I arrived in Bloemfontein on Wednesday, November 25th to work with the Florisbad specimen and the Matjies River Cave sample. From the airport I immediately went to the National Museum in Bloemfontein and spent several hours studying the Florisbad cranium and enjoying the beauty of the museum grounds. After work, the curator, James Brink, took me over to the grocery store (located in a phenomenal South African mall) to get supplies for my stay at the Florisbad Research Station where where the Florisbad cranium was discovered and where I studied the Matjies River Cave sample. After a scenic 45 minute drive out to the Research Station, I got set up in my comfortable little hut, cracked open a Windhoek and watched an incredible sunset on the veld. As the only researcher in town that week I had the entire place all to myself. I spent Thursday working on the crania from the Matjies River Cave and then enjoyed my Thanksgiving dinner consisting of a turkey sandwich, boiled potatoes, and a pecan pie I managed to find at the grocery store.
