Rewind!

Three weeks ago I went out to the ob tube for the second to last time before it was removed. I saw the same small jellyfish looking things floating around as I had seen on previous trips but the new thing was these two small fish sitting on the outside of the window frame. They were each smaller than my finger, one about the size of my pinkie. They didn’t move much, just turned their head to look around. There was no wind that day either so I took a 360-degree video clip of the area. (Available on Facebook.)

Two weeks ago I took a tour of the Crary Laboratories here at McMurdo. We met at 8am and were showed through the building starting with the display cases at the entrance, then going down the 3 phases or levels of the building. Each level is for a different type of experiment or science. We started at the top and moved down. We looked at things like the skulls of the seals found on the continent, marine creatures like giant sea lice, stuffed penguin vs skua, diving gear, maps of the continents, weather, volcanic rock from Mt Erebus, and lots more. We ended the tour with my favorite part… the aquarium and touch tank. We got to touch and pick up different marine creatures that are found around the continent. The tank was a lot smaller than I expected. Only a few inches deep and about a foot and a half square. Still it was really neat and I was so excited I forgot to ask about the things I’ve seen in the Ob Tube and have no idea what they are.

After this I went to the Ob Tube for the last time before it was removed from the ice. I went with a co-worker, Grace, and we got to spend some time watching a seal sunbathe while the other was in the Ob Tube. Neither of us saw anything we hadn’t seen before but the seal on the ice was pretty neat.

My day was then to be continued with a hike. The weather was too nice not to! I did the Hut Point Ridge Loop with 3 co-workers, Kira, Michael H, and Bria. The loop took us about 2 hours including stops for water breaks and to take pictures. We saw 4 seals out on the ice below Hut Point, otherwise no wild life. The view was amazing looking out at nothing but ice and mountains for miles and at another point back at McMurdo.

Pictures of all this can be found at….

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.692546409729.2144243.44801562&type=1&l=2642c1611e

And my 360 video tour… 

Happy Thanksgiving from Antarctica

Just wanted to wish you all well on Turkey Day. Officially yesterday was thanksgiving here but we are actually celebrating tomorrow. Just called home, now off to work a regular day. Tomorrow... turkey!

Friend's Blogs

I have enjoyed writing my blog over the years now but here seems to be the hardest to find time to write! I have been keeping busy and making time to sit down and write seems to be a challenge. Then when I do write I seem to forget details that I should include!
So since I've arrived here on the Ice I've met lots of new friends who are becoming my McMurdo Family. I have slowly been finding more and more blogs written by friends and co-workers. Such talented people! 
So because I haven't uploaded pictures from my last hike on my day off last week I will leave you with some URLs of other blogs. Interesting how the same place can have so many perspectives.
Here are a few...
Kira- Fellow DA, who I worked with at Edelweiss in Germany with- http://mynameiskira.wordpress.com/
Gwen- Fellow DA- http://gwenshoemakerblog.com/
Julie- Roommate and cook- http://juliebuggs21.blogspot.com/
Tessa- Cook- http://growmeaboat.blogspot.com/
Bill- Cook- http://chefbillmorris.blogspot.com/
Alyx- Friend, hobby: photography, his website, not a blog but still cool!- http://www.alyxbowen.com

Inside Bertha

So as part of my usual tasking at work I was scheduled to deep clean our large dishwasher, nicknamed Bertha. Now this is like the 3rd or 4th time doing this for me so nothing that new. An average Sunday afternoon. Now every other time I was one of the ones removing everything from the dish room, scrubbing the floors and walls, etc. What was new about this time was the I was going inside Bertha. Bertha is a large conveyor style dishwasher and has 3 compartments that need to be scrubbed from the outside and inside. The inside part is my turn this week. We first removed all the sprayers and the curtains dividing the compartments and then the cleaning begins. This involves laying on your back, inching through the machine wiping down all the surfaces. Now, this means the sides and inside top of the machine so the chance for splatters is there so a face mask, safety goggles, and a soapy rag. I kept fogging the goggles so I tried to wipe ahead of where I was to reduce the risk of direct face spray. This worked until the very end... the dirtiest part. Mold seems to be pink and goo like here. Don't ask why because I have no idea. Things got very sticky very quickly and I wanted to be out of that machine! I never really felt claustrophobic but I definitely wanted out at the end there. Friend Alyx captured me inside of Bertha. I will post it soon as I am on a public computer without my usb thumb drive.

Mc Murdo’s Inner Workings: Waste Barn

Ok let’s Trash Talk!

This isn’t what you’re probably thinking. I’m not writing about gossip or being mean. This is how intense the waste management system is here on the ice.

 

 

Ben, our tour guide, sorting some mixed paper

Plastic compactor and recycling bins

 On Monday I went to the Waste Barn where one of my former roommates, Vicki, works sorting our recycling and trash. Vicki works at the Waste Barn with a handful of others diligently sorting out all the bags of stuff we throw away. This is all sorted into several categories and is usually then packaged up as small as it can be and then shipped back to the US via boat in January.

Vicki(left) and co-worker reassembling a bin to be brought out back around base

The cardboard conveyor to the compactor

Vicki and I

Some of the joke bins around Mc Murdo

The real bins

 

 

 

Another joke bin. 

 

 

A set of sorting bins in my dorm

The janitors take the bags from the bins inside to the large boxes outside which are taken to the Waste Barn. 

Depending on what the item is dictates what happens to it...

Clothing scraps- sold to China

Returnable bottles- refunds from California

Metal- sold at auction

Wood chips- sold for heating

Paper towels- landfill

A very neat place to learn what happens to our stuff that we throw away.