Category Archives: Snapshots

Random things about us

Day 9

Community, Environment, Snapshots

Group photo with Erica's Grandparents present, all holding up 9 fingers

We had a lot going on today.  After arriving early on the site again to get a jump on the sun, we worked furiously.  After today, we only have one more day left to dig.  It hit us all hard, because we simply can’t leave this area incomplete.  We can’t leave any unidentified individuals behind.  We don’t know what will happen in next year’s excavations, if we are able to return.  We just have to finish the monumental task we set for ourselves this year.

Today we hit a dense area of our grid.  It was so compacted we had a hard time getting shovel or trowel through it.  It slowed us down quite a bit.  By the end of the day though, we made good progress, and were able to prep the area for more dirt removal tomorrow morning in the dark.

The heat and humidity really hurt us today however.  Even though it was overcast, it was misleading.  Ryan was the first to be put in time out to recuperate and rehydrate, but the sun is unforgiving.  Ryan will recover, but today the environment seemed to defeat us all.  A few other members of our team are feeling the burn as well, but with one day left, it is hard to stop work even at the expense our personal health.

We had a couple unexpected special guests today.  Erica’s grandparents (see our day 9 photo), who live in Corpus Christi, drove up to visit her and drop off homemade chocolate chip cookies.  They were delicious!  We were also greeted on return to the hotel with homemade Menudo that the Brooks County Sheriff’s Department put together for us.  Cheneta destroyed two bowls of this wonderful, flavorful traditional Mexican dish.

Cheneta eating menudo
Menudo

After a team rest, we headed out to Constable Arturo’s house again for dinner.  The generosity of this small town astounds me every day.  Everyone we meet is genuinely kind with welcoming hearts, and they are immensely grateful for whatever we can do to help them.  It is sometimes hard for us to comprehend.  We are immensely grateful for being invited to help in this humanitarian crisis in any capacity we can.  No matter how many words we write, we can’t adequately express how much it has impacted us personally and professionally.

Styrofoam plate of beans, meat, rice, and bread
Delicious!

Check out our work here: http://www.krgv.com/news/forensics-experts-work-to-identify-bodies-in-brooks-county/. Latham, Lathram or Indianapolis, Minneapolis…I guess the exact details aren’t too important to the reporter…but at least it brings more awareness to what is going on here.

–Jessica and Justin

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

The Critter Getter

Environment, Snapshots

For those of you who don’t know me very well I want to let you in on a little secret, I’m kind of a nerd.  OK, maybe a little more than kind of a nerd.  I have always loved biology, especially those creepy-crawly things that normally terrify others.  Here in south Texas there are plenty of little misunderstood creatures all over our dig site.  Usually, people’s first response to something like a tarantula in their excavation hole is to smash it with a shovel.  I would hate to see any harm come to them out of misplaced fear and ignorance, so I have tasked myself as the resident “Critter Getter.”

My "Marshmallow" Toad
My “Marshmallow” Toad

Since I have been here I have liberated countless spiders, including dozens of tarantulas and a few brown recluses (I usually don’t tell anyone about the brown recluses for fear of dangerous freakouts).  I’ve also freed a few snakes, dug out a fire ant hives, and shooed away a bevy of other bugs from the clothing of my fellow excavators.  I usually don’t have the free time to photo-document every beautiful bug or splendid snake that I find, but occasionally I’m allowed to geek out about geckos and capture some caterpillars.  So if you will, come with me on a Tour-de-Nerd of some of the local creatures that inhabit Sacred Heart Burial Park.  I will spare you the spiders and scorpions, and only show some of my lesser seen friends.  I ensure you that none of them can hurt you, at least not via the internet.

The Silver Serpent
The Silver Serpent

Day four was the day of toads.  We were able to save about seven of these adorable little marshmallows, and move them into a safer section of the cemetery.

Day six contained the widest array of critters.  We freed a couple small silver snakes.  These snakes were so small that even Erica managed to find them charming (Get it?  Snake-Charming?).  I also happened upon a patch of small caterpillars.  This little beauty will later metamorphose into a pipevined swallowtail butterfly.  Ryan also managed to help me capture a tiny whiptail lizard, which was no small feat considering how fast they are and how tired we were.

I hope you never change, caterpillar.
I hope you never change, caterpillar.

My favorite find happened yesterday.  This lovely lady is the larval stage female from the family Phenogodidae, better known as a glow worm.  In this stage of their life, the females are predators of other insects like centipedes and ants.  Best of all, they are bioluminescent, meaning they glow at night!

Green lizard looking at the camera out of a yellow glove
Tiny Whiptail Lizard

I don’t expect everyone to care about my little pals in the same way that I do, but I do hope that they might make a little effort to understand them.  It is not unreasonable to fear spiders and snakes (in fact it is often wise), but here in South Texas we are invading their homes.  They likely fear us more than we do them.  Next time you find one of these tiny buggers, admire it instead of reaching for the shovel.  You might be surprised at how truly amazing they actually are. ~Justin

Orange and black caterpillar
The Glorious Glowworm

Justin