still sitting in sydney

It’s amazing what a day makes (and a new place to stay). After hunkering down in a dirty dark backpackers for a night (as most other places were full for the night), I moved to a new “hotel” which is light and well-located. Sunday, the 75th anniversary of the Harbour Bridge was pretty cloudy, but this morning, the sun came out and the world looks brighter. I have been enjoying my walks downtown, out to the water, and through the city buildings! So, I’ve arranged to stay an extra day here and take in a few more things before heading out of town. I even got a better deal on a rental car that I can pick up two blocks from my hotel!

The Bridge was the highlight of entertainment in the city. There were heaps of people at The Rocks where I found myself yesterday afternoon. The picture gives an idea of what kind of crowds I waded through. To my family: the bright yellow anniversary hats in the photo remind me of those goofy neon pink Seattle Mariner’s hats we wore around!

Only a sprinkling of rain came down while the celebrations rolled through. I’m sure the clouds prevented some otherwise miserable sunburn. I am slowly, and safely, accumulating some color after being nearly entirely covered for 4.5 months on The Ice!

Last evening, I met up with Tom for dinner. I appreciated seeing a familiar face from McMurdo and talking to someone who I’d not met more than 2-3 times. We went to a lovely Spanish place, ordered tapas, caught up on past and future travels. I think it was just what I needed to settle into the city and country of Australia.

huge honor

"I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down." - Mitch Hedberg -

My life experience grew today when I was invited to attend the Scott Base 50th Anniversary Luncheon. My invitation was by default since I, and Shuttle Char, were the drivers from McMurdo to the Base. The speakers at this even include the Prime Minister Helen Clark, Sir Edmund Hillary, Claudia McMurray, and Dr. Arden Bement. The first photo is similar to what you will find if you Google "Sir Edmund Hillary" in the news for today.

The biggest honor, and perhaps highlight of my stay in Antarctica was shaking the hand of Sir Edmund Hillary and thanking him for the groundwork he laid in Antarctica for people, like myself, to be able to come here. He has accomplished much and still has goals and aspirations at 87 years old! He did not expect to be able to attend a 50th birthday party for the Base he founded in Antarctica, but seems pleased-as-punch to be here. The man is still quite witty and has great regard for the science and research that continues here.

The luncheon was a strange mix of lowly Raytheon employees, Kiwi people, military personnel, NSF and high ranking government official, along with Char and I, the shuttle drivers. Prime Minister Helen Clark consented to have her picture taken with me as well. This woman is quite approachable and "down-to-earth." I appreciate her enthusiasm for coming to Antarctica and visiting for the 50 year event.

I would attempt to write more of my thoughts, but this opportunity came about so quickly that I am still trying to figure out how little-ole-me ended up with sushi and fine New Zealand cheeses for lunch! And, I must head for bed to rest this sleepy head!

*favorite photo: me with Sir Ed.

great guests

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary -

Today I was put on the C-17 passenger transport again. I like ths job. In my particular role, two of us head out to Pegasus; the most remote of our two airfields in a van with flight lunches. We do not drive any passengers, but we do "herd" them off and on the plane. We are required to watch out for people who might wander off toward the engines, or miss their transport vehicle back to McMurdo or Scott Base. Today, we had a particularly complicated job as we had two important people arriving.

Today's transfer was quite unusual as it carried two very high profile guests to Antarctica. The first is Sir Edmund Hillary. He made the third overland journey to the South Pole in 1958 and established Scott Base for the Kiwis in 1957. His greater accomplishment is the first successful ascent up Mt. Everest. Ironically, he used the following words in relation to this climb: "We didn't know if it was humanly possible to reach the top of Mt. Everest. And even using oxygen as we were, if we did get to the top, we weren't at all sure whether we wouldn't drop dead or something of that nature." The sad irony is that this 87 year old man was relying on oxygen for part of his flight down to The Ice today. Perhaps his attitude remains the same: he's still climbing those high "mountains" in life, even if success is not guaranteed. His presence here is an honor for everyone in Antarctica as Scott Base celebrates 50 years. The second guest, is Prime Minister Helen Clarke of New Zealand (click here for new release). While not directly involved with the Antarctic Program, her presence is an honor as well!

There was quite the to-do about these people when they landed. News cameras were in their face. They stayed on the airfield ramp for a half hour of interviews. It was a bit of a zoo, but also entertaining for Dave and I. The most difficult part of our job was to keep the folks flying home from running up and taking pictures. I felt a bit disappointed for them but we followed protocol pretty well. Everyone here hopes to get a picture with Sir Hillary and possibly an autograph on the NZ $5 bill with his face on it. For now, at least I have my photo in passing. I enjoy realizing that after all the hype, these important people are still just people!

midnight madness

New Years brought McMurdo another two day weekend. I cannot begin to tell you how nice it is to recuperate for more than 24 hours. This week will also begin our third (and last) shuttles rotation. The first, was my 17:30 to 05:30 shift. I am finishing my 05:30 to 17:30 rotation and moving into a 06:30 to 18:30 schedule.

But beyond the functionality of our work schedule, a large number of activities are scheduled to entertain us over the holiday weekend. There was a toga party, a fuel tanker party, two morning brunches in a row, Icestock, a Hut 10 Christmas party for our shuttles crew and another New Years party at Scott Base.

My Old Years Day was consumed by activities. I found myself out at Icestock early. This peculiar Antarctic event is held outside (I panorama-ed some pictures together) and features bands from around station, a chili cook-off, and some fabulous “art.” Of course, my favorite part had to be the Sawbucks; appropriately staffed by the carpentry shop. I enjoyed a nice cup of free coffee in a real Starbucks cup with Erik (he’s a general assistant, GA, and one of the very first people I met in my hotel in Denver).

I went for a run to Scott Base, but only made it to the top of their hill before I had to turn back because of wind and dust. I have to say, it was one of the most miserable runs ever! I was grateful for my balaclava to save me from inhaling the volcanic dust, but it did not keep me from getting blown across the road as I ran back into town! Last night the storm finally made its’ way into McMurdo. We had a nice fresh thin layer of snow this morning when it was over. I noticed today, we are getting some more flurries. After living such a dusty, muddy existence for the last few weeks, the new snow is a welcome sight!

For New Years, our shuttles crew had our Christmas party with gift exchange. Kris (our supervisor) and Megan (night senior) whipped up a delicious Greek feast for us all and we had a gift exchange. Then we had movies, games, and a midnight champagne toast. The festivities were quiet, but that is how I usually celebrate the turn of the year.

So, it is a new year; a fresh start to an ambiguously marked time, or year, in history. A lot will change for me in the next months to the end of next year. I will see many new places and hope for new faces, too! I have neglected to determine any resolutions, although, I hope to exercise more consistently. I wouldn’t know where to start with a resolution for an unplanned future. I am determined to have a great deal of faith in God’s provision, and a few unique adventures in the coming year!

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” – Jude 1:24-25 -

happy 2007

There's something very interesting about existing at that obscure slice of the world in which we begin every day first. Tonight, two hours ago, I was part of the first time zone to celebrate the New Year!

So, Happy 2007!
from + or - 12:00 GMT

vacation days and volleyball

Christmas is now over and the New Year is only a few short days away! I had a few holiday pictures to share, though. The first is a Christmas picture of Laura and I at the Galley. A remarkable group of volunteers dressed the place up with lights, and fake foliage. Laura and I, in typical form, wore similar colors on Christmas day, so I changed to a sweater so we wouldn't clash in the picture.

I have a new addiction; and it comes in the form of crocheting. I made 6 baby hats and two adult hats in 10 days (or less). I made one as a Christmas present for Laura. After making baby hats to donate to third world children, out of donated yarn, I decided to make my own projects. This required me to go to the weekly sewing club (called Stich'n*itch) to buy yarn. You can imagine my delight when she wore a sweater that matched the gift she was opening on Christmas Eve! Incidentally, if anyone has an extra crochet hook laying around, please click on the link to "my antarctic address" on the right.

In this world of Antarctica, a hat often identifies people. I have been wearing the colorful hat I found in Christchurch most of the season. I was excited to a most-creative and unique gift in a silver penguin pin fashioned by Ted, back in Wheaton. I'm using it to decorate my head! Thank you to those who sent cards and packages. I received a few prior to Christmas and a couple yesterday on the C-17 that flew in. There is another one tomorrow, although, I'm not sure if there will be mail on it.

My volleyball team ended up doing quite well on Christmas day. The picture is our random threesome: Myself, Dave, and Kevin. We played 6 matches, 16 games (4 matches in a row). By the end of the day we were not only calorie depleted, but we also took second in the third game of the third match against the winning team, rally scored: 16-18. It was fun, though! And, despite not being able to hit well with my sore shoulder, it was some of the most competitive volleyball I've played in a long time! When the tournament wrapped up, the winning teams spent some time in the Eric, the station manager's room. That was a bit of a reward for an entire day of volleyball!

christmas!

Due to the 18-21 hour time difference, I've put off writing this blog until my Christmas afternoon; hoping my readers will get this greeting late Christmas Eve, or on Christmas morning!

May you be touched by the Christmas spirit and remember Christ's love for you this weekend!

Our Christmas celebration started with the town party on Saturday night after everyone got off work. I had a miserable night with a sore throat and achy body, so I stayed in. Sunday morning, Laura and I had breakfast. She brought the good cereal from the South Pole (Cocoa Puffs and Fruit Loops). We also went to the Christmas Eve service at the chapel and came back in time to rest before our big dinner at 3pm. The dinner was delightful and tasty. Afterwards, it was time for reading and resting! At 11pm, there was carols at the chapel. It was packed full, and we had a great time!

This morning (Christmas), after I took pictures of Laura running the Ob Hill Uphill race, brunch was served. This is typically the best meal of the week with an omlette bar, Belgian waffle bar, fresh fruit and cheeses, pastries, and lots of hot breakfast food, too! I loaded up on fresh fruit and then headed to the big gym for an all day volleyball tournament. I have another game in an hour, but so far, my team has won the first two matches.

So, that's my Christmas. I hope you have a spectacular time with your friends and family.

"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6 -

cheer

Going into work today put me in the Christmas spirit of helping others. I arrived at work and immediately was assigned to help in the mail room, sorting the boxes and cards and letters that came in on the C-17 from New Zealand yesterday. I happily sorted through the letters and found 3 Christmas cards addressed to me! All this mail was the last shipment of goodies to make it here before the holiday.

After I helped out in the mail room, I tromped over to the galley to spend a few hours helping out with holiday preparations. I fully expected to wash pots, or chop onions, but instead, I helped unload the cheese into the fridge, and then decorated cookies with Tia.

Laura also arrived back to McMurdo today. I had a hunch she was on a flight that J picked up, and I told him to pass her off to me at Willie Field, so I could drive her back to town (now that the runway has moved, it's a 1/2 hour ride back to the station.

The holidays are nearly here. (Shuttle "Tex" even got this AC Adapter powered traveling lighted Christmas tree from his mom - too bad it doesn't get dark here)! Today at the store, the bubbly beverages sold out before I went to dinner. I got my bottle of wine to contribute for Christmas dinner!

As you prepare for your celebration:

"Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see the salvation sent from God. The Lord has spoken!” - Isaiah 40:3-5 -

coming christmas

Christmas is coming! And, even though I am not around as many practicing Christian friends, the Christmas season has a much more authentic feel to me this year. There are a few decorations around town and colored lights went up in our suite yesterday (and I thought the colorful road flags were rather Christmasy, too), but we don’t experience the panicked hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and obsessive decorating. So, if anything comes close to the insanity of Christmas shopping it was a couple weeks ago when the line at the store was 5 deep and people packed up their gifts to send home before the mail deadline at the post office. Instead, we make do with what we have and look forward to our station Christmas dinner at which we will see such delicacies as duck and lobster!

Yesterday I saw the perfect 6 pointed snowflake land on the front window of the Terra Bus. It stayed for over a minute, frozen in it's glittery state until it blew off. I wish I had my camera to capture the amazing beauty of that ice; so small, but it is now just a sweetened memory (instead, I'll just attach one of the pictures from the pressure ridge tour I took last week). Given our inevitable white Christmas, what do we dream of down here? Well:

I remember the Christmas’ past when the extended family would get together in one house for three days and talk, play games, eat, and eat, and eat some more. Those Christmas' were simpler in my understanding of the place we live. Peace stood a chance because I didn’t understand the complications of war; or how entangled human civilization can become.

I have hopes for Christmas’ to come of our Prince of Peace to come again and make everything new. I hope for peace and a world without sin. I dream of the day when life is not so complicated and the right decisions are made for me. I hope for a Christmas with family again; when we can crowd in a room and thank God for His Son together; and then celebrate our gratitude for our food and company. After all that, I suppose I would hope for something other than pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert.

I anticipate a Christmas this year with new friends and with Laura, flying in from the South Pole. I will have a grand meal to indulge in with a glass of wine and plentiful conversation. I know I'll get my "something other than pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert." And, I'll have the memories to keep near of family and friends back home who will celebrate their holiday in similar fashion.

I know one thing remains the same from Christmas to Christmas: The reason we can celebrate and share the joy of this holiday is because God’s Son was sent to us to make the world new and to prepare a way for us to meet Him when he returns.

“I’m here with the others who saw the heavens testify. Now I hang back in the shadows, I want to come close. I want to know. She sees me shivering here, she smiles and with a nod, I walk through the mud and straw to the newborn Son of God. He raises a wrinkled hand through the dust and the flies. Wrapped in rags like we are and with barely open eyes, he takes my finger and He won’t let go and He won’t let go! It’s nothing like I knew before and it’s all I need to know. Come, let us adore Him, He has come down to this barren land where we live and all I have to give Him is adoration." - Newsboys, Adoration -

For myself, this lack of a commercial Christmas makes it a little easier to live the prayer we said on Sunday: "Lord in heaven, save us from mere external religion. Forive us for the times we have forsaken You, hidden our sin, and sought to help and hope in ourselves and things of this world. Heal our hearts and make us into the people You want us to be."

Happy Holidays everyone!

great days, part IV: thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is greeted with much excitement around town. This, as I’ve mentioned before, is the first 2 day station-wide weekend and it’s a holiday. The day begins pretty slowly. A meager breakfast is served and then everyone was required to sign up for a dinner time: 15:00, 17:00, or 19:00. There is another meal served at midnight rations for those night workers who prefer to have dinner then.

The food was pretty spectacular for McMurdo. We had fresh fruits, cheeses, and plentiful desserts (my favorite was the flourless chocolate cake). The spread included a beef carving station, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, vegetables, bread, salad, and vegetable tray. Conveniently, alcohol is allowed in the dining room on Saturday evenings, so we all toasted the holiday in our blue, wine-filled plastic glasses!

Parties abound after the meal. Tia’s birthday was on the 24^th,
and since we had our Cape Evans trip that day, we had a brief birthday party for her at our supervisors room. There was live music at the coffee house and a “block party” in one of the halls in my dorm. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly festive; most everyone in great holiday spirits!

And, now, it’s after Thanksgiving and I can enjoy the much anticipated Christmas holiday since I have adhered to my self-imposed rule of not celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving. So, here I am, now listening to my favorite TranSiberian Orchestra Christmas music, with a smile on my face, enjoying time to myself on a Sunday morning.

I hope your holiday season is a special one. Even after Thanksgiving, may you have much more to be thankful for this December and into the New Year! Take care and enjoy spending time with your families and friends!

"Everything is extraordinary, nothing is left ordinary; Christmas is come!" -TranSiberian Orchestra-

P.S. What do you think of Laura's new haircut?

great days, part III: turkey trot

Thanksgiving morning, after getting 7 hours of hard sleep, I woke up to run the 5k Turkey Trot. After such an exhausting night at Cape Evans, it was certainly a challenge to drag myself out of bed into the freezing cold, but once the race started, I felt much better. I finished decently as well. My time was 25:36 and I was 10^th among women racers. Laura finished an impressive 4^th place. The jog commenced at the chapel and we ran down the Ice Runway Road and back up to the chapel. It was quite invigorating in the crisp air, but warm enough that I shed my ear warmer, neck gaiter, and gloves before I hit the ½ way point.

glitter glue and sparkling snow

We recently began decorating our office for the holidays. The first task we were assigned was to put turkeys on the door. I can’t remember the last time I traced my hand and decorated it for Thanksgiving, but this has to be the best ones ever! It seems like such a little thing, but when I went into our supply drawer to find glue, I was gleefully surprised to find glitter glue! When I see stuff like that, I have to wonder if Raytheon shipped in on the cargo plane, if it made it’s journey with other supplies on the boat, if someone squished it in their suitcase, or had it mailed down. Glitter glue is just one of those novelties I didn’t imagine running across here.

I attended Sea Ice School yesterday. This is an entire day dedicated to learning about Ice conditions, cracks, and how to determine if they are drivable. If the sea ice is greater than 30 inches, any light vehicle can travel over it (light vehicle includes the 67,000 pound TerraBus because it’s weight is distributed so well that it’s likelihood of sinking in is less than that of a 240 pound human).

The day was actually quite fun. Matt, our instructor was informative and lead an hour-long classroom session on what we should look for and how the ice typically develops cracks.

From their we grabbed lunches and headed out in a Hagglund, across the shiny glittering snow (the picture illustrates how bright it was outside) to find some cracks to assess. We found some pressure ridges that have formed over the past 5 years (since the B-15 iceberg broke off). Because the temporary ice shelf hasn’t broken up the past years, pressure ridges have built up larger than normal. This year, since we assume the ice is going to break up, these areas are particularly volatile.Let me clarify here, that when I talk about a fracture in the ice, it usually does not indicate that there is water sloshing around between the two sides of ice. It can happen, but most of the time, these cracks are a result of tidal movement, pressure, or a slow warming, and many times ice will move and crack and refreeze in between. This simply makes the ice weaker than the ice shelf around it.

First, we dug out a trench perpendicular to the crack itself and exposed the ice below the snow so we know what sort of fracture we have. Most cracks will look like stairsteps down to a center point.

Then we took readings of each level of the crack to determine the thickness of the ice. To do this we used a drill. Both motorized and hand drills were available. We were required to use both. My apathy towards power tools prompted me to enjoy the hand drill more.

After drilling out the different levels of ice, we took a tape measure and a weight that catches under the ice and measured the thickness of the ice. Of the 3 cracks we assessed, all had 2-3 meters of ice beneath them.

The trip was capped off by another Weddell Seal sighting. Some smart scientists who attended Sea Ice School with me, suggested that I try holding him, so that's me holding a Weddell Seal below!

settling in with the sun

"Lord, help me to do great things as though they were little, since I do them with your power; and little things as though they were great, since I do them in your name." - Blaise Pascal -

Here I'm sitting, taking my lunch in the office since we all have to spend lunch in for each other every few days to keep the phones covered--ironically, they don't ring between midnight and 1am, but I'm sure there is some principle behind it all. I'm munching on a carrot cupcake, wondering if this wasn't a carrot muffin from two days ago that they frosted to look more appetizing today. No complaints, either way. The food here is better than expected, and therefore, a sustaining treat three times a day.

The sun does not go "down" anymore. As I type this, it's laying low in the sky, but is content just skimming across the mountains. I'm doing the same. I am content, shining/smiling brightly and driving through life down here; and excited to just DO what God wants, rather than WORRY about that is (and there is a difference).

I'm also content with my new friends; the closest being Tia, Michael, and Marty. For some reason, the four of us really hit it off in Denver and even though Tia and Marty are on day shifts, we still look to each other for those late night/early morning chats. We are very different personalities, who get excited about finding and discussing our contrasts. Last night we had a post-Halloween Party debriefing together. As a disclaimer, though, I aught to mentioned that I miss my "old" friends a lot. They are irreplaceable.(Picture from Tia Kramer)

Yesterday we had the annual Halloween Party. I swapped shifts with someone who didn't want to go and dressed up like Pebbles Flinstone. I must say, it's quite a challenge to get up and go to a party. When the party was over and everyone headed to bed, I felt like I should be going too, and ended up taking about 3 naps during my "day" to compensate for my mixed up internal clock! Other than that, I had a fun time seeing everyone dress up.
Life here is settling into a pattern. There are a whole lot of South Pole folks that have been stacked up here for the last couple of weeks. They've run out of beds and are holding people in New Zealand until they are able to send some of the folks here to the South Pole. This means, longer lines for us at meals, slower internet, and packed-out social events. Most people here are looking forward to losing them soon, but the weather doesn't look promising at the Pole.

birthday bash

In Antarctica, they say you get to celebrate your birthday twice. The first time is the McMurdo celebration and the second time is all the e-mails from the states because the time difference is almost an entire day different! October 17 marked another year of my life. Having a birthday on The Ice is not something everyone gets to have; even of those who make it down here because we only work 5-6 months of the year. In addition to celebrating my birthday, I was scheduled to work, as well, but one of my co-workers kindly switched days with me and instead of working, I began my transition into a night schedule. My shifts will be from 5:30pm to 5:30am. After sleeping in until 11am, I woke up to find a beautiful slice of birthday cake, a huge sign crafted by Tia and Michael. Michael had breakfast laid out for me and I even made candles out of cardboard for me and other friends wrote messages to me!Laura planned a dessert and margarita party for me, and even brought a no-bake Jello dessert down to make for the occasion; complete with real candles! Most of my shuttles co-workers showed up along with some roommates, Laura's co-worker Dan (pictured below), and some other folks who I met on the flights down here.Because I finally had a day off, I was able to get some laundry done, jog on the treadmill at the gerbal gym, and clean up myself and my room. I met Laura for lunch. This was the first time we spent time together since I made it to Antarctica. It's great to have her around to spend time with and even get mistaken for at times! Now that I'm working nights we're hoping to spend some time together at breakfast once a week.Our night crew has been adjusting and beginning to work the night shift. We spent a good amount of time together to finish off my birthday hours. There are five of us on the crew: Mike, Megan (supervisor), Rick, Dave, and me. You'll notice in the picture that Dave is hanging onto my new book, "Why Penguins have knees," that Jen gave me for my birthday. It was a package worth hauling with me!In some of our time off, a few of us took a van and drove over to the Scott Base Store. The Scott Base is the New Zealand station in Antarctica. The United States Antarctic Program works closely with them and they use many of our services. Scott Base is close to Americans except on "American Night" which is every Thursday evening. However, the store is open to us whenever they have store hours, and it was such a beautiful day, we spent some time enjoying scenery and meeting Kat who works the Scott Base Store.Sunsets are a novelty here. When the sun is visible and not clouded over, it is amazing to watch it pull under the hills. Last night, we watched it duck behind the hills. Complete darkness has disappeared from McMurdo. The sky is hazy light all night long!Mt Erebus is the active volcano that hovers over the Scott and McMurdo. Off the top, you'll notice a steam cloud drifting to the right. The mountain is quite impressive in the white & blue landscape!
My postings may slow down a bit. While I'm convinced I'll learn something new every day, these 12 hour shifts do not leave much time to recreate and websurf!

freshies and seventies

Random Fact of the day: The Antarctic Treaty comes up for renewal in 2041. This treaty basically governs the use of the continent for research only and limits countries from claiming land they've staked as their own territory. I'm sure there's some other important stuff in that treaty, too, but that's all I've got for you now!

Yesterday was a pretty busy day! I had my first Ice Runway pick up. I was the lead shuttles vehicle (with my supervisor) and we got to pick up 67 new faces from the C-17 cargo plane in 6 vehicles! I was amazed at how cool it felt to be the “experienced” old kid on the block when these new people came in!

The picture above shows Tia, myself, Mike, and Dave enjoying the ATO BBQ after work. The food wasn’t so great, but the people were pretty fun. Our department & building is categorized as ATO (Air Transport Operations), so we work closely with cargo, kiwi cargo, air services, and the Post Office (hint, hint: My office is in the same building as the POST OFFICE. It’s really easy for me to pick up mail; but only if people send me stuff)! At the post office, we are also able to get our official Antarctic Passport stamp. You’d better believe I was over there already to get that mark in my book! How many people can say they have that stamp!

After that party, Mike and I, walked outside to a cloudy sunset and decided we should take advantage of the amazing sunset over the mountain ranges, so we found our way down to the chalet. Behind me in this picture is the Ross Sea Ice. It will begin to break up a bit later in the season. Once the ice melts to 6 feet thick, the runway will move. Pictures are simply not going to do justice to the amazing grandeur God has created down here. It’s an incredible ice kingdom!
Speaking of God’s Kingdom, we also slipped into the Chapel of the Snows to take in the sunset. It’s warm, and there are binoculars in the front of the church to look out at the sea ice and mountain ranges behind.

Yesterday was the “Summer Kickoff 70’s Party” at McMurdo. So, we went to the non-smoking bar, Gallagher’s, and saw some fantastic costumes (there’s a gear issue with plenty of costumes down here). This picture is of Tia, Mike, Laura, and Mike's disco ball alarm clock. I popped in and out pretty quickly after a couple pictures since I was pretty exhausted after this long week! We can't believe it's only been 3 days!

On the flight that came in, we got a pallet of "freshies." This includes pineapple, bananas, apples, oranges, and lots of other fruit and veggies. We found out that if we ask a Dining Assistant nicely, they will pull out a couple of bananas for us, so I smiled nice and took a couple back to my room! At breakfast this morning, the fruit was by far the highlight of the meal. They also have a tastey waffle bar! Yummy!