Death Walks the Stanegate Road

Spring is trying to sneak into Wisconsin these days.  It is doing a rather poor job of it just now, a late winter storm dumped six inches of heavy wet snow on me.  In the ER we call this "cardiac snow' as it usually brings in a few middle aged guys with heart attacks incurred while shoveling.

I am fortunately made of sterner stuff, and simply got a needed tune up of my digging muscles.  But it put my thoughts  to my upcoming trip to the archeology digs of Northern England.  And to my "digging friends".

Digging friends are an interesting species.  They are somewhat more real than "imaginary friends".  They in fact have material forms and I do see them on rare occasions.  But most people do not get to see them at all, so I suppose to you they are rather like Harvey.

Take for instance, Sunny.  Not at all a giant rabbit, she is in fact more of a shortish catwoman.  She always dresses in black.  On my morning walk in to the site she is sometimes following me.

This is actually a little disturbing.  When you get to my age you do not want to see a figure all in black coming after you down a mist shrouded road....it is just a little too much "Seventh Seal".

Anyway, here is a photo of Sunny and another of our digging pals from last season...

I told Sunny that this creeped me out a little.  She just laughed.  And while Sunny is a very, very nice person, her laugh does have a bit of an Ingmar Bergman film quality to it....

Another shot of Sunny and I.  Note please that while Sunny is shrouded in dark mystery I, right next to her, stand in what passes for high noon in Northumberland!