Digging to China

Ellie loves digging.  She digs all the time at school, but usually without shovels, so she comes home with dirt compressed under her fingernails.  The beach is heaven to her.  She swims like a fish, eyes open whether or not she has on her goggles, and then when she is done swimming, she gets to dig.  Today she announced that she was digging to China.  I can't help think of Anne Tyler's novel of that name, about a family who adopted a little girl from China and their unlikely friendship with a very different adoptive family they met at the airport.  I didn't get a picture of Ellie's hole (that she kept wanting to sit in), but I did get a picture of the excavation at Sounion.

This was all underground last year.

 It seemed to be a road lined with buildings that they were excavating all the way from the top to the harbor.  Phil is in Greek archaeologist mode, so he just marched up through it, and we followed.  None of the workmen who were enjoying a rest said anything other than kalimera to us, so I guess it was ok.

They've uncovered a road to the harbor.

And started a new one of their own.

 The new road was fun to walk on, too, as it revealed a fresh crop of pot sherds to examine for us amateurs.

Pot sherds we picked up along the way (and then dropped once we'd gotten the photograph, as it is illegal to take anything from an archaeological site).

Ellie just walked in to give her assessment of the party:  "I wish there was a cake."  Mom:  "Instead of cupcakes?  Why?"  Ellie, in the tone of a girl bored with the silly questions, "More frosting."  That sweet girl has a sweet tooth.