Members of the Ashkelon team enjoyed a night out at the Little Goat Diner in Chicago recently. Talk was of warmer weather, the closing of an old grid, opening of a new one and, of course, goat.
Good food, good company.
Now for the pictures posted on January 29th. What is going on? Well, volunteers and staff alike are participating in one time honored tradition and one not so old. In the first, participants in the annual Tell Games extravaganza are practicing the various moves that will allow them to get an opponent "out." Tell Games take place mid-season every year and it is a much anticipated break from the daily grind. I can't wait to see what Dr. Aja has planned for us this year.
In the second picture, one of the 2012 volunteers is participating in Grid Prom. This fabulous event was an opportunity for volunteers in Grid 38 to relive their youth, in some cases, and the not-to-distant past in others. Much planning went into the festivities which included parades to other grids to show off their hand-constructed finery. All in all, great fun was had by everyone.
I suppose the point of these two events is that archaeology isn't all work and no play. For many of us, there is no better job then this. We work outside alongside the Mediterranean solving puzzles, a new and invariably interesting one each and every day. Might there be a better job? I don't think so. There are, however, some realities about living in a hotel for six weeks far away from home, in working six days a week outside doing, lets be honest, manual labor that can make the experience challenging in addition to fun. Events like Tell Games and Grid Prom, the Finds Display and Final Party, field trips and lazy afternoons at the pool ensure that there is a great quailty of life on the expedition. That combined with the strength of the field school and lecture program make the Leon Levy Expedition an ideal opportunity for exposure to the world of archaeology. Obviously, I can't recommend it highly enough.