Return to Lac Megantic

So it was with some relief that Dick, Dawn, Matt, Seth, Mikey, Linda, and I took car to the cool North. The U of Montreal team, who are charming, patient, attractive, and just way cool, invited some of us to come finish the pits from the 2007 field school. This meant we were digging deep, where they hoped really NOT to find any more -- they were 60+ cm down and they had hit a layer of compacted sand and silt that Linda, who should know, compared to Sakrete. This meant that we would be put up by people who normally provide fairly decent wine with dinner

Dick pours for Matt and Dawn

and that I could discuss things that really mattered with Claude, like what team Bobby Orr played on in the minor leagues (Oshawa Generals. Why do I still know this when my phone number escapes me?) and be allowed to practice my terrible French. Such nice people.

Claude and Pierre had dragooned some grad students, about half of whom were from Claude's Peruvian program, but they were of good cheer. We were digging in a light forest


and it was 10 degrees F cooler anyway. I was much happier. There were mosquitoes, but no poison ivy. I turned down the chance to trowel concrete, and screened really crunchy stuff both days. Hermit thrushes sang all day. And not-finding Paleo was FAR better than not-finding Early (expletive deleted) Modern. Seth found about 17 flakes the first day; everyone else found one, except Dick. The next day I found one more.


They ought to have been impressed that no one turned into a pretzel -- none of the bodies are made to dig 25 cm sq. subsets of 50 cm squares while squatting in (occasionally flooded) one-by.







Matt and Seth were in slightly better conditions. The screens were not the ones we are used to; theirs have no legs.


but we managed.

And meanwhile, we were in a very pleasant foreign country.

The park by the lake (which is huge)



Lac Megantic main drag.


The view toward town

We were staying in a large former-convent-turned-school with 18' ceilings and a huge kitchen. It was hot but comfortable, and in easy walking distance of the downtown even with exhausted limbs. We loved it. We want to go back. They were impressed because we were not discouraged, and have promised to give us better squares next season, with a chance of finding stuff. What more could we ask?