Non-Vegas, Nevada

Have you ever been to Nevada?  I mean, the non-Vegas parts of Nevada?  No, I figured not.  I don't think most people have.  Since the beginning of December I have spent the equivalent of a full month in Overton, Nevada for work.  It's only a little over an hour away, but Overton is about as different from Vegas as you could imagine.  We're talking old Mormon mission schools, painted ponies, and vast stretches of muddy hills and rocky outcrops spanning every horizon.  It's a pretty place, with lots of history and interesting archaeology... although I can't honestly say that I'm sad to be finished with the project.

We got the truck stuck in a wash, we got rained on, we chatted with shotgun-wielding locals, and we visited local casinos... and in the middle we surveyed 4,500 very rough acres and recorded about 40 archaeological sites.  I had to pull a few cholla out of my shins and I even got to see my very first Joshua Tree up close and personal.  Prior to this I'd never done any work in Nevada, and it's been a fun experience.  We managed to find time to tour through Valley of Fire State Park and the check out the north end of Lake Mead (which, to be honest, doesn't have much going on anymore), and we got to know all three of the restaurants in Overton pretty well over the course of our stays.  It's amazing how much of a place you can get to know when there just isn't much to do.

This project in Overton marks the first time that I've been assigned the role of Project Director.  I was entirely in charge of all fieldwork, and now that I'm back in the office, I am responsible for most of the report write-up as well.  Being in charge is kind of exciting.  I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at with work right now.  In the last week, I've gotten both my own company credit card and business cards!  I feel so professional.  Now that I've put in more than my share of fieldwork over the last 1.5 years, I am pretty excited about being able to spend the remainder of 2013 (!) working out of the office and having a predictable schedule.  This also means that I can finally replace the dead potted plants in my office- and have a real chance at keeping the new ones alive!