2008

After ten hours over the Atlantic, twenty-one of us have landed at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Hot and hazy weather greet us. We will be heading north to the Sea of Galilee by bus shortly.

Bags are packed. . . email inbox is almost empty. The next post will be from Israel. Follow the adventure.

No matter how many times I go to Israel with groups and excavations, the week before is always a rush. The day begins with a list. By the end of the day, many items are crossed off, but the list is somehow longer.
Yet time is relentless, and ready or not, we meet at the airport early on Thursday 26 June. I am praying for good weather and minimal flight delays.
By the following Sunday, the real excitement of excavation will begin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/opinion/08friedman.html

Although Tom Friedman may boast about the shekel rising 30% against the dollar, the fall of the dollar has played havoc with the dig season. Costs, especially for travel, have escalated. We have had to curtail some of our touring. Beer in the kibbutz pub will be more expensive. Nevertheless, we plan to get to Jerusalem and Jordan along with our work in the field. Should be an interesting year.

After several years of faithful service, the old virtual dig has been reborn under the design expertise of Jessica Meyer, Hippos alum and summer art intern. In addition to site design, Jessica is working with team members on setting up their blogs. During the dig season, she will take new photos from the site and build a virtual tour with 360-panoramas. Follow the adventure starting 26 June at http://virtualdig.org.