All posts by lathamke

Day 10

Environment, Snapshots

Group picture under a Falfurrias Butter sign with the members holding up ten fingersI wrote the day 10 post several times in my head today. The first version materialized on the way to the cemetery this morning. I thought I would have to say we didn’t finish. That the sun was too hot this year, that we were down too many people, that the dirt was too compact and the graves too deep.

By 8am what I saw erased that original thought from my mind. There were no longer Baylor teams and a Uindy team divided into groups and into quadrants. There was one team working seamlessly for a common goal: to finish the last quadrant in this portion of the cemetery. It became apparent that not finishing was no longer an option as everyone was working together.  “Someone take notes on this.” “Where’s a camera? I don’t care what group, just photo-document this.” Each person used their skills and their energy to the fullest. One of the Baylor team members made this awesome sketch to sum up the exhumation efforts today. You see the UIndy members mixed in with the Baylor members all working towards a common goal.

Stick picture drawing of all the individuals working either with a shovel, tarp, or trowel in their handThen I started thinking about how I would phrase the post in terms of the pride of seeing this small grassy patch that contained an unknown number of unidentified individuals being systematically excavated and completed. I was swelling with pride when I sat down to rest in the shade for a moment. Next thing I know Justin was running over and pouring water over my head. Justin and Stevie (Baylor) carried me to the trailer that Lionel (Sheriff’s Department) set up for us every morning. My body had apparently just stopped working. It was painful and scary. But most of all it completely broke my heart that I couldn’t hang on for the last part of the excavation. I couldn’t see what I started through to the end. They moved me to the air conditioned van and I remember opening my eyes and seeing them take the tents down and thinking we were too close to stop. Then the UIndy crew runs up to the van and says “We did it!” I just started crying. I was so happy that we were able to recover everyone that was buried without a name in that area of the cemetery. I was also heartbroken that my body couldn’t hang on another 30 minutes to see it through.

I spent all afternoon resting and am feeling much better now. Since the end of day 10 we were down two team members we decided to take our final photo when we went out for dinner under the Falfurrias Butter sign on the main street. Even though this was the last day in the field there is more to come and we will continue to write about our journey. Next we head to Texas State to visit their laboratory facility. We will be healing and processing our thoughts and continuing to share our thoughts and efforts with you. More soon…

~KEL

Photos

Environment, Snapshots

I’d like to start off by thanking all of you that have been keeping up with our blog on a daily basis. Than I’d like to apologize that the posts have been sparse the past few days. The heat is really getting to my team (and Baylor) and I made the decision to allow them extra time to rest rather than be beholden to the blog posts. There will be more soon when everyone is feeling better.

Last night I took several people to the ER who were feeling sick (and Erica was kind enough to go with me so I would have company). We arrived at 7pm. By 11pm it was becoming apparent that we would not be leaving anytime soon. Patients were throwing up on the floor and coughing so loud that I know I will soon have what was ailing them. Erica and I went to the van and curled up on the seats to try to get some rest. It was hot and uncomfortable but we were able to doze in and out until everyone was ready to go. I arrived in my room at the hotel at 3:18am, laid down in my bed, and my alarm went off at 4am. I am about to enter our last day with literally no sleep.

~KEL

So I will leave you with a sneak peek of the amazing photos by Guy Housewright, so you have something to view for the day. All are University of Indianapolis photos taken by Guy Housewright:Dr. Latham and Ryan working in a burial with other team members standing above them

Jessica holding a shovel in a burial as Ryan lay deeper in the burial removing dirtTeam members working in a burial under a shade tentTeam members working within a burial and from the ground surfaceTeam members surveying and taking notes from the ground surface, standingTeam members working within a burial under a shade tent while others sit aboveA team member dumping a bucket of dirt with an unknown remains burial marker closer to the camera

Day 8

Community, Snapshots

Group photo with 8 fingers up and dirty clothes

It was another early morning for the UIndy team. We got to the cemetery before sunrise and moved loose dirt in our quadrant by flashlight. Overall, today was an amazing day in the field. I would have to say it was the most productive so far. I don’t know what was different about today than other days, but the Baylor students came together as a team and cleared three of their quadrants. The site was relaxed and the students worked with efficiency and confidence. We are really proud of the amazing job they did today! We have two days left and we are confident that if we continue on this pace we will be able to complete this area of the cemetery.

Burials being worked on with shovels while other team members sit in the background and Erica sits front and centerFor the UIndy team, the best part of the day came in the evening when we were invited to the La Mota Ranch by Peggy and Bill Clark. We had the pleasure of meeting the Clarks when we were in Falfurrias last summer and they were gracious enough to invite us to their home for a swim. La Mota is a 300 acre ranch and Peggy is a descendent of the founder of the town of Falfurrias. The few hours we spent at La Mota were exactly what we needed! It was a time to relax and clear our heads.

Ryan lays in a hammock with a yellow dog and a brown and white dog by his side Peggy told us a story about a migrant that came to their door on Sunday. He was a young man from Guatemala that told her he was lost and had been walking for three days with no food or water before he collapsed on her front lawn. She said they gave him water and peanut butter crackers and called Border Patrol to come and help him.  She said she gave him a new shirt because the one he was wearing was full of sticker burrs. But before giving her the old shirt he reached inside and unpinned a small charm of the Virgin Mary and attached it to his new shirt. He then passed out on the front lawn and Peggy checked on him regularly because she was afraid he would die there. This is what the people of Falfurrias are dealing with everyday and with each story we hear we don’t know how they can deal with death and broken dreams on a daily basis.

Peggy and Bill told us many other stories. We learned more about the ranch and their  families. Peggy’s family founded the town of Falfurrias and started the creamery that makes Falfurrias butter. We talked about the weather, and the plants and animals native to the area. They had 10 baby peacocks (peachicks) on the ranch and we got to see them. They were adorable and not what I expected a peachick to look like! All in all a very relaxing and special evening for the team.

Group picture in nicer clothes with Bill and PeggyFor a short news feature about our work, please see this piece by Nadia Galindo: http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1055564#.U5Z6_CjyS1g

~KEL