end of week 2

Tom Carter joined us for week 2- in the field. We saw some perplexing buildings. A few had evidence from the 1850s, but they were hard to piece together. Much of this comes from the fact the area has changed from owner-occupied sfd to multi-unit rentals...and those conversions make it challenging to find "intact" buildings. I spent the week tracking down owners and tenants. It rained; sigh. But the students were troopers. Everyone drew - and drew well. I wish all classes were this solid. This is a great group, and they're fun too.

It will make for A GREAT VAF 2012. Thanks, students, and especially Tom.

FIELD WEEK!

Students will be in the field, measuring, week of June 20. COME OUT AND JOIN US - meaning, stop by, say hi, and watch the magic. Locations and photos will be posted.

autoCAD

Fieldschool kicked off with some great research from the students earlier in the week on themes in 3rd Lake Ridge's history. But very quickly, the students mastered AutoCAD - due to a one day instructional workshop led by Jeff Klee (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). What amazed me - beyond Jeff's facility teaching this stuff - was that nearly everyone, even the skeptics, was enthusiastically drawing from fieldnotes by day's end. This is not to say there were no groans, but it astonishes me how quickly most people picked it up.

I was a skeptic - and always worried that one couldn't learn this on top of everything else you learn in fieldschool - but I think I'm convinced.