This year our Reis is Farouk's eldest son Ayman. We think he's doing a great job, balancing the oversight of work in the squares and the often highly theatrical chasing of the slow basket carriers. He even got a cane just like his Dad. But the waving and whacking draws only laughter from the miscreants.

Katie, Emily, and Elizabeth "take a tea break". Nice shades Katie!

The plastered surface with sand beneath it is just beautifully presented in Emily's square. And why wouldn't it be? Of course the qufti is Mahmoud Abbady, Super-Qufti extroadinaire. He really does rule.

Elizabeth 's qufti has a hole in his soil that is large beneath the surface. They are staring at it together and wondering whether it's the work of animals or something modern. It may be that this is actually the result of the manner in which this surface was prepared - it's a mudbrick-type plaster that was placed atop a layer of potsherds and then topped with sand and white plaster. We have it in every square.

Visitors today include my fearless and intrepid Demoticist colleague from JHU, Richard Jasnow, and his wife and fellow Demoticist - and Chicago House artist - Tina DiCerbo. Richard is visiting with Tina over Intersession, and he came over to Mut just to encourage.

The plastered surface is also beautifully preserved in Sarah's square on the east end of our new line of trenches. Beneath this packed whitened layer has emerged large amounts of Late Period pottery - just as in the square to the east, excavated in 2004.

As is often the case, at the end of the day something begins to appear. Some bricks are starting to show in Katie's trench - and also in Adam's - but they are perhaps fallen and certainly not from an emerging wall. But the pattern is intriguing for us. We'll see soon.

A tradition: the first unloading of the pottery at Beit Canada . We have a new bus and a new driver, whose name is Ramadan. The old green bus is still around, but Sabour is working for the Brooklyn expedition this winter. At least we still see him, and Ramadan will be a friendly new addition.

Everyone gets to carry a basket. Dina has her turn to carry the pottery basket over to await the washers. She's leaving us for Cairo tonight to spend the Eid feast with her family. Coptic Christmas comes on Saturday, and the Eid just two days later, so most of the country is in holiday mode for the next week.

So as Emily places her basket on the ground she might be thinking about her mini-vacation that's coming up. Since we can't work, we're going to Middle Egypt on Saturday for four!! fun filled days. Come along with us to Amarna, Beni Hasan, and the rest. We start back at the temple on Wednesday the 11th .

To return to Part 1 of today's pictures, click here.