Weather, Iceberg, Food, and Seals? ... no connections, just losing my coherency

When the weather's nice, the view is great

Probably the hardest thing about this blog is deciding which pictures to post (as I really would like to share them all).  At some point I may just do an entry of all photos.  My words are usually just random ramblings and I know it's just the pictures (particularly Rachel's) that you want anyways.  However, while I have the captive audience, I'll try to share some fun stories along the way (but no promise that there is a logical train of thought).  One thing that I have learned working in polar environments is that weather is the ultimate dictator in any decisions.  Example #1 Me: I think I will go visit my colleagues at Scott Base.  Weather: I will obliterate the road in fog and snow.  Example #2 Me: I want to tie my shoes, so I think I will remove my mittens.  Weather: I will frostbite your fingers, then sunburn your face for removing your goggles, and windburn your cheeks to make sure you don't do it again.  Example #3 Me: I think I will take a helicopter to visit my science sites.  Weather: I will remove all visibility so the helos can't fly, and then send howling winds for good measure.  From these experiences, we have learned to take helo rides whenever we can, even last minute.  We are indeed quite lucky that we had 2 nice days this week to deploy both towers, despite being unable to revisit them as of yet. 

Our pilot (lower right) dwarfed by (Ross) Iceberg

The sites have now been named Butter Point (after the nearest point of land) and Iceberg (you should be able to figure this one out on your own).  In preparation for the Iceberg deployment, I had checked the weather prior to venturing out, just like a good polar scientist.  With temps around 5 degrees (ABOVE 0 deg F) and not much wind, I was confused to find that the current wind chill was "out of range."  Then I discovered that it actually meant that you are pathetic for wondering about the wind chill with temps that frieken warm and winds only suitable for flying a kite.  Oh well.

Happy after anchoring down Butter Pt tower

We are now soliciting names for the Iceberg at our site.  Please post any suggestions.  On the subject of names, it is quite flattering that everything here is named after me (sorry Ross Virginia if this is your 19th trip and sorry Captain James Clark Ross who located magnetic North and charted much of the Antarctic coastline).  I was challenged recently to see how many times I could use "Ross" in the description of the Iceberg site.  Here is my answer, "Our 2nd site is located in the Ross Sea, halfway between Cape Ross and Ross Island, with views of the Ross Ice Shelf."  Hence, I think the Ross Iceberg might be a little redundant?

Freshies!

Puppy Chow

We haven't been able to return back to our sites yet, so I spent a good part of today making maps using GIS.  We've also had great opportunities to network with other colleagues, in particular 2 guys here at McMurdo (Lars and Tom) and guys at Scott base (Denis and Tim... and soon Udo and Johannes).  After nearly 2 weeks, I'm starting to become accustomed to life in Antarctica, and already wishing I could stay longer.  There are indeed a few oddities that you need to get used to.  As you might imagine, we lack for fresh fruits and vegetables.  When a flight from Christchurch lands (which has been rare recently due to the weather), it generally means fresh food.  The most exciting shipments are those with green things, otherwise known as "freshies."  The day Lars and Tom arrived was really exciting because I think it was the first delivery of freshies since the end of August.  I don't think I've ever seen a line so long for spinach.  Social dynamics in the dining hall are in general quite interesting, since everyone on station eats there.  Clearly certain things are more coveted than others, and they definitely don't lack for desserts (always a wide selection at every meal).  One such example is "Frosty Boy," a soft-serve (vanilla) ice cream machine that is always available and quite delicious.  A personal favorite is "Puppy Chow" that indeeds looks like something for your dog, but is actually a cheerios/chocolate/peanut butter/powdered sugar yumminess.  Since it is getting pretty late tonight, I will be completely random (like my mood and this blog post) and leave you with the cutest seal who lives near our site:

Seal near our Iceberg