Cyborg Pony on Leave... Sorta!

Hey gang,

My cousin came over Friday and we did a last minute trip to the Zoo in Toronto. It was a great time. It was warm, muggy and overcast so there wasn't many people out. The animals were pretty sleepy but I ended up taking 203 photos!

We were there from 10 AM to 3:30 PM, then we came home to celebrate my brother's birthday. He turns 24 on the Tuesday but he was visiting this weekend for a race car event down the road from us.

I will probably talk more about my zoo experience, but I am in the middle of packing for Nova Scotia! I fly out at 7:20 AM! We're leaving here at 5 am. Blah. I am taking old lappy with me to post pictures and to write about my experience. I have never ever taken a computer on a trip with me - or on an airplane so I'm a little nervous.

When I get back I am probably going to Fan Expo on the Saturday. Hurray for summer!

Field School Update

I'm going to have to start brushing up on my archaeology real soon, as I just got confirmation today from Louisbourg about my field school.

I'm a little sad though because I am flying out Sunday to Halifax and driving to Louisbourg and I just found out that we are all entitled to a free pass on Sunday to explore the site. The site closes at 5 p.m. and I won't get there until 4 p.m. so I won't have enough time. The letter does say that there will be other opportunities to explore to site during the week we are there.

Originally, our team was going to excavate in the De la Valliere yard but this year we are going to be helping out on a two month rescue excavation project. The sites are threatened by coastal erosion due to the rising sea levels. The sites have never been studied before, and are facing the Atlantic Ocean.

This is going to be one crazy adventure for me. I have travelled to parts of the US and a couple of times to Quebec, but I have never been too far out of my own province, and I have never been out East before. I'll be flying to Halifax on August Sunday 22nd and driving the rest of the way, approximately 4 hours to Cape Breton Island, where Louisbourg is. I'll be staying at a Bed and Breakfast called Cranberry Cove. I originally wanted to stay in The Captain's Den but I'm going to be in a suite called Isle Royal that faces the harbor. I plan on trying to get some time to swim in the Atlantic Ocean while I am there, and maybe catch a couple of events in the town. Hopefully I make some new friends while I'm there, though I can be quite shy, haha. On Friday, the team will have dinner together and I'll leave for Halifax that night, and sleep in the airport. I'll be back in Toronto early Saturday morning, where I'll try to figure out if I want to go to Fan Expo that day, or on Sunday.

Summer Plans

Everyone knows that the best things always happen in summer. There's always so much I want to do, but I never seem to have the time. This summer, I will attempt to accomplish most of my plans!

1. Go the Toronto Zoo
I haven't been to the zoo in three years, and before that, I can't even remember. The Polar Bears are back, and going to the zoo is such a summer event. I hope to accomplish this sometime in August, or even in the first two weeks of September when the weather is still warm.

2. Go to Fan Expo (August 27th to 29th)
Being a nerd, I have always wanted to go. But Barrie Fair has ALWAYS fallen on the Saturday of the expo and I have never been able to go. There wasn't any reason for me not to go on the Sunday other than the Sunday has never been the best day. Barrie Fair was cancelled last year, but I was out of the country so I couldn't go. Barrie Fair is still cancelled this year, but I will be in Nova Scotia until August 28th. I am going to try to get to Expo the Saturday or the Sunday. I booked my flight back from Nova Scotia really early on Saturday so I have the option of going on the 28th. More on that...

3. Go to Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia for an Archaeological Field School at the Louisbourg Fortress. I would like to get some experience in archaeology to help me get a job in the anthropology field. I didn't go to field school when I was in University, but I was suggested to go to this week long field school. I am very excited about it. I am staying at a bed and breakfast that has a room looking out at the harbor. I'll be digging at an old french fortress part of Canada's history. And I'll be travelling out east - something I have never done before! I am going to trya nd catch a few events in the evenings. I'm renting a car to get around, as my plan is to fly to Halifax, drive to Louisborg and then drive back to Halifax Friday night, sleep in the airport and take an early morning flight back to Toronto where I will either take the TTC downtown to the expo or the Go Train to Oshawa. This is going to be a crazy week.

4. Go to the Royal Ontario Museum and see the Terra Cotta Army
I've been to the ROM many times, but they were redoing the dinosaur exhibit the last time. I really would like to see the Terra Cotta Army but they're going to be there until January so there's no rush yet!