Back in Taft

So, those three of you who have read my blog for more than a week may recall that a couple of years ago I spent seven months working through the summer in Taft.  I had thought I would never have to return once I finally escaped.  Well, not "thought" so much as "hoped"...and yet here I am.

The up side is that I am only here for three weeks, and not seven months as before.  I am also working with a very good client and not with someone who is actively trying to sabotage the environmental team.  I also have a small crew of good workers instead of a large crew that is a mixed bag.  So, on the whole, things are greatly improved.  Also, the temperatures will be in the 80s all week, and not 110+ as was the case the last time I was out here.

One of the more interesting aspects of this particular project is that we are working in the bed of a now-empty oscillating lake - that is, the lake would grow or shrink depending largely on rainfall in a given year.  As a result, the majority of the area is unlikely to hold archaeological sites, which is a bit disappointing, as it somewhat negates the reason for us being here.  However, int he unlikely event that we encounter a site, there is a fair chance of the site being something particularly important as this would have been a semi-stable body of water in a generally arid area - meaning that both water and animals and plants that use the water were present, providing resources for the people of the region to use.

At any rate, we have no real expectations of finding anything in particular, but if the weather continues like this, at least it will be an easy project.  And if it ceases to be easy, it is likely to become interesting, so that's all ot the good.