Last Post from Italy -- July 21

Well, I have almost reached the end of this adventure. I just enjoyed my last gelatto, dripped the last bit onto my last clean dress, and am getting ready to enjoy my last night in the Olympia center. This evening I have been out to dinner with the three people I most enjoy from the group. Not surprisingly they are not the people I started out spending the most time with, but are the people I have come to enjoy and respect over the past two months. Tonight is Jenn's 26th birthday and she and Ginna and Taco and I had a lovely dinner, did a little shopping, and talked loudly about silly things in the restaurant because we knew that most people could not understand us. I will sincerely miss each one of them, and we have already been making plans to meet around the world and at each others homes...in our "natural environments." Ginna's sister is going to be starting USC as a freshman this fall, so I may actually eventually end up teaching her, as she is in fine arts, but I will definitely be seeing Ginna when she comes to visit, which is good.

Other than our birthday celebration not a lot has happened since the last post. The scavi is still humming along...the skeleton is almost completely preserved, which is marvelous...only the top half of the skull is missing. It's a "he", but that's about all we know so far. Rachel and I may have found another tomb today, but will probably not be around to see it excavated far enough to know for sure. Not much else, except for the fact that the museum attached to the excavation has demanded that we stop using the public restrooms and eating lunch under the shade trees by their building, which is the only natural shade anywhere around. Apparently we are bothering the tourists. All 2 of them. Who have come to see us. But whatever. The result is that we are now lunching with the professional archaeologist in the other area, under their gazebos. Actually, the gazebo we eat under is the gazebo that the dig director ordered for us Americans, but when it was delivered it was delivered to the pros, who just put it up without asking any questions, and apparently the politics of the situation are delicate, so we can't request it back. Strange indeed.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy their company. We call them the pirates because they are all rather rugged looking, even the ladies. I suppose that's what a life in the sun does for you. I just know that none of them have to wear sunscreen ever because they are now impervious to it. Probably not a good thing in the longrun. But they are all very nice. Unfortunately some of my fellow Americans are not fond of them, or are scared of them because they are different, or something like that. They eat their lunch quickly then retreat to the meager shade of our portable office building rather than stay and talk. I think it is extremely rude and a shame. The pros are genuinely interesting people and very nice to boot. Also one of them, Gilberto, should be congratulated on the birth of his daughter last night.

Many of the Italians, most of the pros included, came to our hotel for dinner and dancing last night, which was a riot. The one bad incident involved my camera. That ALWAYS happens to me on trips, but at least this time it was one day before the end. Maybe it can be fixed in a camera shop, but that remains to be seen.

I have to sign off now, my friends are waiting on me to get a taxi back to the hotel with them. Thanks to everyone who shared my trip and I hope to see or speak to each of you soon and share in more detail!

Love to all.

Ciao,
Candace