Let the summer begin!!!

I am once again negligent in my blogging duties, and have to cram too much into a single posting to catch up...Since the last Bragg Family South posting in mid-May, we've done a lot...I've done some business travel, including a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, which took me through the scenic Smoky Mountains (pictured above).  Even though short, this trip allowed me a short visit one evening with a high school friend, Tim Grotenhuis, who now lives with his family in Asheville.  Shortly after I returned (I made this trip alone; Hope was doing a 4-H program in archeology for some of her students, and our kids were still in school), we skipped out of town for a week's long visit to Wisconsin in the week of Memorial Day.  Our first Wisconsin visit was with my brother Bob and his girlfriend Nancy.  Below, Bob is showing off his "new" hobby; fixing up old Wheel Horse yard tractors:

We also had a nice visit that same day with my sister Laurie and her husband Mark.  We then traveled up to northern Wisconsin to visit my folks.  Part of this visit included a trip to a place my dad particularly cherishes--the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help (http://www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com/) in the small town of Champion, just east of Green Bay:

This shrine celebrates the life of Adele Brise, who had an apparition of the Virgin Mary on this spot back in the 1850s and dedicated her life to serving the people living in this then remote and thinly settled part of Wisconsin.  Below, Beth lies a wildflower on Adele's grave:

Of course, since we were already in the area, what trip to Green Bay would be complete without a visit to Lambeau Field?

We had thought about taking a tour of the stadium, but given the rainy weather and relative lateness of the day, we decided just to walk around the publicly open parts of the stadium:

And to invest some time and (more) money in Packer merchandise:

While visiting mom and dad, Hope and I busied ourselves with some chores.  One of my major goals (after fixing a plumbing problem for them) was to help them put up some of this year's firewood.  Below is what was left of a good sized paper birch that I cut and split (by hand) for them:

It was not all work, and no play...I did manage to get in an enjoyable afternoon of fishing with my buddy Kevin Skinner.  I managed to land a couple largemouth bass before a thunderstorm blew in and drove us off the lake:

My sister Lisa and her family drove over to visit with us, too...Below, Beth goofs around with her cousins Emma (peeking out) and Leila:

Lisa's husband Jon brought his big truck and flatbed trailer over to pick up my dad's old Farmall tractor, which he gave to Jon:

I think the whole Bragg family has good memories of this workhorse, which was built back in the mid-1940s, and long since helped with farming, logging, firewood collection, gardening, etc.  I'm sure dad is thrilled that Jon was interested in getting this running again (which he has already).  Several years ago, dad had purchased a newer Kubota tractor to putter around on, so he's still able to do what he needs...Still, he looked pretty happy riding this old tractor onto the trailer:

We really enjoyed our brief visit with Lisa's family, which included many bug-related adventures:
 

(Stephen apparently didn't approve of these large grubs I found while splitting wood--Leila didn't seem to mind).  The kids enjoyed time in the woods, even with the mosquitoes and ticks, both of which were bad this year:

Leave it to Emma to provide some comic relief!  We also took mom and dad out for a Friday fish fry, which we all loved:

The trip was not all big fun, unfortunately...Kenny managed to break 5 bones in his foot one day while riding some exercise equipment.  Nothing that a trip to the emergency room and some weeks on crutches and in a walking boot can't fix:

Shortly after returning to Arkansas in one of our epic, one-day driving marathons, I headed off to my next adventure--the Arkansas Archeological Society's summer training program.  This year's program was near Parkin State Archeological Park (http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parkinarcheological/) in east-central Arkansas (not too far from Memphis).  Below, the first morning of the two week long dig started slowly:

but quickly built up a head of steam as we excavated parts of a late prehistoric Mississippian culture village.  I had to interrupt my first week of the dig with several days in Hot Springs for a business meeting.  Below, a picture of Hot Springs National Park's Bathhouse Row taken as I walked to the meeting venue one morning:

My Hot Springs meeting was good and went by quickly, allowing me to return to the summer dig.  By this time, Hope and the kids were able to join me for a long weekend:

Hope and the kids helped with a 4-H program held at Parkin State Park (with the assistance of another 4-H agent), and several state park staff contributed to the program (two are pictured below):

Kenny, on the other hand, helped me a couple days in the lab during the dig.  His broken foot and crutches meant he couldn't be of much help in the field, but he was able to help wash and rough-sort artifacts in the lab.  He actually earned a certificate of appreciation at the end of the dig for his efforts in the lab, which were quite impressive over the 2.5 days he was there:

After a couple days in the lab, I returned to the field and started excavating a unit that turned out to be filled with interesting stuff, including this layer of mussel shells and some large circular anomalies (probably looter-dug holes):

Eventually, my unit yield some other interesting items, including a lot of burned wood and cane, which hopefully will provide radiocarbon dates and a better sense for the every-day life of this village.  One of the best things about the summer dig is the chance to get together with many other people with similar interests.  Below, a lot of us gathered one evening for a jambalaya dinner and homemade ice cream provided by other members:

I returned from the dig last evening, tired but satisfied, and looking forward to next year's efforts (we'll probably go back to the same site).  Tomorrow I plunge back into my regular work week, and today I'm catching up.  Still, a very enjoyable vacation for me!