holiday cheer

waiting for the air drop 3 miles from the stationfood falling from the sky!

me on top of a bundle of food
the disappearing dome
the russian tourist plane with the 2 telescopes in the background
my loader 'sundog' out in the berms
greetings from christmas day at the south pole!

there's been much holiday fun to be had... we performed carols over the hf radio to mactown and the field camps last evening then we roamed all over the base and sang to the crews who were working! we just finished up our float for the 'race around the world' tomorrow morning. we found an old hot air balloon basket (flown in by the russians years ago) and attached it to a snow mobile sled and decorated it with flags and such- in the theme of around the world in 80 days. the meteorologists are donating a weather balloon- helium filled- to complete the look! we're going to dress up in super silly costumes and we added some flare to our helmets... it will be a great time! we've been having band practice for a performance on new years eve, we do mostly bluegrass and folky stuff, we have a banjo, mandolins, guitars, and... an accordion! i am waiting for my giant chunk of snow to be placed in front of the station for our snow carving contest, i'm still contemplating what form the block will take. we are also having a wearable art show on new years eve, i am going to fashion various types of bubble wrap and old mail bags into a recycled outfit. we had our cargo x-mas party and i made a bouquet of flowers out of old sheet metal and electrical scraps for the white elephant exchange... it was a hit! we had an air drop of food 2 weeks ago, the air national guard uses our base for practice and to try out new materials. they did the drop out of a c-17 and because i work in cargo i got to go out to the drop zone to collect the parachutes and watch the drop up close- it was amazing! i know it's difficult to believe i get any work done with all the fun to be had, but we have had a very productive season thus far and i am getting heaps of loader time, it's really quite fun to drive a loader, and an awesome skill to have, along with being a certified postal employee... i'm becoming more employable each day! the satellite is about to wobble out of range and i'm off to sing carols in the hallway as people enjoy appetizers before our x-mas feast! i hope you all have a wunderfull holiday with your friends and family!! take care, karengrace

material girls

the "material girls"

just moments after finishing inventorying 100 tons of food in the dome!!!

insulated bib overall covered in snow.... inside a building!parkas covered in snow.. the door was left open all winter... great.

the 'cheese palace' or palace de queso ( as i like to call it) where all of our extra ECW (extreme cold weather) gear lives

All the current women of the south pole celebrating a great milestone!

i drew the sign and leslie and stephana painted it in!
greetings from a post thanksgiving week!

i hope you all enjoyed the holiday with the ones you love, here it is a chosen family of sorts!

i washed dishes and helped to serve wine, the meal was amazing, especially because myself and my colleges -the 'material girls' (leslie, elissa and myself) litterally touched each package of food as we collected and delivered it! we have this name because we are simply materials people, in charge of all materials here at the station with the exception of FEMC, which is construction. from food to toilet paper and everything in between we control, inventory and deliver! i am in charge of all ECW on the station and am regularly filling requests for lost/broken clothing items essential for survival, as shown in the photos of the 'cheese palace'. someone left the door open over the winter and i spent the 1st day just shoveling my way into the building, both from the inside and out... thankfully the temps never rise above O so i don't have to worry about snow melting on all the gear!!

there were record snow drifts this winter, over 12 feet around the station, there's a whole crew that works 24 hrs a day just to remove the snow and place it down wind so that we can operate. the majority of the drift happens in the winter. we are lucky to enjoy cold, but mild weather during our short season, with the occasional clouds and ice crystals in the air. it's been getting steadily warmer, about a degree a day, today is -20, but it's been so clear and beautiful, it's amazing how quickly the body acclimates to it's surroundings, thank goodness! i've been working in the post office on sundays, we're getting quite busy as everyone is feeling the holiday rush... i know this sunday will be really crazy, the advantage for me is that i don't have to wait in line!! sorry it's taken so long to get this post up, the satellite times are all during my work hours, with the occasional surprise showing after dinner, which is how i am writing this now!!

~oops! as i was finishing this entry the satellite went down and it's now sunday and i'm on my way to work in the post office and enjoy a lovely brunch! my next post will hopefully be within the next week and i'll include photos of the dome. until then, be well and have a beautiful day!

take care, karengrace

polar happiness

Greetings from the south pole of the world!
we made it in on a herc on monday the 2nd, it was fun to spend halloween in mc murdo! we were given tuesday off because there have been a large number of medivacs due to altitude sickness. it was -86 the other day and the altitude was up to 11,000 ft- quite difficult to acclimate to after being at sea-level in mc murdo for a month! my computer also had a difficult time acclimating and the hard drive died the other day- i mailed myself an external hard drive here and i hope that the IT folks can retrieve my info and back it up so that one day i can have a working machine again! there have been many hard drive failures this season so far... it's a harsh continent! i will be unable to post photos until i can get my machine up and running, but you can certainly reference the photos of last years blogs! our satellite uplink is only active from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm, which makes things difficult more me because that's when i'm working! so, i will endeavor to write here every sunday! i am so happy to be back, there's an 80% return rate due to the crappy economy, it's like summer camp all over again!! i love my new position, i am driving loaders and moving materials all over the station, lots of food so far, but this will change as the season progresses. one of the major missions this season is to empty and dismantle the dome, which is the symbol of the south pole, but it's been up for over 50 years and it's becoming dangerous, it will be sad to see it go, but it's progress i suppose. today is my 1st shift at the post office, i am beyond excited about it, i am going to take all the stamps from the philatelic (stamp collectors) mail and make a collage for the post office, a perfect summer project to keep me out of trouble! well, i'm off to eat brunch and enjoy this 1 day off! hope you are all enjoying a lovely autumn day wherever you may be! take care, karengrace*

southbound?

mac town storm
hut contents
greetings from the lovely mc murdo library!

i am still here, but do to fly in the morning, they got a 'herc' - LC 130 in today and i'm still due to fly in on a Bassler, at this point i'm willing to give up the Bassler dream, as long as we get out of here soon! i took all of my belongings with the exception of 1 bag to be 'palletized' (packed for transport at a later date) last week and have only my ECW and the clothes i'm wearing now, not so bad really, others have been without their things for almost a month!

there are simply too many people here, over 1000 now, i think the female pop is 28%. i definitely don't think i'd enjoy a summer season here, although there's lots to do like awesome hikes, skiing, parties with live bands, sports, ect, it's just too much.

i have quite enjoyed the opportunity i've had to be a 'hut guide'- i am able to acquire the keys to the explorers huts and take folks in, essentially to insure they do not touch anything. it's an amazing experience, it truly feels like the huts were abandoned in such haste, kettles on, clothes hanging, all still beautifully intact over 100 years later! if you are interested there's a great website to enjoy: www.antarctic-heritage.org

the BBC is here now working on their new series. they have amazing footage and they are scheduled to come down to pole at some point in the season, keep your eyes open for the series, it looks spectacular!

we all keep passing the crud back and forth here, it's been a sickly sort of month, i'm getting over having it for the 2nd time, there's no escaping it, the quarters are too close. all the anti-bacterial foam and hand washing is no deterrent for this strain of yuck!!!

i got bumped to an earlier flight so that i can open the post office at pole, the woman who was slated to do it has to open the science carp shop and i am going in to get all the winter-over's mail out, last year there was 3 tons of mail from these 13 month inhabitants!! i am looking forward to the challenge!! i am an official APO mail clerk, it's quite dreamy, i even have a laminated card, big time. last weekend there was a rockin' party in the carp (carpenter) shop- 4 bands, free beer and a mini golf course!! sadly, i had to go to a crane rigging training at 7:30am sunday morning, probably for the best. i've enjoyed all the training opportunities here, it's kept me busy. i wonder (if we make it to pole) what sort of halloween shenanigans we will get into, thankfully it's saturday night, as we usually have sundays off! all in all i have enjoyed my mac-time, but have tingly fingers and toes at the idea of going to pole... oh wait, that's the Diamox (high altitude medication i started today) ha ha ha... i hope the next time i write is from the bottom of the world!! wishing you all a happy halloween wherever you may be haunting!

take care, karengrace*

10/29

we're not going anywhere tonight... the wind is so very intense today... crossing our fingers for tomorrow!!

Mactown

me on top of the tire pile
the 'pickle' moving crates out of a can or convex van
view from my room
sunset over the sea ice
greetings from mc murdo base on ross island in antarctica!

i got in last weds. 10/7 from christchurch and have been here doing loads of training. i just finished a 3 day course on heavy equipment training and have countless safety and logistical trainings to attend daily. in our non training moments we have been receiving food and supplies for the pole, essentially we track down the items and open crates and make sure that the contents are correct. it's quite important to do that here, because it takes lots of fuel to get things down to pole and it's silly to ship something we don't need! i've been battling the crud for the last few days, it's almost a right of passage here, i am feeling better all the time! i am due to fly out in a Bassler on the 30th. a Bassler is a small 16 pax (passenger) plane that is not pressurized, so we get oxygen masks for the flight i'm quite excited about it!! it has been difficult for me to update this because there are so many people here trying to use a tiny bandwidth, it should be easier at pole, but we just lost one of our satellites and that means that we will have even less time available to make phone calls and get online, perhaps only 4 or so hours a day... i hope it works out to be hours i am not at work or sleeping!!!

i hope you all are well and enjoying a beautifull autumn! take care, karengrace*

landed

autumn in denver
springtime blossoms and me
cathedral square
the peacock fountain at the gardens
the spring fern at the botanical gardens
greetings from christchurch, nz!

we just got in an hour ago, it has been quite a long journey, but i have no complaints! we left from denver at 5pm on friday and it is now sunday at 3pm. the most exciting part of the trip was the amazing flight from la to sydney... we flew over on an almost brand new A-380!!!!!!! such a dream come true, for those of you who don't know, it is currently the largest passenger plane in the world, with a double-decker capacity of 450!!! it was a real treat, i have always enjoyed all sorts of air travel, and this was such a lovely surprise, as i've been following the saga of this particular aircraft. along the way one of the passengers got quite ill and thankfully there was a doctor on board who aided the woman, but, upon arrival into australia we had to remain on the plane until the 'quarantine police' boarded and deemed it safe for us to deplane, meanwhile we had a very short transfer time for our christchurch flight. it's raining here, which makes me want to relax in my room, but i think i should probably go out into the world so i can get on the correct schedule here! i am reporting at 9 am to receive all my cold weather gear for the ice, and then will have the remainder of the day to play! we are due to depart for mcmurdo tuesday morning, but may not make it then because all the ice flights are several days backed up due to weather and mechanical difficulties- so we are all secretly hoping for at least 1 extra day here in cheech!! i will be in mcmurdo until the 28th of oct. at the earliest and the 4th of nov at the latest... i will be there receiving training on the forks and other equipment, and it's too cold to fly to pole untill the end of the month anyway!!! i am very excited about this, for many reasons... i've never really spent any time at that station and i also have lots of friends working there this season that i would probably be unable to visit with otherwise!! the only problem is that i don't know where i'll be spending halloween.... and i don't know where to ask dad to send my costumes!!! this is currently my largest dilemma ... poor me!!! well, i'm off to play in the rain and find some yummy sushi for dinnner!!! thank you to everyone who helped me to make this voyage possible, especially my mom, dad and karl!!! hope you all are doing well wherever you are!!! take care, more soon!! karengrace*

***a special big love shout out to sabrina!!! sending you all my love from down under!!********

transition

rox's garden that we were able to help build (in a dust storm) @ burning man
3 story high astro-turf slide at sunrise... ahh, burning man!!!
hank and me under the hoopa
hank and me

oysters in SF!!!!!
greetings to all!

i am currently in orlando, visiting with family and friends for a few daze- then i begin my voyage southward again on the 30th. i will be flying thru denver for a few daze then thru l.a. and sydney to arrive in christchurch for more training and then off to the south pole at some point after that... our flight times become jumbled to antarctica due to available seating, ect. i am very excited about my position this season because i will be involved in logistical support- essentially, it will be like working at a huge home depot. we receive cargo and place it in it's appropriate home and then retrieve it - when needed- with forklifts!!!! defiantly much better on the body than shoveling snow!

burning man was amazing this year, but much more challenging than any of us expected. there was much to do and the dust storms were a menace, alas- we made it thru, and stronger for it!

i am hoping to be able to take a trip to thailand in the spring when i get off the ice, it's always called to me, and really if i do nothing but eat... i'll be happy!!! my plan is to return to MV in the spring for more gardening adventures! my mailing address is on my very 1st blog from this time last year, so i will not post it again, but i do ask, if you find yourself with a spare moment- drop me a line- it's just regular 1st class US postage and i'll certainly send you something in return!!! well, i'm off to bed- i hope this post finds you all enjoying the september splendors where ever you may be!!! take care, karengrace*

end of augustness

singing with the spirituals choir at the east chop light house
the hibiscus and me!
passion flower!
chico shine with his ribbon from the dog show at the fair!
kids+dogs+sunset at lambert's cove=heaven!
greetings !!!

i'm on the bus from woods hole to logan intl. airport right now- free wifi on the bus... so fancy!!

i just left the president and all his people on the island, it's actually not as congested as i expected it to be, except for when the motorcade stops everything, ahh- the price we pay to live in paradise!! it's been over a month since i've written, mostly because life has just been filled with simple things like the beach and work and dinner parties!!! i am flying to LA tonight to prepare for burning man (a week long art festival in the desert in NV) we are producing a piece of art, so we are going in early!! we'll be in the desert with no cell phones or computers or $$$ for 10 days this time - it's going to be quite a journey=on every level!!! we are driving the RV up from LA on friday and will enter that evening to set-up camp and begin assembling our art sat. morning before the sun gets too hot. the festival opens to the public on monday, and the man is burned next saturday evening. if you're interested there's a great website for the event, check it out!!!

i will then be going over to SF to see mel and all the bay area folks and then fly back to MV for an undetermined amount of time, as i haven't received my deployment dates yet to return to the pole...and for that matter, i am not sure that i am 100% pq'd (passing all medical requirements) but i think it's a go!! will keep you posted as soon as i know! otherwise there's not too much to report, i hope this message finds you all well, and enjoying the glories of august!!! take care, karengrace

summer funnin'

happy 4th!

me +mere on the skipper on the 4th!
luna moth
chico shine!!
poippy belle!
greetings!

it's beginning to warm up here, but the rain is ever present... had a wonderful time with Sabrina and am enjoying every moment of the sum-sum! not too much to report, loving the choir and my radio show and all the lovely-ness that is this season! sending you all loads of love!! hope all is well in your corner of the world!! take care, k.grace*

summer sun!!!

cooter brown in the sunshine!!!

hank and me at gay head light

greetings from the 3rd day of summer- the sun finally came out today...what a relief!

it has rained almost everyday since i've been back on the island, that's from april 1st until now.  all in all we have been having a blast though, definitely  not able to work in the gardens as extensively as previous summers, but we are making it all work! i truly can't believe that next week is the 4th of july!! i have been singing with the choir, working in my own yard, hosting and attending dinner parties, watching true blood, doing my radio show (which is where i am now!) and getting all my doctor things together for the p.q. requirements to return to the south pole this october. as soon as i know anything definite i will post it on here! hank was visiting a few weeks ago and sabrina will be here in 2 weeks and i hope that karl and melissa can make it over this summer... especially when it warms up!  the world lost a beautiful soul last week, my dear friend Sarah Thorn from alaska passed away last week, she is deeply missed.  i am getting quite excited for burning man, it is all coming together so quickly and we'll be driving into nevada before we know it! there are several of us going early this year because we are producing an art piece for the festival!!!! we are all looking so forward to being more involved participants this year!  i hope this message finds you all well and able to enjoy summer fun!!! take care, kgrace*

spring show(ers)

cooter brown!!!
oooops!
lamberts cove at sunset
amazing!!!
greetings from the depths of wvvy!

it was a lovely spring day today, we've had several rain days that we've gardened right through...the life of a gardener. my friend kate showed up last week from the pole to garden with us this summer and her first day was a total rain day...she was such a trooper, made me proud!!! my life has been pretty uneventful for the most part, so, my entries have dropped off, also- i am so incredibly busy that i forget to write... i have become a bad friend, i have not returned phone calls, ect.... i apologize. i suppose no news is good news 'eh?! i have been enjoying my sat. mornings at the coffee shop, it's a great opportunity to goof off- we have theme days, so far it's going well, but we are a bit limited due to the fact that we are in a food service establishment... we're doing well though! my living situation is PERFECT!! i couldn't ask for any improvements, which is quite a rarity in the roommate world!!! eric bassett just arrived as well, he is my island connection, we met in s.f. 8 or 9 years ago and became dear friends and he always said i would visit the island he grew up on, i laughed and said i'd never live back east.... such an example to be carefull with the 'nevers'!!! i've been here for 4 summers now!!!! thanks eric!!!  we've been having great choir practices and our 1st show is the friday (6/5) night that hank will be visiting from lala land, i am so thankful he'll be able to hear us, and all my island pals that are sick of hearing me talk about too!! we have several party weekends ahead of us... starting out the summer brilliantly! i am part of an art installation at burning man this year and can't express my excitement in words on this tiny screen, but i am so blessed to be a part of a crew (rox) who had the vision to make it happen!! i am in the process of getting "p.q.'d" for another summer at the pole. i have been offered an alternate position, which means that there is no funding yet for the job, but if it comes through i will return... cross your fingers!!!! i'll certainly keep the blog posted as things in that department develop! so, all in all things are wonderfull and busy, keeping me out of trouble - for the most part. i hope this message finds you all healthy and happy enjoying spring bliss, where ever you find yourself!!! happy memorial day tooo!!! take care, karen grace  

spring radio funtimes

greetings from the deep down basement at wvvy!

this radio station is one of my favorite things ever.. totally volunteer, i do my show every weds night 9-11 est. last year i took it quasi-seriously and made up the show the night before, but this summer, it's total freeform-i prefer this!!! spring has been in full effect here on the vineyard-rainy cold days, blustery&blowy hot days, total rain days... springtime splendor! i am getting into my summer rotation, the schedule is filling up with various engagements with the choir, disc golf, and loads of other glorious adventures! my pal kate allen is coming to be a garden angel!! i met her at pole and she's amazing, she will be a perfect addition to our already tops crew... this is turning out to be a summer we will never forget!!!  i have found that so far i will be going over my allotted time for this show and going till 11:30 at least, although i am dog tired when i'm on my way here, as soon as i get in here i am energized and want to play MORE!!!! and the fellow who follows me doesn't show 'till 12:30! i am gettin into some post 11 dance grooves!!! gotta go!! hoe you all are enjoying the wonders of spring!!! take care! karengrace* 

springin'

driving the crew to gardening bliss

vineyard haven harbor
jennie's miniature rescue ponies
gnorman
the nuthatcher's stone hut
aaahhhhhhh
chico shine!
greetings from another lovely spring day on mv!

i am adjusting back into a routine of animals and old friends. i didn't realize how i'd taken the comfort of familiarity for granted, and my settling in has taken longer than i expected. i didn't think i'd be experiencing quite the culture shock that is my reality, when i tell ice stories i feel like i'm recalling stories i've heard from a friend, and i'm delighted when i realise that these are my stories!! we have been blessed with chilly, but sunny weather which has enabled us to be in the gardens for wake up bliss. i am surrounded by all sorts of animals and this has helped me to recover from my furry friend withdraw while away. there's a great place to catch some seriously cute baby lambs  @ www.fiberfarm.com/lambcam

i also just got my radio show back and will be streaming live on weds from 9 to 11 pm (est) 

@ wvvy.org    my show is 'grace space' we don't archive shows yet, but if you're near a computer, check it out! 

our slave spirituals choir will begin singing again this may and for a brief statement of what we do check out      www.us-slavesongs.org

i hope this transmission finds you all well and enjoying whichever faze of spring you may find yourself in! take care, karengrace*