it's hot here... here are more pole pics!

me and a sun dog
dancing... this was my outfir=t for the wearable art show.. altered mail bag, hoop skirt and bubble wrap... the 1st hoop skirt at the south pole!!!
leslie shoveling frozen katsup out of a box... really.
me, leslie and elissa... the best material girls EVER!!
on my way out... at scott's cross in mac towngreetings from Martha's vineyard! it's been quite warm here the last few days and i wanted to put a few more pole pics up...

i have a new fangled ifone... and my computer and the fone don't want to interface at this point in time... since i've returned all my fotos have been taken with my fone.

needless to say, i have no fresh shots of the past 3 months on this machine! but i wanted to give a brief update...

i have been offered a 13 month contract to return to the pole, in materials. i am quite excited about this adventure, but have been bogged down in paperwork, i wanted to send out a message with more of a definite picture of my future... but that's a dream world that i do not exist in!! so soon i will have pics of the amazing summer i've had on the vineyard, but until then, i have this to offer! i hope this all finds you well, and my next post will certainly have fotos of this great summer!!

until then, take care!

karengrace

fun fotos

really.
big marsupial love.
downtown sydney at sunset... 100's of bats flying and swooping all around!
entering the sydney harbor bridge
a whole aisle dedicated to 'proper' food for your pets- they love their animals in australia!
wombat awake
wombat sleeping
amazing.
chillin'
more chillin'
on the go 'roo!
emu aware
awesome emu plumage
emu egg
monitor lizard at our campsite
monitor lizard going home
zenith beach at shoal bay, nsw, australia
underwater in hawaii
view through the 'vog' where i'm staying on the big island-south kona
i love my underwater camera
sea anemone that kaija dove for
my people-

kaija, shannon and skyler

hi there!

just wanted to post some fotos of the past few weeks, in a hurry to get to the beach and will write more soon. flying to la saturday morning. hope this finds you all healthy and happy! kgrace

post ice/leaving nz=sydney bound!

last moments in antarctica-hut point in mc murdo
seafood and fresh beer in akaroa
birthday sushi and real green tea ice cream!
wine tasting with freija at pegasus... yum.
oh, the botanical gardens :)
arthur's pass
high speed scenery
princess- the guinea pig
greetings and salutations from cheech!

it's my last evening here, i've been staying at an awesome women's hostel here in town, i think i'm the only chic from the us, it's quite refreshing. there are 2 guinea pigs, a cat (austin -who is quite the cuddler!) gardens to eat out of and spring water that comes out of a spigot!!!

it's been quite awhile since my last entry. the last month at pole was gruelling, we had to move over 300 / 2 ton boxes inside through a hole at the bottom of a hill onto air force pallets that were on rollers that had frozen... yes, that is probably difficult to conceive or picture, let me just suffice to say it was truly an experience i never want to repeat. alas, we did it!!!

i was due to fly on a straight through to cheech, but our flight from pole was delayed until 2:30am and when we landed in mactown we caught naps and went looking for penguins and then got on the c-17's and arrived here at midnight, they closed pole 2 days early due to weather, so it was a mad scramble to get everything completed, that's why they call it a harsh continent 'eh?

i was lucky to spend my birthday here with friends and much fresh food, which is really the thing we all lament about the most on ice. went driving all over the bank's peninsula and had amazing seafood, loads of sushi, indian and thai food, went wine tasting, and took the tranz alpine train today, round trip from here to greymouth. it is touted as one of the best rail journeys of the world, i agree!! 19 tunnels, 5 viaducts, huge mountain terrain, plains and rain forest- enough said.

i've been hanging close to town waiting for my itinerary, it often turns out that they will book you on a flight the following day, so, i wanted to hang close. i finally got it all sorted tonight.

i am flying to sydney tomorrow to wander in a van with fellow polies and then fly out on friday, not too long in such a huge and amazing place, but that adventure comes with a hefty price tag that this budget traveler just can't muster at the moment! i will then fly to honolulu and on to kona to see dear friends from alaska who have relocated to warmer climates. i will be there for a week, eating freshies and truly relaxing. then to los angeles and up to s.f. and then flying back out of l.a. to orlando on the 20th of march. from there i will continue to my final destination of martha's vineyard for my 5th summer of being a garden angel!!

it's been quite a whilrlwind, and will continue to be so... just the way i like it!!

once i arrive to a reliable internet connection and gather my fotos and i'll post more great shots from the ice... stay tuned.

for now i wish you all a wonderfull day and hope this finds you all enjoying your favorite things!!

take care, karengrace

happy new year!

working on the berms- my 'blue boot' inside sundog
almost down...
the things you find in the meteorology lab...
late night antics... yelling into the bull horn to the great white beyond...

it was only -15... definitely short sleeve weather!
greetings from 2010 at the south pole!

we have less than a month remaining in this summer season, it has really flown by!

we still have much to accomplish before we get to fly away in february, but i think we'll finish just in time! the last pieces of the dome came down last night, it's official. the BBC is here for the 2nd time this season, they've been traveling between here, mc murdo, and the field camps/stations working on a new documentary about life at the poles! i got to meet sir david attenborough yesterday, he's definitely one of my heroes!! we have had a serious shortage of flights since thanksgiving, and since that is how we get all of our fuel(and everything else)- but fuel is always the main concern, especially for the winter-overs, the last day for flights is feb. 15th, after then it is simply too cold for the hercs to fly. we've had a few days of snow, which is quite rare, as we are in a very high desert, but the weather has been really strange all year, loads of fog and really bad storms in mc murdo. my supervisor, paddy, and i made an amazing indian meal for the chef's dinner last weekend. we made their meal last year as well, but this year we actually had 'freshies' (fresh vegi's) which made it so much easier!! i made a rice pudding that was a real hit and we also made onion pakoras, vegi samosas, yogurt marinated chicken skewers, lamb curry, palak paneer (spinach with cheese), dahl (red lentils) and tofu, aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes) and chai tea. we are all making our travel plans, the excitement is building! we have been given a free layover in australia and hawaii this season, so we will definitely be stimulating those economies in the next few months!!

i am planning to spend a few days on the s. island of n.z. again, heading up to marlborough to do some wine tasting and hiking. then to sydney where i'll catch a flight to tasmania and wander around there for a bit then catch the ferry back up to melbourn and get a train pass that allows for 14 days of travels in the states of queensland, victoria, and new south wales (essentially the e. coast) and then hop over to hawaii to visit with some friends. we all have to fly through l.a., i'll stop off there for a visit, then head up to s.f. to visit and help melissa with her wedding plans!! finally i will be through orlando to play with friends and family and the journey will end on beautiful martha's vineyard! once again, the satellite is wavering out of range, so i leave you all with best wishes for a wonderful 2010! take care, karen grace

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*