Thursday I drove north to Phoenix while Evan was driving south from Flagstaff. We converged at Roger's beautiful house.



















Roger's kitchen.

Roger made us a lovely mean- a tomato salad, bread, a vegetable pot pie, and a fancy English dessert.




















Leek and potato pot pie.

It was like being at a fancy bed and breakfast. The next morning we got up early and drove to downtown Phoenix, where my company is doing an excavation beneath a street at an early Hohokam site. We were assigned a large, oval pit to excavate.




















Evan digging.

Not sure what the function of the pit was- it was over 2 m long by 1.6 m, and about 50 cm deep. Similar pits nearby are thought to be little structures. I really don't know.

We found lots of pottery, flaked stone, a shell bead, and some figurine fragments.

























Dirt to be screened.

Then we drove down to Tucson and took Mummy to Rosa's. We were very tired that night.

In the morning Evan and I went on a walk around Sweetwater Wetlands. It was very pretty and only slightly smelly.




















Reflection.

The number and variety of waterfowl is increasing, there were lots of mallards, Northern Shovelers, some Cinnamon Teals, and one small diving duck that I could not identify.

























Northern Shoveler.

After a lunch of fruit salad and tostadas, we went to the Presidio Park and watched them fire the cannon. My friend Allen, whose wife recently had a baby with large feet, was demonstrating flint knapping.
























Allen.

























Evan, ox, and Mummy.

Afterward we went to the Mini-Time Machine museum, which houses dozens of dollhouses. It was crazy and I felt dizzy after a while, because of my damned Progressive lenses. I liked the antique doll houses best, but of course those were the last ones we looked at. It was rather overwhelming.

Then I made pecan-butterscotch Chex mix and we went to a Christmas party at Rick and Pat's house. It was very nice, and the best thing was introducing Evan to some of my friends.

This morning I made a batch of pink watermelon pickles and later today I will make a batch of watermelon rind pickles. Tomorrow is the company cookie exchange and I am taking canned goods instead of cookies.