tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59897187556054455782024-03-14T01:15:29.627+01:00WhereIzMeganUpdates on my adventures in life...Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-84045480996314043532013-11-14T23:15:00.000+01:002013-11-14T23:15:08.802+01:00Guns, Money and Drugs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As a yacht agent the requests that come in are quite varied.
The requests usually come in via email, some times by phone or in person at
which point some basic research is involved and then usually a conversation
about how to proceed and how much it will cost, then coordinating the goods or
services and then following up.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vessel names are not included for privacy reasons. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We had two main client yachts for the summer, and some other
smaller yachts, one even American flagged, just not familiar with the area that
used our services. Yacht 1 was a 250+ft yacht flagged in Europe that was
cruising north to meet up with the owner and family arriving via their private
jet. This was not without issue along the way. There was a mechanical issue
with the yacht when it arrived at our dock and the first concern was repairing
that and whether that meant it had to go back south to Vancouver or Seattle for
this work. Luckily we have a ferry building and repair facility in town so we
were able to find out they could be accommodated and started setting up all the
pieces to the puzzle to do that. Well then it was decided that the issue could
be fixed while the yacht was still in the water, so crisis averted there. But
new issues were then cropping up in that the parts had to be flown in from Europe
and then the engineers to do the repairs had to be flown in as well as a dive
team assembled to do the in water work. Problems solved at a cost of nearly a
week more at our dock at a cost of $3/ft/day. $$$$<o:p></o:p></div>
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The list goes on… The bodyguards on board(this kind of
surprised me, but when you are an old rich dude you can have bodyguards!) were
concerned about bear protection and wanted to bring their guns, but taking
their weapons into American waters and such isn’t allowed, so after much
research we found that we could rent them guns for the summer! Who knew! So two
brand new shot guns were purchased and their associated ammo in time for the
yacht’s arrival. Well of course the owner doesn’t want to have to worry about
going to an ATM, I mean what billionaire wants to do that! So we were wired 5
figures of money and had that ready in 100s, 50s, 20s, 10s, 5s and 1s. So we
happened to have the money and the guns ready for delivery on the same day and
yours truly leading the way with cash in hand “Permission to come on board with
the guns and money?” Going on board isn’t just as easy as when I was living on
the Conch Pearl or Clementia, this included wearing booties or removing your
shoes, signing in to the official register, and wearing a guest id tag around
your neck. Oh and of course being escorted the entire time. So I sat and
watched the money being counted while the boss man gave the run down on the
guns. All in a days work! <o:p></o:p></div>
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On to the drugs! And don’t worry not illegal drugs!! So we
get a phone call from the captain of Yacht 2 via satellite phone saying that
the owner’s wife has lost(or maybe run out?) of her bottle of Prozac and is
having a bit of a melt down, is there any way we can get a bottle from town and
have it flown to the yacht which is about three hours flight time round trip
away. I reply, “Well, we’ve never done that, but I’ll see what we can do.” So
after a phone call with a local pharmacy which included lines like, “yes sir, I
said this is going to a 150ft yacht” followed by “no I don’t think we will
worry about getting her insurance information, they are having us charter a
plane to take the bottle directly to the yacht, just go with full price.” So
from initial request to the drugs being onboard was about 4 hours. Not bad for
our first time! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Other projects included sourcing kosher fine cuts of meat
over the weekend. Our usual source in Seattle is closed on the weekend so we
had to come up with plan B. This was a project for a boat that was unhappy with
their current agent’s performance and wanted our help. So we were able to place
the order and to complicate things further the rich guy in this case owned a
motor yacht and a sailing yacht so the order would need to be in two boxes
because the boats were docked at different marinas. Oh and those two marinas
were in the capital city of Juneau, hours away from us. So the boxes were flown
from New York City to Juneau but of course with delays along the way! Luckily
the courier service we selected in Juneau is friends with the employees at
Alaska Air Cargo and was able to get the meat slipped out the back door at
nearly 11pm. Then I get a phone call at about 11:30pm of the boxes aren’t
labeled! So I instruct the courier to open one box and tell me the contents and
I will look at the original order to figure out which one is which. Crisis
averted and kosher meat in hand, only a few hours late. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yacht 3 is a nearly 300ft long yacht cruising with the owner
and family. On their to do list for us was a varied list, the highlights
include: track down a Pilates chair that had been leapfrogging up the coast
following them, secure permits for the yacht and tenders in the national parks
and wildlife viewing areas, hire floatplanes out of Juneau to bring their
guests out to the yacht, and since it’s raining the owners didn’t want to go to
the airport to meet their private jet by boat, so I drove them in the company
minibus, three dogs, one infant and all. That was my first time driving on to
the ferry to the airport, as well as my first time ever driving on the tarmac
of an airport. Oh and of course with the dogs barking in the excitement of it
all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-27248231478759059372013-11-14T23:08:00.003+01:002013-11-14T23:10:50.602+01:00Summer 2013 in review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I spent the summer in Southeast Alaska working for what I
originally thought was just one company but it ended up being three! I was
originally hired to work for a float plane company and it turns out that the
father and son co-owners also own two other companies, a small marina and yacht
agency. So my job changed by the hour and the day. Most of my time was spent on
the float plane business as a customer service rep, phone calls, emails,
bookings and reservations, driving the company mini-bus to pick up cruise ship
customers. But I also did bookings for the marina and helped boats tie up and
the most varied and often most fun part was the yacht tasks.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The basis of the job comes from foreign flagged vessels
operating in Alaskan waters and a requirement to contract with an agent/agency.
A yacht agency does the leg work for a yacht, anything from booking a dock to
sourcing food. And beyond Working as a yacht agent meant using a little
creativity and lost of resourcefulness. Being new to town I was still learning
where all the different stores were and different street names and yet I would
have to source different supplies from places I had yet to know existed. More
on that in a different post. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Float planes, what strange creatures! I’d never ridden in
one before I started working for the company. I’d also only visited Southeast
Alaska for a week, so I was really in for a treat! The area averages about 13
feet of rain each year and is a rainforest. Many people ask about snow,
thinking that it’s Alaska and it must be some crazy amount, to my surprise as
well, under two feet the entire winter. Coming from Vermont where we’ve gotten
two feet in one storm I was a bit shocked. I have yet to even see a flake fall
there since I left before October 1<sup>st</sup>. Maybe another winter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Southeast Alaska, more specifically the Misty Fjords
National Monument is a spectacular place. The beautiful landscape will
constantly wow you. The wildlife is breathtaking. I was fortunate enough to see
a humpback whale after being in the state for days, eagles soared every day on
my drive to work, deer munching on grass, mountain goats grazing on the
mountain tops, it was fantastic. I was thoroughly spoiled in that my first
summer was probably the driest on record so I saw beautiful blue skies weekly
and spectacular sunsets. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My accommodations were in a rental house that I shared. The
house is a three bedroom, two bath house with garage and a beautiful beach just
steps down the road. We were nearly at the end of a dead end road and well
outside of town, so it was a nice place to escape from all the excitement of
town and tourists. The beauty did come at a price, an hour of commuting each
day, but it was a price we were willing to pay. Jon and I shared his truck and
we would often catch rides with our housemates. One of our housemates is Jon’s
coworker, also a Forest Service employee. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jon and I also got the opportunity to be tour guides when
family friends, Julianne and Ellen, had a day in port on their Alaskan Cruise.
I was able to arrange a flight with my company and the three of us ladies went
out in the 6 passenger plane for an adventure piloted by Josh. We had a
spectacular time! Jon joined us for lunch in town before we headed out to try
and find some bears which was unsuccessful. We walked around to view some of
the totem poles that are famous in SE Alaska and finished our day with drinks
at the Cape Fox Lodge overlooking town and the cruise ships. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I thoroughly enjoyed working and living in Southeast Alaska
and Jon and I plan to be back in the Spring of 2014 for another summer. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-15743368100029977202013-11-14T23:02:00.005+01:002013-11-14T23:09:45.195+01:00Winter 2012-Spring 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<u>Key West recap</u></div>
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So I have been slacking on my blog and not keeping up with
it. No real excuses, just having too much fun. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Last I wrote I was living in Key West in floating
accommodations working hard during the week and enjoying playing tourist on the
weekends. Jon and I took advantage of being “locals” and getting discounted or
free entry to the attractions in town. I think our favorite was Truman’s Little
White House, for me the Florida Keys Discovery Center was a close second. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I worked as a painter. This isn’t as simple as it may sound.
The marina where we worked is a floating dock system, so to accommodate the
tides there are metal pilings that are strategically placed to hold the dock
attached to shore and not drift off. These pilings see a bit of wear and tear
from boats coming and going as well as their lines to tie up with. So before I
could paint I had to remove the rust and corrosion from the metal, then use a
special primer and then 4 coats of paint later voila! To remove the rust is a
dirty process. I was usually a sight to behold at the end of the day! I used a
device called a needle scaler, which has little metal rods that act like little
jackhammers so this created flakes of paint and rust and a hefty amount of rust
dust, which usually coated me from head to toe. My job also included a bit of
strategic planning so as to not get said dust and flakes on fancy expensive
yachts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our floating accommodations came via a Sea Base friend.
Bruce owns three sailboats and he had one that was not the right set up or size
for the scout program so it was sitting in a marina in Islamorada unused. Part
of the deal working at this marina in Key West is that dockage is free except
for two weeks when big events were happening in town, so Bruce got free dockage
for his boat and we got a free place to live, win-win! As a thank you to Bruce
we cleaned the interior, exterior and scraped the bottom of the boat, replaced
a missing custom cushion with the creative hands of Capt. Holley, replaced the
refrigerator thermostat with the skilled hands of Capt. Denny, as well as
replaced the marine head(toilet) to repair a crack and leak. During the two
weeks of the events in town we tied the boat up at the Conch Pearl mooring and
went back and forth via dinghy. Luckily for us both weeks had poor weather so
not all the boats showed up that had reservations so we were able to bring the
boat back in earlier than we anticipated. This was a special treat when my
parents were visiting so they could see the boat and Jon and I didn’t have to
transit back and forth in the dinghy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jon and I participated in the locals parade for Fantasy Fest
with several friends which was a lot of fun. We also took a few days to camp
out at the Dry Tortugas/ Fort Jefferson. The weather wasn’t great so we didn’t
get to do much snorkeling but we explored every inch of the fort and took all
the tours offered. We even saw one of the float planes that operates in
Southeast Alaska in the summer and the Florida Keys in the winter time! Jon was
of course wearing a SE Alaska Forest Service t-shirt for a photo op with the
plane! My parents flew down for a few days to visit and took the ferry out to
the fort. This was Jon’s first face to face introduction to my parents and we
were also out of cell phone range so we requested that my parents bring the
newspaper because the presidential election was going on and Jon was eager to
find out the results. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Holidays<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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With Christmas on the horizon Jon and I packed up our things
and headed north. We made a stop in Tampa to visit some of Jon’s family, then
flew to his mom’s in the DC area. We spent about 3 weeks relaxing and touring
around DC. Christmas was celebrated with Jon’s family, and New Years was a low
key night out to the movies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We then took the train to Burlington and spent several weeks
painting my parent’s condo. We painted the entire first floor, ceiling, walls,
doors, trim, baseboards, even radiator covers. We even installed a few new
light fixtures. We then took the train back to DC so we could take advantage of
a great flight deal to Istanbul, Turkey. We spent about a week in Turkey,
mostly Istanbul seeing the sights and walking the city. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After Turkey I flew back to Vermont, and then resumed
painting. I finished up a few things at my parents, then moved on to my brother
and sister in law’s condo and painted their place as well. I was also
researching jobs in Southeast Alaska so that Jon and I could be together for
the summer as well as applying to jobs to hopefully return to Antarctica. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I interviewed for and accepted one position to work for a
tour company in SE Alaska and then got a phone call while I was out running
errands from another company that Jon thought I’d be happier with and quickly
accepted the offer and booked my flights to head to the 49<sup>th</sup> state! <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-23008632471211418982012-09-15T22:05:00.002+02:002012-09-15T22:05:35.020+02:00Life aboard the Clementia II <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The most commonly asked question of me in the last two
months is “What’s next?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly I am not headed back to Antarctica as I had previously
hoped. I have still heard nothing from <a href="http://www.paegroup.com/">PAE</a>, one of the subcontractors, about
the roughly 15 positions I applied for. So, I have opted for another adventure
that would allow my boyfriend, Jon, and I to live together. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A little history… Jon and I met in Antarctica and started
dating around Christmas time. We traveled together for two and half weeks
after our contracts were up. Jon then returned to his normal job for the US
Forest Service in Alaska and I returned to <a href="http://www.bsaseabase.org/">Sea Base</a> for my usual scuba instructor position. I had
some time off between seasons at Sea Base and visited Jon in Ketchikan in early
May and then saw my parents in Vermont. I applied for about 20 different
positions in Antarctica for two subcontractors. I interviewed for 2 positions
with <a href="http://www.gscgov.com/">Gana A Yoo</a>,
which I was not hired for either. <a href="http://www.paegroup.com/">PAE</a>
still hasn’t contacted me, which has disappointed me greatly. Jon has been
hired two positions and we talked for a long time about what to do. Should Jon
go back to the Ice without me, how long should I wait to hear from PAE, should
we wait and reapply next year in hopes of going back together. We decided wait
to go back together. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we started looking at options for employment and places
to live. I had been working my second summer on the <a href="http://www.schoonerconchpearl.com/">Schooner Conch Pearl</a> with
Captains Holley and Denny when they approached me and told me about the crew
Denny runs in the fall and early winter repairing the docks at the <a href="http://www.galleonmarinakeywest.com/">Galleon Marina</a>
in downtown Key West. After several phone calls with Jon we agreed to work, Jon
as Dock Maintenance and myself as a painter. Now the issue of where to live!
Key West is an expensive little city. Again, Holley and Denny to the rescue!
They suggested I contact a friend and Sea Base captain that had a boat, the
Clementia II, that was sitting unused. So after checking the boat out and
coming up with an agreement for living on the boat we were set up! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two weeks ago friends of mine, Laura and her boyfriend Capt
Luke, helped me sail the Clementia II from Islamorada down to Key West. It took
us about 13 hours of time underway. As part of the agreement to work on the
docks we get free dockage, which in this town is huge! We will have to move for
two big events, <a href="http://www.fantasyfest.com/">Fantasy Fest</a>
and<a href="http://superboat.com/2012-key-west-schedule/"> Super Boat International Races</a>
that happen here in Key West in the fall, but Holley and Denny have very kindly
offered their mooring which is about a mile away. So things are falling into
place! </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIigsSU5FSh0-F3JnanoSX0ZzcHNNrz49HZA9Vzk4T2_t-5YMvikhokdDmZ4yKvgLwvhELIwoyn6RBuKXzqRDal7Y3dmeg-rjLW0sWXr66wXw4ej0Wtc9vhhVigh_AxgMf3MPIEHtmtGk/s1600/DSC05479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIigsSU5FSh0-F3JnanoSX0ZzcHNNrz49HZA9Vzk4T2_t-5YMvikhokdDmZ4yKvgLwvhELIwoyn6RBuKXzqRDal7Y3dmeg-rjLW0sWXr66wXw4ej0Wtc9vhhVigh_AxgMf3MPIEHtmtGk/s320/DSC05479.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clementia II</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clementia II is a 32 foot West Sail built in 1974. And yes it is for sale! It has
sleeping space for 4(a large bed in the v-berth and two single beds in the
salon), a head(toilet!) and a galley with refrigeration and a propane stove. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MLYhg-0nwM17U9c9SIu7ntqD1T0WzJWoKZL4A9nQxB7_n6ERe5T8ZiIjNoh-UsP5JqHcrUgX-YCEL5WC_vfIOsEAxaKaTQCnsfuqGZL5-mEAz36bZWnTl2AT07Yi-R_R06rpGR_R1KjV/s1600/DSC05450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MLYhg-0nwM17U9c9SIu7ntqD1T0WzJWoKZL4A9nQxB7_n6ERe5T8ZiIjNoh-UsP5JqHcrUgX-YCEL5WC_vfIOsEAxaKaTQCnsfuqGZL5-mEAz36bZWnTl2AT07Yi-R_R06rpGR_R1KjV/s320/DSC05450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">V-berth. Wooden insert connects the two sides to make one big sleeping space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG7j9zz05IY2F4a1QETT4ZiyQvg8eh1H6YNxAlbP6KpDvDMgeLy4asAI7OosWILwkKiLH4R-CuGAHb2WgmY7iPntai55aWxk22naBb4HxXdWA9cxWwxqwEkDeSv9nCqTi0rKEHhq6Jcvl/s1600/DSC05458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG7j9zz05IY2F4a1QETT4ZiyQvg8eh1H6YNxAlbP6KpDvDMgeLy4asAI7OosWILwkKiLH4R-CuGAHb2WgmY7iPntai55aWxk22naBb4HxXdWA9cxWwxqwEkDeSv9nCqTi0rKEHhq6Jcvl/s320/DSC05458.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9GamwVAYD0-ntHqkj-gA1bJjru7hE4A-GnbRJwx70vl9xc9-Fvaev9s3Q_1wFQrYc52x6qNnc5OMZXM7TQTplGevN2HhmZUelTSYB3k95qNPfjNMaLInmmzpknT6YBjUoBwYFAmk8xQw/s1600/DSC05459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9GamwVAYD0-ntHqkj-gA1bJjru7hE4A-GnbRJwx70vl9xc9-Fvaev9s3Q_1wFQrYc52x6qNnc5OMZXM7TQTplGevN2HhmZUelTSYB3k95qNPfjNMaLInmmzpknT6YBjUoBwYFAmk8xQw/s320/DSC05459.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYmiI6bW_ISuR0c2u8mSe5NhVNZSNcKZhhsNyNNOvJzPn5NWnL51abZ5TozlIJN9_D5yfBxZyYR4ED6CoNic9Ru_W364Efu-Bti7-KaXvBkUrYEuYkMwrUTkILoJlmfF2DrPHkf5ZskVH/s1600/DSC05465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYmiI6bW_ISuR0c2u8mSe5NhVNZSNcKZhhsNyNNOvJzPn5NWnL51abZ5TozlIJN9_D5yfBxZyYR4ED6CoNic9Ru_W364Efu-Bti7-KaXvBkUrYEuYkMwrUTkILoJlmfF2DrPHkf5ZskVH/s320/DSC05465.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storage- Little closet and lots of drawers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieepIlnAKOQI2qHezQmacVlh-nD-lbFGQnklfQ30DaoPxuPru8mwAbufRvQ4pmNj4r0ZoOutqme1S8JgyYCVF-YlyUrAdqjmoID70ORpwA7oO2pe4LyGGnkf_jiVbWRceBKtB6-AOEM8cG/s1600/DSC05467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieepIlnAKOQI2qHezQmacVlh-nD-lbFGQnklfQ30DaoPxuPru8mwAbufRvQ4pmNj4r0ZoOutqme1S8JgyYCVF-YlyUrAdqjmoID70ORpwA7oO2pe4LyGGnkf_jiVbWRceBKtB6-AOEM8cG/s320/DSC05467.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Salon looking aft</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXRopUmAS43oczVA2geNuvgzHWm86yrUKY9ZUWL0-VvMZYeTX1GaCm6x9dks9GgAZBL94GEs2g0_oveqzonT5HH9aIACuOsR1kx5FOXsErQDQjx_9x_wi6XxhrFOB8w9isEKtr4_Pvpwa/s1600/DSC05469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXRopUmAS43oczVA2geNuvgzHWm86yrUKY9ZUWL0-VvMZYeTX1GaCm6x9dks9GgAZBL94GEs2g0_oveqzonT5HH9aIACuOsR1kx5FOXsErQDQjx_9x_wi6XxhrFOB8w9isEKtr4_Pvpwa/s320/DSC05469.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Salon looking forward</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVHfSufYdFFq8ELkkWLt5xeweZ7Q4Sr79fbfdV5JnTXVUEbkXEmRD1i10tbRR-qgsQG6JLbS_SU8xsyjwTU11sGU7Xm0AVSmatTZo7NegzjdrfqrrhWopDqYbICTu1C7G2fkNA1nToIIM/s1600/DSC05470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVHfSufYdFFq8ELkkWLt5xeweZ7Q4Sr79fbfdV5JnTXVUEbkXEmRD1i10tbRR-qgsQG6JLbS_SU8xsyjwTU11sGU7Xm0AVSmatTZo7NegzjdrfqrrhWopDqYbICTu1C7G2fkNA1nToIIM/s320/DSC05470.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galley Port side</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEPSEhYzhyphenhyphent-eDEBZ5SvmtaGE6cEaFlvWRGVaCq3GzJcqfgWMU3yE436bueWLs4kEW1XlP0TzLEbzm6h8On7V_S8HYmhyphenhyphenNjAqw8zrSu1guzJSzjPVxcO9uo214OGXImNgpbMV6ffRKAWD/s1600/DSC05473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEPSEhYzhyphenhyphent-eDEBZ5SvmtaGE6cEaFlvWRGVaCq3GzJcqfgWMU3yE436bueWLs4kEW1XlP0TzLEbzm6h8On7V_S8HYmhyphenhyphenNjAqw8zrSu1guzJSzjPVxcO9uo214OGXImNgpbMV6ffRKAWD/s320/DSC05473.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galley Starboard side</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOJvQsdySb10MZ0RMVH5lxtb79L0dnd0KV7xuw92f-EGF2mf3HSV2JF4T_WU4ctrpnO4XXgfql4uSyQWiFzmiwPLNWwqIwEb8BFqoT2PaaFh0cESGIFaJySph-SUtgZpijvnmyh5-PVHd/s1600/DSC05477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOJvQsdySb10MZ0RMVH5lxtb79L0dnd0KV7xuw92f-EGF2mf3HSV2JF4T_WU4ctrpnO4XXgfql4uSyQWiFzmiwPLNWwqIwEb8BFqoT2PaaFh0cESGIFaJySph-SUtgZpijvnmyh5-PVHd/s320/DSC05477.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storage in the main salon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXmVhHLAWSb08ohj0G-6XBUsHWC7KgBPCbdqwxLOi_JaAletI8lC8i2IAOQJZQ3iHm8U9Vx9j5FCRrYalZ6K8Yn4JnWUY5BnbNkJWlD2wOc1mlS_aJKgi-nlWMZziWjmL88WmgSj5xmxc/s1600/DSC05478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXmVhHLAWSb08ohj0G-6XBUsHWC7KgBPCbdqwxLOi_JaAletI8lC8i2IAOQJZQ3iHm8U9Vx9j5FCRrYalZ6K8Yn4JnWUY5BnbNkJWlD2wOc1mlS_aJKgi-nlWMZziWjmL88WmgSj5xmxc/s320/DSC05478.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fridge! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The
only real issue with the boat was the fridge wasn’t working but Denny came over
and got it running and we are in the process of getting a new thermostat. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZuBXNscpESHRSr012cmHol6wXfdk7MXeK_9o7NeRNLPqGXBfc90pW1vrhj621-pG7kChKDcCjFsubTW4PNNmUeBZ_BEvuO6WOUMxoDeR-tc04u3-SXVs6id-ySvLfpuIL4UmkeeNumrC/s1600/DSC05483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZuBXNscpESHRSr012cmHol6wXfdk7MXeK_9o7NeRNLPqGXBfc90pW1vrhj621-pG7kChKDcCjFsubTW4PNNmUeBZ_BEvuO6WOUMxoDeR-tc04u3-SXVs6id-ySvLfpuIL4UmkeeNumrC/s320/DSC05483.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clementia II at the dock in Key West</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More pictures from the Islamorada to Key West trip and of
the boat can be found at… <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.828450836169.2164256.44801562&type=1&l=069850d1ac"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.828450836169.2164256.44801562&type=1&l=069850d1ac</b></a></div>
</div>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-51263379056698865522012-07-25T04:04:00.001+02:002012-07-26T00:58:40.067+02:00Lobster Mini Season<div><p>Well, its that time of year again! We are out at Pelican Shoal for the night. We did a little recon this afternoon and just got back from a night dive. The lobsters are in place now a quick nights sleep and into the water we go. <br>
Wish us luck tomorrow! </p>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-78089854429994899302012-07-18T03:50:00.001+02:002012-07-18T03:50:32.824+02:00Long Distance- I forgot to click post!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I wrote this post a while ago and must've forgotten to click "post!" Oops! Oh well! I hope you enjoy even if it is a little late! <br />
<br />
After the Spring season at Sea Base was officially over I
went on a trip to the other side of the country. Almost as far away from
Florida as I could get, and for a very good reason! Jon and I hadn’t seen each
other in over two months since parting ways after our travels on the way home
from Antarctica, but I was able to get a ticket to Ketchikan, AK for a visit.
For 6 days we enjoyed relaxing, hiking, and staying in a cabin while it rained
and rained. Ketchikan is a very rainy place, so this wasn’t totally unexpected.
The last day and a half I was there it cleared up nicely and the sun warmed us
up and dried things out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jon has been in Ketchikan for a few summers now working for
the U.S. Forest Service on trails in the area. When we were planning my visit
Jon came up with the idea of taking a ferry to the neighboring island of Prince
of Wales and go camping. Jon had never been there and was keen to check it out.
We booked a cabin on the water that was run by the Forest Service group for the
island called Twelve Mile Arm Cabin. Jon met several members of that group a
few weeks before I arrived during some joint training. They alerted him to the
fact that many of the roads are closed due to snow! So we changed our schedule
to shorten our trip by one night based on their information. </div>
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The cabin was in great shape, built in 2007, and had four or
five skylights, which Jon expected to leak, based on the cabins in his
district, but they didn’t! There was enough room to sleep 6, a wood stove,
table and benches and a nice covered porch. The outhouse was just steps beyond
the wood shed. The view was beautiful and we enjoyed watching the tides change
(about 20 feet!) and looking for wildlife. We read and went for walks around
the cabin. Jon chopped wood for the fire and taught me about the different
types of trees. We saw lots of Sitka Black Tail Deer (they need to learn to run
away from cars!) and a couple eagles and a tree with an eagle’s nest in it, but
luckily no bear. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We came back from Prince of Wales on Saturday and had some
of Jon’s friends and co-workers over for dinner. Jon made his beet salad that I
love and his friends brought all kinds of stuff! We enjoyed several kinds of
salmon, pickled sea asparagus, devil’s club tea, elk meat, sausages, and lots
more. The rest of my time in Ketchikan was spent going on short hikes, hanging
out at the beach just down the road from the place Jon is renting, and going to
the local dive shop to look at snorkel gear for Jon’s upcoming PADI Open Water
Class. </div>
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Also Capt Dennis Wyatt(Author of Bald Man in the sea and the
Balder Man in the Sea) recommended I go to Knudson Cove. I had written down the
name so I wouldn’t forget it and then I misplaced the paper! So Jon was taking
me to a local diner/food cart just up the road from where he lived and it just
so happened to be in the very cove! I recognized the name on the signs when we
were driving there. We walked around and I took some pictures while our food
was being made. Beautiful spot! I hope if I get to go back to Ketchikan to go
kayaking in the cove. Thanks for the tip Dennis! </div>
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Jon was a great host and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in
Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island. He made breakfast for me every day and
cooked when we didn’t go out to eat. What a guy! </div>
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After my time in Ketchikan I flew to Vermont to visit my
parents for a few days before heading back to Florida for work. I got to visit
some friends and family as well as help on some projects around my parents
place. As always I wish I had more time to spend with them. </div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-56900658949205379932012-07-18T03:45:00.000+02:002012-07-18T03:45:18.735+02:00Half way there!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The middle of last week was the half way point in the summer for us aboard the Conch Pearl. So far we have had great crews! I am very much looking forward to lobstering! The last Wednesday and Thursday of July is lobster mini season. We will probably lobster for part of one of the two days. I enjoy the hunt! The sad part is that because so many other people enjoy the hunt and become possessed that several people are killed over the week that includes mini season. A sad but true reality.<br />
Last year we had some great catches! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXPTu9gIAzFlXyEfxft8MMKsDaXnm7CHz4_Gw9QYkYH7lC__YYKCuSCYwWWMefsoczQV1JaEQ-o_DW5l_-59JcJ7KVVMMWQ4hNTHzEiIoc_bdwQcInT4yUo1fYabuIpzp0qiaHzyBFiKg/s1600/2011-08-10_18-06-18_848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXPTu9gIAzFlXyEfxft8MMKsDaXnm7CHz4_Gw9QYkYH7lC__YYKCuSCYwWWMefsoczQV1JaEQ-o_DW5l_-59JcJ7KVVMMWQ4hNTHzEiIoc_bdwQcInT4yUo1fYabuIpzp0qiaHzyBFiKg/s320/2011-08-10_18-06-18_848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We were chased off the reef again this afternoon due to thunder and lightning. I hope this isn't going to be a trend for the rest of the summer. It's getting old very quickly.<br />
For those of you who may be wondering I haven't heard anything back from
my applications with PAE to go back to Antarctica. I am still holding
out hope that I will get a call or email from them. Jon and I want to go
back again. In the mean time I'm enjoying every beautiful sunset I can!
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3tjTykFw7nASLOxL3HJZLav9BNfku1yOzLp-ljst78xFQMvLQSaFRejN-zVEEbJb7YVKJzLmKXZuqhN6FAJZpo0AfHqGf9OuS_4BU9C0BejV4pGLes3NX39PGTcwz-iQ8e0EnCwgrUs9/s1600/2012-07-17_20-09-27_153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3tjTykFw7nASLOxL3HJZLav9BNfku1yOzLp-ljst78xFQMvLQSaFRejN-zVEEbJb7YVKJzLmKXZuqhN6FAJZpo0AfHqGf9OuS_4BU9C0BejV4pGLes3NX39PGTcwz-iQ8e0EnCwgrUs9/s320/2012-07-17_20-09-27_153.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-65238977528238350702012-07-10T04:19:00.001+02:002012-07-10T04:19:22.594+02:00Over night shark line hit!<div><p>Just got a bonnet head shark! Angler: Colin Keele on his 16th birthday</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwNroe7LzojgCyxg91ZChX8L1pwQs5fMAobzsvnL29MkTTwFoZ0jhVAk8ZZkOxkS3dIKbiVM4gZkqGAaO2QUH1zJ8spDvhO4SdRD3zfOngR_qK5PK_ZNrES8dRsO7p3i8th3NwPg2N7Wy/' /></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-84937545129258920602012-06-04T17:19:00.001+02:002012-06-04T17:19:32.843+02:00Back on board the Schooner Conch Pearl<div><p>Feels great to be back on the boat. With Troop 626 from Spring, Texas. <br>
Youth Crew Leader Jeremy relaxing while we fish. Heading towards Sombrero Lighthouse. </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKlFaZEIPyvhhoh38x_eCuTTqPHKdlja-s5f-jmhRcrGsH8O-iEAzglnOO3QqQ_xaPpLKmuEX3PtsZy8aWKc2vkzi7cTaULEFc-A_xm7944iI1EJGDo2qtr7BBTBtZRlpF90wYSN2LtSA/' /></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-23208977090380510262012-05-30T16:15:00.000+02:002012-05-30T16:15:37.725+02:00It's that time of year again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I'm back at the Florida Sea Base again and I will be headed out on the Schooner Conch Pearl later this week. As with last year, I am trying to give the scouts and adults that will be on the boat with me as much information to make sure they can "Be Prepared." I am sending out my letter and packing list to all the adult leaders today and will be posting more information and updates as the summer goes on.<br />
<br />
To my usual readers- I promise I will post something soon about what I've been up to and my trip to Alaska to see Jon and to Vermont to see my family. <br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hello Adult Leaders-<br />
<br />
My name is Megan Ware. I will likely be one of your Sea Base Staff members for
when you and your crew will be here on your scuba liveaboard trip. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your crew number should be SLS####12A. Those numbers should
be the two digit month and day of your arrival. This indicates you arrive for
the Scuba Liveaboard program on a Saturday. If you received this email and are
scheduled to arrive on a Friday or Tuesday(SLF####12A or SLT####12A), the
information contained here is for a different boat. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Please read this closely and pass
along info to the youth and parents.</u></b> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are some things that I feel you need to be aware of to
help orient your scouts before they arrive here. <br />
<br />
First, if you can arrange to arrive at Sea Base closer to 1pm that would be
ideal as we have several hours of prep to do Saturday afternoon/evening so we
can leave Sunday morning. I know for many of you your flights or transportation
can't be changed at this point but if at all possible please work toward an
earlier arrival time. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Please let me know
when you expect to arrive at Sea Base.</b> Keep in mind it takes about 2 hours
to drive from Fort Lauderdale Airport, and 1½ hours from Miami Airport. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you are delayed please call the Program
Office at 305-664-5627. <br />
</b><br />
You and your crew are expected to be able to tie some basic knots. These are:
cleat hitch, clove hitch, bowline, and how to coil a line/rope. Please practice
with your scouts and other adults! Everyone will work as deck crew and need to
be able to tie these. This is also how we secure our dive gear so you will need
to be able to tie a clove hitch over and over again. I will have lengths of
rope and cleats to practice with because Capt Denny WILL be testing everyone!<br />
<br />
Also, everyone will be working in the galley preparing and cleaning up from our
meals. Capt Holley tries to ensure that we are sanitary because we are in a
small space and germs travel quickly. So, please show your scouts (or ask your
wife or mother) how to wash dishes in a sink with a dish drying rack and
kitchen towel. They will be expected to wash dishes at every meal and if it
isn't done well enough it will fall to the adult leaders. A scout in clean,
thus this should be a vital skill to have in life.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Every buddy pair is expected to have a
dive watch</b>. To elaborate this is a waterproof watch that has some sort of
timer (either stopwatch or bezel style) that is a vital piece of dive equipment
whether at Sea Base or any other dive operation. This does not need to be a
$100 item, a basic model from a Wal-Mart style store for about $20 that is
rated to 60 ft+ will suit the needs of this adventure. <br />
<br />
Finally we will need a youth crew leader and assistant youth crew leader.
Please speak to the scouts about this and have 2 people designated for these by
your arrival. It works better if these are experienced leaders. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">packing list</b>
provided for you by Sea Base likely has many things on it you don’t need as it
is an umbrella list for many programs. Based on recommendations from previous
crews I have put together this list…</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">First if you
can pack in a soft sided bag because the locker(<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">no lock provided, bring your own</b>) to leave your suitcases in while
on the boat isn't huge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sea Base
provides everyone with a zippered bag to use for the week of their adventure. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As far as what
to pack in that Sea Base bag... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 pair of swim
trunks <br />
Towel <br />
Sunscreen (not the spray kind) Atleast 8oz per person<br />
Sea sickness pills (Sea Base recommends Bonine brand) <br />
Hat, sunglasses with a strap to keep them on your head, maybe a buff or
bandanna <br />
Shorts and t shirt to sleep in and another set or to wear on land<br />
A couple t shirts(or fishing shirts with built in UV protection) to wear on
deck to keep the sun off or wear during the dive <br />
Toiletries including shampoo/camp soap(we have fresh water on board), toothpaste,
tooth brush, deodorant, Gold Bond, any medications you may take, etc<br />
A headlamp/small flash light is nice for anchor/night watch<br />
A book to read- we have some cards and board games on board. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">dive watch</b> or dive computer with a time
keeping function-atleast one per buddy pair </span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Log Book, Certification card</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">, and some spending
money for an ice cream or soda<br />
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<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">All of the
above items will go in a bag provided by Sea Base. The items below can be
separate:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span> <br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sleeping stuff</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- I personally recommend bringing a
pillow, sleeping mat/pad, light weight sleeping bag(or blanket) and a flat
sheet. This will be enough to give you flexibility between sleeping on deck and
below deck on the bunks. This can be separate from the bag of clothing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Any <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">dive or snorkel gear</b> you may have is
welcome and will be packed separate from the personal gear. I recommend
purchasing a mask fin snorkel set on your own that fits well. Sea Base provides
all of the equipment but it is the most basic model and some times it isn't the
most comfortable or best fit. Any personal gear is used at your own risk, if it
breaks we are not authorized to repair it. As well, if it is unsafe for you to
use we will provide you with Sea Base equipment. Bring mask defog and any
replacement clips or straps for your own personal gear incase something breaks.
If you are going to use Sea Base fins, bring a spare pair of socks to wear with
the fins to avoid blisters. We will issue you a mesh equipment bag for storing
your dive gear on deck. Please don’t plan on using your own bag on the boat
unless it is exactly like ours. There is limited space on deck.</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Uniforms:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> According to tour permits you and the entire
crew should be traveling in their Class A uniform. When you arrive we will have
a crew photo taken in those uniforms. For the rest of the week the crew can
attend flags in a matching Class B shirt, or on the Luau night a tropical
shirt. The Class A shirts can be left at Sea Base while we are on the boat. </span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Spending money</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: This is up to you and the parents to
decide on. The Sea Base Ship Store has many souvenir items as well as if a
toiletry item is forgotten. One evening we will go back to the dock where we
boarded the boat. We have provisions for that night to be able to eat on the
boat BUT there is the option if the WHOLE crew wants to go out for dinner on
their own dollar they can. Also we usually go on a walk to a nearby convenience
store for ice creams and sodas again on the scouts’ dollar. Please communicate
this to all the parents. </span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Electronics</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: The official Sea Base policy is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>no personal electronic devices</u></b>.
I agree with this policy while at Sea Base except in the case of adult leaders
that need to get in touch with work or the emergency contacts(bring a list of
these phone numbers). We have had several scouts onboard accidentally do entire
dives with ipods, cell phones, and wallets in their swim shorts! There is a
single outlet always on for all of us to share. I recommend once you arrive at
Sea Base that the scouts power down everything and pack it away. </span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cameras</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">, both underwater and regular, are encouraged,
just remember to recharge batteries we have to share the outlets. </span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">If anyone has any dietary
variations such as Kosher, vegan, peanut allergy, etc. please let us know ASAP!</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more info and pictures about the boat check out the
website for the boat at <a href="http://schoonerconchpearl.com/">schoonerconchpearl.com</a>.
There is a dedicated scouting page Captains Denny and Holley put together that
is for Sea Base Participants. That website is: </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://schoonerconchpearl.com/?page_id=48"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://schoonerconchpearl.com/?page_id=48</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last year I put together some information videos and links
on my personal blog. That can be found at </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/gonediving99.blogspot.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">gonediving99.blogspot.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,
search for: Adult Leader Info, Conch Pearl, Florida, and/or Sea Base. I may add
more as the summer goes on. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Please reply by email to confirm
receipt of this message. Please include the time you expect to arrive at Sea
Base as well as your arrival date. </u></b></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
I look forward to meeting you all!<br />
<br />
Megan Ware<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">The purpose of this email is to provide a little pre-trip information
that is not in the ‘Official Florida Sea Base Participant’s Guide’ or
information that may need clarification or correction. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It is not a replacement for the official <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Florida Sea Base Participant’s Guide’.</i></b> It is a supplement. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Please</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">read the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Florida Sea Base
Participant’s Guide’</i> thoroughly</b>. The information contained here has
been put together from input provided by crews that have been here before and
is continually edited and updated. Additionally, there will be a detailed
orientation on the evening of your arrival and another when you arrive at the boat.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0Islamorada, FL, USA24.9242943 -80.627836424.809095799999998 -80.7857649 25.0394928 -80.46990790000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-12205987540461850972012-05-30T15:56:00.001+02:002012-05-30T15:56:20.399+02:00How to Use a Marine Head<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bbP-SeepJpM?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-40579135822255435172012-03-19T20:53:00.000+01:002012-03-19T20:53:37.982+01:00Life after the Ice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
How exactly do you get used to grass, darkness, dogs, and LOTS of people after being in Antarctica for 5 months? Well, that's a good question! This is my best attempt.<br />
Jon and I decided to travel together after only dating for a couple weeks, a huge step for us, but it worked out great!<br />
Our itinerary was changed a few times due to the cargo vessel being delayed. Our final itinerary was...<br />
February:<br />
13th: Jon departs the Ice<br />
14th: My last day of work<br />
15th: I depart the Ice(and arrive in darkness and rain!)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYTjBmH5S1LmKZZnvqdxFdgaOwtfU_rKv7D1PxteLLSK0vqko4I3iDuhyphenhyphenMVZvBqnpk_frbNsWYckW3cVXO_yB106o3612O5jxKrrSrn016mBxzETY1gKF0sK1UdsC4CBJvPh3KUXzd-rb/s1600/DSC05058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYTjBmH5S1LmKZZnvqdxFdgaOwtfU_rKv7D1PxteLLSK0vqko4I3iDuhyphenhyphenMVZvBqnpk_frbNsWYckW3cVXO_yB106o3612O5jxKrrSrn016mBxzETY1gKF0sK1UdsC4CBJvPh3KUXzd-rb/s320/DSC05058.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ride- C17</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
16th: Mail suitcases home, pick up rental car, drive to Hanmer Springs<br />
17th: Drive to Greymouth on New Zealand's South Island, West coast. Watch my first full beautiful, amazing sunset over the water<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5SvJ5R1x4xUhc4sSr7QtaU7uGkj-vR8G5UnzG0YdCqttS3Xz9MN8nc80Rwxm4CvVXiC91LDsvXLINlQPoYrNfcYElA2R7KSev6N3s9p13gHQaO51l2yNByzUBqx0iYX8d23j_uFbHqiE/s1600/DSC05074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5SvJ5R1x4xUhc4sSr7QtaU7uGkj-vR8G5UnzG0YdCqttS3Xz9MN8nc80Rwxm4CvVXiC91LDsvXLINlQPoYrNfcYElA2R7KSev6N3s9p13gHQaO51l2yNByzUBqx0iYX8d23j_uFbHqiE/s320/DSC05074.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
18th: Drive to Arthur's Pass<br />
19th: Return rental car, fly to Sydney<br />
20th: Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBVwXkeNaxCCpg0P_X2GLIpbJHmQozKAElOlYTfkgt8HkvuN5qN52M08E1nclSMuV01hKI1ayi6bbXbPQ59to8LO_E7FITS3Mwn72RYVXKrJlLIyvWLyI4bz2mBLlTNGoQIIYLgDbJ7OP/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBVwXkeNaxCCpg0P_X2GLIpbJHmQozKAElOlYTfkgt8HkvuN5qN52M08E1nclSMuV01hKI1ayi6bbXbPQ59to8LO_E7FITS3Mwn72RYVXKrJlLIyvWLyI4bz2mBLlTNGoQIIYLgDbJ7OP/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of the world! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
21st: Ferry to Manly Beach<br />
22nd: Fly to Ayers Rock Resort in the middle of Australia<br />
23rd: Hike around Uluru, View sunset on Uluru<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXhwGyITaegGrnqwG-xqBe9mUv2cRI2jNWz-Taj4ioTx913g0rOaBqEmsGlBEBCiuk8nbMZbMWl26JgfOdbwHrvRupK4MFvcxvdMLtJd2BF6bBsnfDROomuPp9AANru-UbgcbzbC9HGhi/s1600/DSC05206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXhwGyITaegGrnqwG-xqBe9mUv2cRI2jNWz-Taj4ioTx913g0rOaBqEmsGlBEBCiuk8nbMZbMWl26JgfOdbwHrvRupK4MFvcxvdMLtJd2BF6bBsnfDROomuPp9AANru-UbgcbzbC9HGhi/s320/DSC05206.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uluru</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
24th: Sunrise on Kata Tjuta, Hike Valley of the Winds, Sunset on Kata Tjuta<br />
25th: Sunrise on Uluru, return rental car, fly back to Sydney<br />
26th: Museums in Sydney, happen upon thousands at the New South Wales Wine Festival(too many people!) then fly overnight to Honolulu and arrive earlier than we left on the same day<br />
26th Cont: Laundry, showers, rainy afternoon= movie! dinner in Waikiki with an old Sea Base friend!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44Ws_wWdAp7pWF5Fk-KVyd5mD8QTP2UiQbiy7HECaZ3T199JyloCERa1wgt0AKtg3RgVI0Vaq_xBMVR9mNkTgBS-yQ9dAdXGjsSjtk-2dbURigXC-yO-cJib-Ozy0tBWtP3rZsz90qbFr/s1600/DSC05297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44Ws_wWdAp7pWF5Fk-KVyd5mD8QTP2UiQbiy7HECaZ3T199JyloCERa1wgt0AKtg3RgVI0Vaq_xBMVR9mNkTgBS-yQ9dAdXGjsSjtk-2dbURigXC-yO-cJib-Ozy0tBWtP3rZsz90qbFr/s320/DSC05297.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloha! Jon's 50th State! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
27th: Explore, hike Diamond Head Crater<br />
28th: Pearl Harbor<br />
29th: Pack up, fly overnight<br />
March 1st: After a several hour delay I made it to Burlington, Jon made it home.<br />
<br />
What a trip it was. We had a great time. Jon was an amazing chauffeur. Driving manual transmissions plus on the opposite side of the road couldn't have been easy.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03rNp8RxtzklMSmbdyW6w_XgvcSmS5PIpotS89i__lH-lF_5pBwYM5UicWYPsazttEXL0VaVwRKXF7LYm0iDp2sNZIJWopZM3b823B2ASsj5vqXwPLnwalMy0vCMrfEIWVOLy_lrfInFF/s1600/DSC05163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03rNp8RxtzklMSmbdyW6w_XgvcSmS5PIpotS89i__lH-lF_5pBwYM5UicWYPsazttEXL0VaVwRKXF7LYm0iDp2sNZIJWopZM3b823B2ASsj5vqXwPLnwalMy0vCMrfEIWVOLy_lrfInFF/s320/DSC05163.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My chauffeur!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-41015296615724735312012-03-19T20:26:00.001+01:002012-03-19T20:26:58.207+01:00Happy Camper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
As employees we get a morale trip and mine was selected to
be Snow Survival School aka Happy Camper. I’ve heard many things about the 2
day/ 1 night program. Most loved it but some hated it. I was pretty nervous
because our beautiful summer weather had just left and winter seemed to be
knocking a little too loud at the door! I had told myself when I read about the
program during orientation(months ago while sitting in an air conditioned room
in Denver, CO!) that I would sleep in a snow trench, or at least try! So I
packed up all the required extreme cold weather gear and supplemented it with
some of my own stuff hoping it would be enough. The last item that I got was
borrowed from Jon… his pee bottle. Don’t worry it was empty and clean. Talk
about taking our relationship to a new level!
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So what does Happy Camper include? </div>
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We met in a classroom setting to go over what our schedule
looked like and to learn a little about the extreme conditions and what that can
do to you, like frost bite, hypothermia, etc. We then gathered up some more
supplies and loaded up in the Delta, picked up some bag lunches from the galley
and headed out on the sea ice. </div>
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We were dropped off on the side of the Pegasus Runway Road,
loaded our things into a snowmobile sled and walked off into the snow towards a
couple buildings in the distance. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqeIzrmLORg9IHq4s446aAVllsYVWYMs7w9nSm9uXAKiofto3Hcai1wGXWrXKXAFxtDuNC7_yJRl7CAPHasWL5nVmYVNn90_KfzKBd0Huomim_jkj7F4VCCuKo0jGDnwz-ggdHXr9qd6b/s1600/DSC04930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqeIzrmLORg9IHq4s446aAVllsYVWYMs7w9nSm9uXAKiofto3Hcai1wGXWrXKXAFxtDuNC7_yJRl7CAPHasWL5nVmYVNn90_KfzKBd0Huomim_jkj7F4VCCuKo0jGDnwz-ggdHXr9qd6b/s320/DSC04930.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Walk...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Once we arrived we had a bunch of activities
from learning to use the ultra light stoves to how to sleep warmly. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeBhJVGhRvSBDxqCDEKRDqr0huwOZkl5g8LdAbaTxDc0uuWWNskE7POmV54VuYd_axQEEvfKNrbS1Wytxy5sZYwjqw5rf3HpSh6QMkWoGaZ4ZSVWdHJnLZA5j4RvPms3gCCBcbazLn1JD/s1600/DSC04931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeBhJVGhRvSBDxqCDEKRDqr0huwOZkl5g8LdAbaTxDc0uuWWNskE7POmV54VuYd_axQEEvfKNrbS1Wytxy5sZYwjqw5rf3HpSh6QMkWoGaZ4ZSVWdHJnLZA5j4RvPms3gCCBcbazLn1JD/s320/DSC04931.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning time! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Then we got
to the more hands on part. We got our own sleeping gear and headed out to where
we would make our camp. From there on it was constant movement all while trying
to maintain our body temperature in the blowing cold. </div>
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We learned how to set up Scott Tents(double walled canvas,
very similar to the ones Scott used 100 years ago on his expeditions), regular
camping tents, stake all those down(no grass or dirt to dig into here!), then
it was on to making a kitchen by using hand saws to cut the ice/snow into
blocks for a wind block wall. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HK-iuYlPt8DcYgo14lgbIi8j4FyCRm_hZ-XgA-H8CcS2IDwF94Pvbym91kKCcfw9lkruDn_HVfN2ZNSmcYsxXxFY1Qf6vTLB3YimMNRRxyUQu2-Jxp2BtThyphenhyphenCo0Blgsa7io2FeAPgnuo/s1600/DSC04935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HK-iuYlPt8DcYgo14lgbIi8j4FyCRm_hZ-XgA-H8CcS2IDwF94Pvbym91kKCcfw9lkruDn_HVfN2ZNSmcYsxXxFY1Qf6vTLB3YimMNRRxyUQu2-Jxp2BtThyphenhyphenCo0Blgsa7io2FeAPgnuo/s320/DSC04935.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tools of the trade! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We had a quick tutorial in how to make a snow
trench and then we were on our own until 7:30 the next morning. So we dug, cut,
and stacked all while melting snow to boil water for dinner. Hours later the
wall was finished, tents set up, and water was on it’s way to a boil, I started
on my trench. About 4 feet deep and 7 long, I used blocks of snow/ice to build
up the sides more, then using two sleds I made a roof. Home sweet trench! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJYPyQF5CohlhRn3expFZZ1_5BTpjbRPTaEQk28mePflcvtg6XJRDdyXCe6KPimFUS5wpYDvMgwPyjHyvAe62XHtVckOnXqGxUMKdYpWl96thE5j3bePorus0OMwEohyphenhyphen9ZpMFToUYxJkn/s1600/DSC04950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJYPyQF5CohlhRn3expFZZ1_5BTpjbRPTaEQk28mePflcvtg6XJRDdyXCe6KPimFUS5wpYDvMgwPyjHyvAe62XHtVckOnXqGxUMKdYpWl96thE5j3bePorus0OMwEohyphenhyphen9ZpMFToUYxJkn/s320/DSC04950.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home Sweet Trench!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I set up my sleeping kit all while knocking snow off the
walls of the trench. Broad shoulders! </div>
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By this time my stomach was growling and the water was
boiling, I enjoyed some dehydrated bean chili in a bag with a hot mug of hot
chocolate. Luckily we had a stash of snickers bars and trail mix to supplement.
I made my final trip to the outhouse for the night and tucked myself into bed a
bit after 8 and set my alarm for 5 something am. I had reserved a spot in a
Scott Tent incase I got too cold or uncomfortable in the trench, but I didn’t
need it! I made it the whole night! I only woke up a couple of times to turn
over. Sleeping with a shovel at your side makes turning a bit more interesting!
</div>
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We broke down camp and boiled more water for oatmeal and hot
drinks. After everything was stowed away we had more learning to do plus some
scenarios to practice what we learned. We set up a survival bag in 30 minutes.
That includes one tent set up and secured, snow melted, water boiling, radio
set up and contact made and a small wind block wall made. Plus we had one
participant, Christine, play the role of a hypothermic person we had to tend
to. </div>
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Another scenario was one person is unaccounted for and it’s
condition one outside, how do we find them. We did a search pattern and found
our person in about 8 minutes! All with buckets on our heads to simulate low
visibility. </div>
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We also attempted to radio the South Pole but there had been
too many solar flares recently so we couldn’t contact them, instead we spoke to
Mac Ops. </div>
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We packed up and rode back to town, repacked the kits for
the next Happy Camper, then the last thing was a video of helicopter safety and
demo seatbelts. </div>
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I was on a bit of a high when it was over. I took a nice
long shower and then a nap was in order before dinner! </div>
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If you’re wondering about Jon’s pee bottle… I didn’t end up
using it. So I returned it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Camper was a great time. Learned a lot and completed
my goal to sleep in the trench! </div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-34002385570783542452012-03-09T18:12:00.001+01:002012-03-09T18:12:16.345+01:00McMurdo Ice Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
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One of the many activities that the recreation office puts
on at McMurdo is the annual Ice Marathon.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4-dfbdqD7GiI7h6tYv55t-3LoCm8M61703upqp5JwKGyK6LzxQJaxkpV1iIFP2fUAj5dXB1K4Cwf9iVmcqXCM-kJhVLgIerwM24EvsCxmuSKuQVibuFxas2wko-Gzxn5wAY1444E9sTS/s1600/_DSC0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4-dfbdqD7GiI7h6tYv55t-3LoCm8M61703upqp5JwKGyK6LzxQJaxkpV1iIFP2fUAj5dXB1K4Cwf9iVmcqXCM-kJhVLgIerwM24EvsCxmuSKuQVibuFxas2wko-Gzxn5wAY1444E9sTS/s320/_DSC0057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full Marathon Start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The route was slightly different than
previous years because of the movement of the road to the Pegasus runway. The
route this year was to start at mile 1 of the Pegasus road, go out to the
runway(mile 14), turn around and return to the start. The half marathon started
at the runway and went to mile 1. There was also the option to ski either the
full or half.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8iFBqVjZELhxzojtxgxqeZplrOQw0ONBc50bTVmGsLX1P5dbaV6D0SEs3gszX___HXEs7w0W36ZptNNxt7Dh9AKvk2XecFtkww1H-fyQ5tyF_pEG7UUqymHQL3sZmJjqwm5UlfiOOqoQ/s1600/IMG_3708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8iFBqVjZELhxzojtxgxqeZplrOQw0ONBc50bTVmGsLX1P5dbaV6D0SEs3gszX___HXEs7w0W36ZptNNxt7Dh9AKvk2XecFtkww1H-fyQ5tyF_pEG7UUqymHQL3sZmJjqwm5UlfiOOqoQ/s320/IMG_3708.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roommates! Nate, Jon, and Craig- All ran the full Marathon! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The need for aid stations was evident as there is nothing on the
side of the road in Antarctica. So a few volunteers, including myself signed up
to run aid stations.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXS4q3IWJbysx5tHDbETqGnYYdWJn3x5qwKBpl-69ZlcFCp6oKYwVHrFol_Qa32hdvxvSSWdZLCxdWo2XIoe-8A4WiwyGM3_DWNTzNHtYDSLdD0pMrV2aYwQF3ejtpjThrzPHvL3di_xH/s1600/IMG_3719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXS4q3IWJbysx5tHDbETqGnYYdWJn3x5qwKBpl-69ZlcFCp6oKYwVHrFol_Qa32hdvxvSSWdZLCxdWo2XIoe-8A4WiwyGM3_DWNTzNHtYDSLdD0pMrV2aYwQF3ejtpjThrzPHvL3di_xH/s320/IMG_3719.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another aid station. Beer and BBQ tempting runners and skiers to finish early. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIo8blT_Ep9nWyE3qKbfnOlunMtl9EuZcmUZOrznCz0lHLCqMuknZ4kW3EoJ10fvtJ9C-gUAKkx3KFxsyntJZrfxIE8Bie1p2NGONVJFeujpcfiwnhwnlZQEthhK-zsE9e4qXhAOqD9FWm/s1600/_DSC0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIo8blT_Ep9nWyE3qKbfnOlunMtl9EuZcmUZOrznCz0lHLCqMuknZ4kW3EoJ10fvtJ9C-gUAKkx3KFxsyntJZrfxIE8Bie1p2NGONVJFeujpcfiwnhwnlZQEthhK-zsE9e4qXhAOqD9FWm/s320/_DSC0267.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My aid station. That's me in the middle waving! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had a van as a warming station, a table, two chairs, water and
Gatorade, and a few snacks. And the all important pee bottles! We headed out
and dropped off the folks running the half marathon start then set up our
station. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5hWjcRzml7Bki8oqyXCRZ_hyVE8Uw0HjEYe7WD9XO_Ym1SUAO1JtMuxb6fsYyOM3Mf7uOOcEpKpBU8398Gi6kGfIxztvOeCLDPmAYWiD01bF_QMia3jUTmxsVHs3wQSNFhT7URs3bTFG/s1600/_DSC0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5hWjcRzml7Bki8oqyXCRZ_hyVE8Uw0HjEYe7WD9XO_Ym1SUAO1JtMuxb6fsYyOM3Mf7uOOcEpKpBU8398Gi6kGfIxztvOeCLDPmAYWiD01bF_QMia3jUTmxsVHs3wQSNFhT7URs3bTFG/s320/_DSC0269.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Offering up some refreshments</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Karen and I got our things together and not long after we had the
first full marathon skier show up. <br />
We were busy from then on with the skiers
and runners. We danced around and cheered folks, handed out drinks, and broke
up the long route.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnBokxj-6ErOM19w2pvfTOqVBL4ddwWAZK46GIRNoJlhPdb__VlQSXG2RvpB0VYvk2lj2F5GmTIPAC4S1Ft5W3bjVgIwFHcNd2-JPISa6DPDAv55P_TVwx0mFfj6KJJK5CPloIfzmmjNr/s1600/DSC04918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnBokxj-6ErOM19w2pvfTOqVBL4ddwWAZK46GIRNoJlhPdb__VlQSXG2RvpB0VYvk2lj2F5GmTIPAC4S1Ft5W3bjVgIwFHcNd2-JPISa6DPDAv55P_TVwx0mFfj6KJJK5CPloIfzmmjNr/s320/DSC04918.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some frosty hair! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FM4BxRpEO6e3N5CwfgH4RsUnv6yHWHT3LLvxFG9cM2mVssJdOAr6wT_BsqHHTP2cQV9QY1Ub_t1YcFylcVdisU6DHhiePdnlnsmriOEv5cMmT7M6GT_85w11L0A8P0DsJqsvzWfnxJvO/s1600/DSC04920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FM4BxRpEO6e3N5CwfgH4RsUnv6yHWHT3LLvxFG9cM2mVssJdOAr6wT_BsqHHTP2cQV9QY1Ub_t1YcFylcVdisU6DHhiePdnlnsmriOEv5cMmT7M6GT_85w11L0A8P0DsJqsvzWfnxJvO/s320/DSC04920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deany traditional cross country skiing the full marathon. And no he doesn't have a shirt on! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHCx5DmOvQ0oIOxGwgq4hpVyP7aBOwDiyp_nwZa0m-5J-Ow2B2Ll0FAT8W5DNsgfdYlTWg1EoD1JwvVRB4jv3njwq8e1rYsl7K6zykDnLvoqc3k-xJyevHuTiE2e7sKSEhNaKx3EnJ3zH/s1600/DSC04922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHCx5DmOvQ0oIOxGwgq4hpVyP7aBOwDiyp_nwZa0m-5J-Ow2B2Ll0FAT8W5DNsgfdYlTWg1EoD1JwvVRB4jv3njwq8e1rYsl7K6zykDnLvoqc3k-xJyevHuTiE2e7sKSEhNaKx3EnJ3zH/s320/DSC04922.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kiwi team pulling the sled!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3ruxsh5FUz_e7p8KFPEsgSkEoCoy7As9APbWdoiwBO00Luu15KCRDfInu_70xUNr26RIkMu7kD_wGhZAHPwI8PfHAE0KbCs2j66ngEpr9TgNqkivRG0ivqhrR181qzODQ6-PlsnIUneF/s1600/IMG_8231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3ruxsh5FUz_e7p8KFPEsgSkEoCoy7As9APbWdoiwBO00Luu15KCRDfInu_70xUNr26RIkMu7kD_wGhZAHPwI8PfHAE0KbCs2j66ngEpr9TgNqkivRG0ivqhrR181qzODQ6-PlsnIUneF/s320/IMG_8231.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Jon ran the full marathon. He reported having some pain in
his leg/foot towards the end but still had a great time. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBPhknEsmSwbZVGdYcQq3dlrWAIt4nU2eJ5CTWsw6E3AvX2w94ZzUHGUP1qTqmLDX_FMhli83tujmyv-d0KcpA1WYHE6vcQlrhM24twv_VHKQVPz1Ukqte2Xj2sZsoMkvq6XVd9WxXxBg/s1600/_STN3060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBPhknEsmSwbZVGdYcQq3dlrWAIt4nU2eJ5CTWsw6E3AvX2w94ZzUHGUP1qTqmLDX_FMhli83tujmyv-d0KcpA1WYHE6vcQlrhM24twv_VHKQVPz1Ukqte2Xj2sZsoMkvq6XVd9WxXxBg/s320/_STN3060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon with a frosty beard! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-57092203339042408962012-03-07T19:19:00.002+01:002012-03-07T19:19:56.628+01:00Touring the R/V Nathaniel Palmer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before I was even officially hired I had researched so many
aspects of Antarctica. One piece of that included a special research vessel
that the National Science Foundation owns and runs around Antarctica. I read
about it and thought how neat it would be to work on it, but I wasn’t qualified
for the jobs I could find. I did read a blog about someone at McMurdo that got
to tour the vessel when it pulled up to the ice pier.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkMZo-ywy1LV2OSF_hxf-0lNmaFHKKaJNU3XI2uYAfgLjB27h7nT8X0fAmH9TeV-hN6A_w_MMf9rmBUzYbYy4HkAdu83M6dApic1Te__DBbYBan5xOccooJVlnA0I0GiNXZ96L4kKrBu0/s1600/DSC05023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkMZo-ywy1LV2OSF_hxf-0lNmaFHKKaJNU3XI2uYAfgLjB27h7nT8X0fAmH9TeV-hN6A_w_MMf9rmBUzYbYy4HkAdu83M6dApic1Te__DBbYBan5xOccooJVlnA0I0GiNXZ96L4kKrBu0/s320/DSC05023.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R/V Nathaniel B Palmer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got this chance last
week! I was so excited when <a href="http://chefbillmorris.blogspot.com/">Chef Bill</a> told me that the recreation office was
offering tours that night for one night only. I happened that the sign up time
was during our serving period for lunch so I went and signed up on my break.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGicMeF07sALu7T9OkugEl43UtDlQcciPatuII5KKyR47LwNjJELloW-cM3V_Rhqu7LaFBC2CjWBGRYNbPPXq_oftCty7nBolBDk2fqArEotvXWqBIu88m6J73kj0kYZv_fO9l6qXyVJS/s1600/DSC04998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGicMeF07sALu7T9OkugEl43UtDlQcciPatuII5KKyR47LwNjJELloW-cM3V_Rhqu7LaFBC2CjWBGRYNbPPXq_oftCty7nBolBDk2fqArEotvXWqBIu88m6J73kj0kYZv_fO9l6qXyVJS/s320/DSC04998.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We arrived at the ice pier at about 8:15 for our 8:30pm tour
and crossed the ice following the flagged route and walked up the gangway onto
the boat. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5LAolb4A8J8tVbQczMHVQ0R0hghw0VHA4xtWhhs2RATQVIzGDfrjUa0zUdbPAWx9xTVAp_rnHEkXXWwZAyST3BxTsMdD8GwZ9TC4cE87ZsC_CvGq-tqq5tzu3T8KbqoK_vApXgfeBs_k/s320/DSC04999.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to the Ice Pier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6YdpfaVECAa89tGDY6AO8Ww0_YW8AVkUU-8rG1dU8RJOfsnoI234qlxDgubjhD7POU79PdwzP8yI5yzIuhXmERZWBopHupcBPViBM8M6UmSfENjUq8AgA4Fcd3BppcLeK1iokh-WPfr9/s1600/DSC05001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6YdpfaVECAa89tGDY6AO8Ww0_YW8AVkUU-8rG1dU8RJOfsnoI234qlxDgubjhD7POU79PdwzP8yI5yzIuhXmERZWBopHupcBPViBM8M6UmSfENjUq8AgA4Fcd3BppcLeK1iokh-WPfr9/s320/DSC05001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the Pier! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While we waited for the others in our tour to arrive we marveled at
the boat and took a few pictures. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdCQc-pvBJXP9qRbBDwzdI2XVeRhkxE2KjmULkEZy8jrsXkaqYsZqX6G4HfhZfvcjBVq0XlzaaJEISoJFyp6j7bfVICbGQ2PfUEErU9BjQWQ3d3Ac0LsArTNvsmXstCRz0BNcaFG6YPMb/s1600/DSC05002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdCQc-pvBJXP9qRbBDwzdI2XVeRhkxE2KjmULkEZy8jrsXkaqYsZqX6G4HfhZfvcjBVq0XlzaaJEISoJFyp6j7bfVICbGQ2PfUEErU9BjQWQ3d3Ac0LsArTNvsmXstCRz0BNcaFG6YPMb/s320/DSC05002.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Once the tour started I was like a kid in a
candy shop. I had googly eyes and wanted to see it all! We got to see a room they use to launch equipment out the
starboard side of the vessel, then a lab room with several deep freezers. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Hh9qUlmC6a3GcUN6Am-HNUVu25P9NJADz0Ncdh5-gDtNae8eSDXaVHXKmKI1Mwpc0nrmmtM8D-9uVirGMQcCMXlY2wy7mW9etkKA_hx4Rcu0SoFV43CHfPr_8ElIVqxXH_fa3ii1PcU/s1600/DSC05007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Hh9qUlmC6a3GcUN6Am-HNUVu25P9NJADz0Ncdh5-gDtNae8eSDXaVHXKmKI1Mwpc0nrmmtM8D-9uVirGMQcCMXlY2wy7mW9etkKA_hx4Rcu0SoFV43CHfPr_8ElIVqxXH_fa3ii1PcU/s320/DSC05007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65kPmWzG6DzgZFkzf_Ltcl2qomH-Q9F5sWFgzQnEUfY8TV9kFG2BcbDWr9saf-iag5w7zbnKXeWotS0zH7DghVE3yCuZvn9H5QDXUF3gyaysKWoEqJV-c1Ju3Op2pn55kzaMtqbU43ZUg/s1600/DSC05015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65kPmWzG6DzgZFkzf_Ltcl2qomH-Q9F5sWFgzQnEUfY8TV9kFG2BcbDWr9saf-iag5w7zbnKXeWotS0zH7DghVE3yCuZvn9H5QDXUF3gyaysKWoEqJV-c1Ju3Op2pn55kzaMtqbU43ZUg/s320/DSC05015.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking off the stern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Other
rooms we saw were chemical labs, wet labs, the galley, some cabins, and my
favorite part… the bridge!!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEVEENzbfRFIaCC4TVEuH85XAOHX5NZ5oInSDjNp2c4DM0Gef0QBhF7V93YEg74pHloTIgXw-TJPwi0AIFED9mqwoDmdy99HMOTuxgN3GbC3P5uZPU3OsGvGP46M6HjeJ5dY7UrN4RpnF/s320/DSC05017.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bridge</td></tr>
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And I got to meet the captain!! It was a great time
and I am so grateful to have been able to tour it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmK12CzCSeZM58eteQc_Dc43-Z7VAf-eAS9xQRhaQZcQfiAq5LjZzDqNuM65YlCeEjoxGJYB8bhx7YDnNHR0iBrP8Ax2ldL8aj12ChxzVDMKo2gppSqKS51_aoZAyQHXF1sWKVRFBBWbP6/s1600/DSC05024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmK12CzCSeZM58eteQc_Dc43-Z7VAf-eAS9xQRhaQZcQfiAq5LjZzDqNuM65YlCeEjoxGJYB8bhx7YDnNHR0iBrP8Ax2ldL8aj12ChxzVDMKo2gppSqKS51_aoZAyQHXF1sWKVRFBBWbP6/s320/DSC05024.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Tour! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-80950753949061534982012-02-18T20:21:00.000+01:002012-02-18T20:21:13.801+01:00Quick update...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am currently traveling around New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii on my way home. I have been composing these posts on plane rides. I'll work on more soon! Thanks to all my followers for not abandoning me! :-) </div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-61887513402787195502012-02-18T20:17:00.000+01:002012-02-18T20:17:01.488+01:00Farewell McMurdo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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As I write this post I am sitting on the C-17 that is
mid-flight back to Christchurch. This is mostly going to be a stream of thought
post. So I’m sorry if I ramble or don’t make sense. </div>
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<br /></div>
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McMurdo is a strange yet special place and will always have
a little piece of my heart. I have made some friendships that I hope will last
a lifetime. Before I got here I was excited and nervous because I didn’t really
know what to expect. I knew 2 other women that I worked in Germany with but
didn’t know anyone else. I had a pretty good idea of what my job would be like
but I had no idea how busy I would be. I knew I would be working a lot, but I
also figured that my down time would be quiet and peaceful. From the outside
that is a common thought. But in a place where 1,000+ people eat, sleep, and
work and it’s the harshest continent in the world there are only so many places
to go. And when you think you can retreat to your room you have to think are
any of my roommates asleep, at work, having friends over. It’s a very
overwhelming place. Solitude for me never happened. There are some people that
I think get swept into a lonely place due to alcohol or social anxiety, but
most people here are active and full of life. </div>
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My coworkers this year were what made this harsh place a
more bearable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strength in numbers
so to speak. I met a handful in Denver during orientation and the rest were Ice
friends. We have laughed together, danced our butts off, cried during the hard
times and bonded to levels I never expected. When you eat, work, play and
sometimes sleep in the same room as these people they become more than friends
or coworkers, they become family. Every member of our galley family brought
something unique and special and that made our bond so much stronger. No one
really knew each other before we took this Antarctic adventure but none of us
will ever forget the time we spent here. Summer 2011-2012. </div>
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As I sit on this plane I think back to the last several
months and wonder what my life will be like from here forward. I will be
traveling with my boyfriend for the next few weeks. We met on the Ice and this
will be a test of our relationship, living and traveling together. We will part
ways at the end of the month and go to our respective homes then we will report
to work at opposite ends of the country. I will be back in the Florida Keys
scuba diving and he will be in Alaska working on a trail crew. If all works out
I will visit him in May and then we will work together back on the Ice for
summer 2012-2013. </div>
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I have dreams about working a winter in Antarctica and also
visiting the South Pole, which I didn’t get a chance to do this year. Maybe one
day this will happen but if not I am content with my time on that harsh
continent. </div>
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We were just told we are about an hour away from landing. I
have my customs card filled out and my ECW gear packed in my orange bag. I am
so excited to see darkness and smell fresh organic things! It will be a strange
adjustment back into the real world from our Antarctic snow globe. Please bear
with me as I adjust back and realize that I might need some space. I haven’t
driven a car, gone grocery shopping, went to the movies, gotten a hair cut,
played with a dog, etc since I left Vermont back in September. </div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am thrilled to have had
this Antarctic experience and hopeful that I will be able to go back. </span>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-40784615127763870582012-02-18T20:15:00.004+01:002012-02-18T20:15:46.540+01:00Hi, are you Megan?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Who would have thought that a girl from a small town in
Vermont would meet one person from the next road over and the father of a high
school classmate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it
happened!
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In early January Heidi Smith walked up to me as I was
working at the deli line and said, “Hi Megan, do you remember me?” It took me a
moment to realize that the girl that I did ballet with for years in my youth
was standing in front of me in Antarctica. Heidi and I attended school together
and often got rides to ballet practice together. Her mother was a biology
teacher at our high school, though never my teacher. Heidi was there for her
third year in a row collecting samples for research. She comes down for about 3
weeks and then takes the samples back to Montana to analyze. I don’t think I’ve
seen Heidi in 8 years! </div>
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<br /></div>
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A few weeks ago a man in uniform walked up to me as I was
working the breakfast line and asked me if I was Megan. It turns out he is Kade
Etter’s father. Kade and I attended Essex High School from 2000-2004 together.
I think we had a few classes together but we were never really close friends.
She has been following me silently on Facebook and possibly here on my blog and
found out that her dad was going to McMurdo Station for a few days. So she told
him to find me, which he did through the aid of my co-workers. At the time I
met Mr. Etter I didn’t think much of the fact that he was in uniform. We have a
lot of guys that come through McMurdo in uniform as we arrive and depart on US
Air Force planes. So a day or two go by and several co-workers tell me a man in
uniform is looking for me. So I find him and it turns out he was headed back
home that day. I said my goodbyes and we chatted briefly. A few days later I’m
on the phone with my parents and I ask my dad(retired Air Force) what 2 black
stars mean on the AF uniform. For those of you like me who don’t know the
ranks, that’s a two star General! So I met Major General Etter who happened to
be at McMurdo as one of our distinguished visitors. After a little Google
search we figured out that he is the Deputy Director of the Air National Guard.
</div>
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Then, just to twist the story a little more…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Major General Etter’s wife was in some way my brother’s
supervisor at the Vermont Air Guard base. Ready for it to get even more weird!
My brother and sister in law are going to Washington DC next month and are
getting a tour of the Pentagon through the Etters! </div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-71743381950621137652012-02-18T20:13:00.003+01:002012-02-18T20:14:26.057+01:00McMurdo's Inner Workings: DA Style... What exactly do you do all day?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I’ve had some questions about what my day to day life is
like here at McMurdo Station. Well, first and foremost I am here to work and
support science. My job title is a Dining Attendant, DA, so that means I work
in the kitchen/dining room serving meals and cleaning up after them. I have worked both the evening and
morning shifts here and been on a 5 ½ day and 6 day work week totaling 54 hours
per week. The shifts are 2 meals each, either breakfast and lunch or lunch and
dinner. There is also an overnight shift(nicknamed midrats) that serve a meal
at midnight and breakfast. We also have the added challenge of working on the
holidays so we get a random day off around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Years. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I was also selected to work out at the NASA/ Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility called the Long Duration Balloon site or LDB for
short. My shifts there include about an hour and a half round trip of travel
and serving and cleaning up from lunch served for about 45 people. This was a
special honor, only 2 DAs work there at a time splitting the 6 day week. I was
selected when Jean, my roommate, was promoted to a cook. Because I worked out
there I received snowmobile training incase I needed to help with a launch. I
also was film crew for the STO payload launches. Yes I said launches. There
were multiple attempts before we had a successful launch. </div>
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<br /></div>
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What does a day in the life of a DA look like?</div>
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Well, I’m on mornings currently so I’ll describe an average
day…</div>
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I wake up at 5 am, get myself ready and am downstairs by
5:20. Long commute! Remember I work in the same building as I live! I grab a
bite to eat and am ready to work at 5:30. Our leads(aka supervisors) have a
tasking sheet or schedule prepped for our days. Our time is broken up around
meal times. Sometimes you work the whole meal period doing the same task, but
often the meal is split in half. Then we have cleaning chores between meals and
we do it all over again. We also have breaks through the day, as well as time
for stretch breaks so we reduce the risk of repetitive motion injuries, and a
few minutes to allocate or log what we did for the day for some HR type person
somewhere to see and file away. So for example my 9 hour day(6 day schedule)
might look like this…</div>
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Dishes from 5:30 to 6:30</div>
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Wash pots and pans from 6:30 to 8</div>
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Half hour break</div>
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Cleaning chore for an hour and a half</div>
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Stretch break for 15 minutes, allocate for 10 minutes</div>
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Family meal where all the cooks and DAs eat before we serve
the meal</div>
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Restock the hot food(aka line) for 2.5 hours</div>
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Stretch again for 15 min</div>
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Half hour break</div>
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Cleaning chore for 1 hour 15 min</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After work I generally relax and play on the computer, work
out, or nap then shower and go eat dinner. My evenings are filled with things
like travel talks, science lectures, tours, movies, dances, hikes, etc.<br />
</div>
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My day off has been Sundays which allows me to go out on
Saturday nights(our big night out due to the 6 day work week). I enjoy Sunday
brunch with my Vermont Maple Syrup, do laundry, call home, catch up on computer
stuff, etc. </div>
</div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-9487445274627391622012-01-09T03:45:00.000+01:002012-01-09T03:59:21.798+01:00It’s a Harsh Continent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
The title of this post is a saying
that I hear almost daily here and it’s very accurate. It’s usually said in
reference to something that you want that you can’t have because we are here at
the bottom of the world. For example we get planes in with our prized
“freshies” usually once a week on Wednesdays. A freshie is usually a fruit or
vegetable that hasn’t been packaged or frozen, fresh eggs, ultra pasteurized
milk, cheese, etc. These are very special to us and make us all very happy
here. But the planes sometimes can’t make it due to weather or mechanical
issues and people freak out that we are out of fresh eggs, or we run out of
lettuce. Our response is usually “It’s a harsh continent.” I think the saying
originated with the conditions outside like the snow, wind, and temperatures,
but now it’s more our whining about what we don’t have. These are also often
referred to as our “first world problems.” This is things that make our lives
easier that we often take for granted that. The most recent time I heard this
was in reference to the feeling of being so full post meal that our stomachs
hurt. Definitely a first world problem.
<br />
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Living here has been many things
that I expected, but also many things I haven’t expected, and adjusting or
adapting can sometimes be a challenge. As our time here ticks on and we are
planning for our post ice lives we are talking more about things we miss so I
thought I would compose a list. </div>
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Things that I miss(other than my
family and friends that I hold near to my heart) and brief rants of why or
explanations of them. </div>
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Real milk- our milk is powdered and
one of my tasks at work is occasionally to make it which is gross and annoying</div>
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Sunsets- this in conjunction with
the next 2 items. Having 24 hours of sunlight is strange. Plus I have a room
with no windows so I had a freak out a few days ago when I napped in the
evening and woke up at 5:48 not knowing if it was am or pm. It was pm. </div>
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Darkness</div>
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Stars and the moon</div>
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Swimming and diving- really water!
Going from my last job where I was in the ocean every day of the week, multiple
times a day to a desert where we conserve water. Also I see the large cooking
kettles filled with water or the sinks and know that I want to take a bath or
sit in a hot tub.</div>
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Animals especially dogs! People are
fun but animals will always hold a special place in my heart. Penguins and
seals are cool but we can’t touch them. I just want to cuddle with Hermes, or
walk Shadow, or play fetch with Molly</div>
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Nature smells- dirt, grass, leaves-
the lack of smells here is amazing, I think it has really heightened my sense
of smell. I can’t wait to go to the park in central Christchurch as soon as I
get to New Zealand and roll in the grass and smell dirt and flowers</div>
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Grocery shopping- again this goes
with the next item, deciding what I want to eat, when I want to eat it. Having
a menu set by someone else and no place to go if you want something different
has been challenging. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Ordering what I want to eat from a
menu- having someone make something I want to eat just for me and serving it to
me, then not having to clean up after myself. I will miss not having to pay for
food though! That will be tough to go back to. I haven’t carried a purse since
early October and I don’t miss it! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Going to see a movie- seeing
something that has been made in the last year rather then VHS tapes from 10
years ago</div>
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Having quiet time in a space of my
own- living in the same building where I work in a room with 3 other women and
sharing a bathroom with about 25 other women is wearing on me. Plus I see the
same faces every day. Everyone wants to know everyone else’s drama and
happenings. When you don’t see someone for a day it seems like a week and you
have to have a meal with them to catch up</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Walking around bare foot- I could
do this more frequently except for it’s usually kind of chilly and there are
rules for safety purposes about wearing shoes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Being in better communication with
people- aka technology- This is more of a I wish I could receive phone calls. I
don’t really miss my phone like I though I would, but it is defiantly more
convenient having a smart phone. It’s been refreshing to not have to carry
technology in my pocket all day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Having different clothes- I am so
sick of my outfits here. I feel like a total girl when I say I have nothing to
wear. I want to go shopping so badly or at least raid my storage unit and get
different clothes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Ok, end of rant! </div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-66787806628218756302012-01-09T03:31:00.000+01:002012-01-09T03:32:22.801+01:00Happy 2012 from the bottom of the world!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So what does a group of a thousand
or so people do in Antarctica for New Years? Keep in mind we’ve got 24 hours of
sunlight plus the Antarctic Treaty to disturb wild life, so fire works are out
of the question. That only leaves us one option… to party the night away Ice
Stock style! So that translates to a chili cook off, lots of live bands
performing original music and covers of some tunes you might recognize, lots of
dancing like you just don’t care, drinks and debauchery Antarctic style.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My day started out with full day of
work from 5:30am to 3:30pm which included serving a special Saturday brunch
rather than the standard breakfast and lunch. (We normally only have brunch on
Sundays) I then went to my room and napped for a couple hours to prep for the
new year. I then met up with a group of friends and enjoyed a few brews over
dinner before heading out to buy a few bottles of champagne and dancing the
night away. I missed out on the pig roast that was going on during the
afternoon and didn’t test any of the chili(but I did get a commemorative mug
with chilies forming the shape of the continent). Then the night was spent
dancing around to music ranging from rock and roll to blues to pop covers. At
almost midnight(still bright as noon time!) father time made an appearance on
stage, champagne bottles were popped and the 2012 baby made everyone laugh.
Kisses were exchanged and lots of drunken hugs and well wishes for the new year
were made. I was pretty tired at this point so I finished my drink and
retreated to my warm bed for the night. </div>
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Sunday we had mimosas at brunch and
enjoyed lots of food and of course Vermont Maple Syrup!! I am very thankful for
all the great friends that I have made here. They are the best McMurdo Family I
could have asked for! </div>
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What does the future hold for me?
Well, at this point I don’t have many concrete plans. I will finish my contract
out here on the Ice, travel for a bit, work at Sea Base, and hopefully return
here for another season. And no, I don’t know what position I’ll come back to. </div>
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New Years photos can be found at… <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.708642947139.2146542.44801562&type=1&l=7a2838816f">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.708642947139.2146542.44801562&type=1&l=7a2838816f</a></div>
</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-24052435352441054622011-12-27T08:51:00.004+01:002011-12-27T08:56:06.657+01:00Christmas in a desert... in summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So Christmas has quickly come and gone for us here in Antarctica. We in the galley had a random extra day off during the month as our "Christmas." Mine was a few weeks ago. I remember the day. I spent the whole day in my pajamas. Relaxing was the whole agenda.<br />
Christmas for the rest of the town was a totally different story. Everyone on "Town Schedule" (work Monday-Saturday and Sunday off) got an extra day off, Saturday which was the day we celebrated the holiday. My day had a slow start because of a late night the night before. The Town Christmas Party at the Vehicle Maintenance Shop was a crazy mix of photos with Santa, a slide show of pictures from home, caroling by the choir, snacks, drinks, and dancing the night away. Back to work... My work day was from 9am to 7 pm and included helping setting up the dining room, washing pots and pans, and goofing off. The day went by pretty quickly and included being "adopted" again like Thanksgiving so I got an hour and a half off mid afternoon which I used to nap. I got off work just in time for the last dinner seating and sat with a group of friends and enjoyed some conversation and a few bottles of wine. The night was spent at the Carpentry shop which was transformed into an art gallery for the night. MAAG, McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery, happens once a year and is a showing of everything from interactive art to paintings and a fashion show. The night ended again with dancing the night away.<br />
Sunday was a morning to sleep in. Again a group of us met in the galley this time for brunch and mimosas. We parted ways after stuffing ourselves again. I called home and then went for a walk out to Hut Point and happened to see 6 penguins!! They were way off in the distance so the pictures aren't very good. Then I went to see a group of people put on Charlie Browns Christmas play which was cute and then went outside and saw the CREST LDB balloon up in the sky. Overall a great Christmas weekend.<br />
Up next... New Years and Ice Stock, McMurdo's Woodstock! </div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-18199078608317975082011-12-17T04:18:00.000+01:002011-12-17T04:18:06.761+01:00My new gig<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I was selected to be the new DA(dining attendant) for the Long Duration Balloon facility run by NASA here just a few miles from McMurdo Station. I have only spent 2 days out there training so I don't have all the info and stats on it and only limited pictures but I am so excited to share the news about it. <br />
Monday will be my first day out there post training and to add to the excitement there is the possibility of a launch! There are several projects going on here in our few buildings one of which is a large balloon with a payload of 7,800 lbs that will be looking at the particles that hit the Earth from Super Novas. <br />
To watch it all happen check out the "real time video" on this site... <a href="http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/antarctica/ice.htm">http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/antarctica/ice.htm</a><br />
I hope it works!<br />
The window of opportunity that I was told about is from 11am-4pm on Monday here in Antarctica. So that would be Sunday from 5-10pm eastern time. This is subject to change due to weather conditions. <br />
Some more info about the projects...<br />
<a href="http://stratocat.com.ar/bases/41e.htm">http://stratocat.com.ar/bases/41e.htm</a><br />
<a href="http://icecube.wisc.edu/info/neutrinos">http://icecube.wisc.edu/info/neutrinos</a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-35415585953271722232011-12-06T12:44:00.001+01:002011-12-08T11:32:29.697+01:00Mc Murdo’s Inner Workings: Water Plant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How
the heck do we get water in a desert? Well that's what I went to find out. </div>
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Last
week I attended the Ross Island Yacht Club meeting and happened to sit down
next to a guy that works at the Water Plant, so I set up a tour! I told a few
friends and 7 of us ended up going. So we walked down the hill to the water/
power plant building. It turns out that the Blue Ribbon Panel that is here on
station was touring the plant too. So we waited. </div>
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When
it was our turn we had Paul(who I estimate is in his mid 60s, maybe more) show
us around the plant and explain what did what. </div>
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The
process is basically take water from the Ross Sea, heat it from 28 degrees to
38 degrees, remove the salt, filter it, treat it with chemicals, store it and
use it! You may be wondering about the temperature. Salt water freezes at lower
temps than fresh. It's not special Antarctic water or anything! </div>
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So
we walked around and saw all the pumps and filters and holding tanks and felt
the pipes to get an idea for how cold the water is. It was pretty loud so I
didn't hear everything but I got the gist of it all. </div>
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An
interesting stat: we use about 60,000 gallons per day on an average summer day.
There are about 1,100 people on station. We have experiments going on, laundry
to be washed, food to be cooked and cleaned up after, smelly hard workers...
Lots of water used. </div>
Neat Place... now what to tour next?<br />
<br />
Pictures...<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.695955767349.2144599.44801562&type=1&l=850cfb4a8f">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.695955767349.2144599.44801562&type=1&l=850cfb4a8f</a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989718755605445578.post-53531928601758996122011-12-04T11:04:00.001+01:002011-12-04T11:37:12.094+01:00Some time outside the Galley and the Craft Fair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So a couple days ago I got to get out of the kitchen and do a special project. This is the first special project I've gotten to do since I arrived so I was very excited. I had the honor of spending about 2 hours helping out a very sweet lady named Peggy who is in charge of the food for the field camps. She has a room upstairs in this storage building that is basically a grocery store. But you don't pay. <br />
I arrived at Peggy's after our afternoon break to see what my task would be. I've heard stories from other DAs that they make trail mix or repackage things and that Peggy offers you tea and listens to good music. This sounds very exciting and all... right? So my projects included repackaging baking powder into smaller bottles and labeling them, mixing and repackaging tortillini, and dividing up some sort of burrito chili thing. All in all not exactly thrilling tasks but it was very nice to be able to work on something that I don't do every day. It was also a beautiful day out so the walk to and from the galley was a treat. <br />
Today the galley was transformed into a craft fair and what a time we had! I wish I had thought to bring my camera with me, but none the less it was great. I ended up spending about a hundred bucks on everything from earrings to a t-shirt to a wallet/passport holder. Now you may be wondering what the heck we are doing having a craft fair in Antarctica. Well, we all have to pass the time somehow. Some drink, others sew, or knit, or fold things. What did I purchase? Well, I got a pair of feather earrrings, a passport holder/wallet, a t-shirt stating "You don't have to be crazy to work here. We will train you.", a small fish mobile, some pins/buttons and 2 magnets, some wool gloves, and I think that's it. <br />
Now I've never attended a craft show in Antarctica before but based on the turn out I'm going to say it was a hit! The number of people streaming in and out was great and I think people made some great purchases. A hit in my book!</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075505455200200614noreply@blogger.com1