Tuesday, June 30, 2015
BANG! I was lying on the couch and suddenly a lot of loud bangs against the window. I looked out the front door and was amazed to see enormous hail hitting the ground, some about one-inch in diameter.
Hail!
Luckily, no windows were broken. It was very exciting.
At the moment I am making a big batch of carmelized onions to can and give away as presents on my upcoming road trip. My house is extra hot and sticky.
Monday, June 29, 2015
I'm featured in this segment of Arizona Illustrated, discussing what Tucson was like in 1776:
Well my excavation went well. We had a press day on Wednesday and I appeared on live television three times and did not make any major flubs.
Among the things we found during the last week was a dog burial. We located quite about three dogs and probably a dozen cats. And lots of dead chickens.
Among the things we found during the last week was a dog burial. We located quite about three dogs and probably a dozen cats. And lots of dead chickens.
Doggy.
I made a nectarine shortbread from Martha Stewart's Living magazine. It was delicious and fattening.
17 tablespoons of butter.
And then it was Friday, June 26th. Hey, the second anniversary of being made single! And I checked my phone and discovered that the Supremes had decided that us gay folks should be equal. What a lovely sentiment. I decided to go home to celebrate.
Waiting for the street car.
A rainbow hung above Tucson.
Gaybow.
I ended up hanging out with a friend and had a lot of gin and tonics. It was a great night to be gay.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Last Saturday we played pool volleyball. I made a white cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and strawberry buttercream filling. Everyone really liked it.
The guys.
Third week of the dig. I worked last Sunday with Dan and by Thursday we completed stripping the site. The various pits and postholes are marked in white paint.
Features.
Along the north side we found a well. The upper fill was broken bricks. Dan dug below and found trash-filled earth, containing a lot of broken crockery (unusual for Arizona), dishes, and some other junk.
Upper portion of well filled with bricks.
Nearby is a long, rectangular pit that contains a lot of artifacts (but mostly nails and tin can pieces). Tyler did find a really cool stoneware ink bottle with a preserved paper label.
Carter's Writing Fluid.
Tyler was also digging another pit and found a cat burial.
Kitty.
In other news, SO HOT! It was above 104 all week, peaking at 108 or so. Nasty. I could not believe how much I sweated.
Sunday, June 07, 2015
I went to Swank to get my haircut and I had a new barber who surprised me by charging a lot.
Expensive grooming.
My latest archaeology dig began last week. Another downtown block, this one will be a nice hotel, replacing a parking lot and a brick building that had been so heavily altered it no longer had any historical integrity.
After a few days we had stripped about one quarter of the project area, exposing some walls, a 1930s gas station, and a variety of pit.
A couple of pits contained trash discarded by a 1930s automobile repair business.
My latest archaeology dig began last week. Another downtown block, this one will be a nice hotel, replacing a parking lot and a brick building that had been so heavily altered it no longer had any historical integrity.
After a few days we had stripped about one quarter of the project area, exposing some walls, a 1930s gas station, and a variety of pit.
The gas station is on the left foreground. The wall to the right of the red flags was built between 1889 and 1896. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
An engine block is among the various auto parts.
The first few days the sun wore me out. I came home and lay down and felt the heat leaving my body.
Sunny.
Wednesday afternoon I went over to the office and as I was coming back a little dog was running in the road, cars swerving to avoid it. I stopped, ran after it, and she came to me when I called her. I took her to the Humane Society but they were closing. They verified she did not have a chip. So I brought her home and she spent the night with me.
Homer and Doggy.
Buddy hated her with a passion and tried to attack her. Naughty. On Thursday afternoon I took her back to the Humane Society and they said she would be quickly adopted if the owner did not claim her.
Saturday I attended a concert at the Presidio Park with Jeffrey and was amazed at Gabriel Ayala's guitar playing. It was a successful event. This morning I went back over and helped clean up and put away things. I then went back over and watched the demolition of the building. The big machinery made the building disappear into a pile of rubble quickly.
Demolition.
Mac n cheese for lunch. I had to wash my silverware after discovering a cockroach had been in the silverware drawer. Another HUGE one was in my bathroom cupboard. So gross. I guess it is that season.
