating this type of hands on learning. It's infectious!

I had a good feeling today...

I'm not quite sure what to do with myself at this point. Today was pretty crazy. There were two cruise ships in today and one of our staff members went home early - she's slightly 4 months pregnant. Did I mention I had to get 150 photos digitized (and only 2 fit on the scanner at a time) before tomorrow morning? Always a fun Friday night if you are hanging out with me! Poor Rory also made the mistake of sitting upstairs while the museum's after hours event went on and I was busy digitizing away when suddenly the noise downstairs stopped. The party had moved on without us.

Un-discouraged and with plenty on my plate, I've been SUPER productive. I took care of a few office things to get Neal out the door tomorrow and over to Provo. I got the images digitized and onto a DVD-R. I should mention at this point that most of the digitizing work was done by our amazing Tech person, while I was out front covering tours. Go Team!

The party was all cleaned up, I sent out a thank you note for the event, and now am wondering if I have the energy to finish this blog let alone attempt another task.

. . . . .

I'm saved, no more work. I just got a hold of Neal who realized that we got left at the museum without transportation. I'm going to post this and shut down for the night.

Not a bad day. I even acquired a autographed copy of Talking Taino for my collection. Sweet.

Operation Queen Conch

I find Rory's ingenuity delightful. He has a great sense of play ...

.. and he finds it difficult to argue with me, which I take as a compliment. ;) But I digress.

See here on the museum blog in which he names the archeology dig "Operation Queen Conch". It seems like a small thing but you should be here when he's throwing out grand literary flourishes:
"Rory, I don't know how to make this interesting"
"Tell them it's a once in a life time opportunity to meet the author of a distinguished literary publication and if they don't come, Indiana Jones will show up on their door with his whip and ..." etc. etc.
It can get a little far fetched, but the hyperbole is helpful if you hit a wall and we usually come up with something pretty great in the end.

The museum is supporting the survey of GT-4 which is cryptic and fun to say. It's the site of the 4th Lucayan site (the people wiped out in 50 years) discovered on Grand Turk. I'm a little removed from this Operation since someone has to run the office and since I'm the coordinator for the after school program, I was nominates for office duty by default. I did get to go swimming yesterday though so I try not to be disappointed that I don't get to go out and play in the dirt. The guys would say it's not fun - lots of digging for hours and hours without rest. The leader of this expedition really cracks the whip! She's the author of Talking Taino and one of the experts of the people that populated our islands. Another great academic encounter at the National Museum.


Rory's image courtesy of the National Museum at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq70Q3ZfJN-k1_7NJce_LBqR_B4tqWZXyjzy4DhZkxaD0yb_OPLsMUVMYf56AvxhpONBkdiQf_k5mL97vESXKxdlHJafgHr8C5aUUITxkb8aVhhp1qCamOe72con6MAPda1hQsChHiU7k/s1600-h/100_1019%5B1%5D

Anti-Valentine's Day

Usually I'm pretty apathetic about V-day. I'm happy to celebrate it when I have reason and equally happy to ignore it when I don't.

This year I'm bitter. This year I hate Valentine's Day. I keep telling Neal we have to do lots of anti-valentine's day activities so we can blog about it. I was imaging a big scheming plot, but it seems that we are just going to revenge upon V-day by living it as every other day. But just below the surface there is something lurking. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with the effort we are going to to ignore V-day - it makes it obvious that we are trying and it's giving the day extra weight. Or maybe it's just me. I should speak for myself. I'm feeling the weight of the day.

Anyway, we only made the mistake of watching the end of one sappy love movie. We were doing really well before that. Neal and Rory were playing video games, saving Europe during WWII or something when I woke up at noon. I was talking to Simon till all hours last night. Since work has been busy lately, we haven't had a proper chat all week. I would have stayed on the phone all night and into the morning if he didn't have to go. It was the middle of Sunday for him and time to get moving. 3am on Saturday for me.

It looks like the rest of the day will be spent watching Band of Brothers until our visitors the archeologists arrive at 5. Next week starts the excavation of a Lucayan site that will be turned into a development in a few months. Law states there has to be a survey of the site before construction can begin. Actually it's more like we have X amount of time to do a survey before they start bulldozing.

Then more Olympics. Men's moguls and short program figure skating is on tonight. At least it's not couple's skating. Happy Valentine's day everyone.

Salt Cay

This week has been busy. The museum hosted a trustee's meeting, a private party at which H. E. the Governor and wife were present, the Olympics started, and we stopped watching LOST.

I feel like that list should be longer.

Today was a really great follow up to all that working. This is the great trade off of the National Museum. Lots of work, but the pay off is big.

I have a list of things I want to do on my visit to the TCI this time around. Seeing a ray was on it. (check)
So is swimming with a turtle. (still looking)
Swimming with a whale is on more of a wish list.

At the private party last week we got a generous offer from the hosting couple to accompany them on a visit to Salt Cay. Bingo! Seeing one of the other islands is also on my list. I'm excited to cross it off so early in my trip - now I can devise something to take it's place.

Since there was an actual purpose of the trip, we first toured the White House. This house has stood on Salt Cay for nearly 200 years and is the symbol of the Harriot family on Salt Cay. The family, we learned, came to the Bahamas around 1600 as farmers and ended up as captains carrying salt off Salt Cay (the Cay was the true heart of the Turks and Caicos salt industry). Eventually, they invested more and more in the salt industry until they were one of the main companies (or perhaps THE company) in the country.

The White House sustained some heavy damage in Hurricane Ike in 2008 so our hosts were surveying the work done since their last visit. It was also a sort of family reunion. If you want anything done on these islands, there is no contractor to hire, so it's perpetual do-it-yourself. The uncle and cousin team toured us around and showed us the trials and successes. The house as it stands is pictured here, a shadow of its former glory, but still persisting and sturdy.

Next on the schedule was lunch. We went to See their blog here: http://experience-it--island-thyme.blogspot.com/ They have a very strange tradition of serving a blend of rums soaked in a bottle with wolve's testes. It didn't taste so bad. After a shot of this concoction it is mandatory that you howl. Like a wolf. The things I do for this Museum.

Apparently, you also get inducted to the Salt Cay family after completing the famous ritual. I did get a few appreciative nods from the locals and a lot of jokes about becoming a zoo keeper - which is the title you attain after 3 more shots. I held firm to my newest rule of life: only one animal sound per day. But I did demand to see the bottles. This is the cobra.

I didn't go for the extra 3 shots that wins you a Zoo Keeper t-shirt. The Haitian Donkey is bootleg moonshine with ... donkey parts? I stopped asking questions at this point, my curiosity was satisfied and I didn't want to think about what I'd just ingested.

I was pretty proud of my howl though. One day, if I have the proper devilish company (KB!), I might go for the zoo. Always leave a little something for the next trip.

Kriptonite

I always liked Superman. He had my favorite superpower - flying - and was naturally impervious to the outside world. But Superman had his weakness, and I've found mine.

I thought I was fighting bugs in the sheets. I was up until 4am battling the phantoms that plagued me. Turns out the netting Neal hung for me had something on it that made me break out in a crazy rash. I've washed everything and armed with a dose of Benedryl felt brave enough to hang out the netting, but I'm staying away from it if at all possible. It's my Kriptonite.

Help! Help! I have to be civilized!

The last time I was here, I kept my windows open all night, soaked in the sounds of the islands and praised island life and warm temperatures.

Well, it's not the hot season anymore and the mosquitoes are bolder. I no longer keep my windows open.

Until tonight. Neal hung a mosquito net up for me. This way I can use the wind to keep the air moving and the humidity off. Otherwise I'd have to run the fan all night (as everything is expen$ive here, costs add up fast).

One of the conditions the net going up was that the room needed to look worthy. Which turned out to mean pretty. I tried to push for the striped design, but Neal was dissatisfied. Holding down my bile, I agreed to use the flowery side of the comforter. Small price to pay, in the long run.

But that wasn't the end. The bottom sheet also needed to be changed - to pristine white. This means that I have to wash my feet before I get into bed at night. Bummer. Civilized is not really my style.

I didn't mind using the worn down nasty looking sheets. First of all, I've never been very good at caring for nice things. Second of all, one of the appeals of this island is its wild feel. We are on a sand bar! Sand gets into everything and ocean's salt sticks to you. It's almost not worth fighting against. In the common areas, OK, yes, we try to keep those livable, but my bedroom is my sanctuary. Anywhere else I'd hear my mother saying "Your not getting into bed like THAT!" and trot off to take a shower, but here on-island she leaves me alone (at least on that issue) and I happily crawl into bed with sandy feet and tangled hair. I told myself I was saving water. It's a sacrifice, really.

Those excuses won't work with white sheets. My grandmother's going to be living on my shoulder from now on. Fun times over.

Obsession

I liked Michelle Rodriguez's character in Avatar, but I really fell in love with her on LOST. When she socked Sawyer in that classic no nonsense way, it was all over. I'm now a devoted fan. I want to see more of her punching people out. She's simply spectacular. And you should check out her headshot on imdb. It's amazing.

Swimming was good today. It was nice to be on the beach again. I haven't even walked on the beach since last Sunday. The sand on our beach always surprises me, it's so soft. It struck me as very sad that I had forgotten the feel of the sand and the sun. I suppose since it's winter I should just thank my lucky stars that we had a pleasant day. The currents weren't too strong, the sun was out, and there was OK visibility. There were some huge swells though. When I first swam out I thought I was going to be sea sick. Up and down, up and down, 2 and 3 feet at a time. Like my least favorite amusement park rides. I took a deep breath and focused on the ocean floor. Things got better. The water clarity wasn't perfect today, so finding the fish took effort. Even though I was still floating on the unsteady surface, I forgot it existed and looked for some new friends to play with.

My friend the trunk fish apparently hangs out at the same spots. I saw him again in the same place as last week. I'll have to make a habit of stopping by to say hi.

There wasn't too much else of interesting going on in the underworld today. The fish looked sea sick too, swaying with the currents and trying to find calm spots in between the rocks. When I looked up again, I'd realized that I'd lost Rory somewhere in the swells. This is not good. I'm calm in the water when I'm either

1) with someone
or
2) the fish are chillin' out.

Now the fish AND Rory were out of sight. I fought off the unease by focusing again on finding the fish in the crevices, not really sure if I wanted to see anything. Swimming days with only partial visibility are the days I'm sure that Jaws is going to come eat me and I won't see him until it's too late (as if I would stand a chance anyway). So now I'm alone, bobbing in swells, and being hunted by a great white shark. This is how I know Mother Nature has a sense of humor. She chose this moment to send two huge porcupine fish to play pranks. They came up behind me, nearly half my size - a 2 footer and a 3 footer.

Hardy Har guys, thanks. I swam with them for a while, wondering if they had any defense systems I should be aware of. They seemed to be pretty easy going, but eventually swam off when I got too close.

They do puff up, I learned later. Can you imagine? A 3 foot fish all puffed up. That would be crazy.

image from: http://www.bootkeyharbor.com/images/Fish%20G86.jpg

Oops, I did it again.

"You can go through life the easy way or the hard way," I told Tuvol today.

Oops, I did it again. There was my mother coming out of my mouth. She talks to me a lot in the back of my head.

"Somebody needs to do the dishes," I hear when I pass the kitchen. I inwardly groan, I don't feel like doing the dishes.

"Not later, NOW."

"Ok, ok," I silently reply, as I veer over to the sink.

Mom-isms come out of my mouth a lot. So do Babchi-isms. These are women that sit on my shoulders.

Small but Interesting Thoughts

Various thoughts from this week:

"I just keep waiting for the tour with the 18 year old girls from Miami, but it's just not going to happen," says Rory. Living with men is an interesting experience. I've never been outnumbered before. This is new. Testosterone abounds. You should see when we watch the Bachelor. It's sickening... but then, that just might be the Bachelor making me ill.

It's funny how you end up talking to people in their own language. If someone addresses me with a southern twang, I answer them right back with a special "well, thank you very much". That is way too long a phrase for a Northeastern-er. "thanks" would suffice for my people, but for the southerners I add the extra layer of politeness. Works like a charm. Tonight at the event a woman asked me if I was from Kentucky, then British, but definitely not New York. It's all about being flexible, I said, and talking in other people's language.

The mosquitoes aren't so bad, it's the sand fleas that are the bane of my existence. Saw the best Green Flash tonight - the sun clearly turned emerald green just before it dipped below the surface. If it weren't for the sand fleas, it would have been a great view.

Tonight we had the Fort George artifacts on display for the public. 16 people were ohhing and ahhing over the chemistry involved in the process. It was great, but slightly odd that they were interested for so long. Were they just the interested type? Over Chemistry? For an hour?! Would I be able to keep people interested for that long over HCl and electrolysis? I'd better find out, because I have the last seminar in the series. Big shoes to fill. It was a great event though. The wine flowed and there was lots of laughter. Did you know it was the plantation owners, worried about the uproar in Haiti, who demanded troops be placed in the country. That sugar water is used to replace the waterlogged wood's cellulose? That we have pieces of a slave ship wreckage in the lab? Bits of a ship that actually held human cargo! I eavesdropped like crazy and soaked up all these facts and more. This is truly a one of a kind experience.

image from: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/hrc.ARCHIVE/2006/2006031.000000-2006031.240000/SpaceWeather/swpod2006/31jan06/zinkova_strip.jpg