Are the following sentences grammatical?
The summer of 2000 saw me in a research project at a museum in Africa.
The summer of 2000 saw me doing a research project at a museum in Africa.
The verb "see" has a definition "Be the time or setting of (something)", according to the ODO. So is the above usage correct?
Since the ODO definition says "time or setting", does the subject of "see" in this sense have to be a time or time period? All the example sentences I have seen seem to point to that.
However, just came across this question: Usage of "See" Phrases
Also I have found several instances where the subject of "see" is neither time or a sentient being. Do these fall under the same usage? Are these instances grammatical?
The project, dubbed the "Holiday Hole," saw online donors contribute more than $100,573 -- or, as organizers called it, "money thrown in the hole" -- for the frivolous dig. (source: CNN)
Part-commentary on the way we live today and part-experiment, the project saw stacks of books accompanied only by a simple note that encouraged passers-by to take a book for free, read it and on completing the book, email me. (source)
Different stages of the project saw dramatic shift of winds, particularly when it came to conflict areas. (source)