Category Archives: Snapshots

Random things about us

Final Days

We have one day left and we are so close to finishing our goal. There have been great relationships formed and lasting friendships. The reality of the situation has hopefully opened the eyes of every individual that has been here. A lot has taken place since my last post. We have been moving a lot of dirt and doing everything we can to get through this area thoroughly. I have been promoted from Rookie to Expert Time Keeper. For those of you who do not understand the weight of this title, I am responsible for the switch between the members working in the hole and those taking a break. The official time rules are: 1. If you are shoveling you get 4:00 minutes. 2. If you are troweling you get 8:00 minutes. 3. Test pits are one per person. Those are the official rules then there are laws. The first law of “DIGANOMICS” is if you are tired regardless of the time you stop digging. The second law is if you trowel and dig within the same 4:00 minute span you can stay for an additional 4:00 minutes unless it interferes with the first law. The team has accepted my role as Expert Time Keeper and sometimes they think I may not be watching but I always am.

Dr. Latham and Ryan digging with shovels
Ryan with the little shovel

Last time I posted I explained the issue with the little shovel and let me start by saying I am slowly persuading the team to accept the little shovel. However this is the not being done without ridicule. Any given moment I have to defend the little shovel from short and small jokes but LITTLE do they know the little shovel is reigns supreme. Each member but one has requested the little shovel at one point in time, and each time I hand then the shovel there is a wonderfully pleasant smile on my face. Justin, Erica, Dr. Latham, Ryan, and myself have all realized the usefulness of the little shovel. BUT Jessica is resisting coming to the bright side, I have not given up hope there is always tomorrow.

Erica digging in a burial with a shovel
Erica with the little shovel

I also went to another ranch. Lately I have been taking a short lunch so not very much bird watching. However I made it up when we went to the ranch. I have 5 birds of the day. 1 being the best bird of that day, starting at 5) wild turkey, 4) Tree duck 3) Swainson’s Hawk 2) Peacock 1) Green Jay. It was a much needed day of relaxation and bird watching and I cannot thank Bill and Peggie Clark enough for allowing us that moment of serenity.

Cheneta

Photos

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 9

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