Surging into September

One last August picture before I jump into one of my favorites months, September...The Bragg Family South brood ready for their first day of school.  Yes, Kenny really is that tall now!

I've always loved September...  Besides being my birth month, and the excitement of a new school year, I love the change of seasons, the bright fall colors, the cooler weather and crisp smells, and, of course, the start of football!  Below is a picture of one of our favorite pregame activities--tailgating before Weevil home football games:

UAM has not fielded many successful football teams in the years we've been in Monticello, but we do enjoy the atmosphere of football in the South.  Below, Kenny awaits the action of a recent UAM home football game:

We've done some local travel this month, including a trip to nearby El Dorado, Arkansas, located a little more than an hour to the southwest of Monticello.  El Dorado is a bigger town (approximately 20,000 people) and most of the local wealth is due to the oil and gas industry in this area, celebrated by some bronze sculptures near some of the older drilling and pumping equipment:

Our research unit also help co-host a visiting Albanian forestry scholar, Dr. Gazmend Zeneli.  Below is a picture of a number of UAM faculty and my boss entertaining Dr. Zeneli...From left to right:  Dr. Matt Pelkki, Dr. Hal Liechty (barely visible, in hat, behind Dr. Pelkki), Dr. Phil Tappe (UAM forestry dean), my boss Dr. Jim Guldin (white shirt), and Dr. Zeneli (blue shirt in front right of picture):

I have also had some chances to do a little archeology work this month, too.  Below, a crew of Arkansas Archeological Survey staff set up the test units for a dig:

We were working on a prehistoric mound and village complex about an hour and a half from Monticello.  Below, sort of visible through the woods, is the tall, steep mound:

We weren't excavating on the mound, but rather on a nearby ridge that had evidence of prehistoric homes.  Below, a crew of staff from the National Park Service (four ladies on the left) screened for artifacts while our friend and Arkansas Archeological Survey station assistant archeologist Bob Scott used a pick-ax to break up the very dry and hard soil in the test unit:

It has been very dry in this area as of late, and warm, so the clayey soil of this area has dried and baked into what feels like concrete!  Rough excavating conditions, for sure...Somewhat easier on the local farmers, though, as they are busy bringing in this year's crops, and prepping their fields for the next planting.  Below, a recently harvest rice field smolders after being burned to lessen the stubble and help rid it of weeds:

Not all of our archeology work is excavating or working in the lab...We also spend time promoting the Arkansas Archeological Society as well as the conservation of archeological resources.  Below is a picture of UAM station assistant archeologist Katy Gregory posing in front of a display we had set up at a local outdoor festival:

The people who set up next to us at this festival engage in "hawking", or hunting small game using trained hawks--how neat was that!  The hawk in the picture below was tethered to the hoop-shaped device on the ground next to it:

This public outreach is important to help protect archeological resources and to recruit new members for the Society.  Probably the favorite activity we do at these outreach events is to show people how to use a spear thrower, or "atlatl", to propel wooden spears or darts at a styrofoam target.  Below, fellow Society volunteer Cheri Miller helps some youth learn the process:

This was a very successful event; we had LOTS of people pass by, and hopefully a few learned some things about archeology!