mobile mayhem -1

greetings from mobile mayhem, day 2!
there are 5 of us in the toyota deisel van, very comfortible and great cooking accomodations. we are in dunedin now, on our way to Otage at the end of the peninsula from here to see the world's only albatross colony!! we are all very excited, we will probably camp down there, the winds are picking up and it's getting quite warm. we had some trouble getting out of cheech yesterday, but finally made it and camped last night in Kakanui, on the beach (public camping is free here) and hoped to wake up to penguins and seals, but they weren't hanging today. we will continue south and then hit fjordland and spend some time there. driving on the left took a minute to get used to, but now i'm an old ham! the days are so long here, makes prolonged driving much better. i am almost out of time, so, i'll sign off!! will try to write more very soon!! hope you're all having a lovely day! take care, kgrace

cheech

greetings from christchurch (cheech) new zealand!!!

we arrived late weds. night- the C-130 flight was lovely, when we landed and got off the plane in mactown the warm air was truly shocking !! we left -60 degrees and these people were wearing long sleeved t-shirts!! wow.  we then boarded the C-17 and we were off on a 5 hour flight here.  customs and the rest of the arrival process was a breeze and then we dropped off all our cold weather gear and got our accommodation assignments and we were off. yesterday was a weird day, i didn't really think about how the transition might be tough, and it was.  it was difficult to come from such a small-tight knit community and then land here with so many people and the reality of money and food choices and finding myself lonely when separated from my ice pals.  also, the van that i rented for us turned out not to be available, and i found this out on the eve of the biggest 3 day weekend 'waitangi day' (sp?) which is like their 4th of july (there was an awesome fireworks display last night in the park) - all vans were rented already, so i spent my 1st 24 hours off the ice stressed to find a van for us.  i did finally, only to find that my debit card that i reserved it with had a lock on it, and we almost lost the last camper van in NZ !!! alas, everything worked out and today has been blissful, with the exception that many things are closed due to the holiday, and we have been trying to obtain provisions, as we leave in the morning.  the weather has been amazing, the perfect temp and humidity levels, nothing but smiles.  it's been grand to wander the city streets and stumble on random ice people, we really take this city over twice a year! my pal trudy and i are in a great hotel on cathedral square, with the church right outside our windows, quite a lovely welcome back to civilization!! but, we are all itching to get out of town...we will be camping for 7 days, driving the perimeter of the s. island, i will try to post something along the way... i know it will be breathtaking!! i think there will be 4-7 of us in a 2 seater van...classic.  we really are so lucky to have had this experience, and to have all become so close, and continue sharing our time together is tops!! there is a common feeling that we are strangers in a strange land, purely because of what we've just experienced together.  the kiwi's are a very kind and generous lot, and i'm sure that as we get out of the urban landscape the genuine warmth will only increase!  the sun is setting and we're off to a beer garden to celebrate with the polies, because when we return next week they will all have scattered to and fro and a new group will have infiltrated, on friday the 13th!! oh, boy. i'll post photos soon, until then, i hope you all are having a lovely day and enjoying all you have!! -grace

countdown

South Pole GA's 08/09greetings!

well, we should have done this photo before it got back down to -40 degrees, but we had to do it today because we only have 3 days left here on the ice! time has really flown and the thought of packing up and shipping out is a bit sad.  i have rented a camper van for any and all of the crazy folks you see in this photo to travel around the south island for a week.  we have procured some nice tarps from science projects here and will set up tent cities wherever we spend each night.  we are all getting very excited for this epic journey together, we have all become very close and this is the perfect way to say goodbye!  things have been quite hectic here on station, it's difficult to imagine that in just 2 weeks time the station population will drop to 50 people from the 240 we're at right now, and that will be it until october when the 1st planes can begin to fly in again.  moose and i are still working on the wind chimes, tomorrow is our last day to do it, and we have a cpr class to attend as well.  i am also still trying to complete my applications to return next summer, but now i have a deadline, that always seems to help!  a general feeling of exhaustion has swept over the station, i've heard that many people who have been coming for years say that this has been a really rough year, first because of the winds, and second the inspections.  apparently the winds have been quite severe this season in comparison to the years past, and this dehydrates and just generally makes life harder (especially if you work outside). secondly the nsf inspectors have been here this last week to assess our work on the 3 new buildings we completed this season, we have done quite well and a huge sigh of relief has enveloped the station! i will write more as i know what my travels in new zealand and beyond may hold! until then i hope you all are well and enjoying this lovely day!      take care, karengrace*

oh, bama

greetings!

it's been awhile since my last entry... i have been devoting my little bits of interweb time to applying for jobs for next season down here.  the count down has begun and i am due to fly from here through mactown to christchurch on feb. 4th. this leaves little time to do so many things!!! i played pub trivia for the 1st time all season on weds. night and we won the over all booty aka a 6 pack of beer.  just an example of 1 of the many activities that i feel like i must experience before the season ends... we had the privilege of seeing the inauguration speech tonight in the galley, they flew it in from mactown...such a breath of fresh air!!! we took a photo at he pole and submitted it to various news outlets to show our support and excitement for the new era that is our time! otherwise, there's been lots of finishing work to be done and everyone is scattered to and fro in order to complete all the loose ends of the season.  it's getting quite cold again and the shadows are growing longer by the moment.  many of the workers here are not due to fly out until mid feb. but our crew is the 1st to dept. because we are not on a specific project,  and they need to fill planes earlier than later, the last possible flight is feb. 15th (weather permitting).  we (the GA's) are excited to get a jump start in NZ before all the other antarcticans flee for the winter! i will be spending a few days in christchurch with my pal trudy lyn and then i have no plans!! there will be many folks filtering in as the days progress and i have spoken with many friends about travel adventures, mostly i am interested in circling the island and then heading back to the states.  the exciting thing is that the exchange rate is almost 2 kiwi to the dollar, this will help in my endeavor to see the south island! i am currently most excited about an art project i'm doing with my pal moose (who has been pictured several times in the blog).  we have collected discarded electrical conduit and have cut it down to create giant windchimes that we will hang from other scrap metal we've collected to create a Calder-esque mobile out of the chimes. we will hang this assembly in some arches that are at the "edge of the world" (end of the station) that have also been discarded.  a found art sculpture and installation!!! mobiles and windchimes and trash...it doesn't get any better!! i will try to get photos up of the process soon, it's been a blast so far- our next step is tuning the individual chimes, this will be a challenge, but so fun!! besides that, everyone is just figuring out what do due post-ice... it's so exciting to know that you will be on vacation at the same time as your friends...it's the perfect reward after working 60 hrs a week for 4 months!!! i will endeavor to write more soon, until then, i hope you are all having a lovely day and staying warm!! take care!! karengrace*

fun times

me on my snow sculpture...

the starfish lounge

robert and his head
cricket and danimal

at their trailer

superhero dance party-

viking warrior princess, 

capt.camo, and mirror mangreetings!

work has been keeping me busy and my social calendar has really begun to fill as the season draws to a close, still so much to do and so many people to hang out with!  the prince of monaco visited us yesterday, he said we served him the best hamburger in antarctica! it is really getting cold again, with the wind chill it's close to -50 already! i have been working with the engineers in one of the newly constructed buildings to test and balance all the electrical devices and the ventilation system... i've been reading blueprints and using new devices for the calibrations, pretty cool!  i went to my redeployment meeting earlier this week.  i am due to fly straight through on feb 4th.  that means the only thing i'll do in mactown is change planes, although i have offered my services to unload the freighter that is due to arrive there in feb.  currently we are making flight and accommodation  decisions.  i am not sure what will be going on once i reach NZ, still talking to people here and coordinating post ice plans! also, we have all been struggling with 'raycats' which is raytheon's internal application site.  they have opened up next seasons jobs for us early, but this site is truly one of the most complicated i've ever encountered... it's been quite the topic of conversation in these parts!! i have not yet submitted any applications, haven't been able to catch the internet window in quite awhile.  i am off to work, i hope this finds you all healthy and happy and still enjoying '09!! take care, kgrace  

so fine in '09

greetings!

so far '09 has been a joy! this is a photo from our very successful dinner sat. night, these are the salads, and brian (a surprise appearance- stuck here on his way to set camp for some scientists), cargo patty and me.  the meal was a blast to create and the chefs enjoyed it!  IT'S SNOWING!!! this is a very rare occurrence here at the pole, and i'm driving the shuttle van today! anyway, we served scallops wrapped in non-rancid bacon and tapenade and chevre spread with crustini as the apps.  the salad consisted of black beans, edemame, roasted red peppers, mandarin oranges, candied walnuts and a lively citrus vin. the main course had a twice baked potato, marinated and grilled asparagus, and for the meat eaters we served chicken oscar with a bearnaise sauce and for the vegetarians we served sundried tomato and spinach polenta that we grilled and served atop a cauliflower and carrot puree.  desert was verinakes, which are dumplings made with perogie dough and stuffed with apricots, walnuts and gran marinier, then sauteed in butter and spices and served over ice cream with shaved dark chocolate and crystallized ginger.  this whole meal was created with frozen foods, we still have no freshies, although the word on the street is that we may be getting some today!!!  everyone is starting to make their plans for what to do after the ice, counting the days... i hope this entry finds you all enjoying your day- i'm going to enjoy the snow storm!! take care! karen grace

happy '09!

greetings and salutations in 2009!

i hope the year has been enjoyable so far, we've been experiencing warm weather- hovering right around zero the past few days!  working outside has been a lovely joy, and "they" say that on the 7th the temps will be dropping at least 1 degree a day and the sun will be plummeting towards the horizon for the 30 hr sunset in march!  my departure date will be sometime in feb. and the last planes in/out are on the 15th of that month.  we had an emergency drill this morning, i am on team 3, which is the logistical team.  we get people and supplies to the scene then set up triage if necessary, we call ourselves the gophers! once we got the announcement of a drill of a glycol (coolent) leak underway, it was discovered that there actually was a glycol leak...thank goodness for drills!!! no one was hurt and the spill has now been cleaned up.  i enjoy volunteering for things here on station because it enforces the strong sense of community we enjoy, and i get to meet even more fun people! tonight i am preparing a meal for the kitchen staff with "cargo patty", she's and awesome lady who's been coming down for years, she orchestrates all cargo in and out of the station- a MAJOR undertaking, and in the real world she caters!  so i told her i wanted to do this meal with her because the kitchen didn't get any time off for the holidays, so this is their holiday meal...no pressure!  we also are facing the challenge of NO FRESHIES, nothing fresh, no eggs, onions- NOTHING....it will be interesting! i will try to get some photos and the menu up tomorrow, i think it's going to turn out quite well! we have tomorrow (sunday) off then we are back to our regular schedule, which i am thankful for, with all these extra days off the seeming number of mondays has increased, and that has been difficult!! looking forward to getting back into our regular schedule and knocking out the remainder of the projects we have to complete on the next 5-6 weeks! soon we'll all be on our way to new zealand, i hope to spend some time there with some polies and i hope that Hank will be able to come down under for some fun! we had great live music for new years eve, and they built a hot tub over at ice cube, i did not venture over there, i hear it was a blast, but was content to stay over here and enjoy the music and dancing! i didn't get my traditional good luck meal on the 1st, which means i must create my own luck this year!! i hope you all have a joyous beginning to this new year and stay safe and happy!! take care, love from the bottom of the world, karen grace