Mid-excavation update

We are more than halfway through our 2012 season at Argyle 2.  Excavations continue to prove how rich in archaeology this site is, with continued identification of multiple features and burials, some of which get discovered accidentally, through the excavation others. In the process, our volunteers learned a lot, gained some valuable experience and, most importantly, had a great time!  We look forward to what the next week has in store!

RocketHub Update

Thank you to RocketHub for being a great platform for crowdsourcing, and for supporting us by interviewing our founder (read it here)... We raised just over 80% of our goal, which is above and beyond our expectations.  Our deepest gratitude goes to our family and friends, for both their financial contributions as well as their endless words of support and encouragement... and to those who don't even know us, lucky you ;)  Kidding.  Thank you for believing in a project as much as we do.

The first session of the 2012 season is right around the corner.  We are hoping to find some great archaeology and contribute to the prehistoric story of SVG.  Stay tuned!

SVG Digs and RocketHub: Let's raise some funds together!

We have just launched a crowdsourcing effort on RocketHub, which has allowed numerous projects to "launch, fund and fly!"  Currently, RocketHub is home of the #SciFund Challenge, but we didn't find out about this project until it was too late.  Hopefully, people looking to support science projects will support ours as well.

The first archaeology project to be funded via crowdsourcing was The Meander Project by Colleen Morgan.  It successfully reached its goal of $5,000 and more, but was sadly cancelled due to permitting reasons (?) in Turkey.  Kudos to Colleen for paving the way, bringing archaeology to the global stage and proving that people around the world care about history and heritage.

The second archaeology project to achieve crowdsourcing funds is The Roman DNA Project by Kristina Kilgrove.  They have achieved above and beyond their goal of $6,000 and there is still time left to support them!  Thanks to the support of 149 "rocketfuelers" and counting, they are going to do some amazing things with Roman DNA.  I supported this program and am looking forward to getting my Roman skull postcards!

Thanks to these previous efforts, and personal tips from various special people, we have launched our own RocketHub, hoping to raise enough rocket fuel to make SVG Digs an astounding success.  Being volunteer based, we could certainly use some rocket fuel to get some new tools and supplies, and help offset some of our costs.  In return, you will get some great rewards!  Go on, be a rocket fueler...

What is this... SVG Digs?

If you want to learn in person about SVG Digs and the SVG Public Archaeology Program, please attend one of the sessions below.

Archaeological Society of Alberta - Lethbridge Centre
November 1, 2011, 7 pm
Lethbridge Public Library
Lethbridge, Alberta

Chacmool Archaeological Conference
November 11, 2011 (Matrices of Change session starts 8 am)
MacEwan Conference Centre, University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta

Or, contact us for other opportunities!

Let's go on a boat!

This one's for you non-beach-bums out there who would much rather get on a boat and perhaps go fishing!  Yes, in St. Vincent, it can be done!

Fishing and Dolphin/Whale Watching

Sea Breeze Nature Tours can provide you with a day of fishing and dolphin watching, with whale watching if you get lucky.  Tours begin near Kingstown, and sail up the leeward side of St. Vincent, stopping at the Pirates of the Caribbean film set for lunch, if you wish, in Wallilabou.  Contact Hal or Beverly for more details.

Crystal Blue Sportfishing Charters can also take you on a fishing trip, with half-day, 3/4 day and full day options that include drinks.  Contact Greg or Lisa for more details. 

You could catch one of these: Dolphin (Dorado/Mahi Mahi), Black Fin / Yellow Fin Tuna, Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Spearfish, or Barracuda!

(This photo, left, is from Crystal Blue, from the World Wide Fishing Guide.  The rest are personal photos.)

Bring your suit! St. Vincent has more than great archaeology.

When you are planning your trip to St. Vincent, remember to add a few extra days to your visit so you can see some of treasures of this lesser-known Caribbean island.

Hope you like swimming, because we like to bring our suits with us everywhere we go, just in case.  Right on the way home from site is Rawacou, a rock-enclosed swimming pool on a black sand beach; waves are often crashing down all around you.  Depending on the weather, Rawacou can be a calm wading pool or an awesome wave pool, which means you should go more than once. (Photo by voteulp on Flickr)



Being a Caribbean island, St. Vincent has beaches all over the place. Indian Bay is one of our favourite spots, and is a short drive from our apartments, on the way to town.  At one end is a great dinner spot, where you can grab a girly drink (or some rum!) and watch the sun set.



Another top beach destination is Wallilabou, one of the film sets for the Pirates of the Caribbean.  Many of the set pieces and props still remain, though it has deteriorated over the years.  Great lunch spot; photos and autographs of the film stars and crew are on the walls.



Further north on the island is Owia Salt Pond.  I have no words for this place, I find it absolutely breathtaking and feel it is a must-see.  For swimmers and hikers, dreamers and shakers. (Photo from Atlas Obscura)

And the best place to bring your swimsuit, if it's accessible (hurricanes and storms have denied us access in the past, due to damages to the walkways), is the Falls of Baleine.  It is one of those rare moments in life, where I couldn't stop smiling and had to scream, "This is awesome!" (Photo from SVG Ministry of Tourism & Culture)

Have you sent in your application form yet? What are you waiting for?
2012 Application Form

This is what dreams are made of

Coming to join us in St. Vincent? Relax, stay a while. There's much more to see and do than our fabulous excavation.

While the island of St. Vincent has its local beauty (stay tuned), the Grenadines are what people dream the Caribbean to be about - clear waters, pristine white sand, catamarans, yachts, lobster, champagne, golf, snorkelling, diving, ... and the list goes on.  Your options are endless.  AND, the good news is, you don't have to break the bank to experience it.

Yannis Sail and Fantasea Tours are affordable ways to see the Grenadines, snorkel with the turtles and swim in warm Caribbean waters.  Fantasea Tours leaves directly from St. Vincent, cruising past Bequia and Canouan and lunching in Mayreau, while Yannis Sail will require a short flight from St. Vincent to Union Island, though this latter option also includes breakfast and lunch.  Both options are highly recommended... and both are simple day trips!

If you have a few days on your hands, spend some time on the island of Bequia... and if you are looking for a little privacy and luxury, head to the island of Mustique, where rock stars and movie stars have holiday homes.

Whatever you fancy, you will love what SVG has to offer.  Come, visit, stay a while!

See my Flickr for more photos!