Unicycle

Now you all know I had a goal of learning to juggle over the winter (that is not working out so good right now but I still have three months so maybe my cordination will improve between now and then) and while I was at it I thought why not learn the whole circus act and throw in Unicycling.

I've never done this before, and I have a hard enough time doing my bike with no hands (I think I have a permanent balance disorientation) but Fawna had suggested researching new things and I think unicycle came up so I thought why not. There is a unicycling pro here that has gone from the top to the bottom of North America twice; with a backpack on back country trails while raising money for a good cause.

She brought the unicycle down with her when she came and now offers classes should anyone want to learn. So taking up the challenge I went, half heartedly, just to try and had a great balance/arm work out. I know now that it's not my passion, but I can also say that I attempted it.

it.

Picnic in the Park

The recreation department sponsored the event called Picnic in the Park. It was a lunch time

excursion to the Green house were we all got to eat from sack lunches and breath in the scent of tomato plants and wet dirt (even though there is none). Everything in the green house is grown by hydroponics, meaning water not dirt makes the vegetables grow. The dirt here is volcanic meaning very acidic so it cannot be used as a gardening base = hence water instead.

This is the second time I've been to the green house which is like stepping into paradise. You forget what an effect the color green and plants have on your whole being. From the minute you spot them, you have a feeling of delight and a childish desire to stroke and pet the leaves like long lost pets. You stare are their delicate blossoms in wonder forgetting that things grow back where you come from and spend more time simply staring at them while chewing mindlessly on your sandwich then a mental patient does doing a jigsaw puzzle. I want to grow stuff now even though I've never had a desire before.

The event was wonderful, just two of us signed up for the time slot that Friday but with Emily there, (the Green House Goddess) it was three's company and we gossiped and gabbed like chickens in a hen house. The bright sun lights and trickling water in the background is like those soothing sounds Cd's where if you listen to them long enough you start to fall asleep. Right before that happened our time was up so we headed out. So far this winter I've had fresh swiss chard, lettuce (not iceberg) cucumbers, sprouts (all different kinds) alfalfa, fresh cilantro, dill, jalapeños, and there will be fresh tomatoes for Mid-Winder dinner. I can't wait.

Green House Goddess

Biggest Gainer

So we had our second weight in and I've gained 4.25 pounds. Needless to say I was a little hormonal at the time and the number read off seemed to confirm that three desserts at dinner does add up, no matter how you justify it. I'll be so glad to get off the ice where easy access to sweets and wonderfully baked goods will not be simply a hallway and staircase away. Sigh, so much for losing the winter weight. I'll need to do the dog mushing job just to get back to my pre-Antarctica weight. Hopefully the third weigh in will be better (fingers crossed).

Black Island Black Out

Black Island is place about eight hours from McMurdo heading South. On it is where all our communications are located. Cable, Internet, phones. All satellite connections are there and if it goes down, we're in the dark. Well you'll never guess what happened. . . . .

Yep, it went down. The techs knew it was coming and had gone out on a traverse to fix the generator problem. All was well, but the second they touched the station on their return, communications dropped off. Everyone kind of sat in front of the computer and stared at the error screen that popped up. "What do I do?" someone whispered to the person next to them who just shrugged. "How do I update my status?" a slightly panicky voice asked and suddenly the true direness of our situation set in.

For four days we were on emergency communications only. No outside phone calls, no emails, no cable connections. We still got BBC through Scott Base so we learned of Osama's death and other details of the outside world, but that was our only news channel while others were static (Do you know how long it's been since I've seen just static on the TV. I was surprised it still existed. I thought with the creation of cable it was all but extinct).

Apparantly the generator connection to the batteries was damaged and no one knew till it went down so the team had to head back to Black Island the next day. Like zombies, people wandered around the halls aimlessly trying to figure out what to do without internet. Lists were posted with options people might not have thought about (reading a book, going to the library, finding the library, have a face to face conversation with someone on base) support groups were formed, and on base hotlines were set up. Suddenly I saw people I had never seen before, and people were talking to each other. A photographic moment I missed. The lack of communications did not really bother me, as you well know I am not an avid facebooker or phone caller. It is kind of nice not to have a dedicated calling time because when things go done in Antarctica no one back home panics. One community member has told friends and family that we don't even have phones here. I haven't gone that far, but I wasn't one of the people worrying that family was worrying because they had not checked in in the last three days. See, no news is good news.

Just thought you should know things are okay now and we're fully up and connected. Sometimes there is a really good reason I don't call home like . . . . . . . I can't.

Winter Boondoggle

My name was drawn from the hat two days again for a Boondoggle today. I was pleased and confused only because for my two hour adventure I got the full work day off. OFF. Can you believe that? I couldn't and had to bug my supervisor several times before he finally looked me in the eye and said “Yes, you get the FULL day off. Now go finish dish.”

Wow, a day off and a boondoggle for it. Others had gone out “flagging” - putting the flags up that mark the roads, and it had been an all day “working” boondoggle. So yes they got the full day off, but they worked the full day. I didn’t work, got to do some chores and still get off base. It was a true blessing that revived my spirit and renewed my belief in miracles.

What was it you’re probably asking. Well I got to ride in a Piston Bully (a kind of Snow Cat for Antarctica) and go plow the trail up to Castle Rock. There were a number of firsts involved in this but let me explain something here. I had no idea how many people were going, which Piston Bully we were taking and other logistically information. Those that had gone on Boondoggles before, the “flagging” experience, had gone with several others so I imagined the same.

Imagine my pleasure when I learned it was a private ride. Just me and the driver, a Floridian named Dave. I’d seen him around base but never really got to know him till now. For two and a half luxurious hours we chatted and plowed the wondress white snow into waves that curled away from the snow plow and fell to the wayside. In a heated cab made of windows, the white beauty of the continent fell away from me and I devoured the beauty in the fading light. Dave was a wonderful guide and driver, relaxed and good natured. We got along like friends and enjoyed the trip together.

We wound our way up the back route to Castle Rock, a way I had never come even in the summer, and climbed straight up the steep mountain face almost at a 50 degree angle, plugging along with our little Piston Bully’s tracks digging into the snow. We chugged up the hill like the little engine that could (although our little engine was painted red and consisted of a hydraulic plow that could rotate, pivot, swivel, tilt, flap and possibly make coffee if we could have found the right button).

When we reached Castle Rock, we got out and climbed the small ridge to catch the blazing red slash that was the sunset. The sun does not come up past the horizon line any more, but it still shines its lights over the lip as it can. Snapping photos as my hands slowly turned numb, we enjoyed the majestic beauty of the winter scene in silence and then after a few more photos with our little “Bully” we headed back to town. Oh what a wonderful day it has been. Laundry is done, chores are finished, I got to take a trip off base, catch one of the few last glows of the season, ride in a Piston Bully, and do it all before dinner time. God, it has been a wonderful blessing and I know I can thank you because you’re the handed that plucked my name from the hat. Sigh - I am smiling like a child, exhausted from all the fun, and luxuriating in the moment of it all.

Winterdance

I was gifted a wonderful read not too long ago and I want to share it. The book is titled Winterdance by Gary Paulsen and about dog mushing. Now don’t sigh and roll your eyes just because I mentioned dog mushing because you can’t judge this book yet. I was given it because those here know the challenge I face when I leave and are supportive about it. Thinking this book would help illuminate my rather dark mind on what dog sledding is like, it was handed over.

It has been a pleasure to read let me tell you. I have not laughed so often or out loud in a long time. The author Gary, describes his beginnings with dog sledding, doing it for trapping, and his gradual desire to do one of the man’s toughest races - the Iditarod. His word usage and honesty reveal such truths and visuals that you can’t help but laugh because you can see what he sees and you know you’d have done the same thing too. It is a quick read, one that I couldn’t put down (of course I had to because of work but . . . ) and finished it all too soon. If you want a delightful read, informative and enjoyable, pick it up. Although I will warn you there is a little language usage, but mostly in the “near death” scenarios. In general, he keeps it clean and amusing.

Watching the Light Go

They say the Sun will leave in a few weeks time. Total darkness will ascend and we’ll get to see the stars. No actual date. So every day I pause while wiping tables and look out the wall of windows that face Observation Hill. Later and later the darkness lifts, but still there is faint light - twilight there.

We lose half an hour of light each day. What a rapid loss I think. Yet the faint glow on the horizon still appears, outlining the ice mountains and we all turn to see it. No one can escape the last rememberance of the places we have come from. Where the sun is taken for granted and the moon a distance reminded of darker times. Golden reds and yellows flare across the sky but it is like watching an exotic flower die. So beautiful and fragile, not long will it survive but a reminder to all that creation is wondrous. Each last flare a gorgeous array of color, but smaller and closer to a still breath.