Hi Friends & Family,
Sorry I have not been consistent with my writing. As of late I have been distracted by various work projects, trips to Taylor Valley, and Dave's return to McMurdo. Yes, he finally made it back--with a little more hair on his face and a deep appreciation for showers. He enjoyed his time in the deep field, but he is more than ready to get his chance to fly in a helicopter to the Dry Valleys--his first trip is on Tuesday.
My time has also been taken up by music--I have been recruited to dust off the ole fiddle and try to squeak and scratch my way through a set of bluegrass/classic rock songs. I am having fun with my band members and I am happy hearing the rust slowly flake off my strings. Our first performance will be the beginning of January at "Ice Stock".
The weather is warm--amazingly warm. The high has been coasting around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. I know that probably sounds chilly for you folks at home but, after spending weeks in negative degree weather, it is like a day at the beach. We wear t-shirts and sandals and sit on the back deck of our carp shop and drink beer in the sun. The open sea will be here soon. The ice is melting and the blue, blue water slowly crawls towards us. I can't wait for the prospect of seeing whales and marine life.
Today Dave and I hiked up and around Observation Hill--a 754 foot hill that displays a great view of the mountains and the frozen sea. It was a wonderful day with a few animal sightings--including a couple of lazy Wendell Seals and a Skua who was bathing in a pond of melted snow.
I will be posting another blog or two later this week, but for now I will keep this post short (due to a long day of shenanigans) and will leave you with a few pictures. They are compiled from the last few weeks and a few are captured moments that I will later write about and share with you.
Again, thank you for reading and following my adventures. And happy birthday to my beautiful Mother!
Jenna
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| A lovely October evening--Hut Point, McMurdo |
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| Lake Hoare Camp |
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| The moon hangs over the Taylor Valley and Common Wealth Glacier |
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| A mummified Wendell Seal (dated as being over 5,000 years old) |
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| My tent at Lake Hoare |
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| The ghostly image of a helicopter shows through the snow cloud |
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| A helicopter takes a "Christmas Package" back to McMurdo |
Yay! glad he's back! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have since celebrated your 1 year anniversary. -Danielle
ReplyDeleteThank you, Danielle. I am excited to hear about your move. Send me your new address as soon as you have one. Oh, and I haven't forgotten your request. I'll post a more detailed McMurdo blog soon--with pictures and videos. Happy holidays to you and the family!
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