cold, light, comfort

I hate the cold. I do not like the pain of my toes going numb, or the non-feeling of my finger growing stiff. But, I love being in Antarctica again. Typically, I do not waste any time walking from building to building, but this year; about once every two days, I slow down the pace, carefully breath in a full breath of crisp, dry, freezing, cold air, let the breeze sneak down my neck, and remember what a luxury it is to feel and see the elements in Antarctica. This photo is a negative of some ice crystals that were forming on the window of our gerbil (cardio) gym.

The sky barely arrived at dark after I set foot here, and tonight is the last official sunset. I am transitioning to the night shift and able to see the continual light on the horizon. I never get tired of seeing the light and the mountains, the weather conditions and the vastness of the Ross Sea.

Our buildings are radiating enough heat to allow icicles to form off the rooftops. This photo is from my dorm lounge, past our communications building and across the temporary sea ice shelf to Mount Discovery and the faded sunset. While town interrupts the view of the mountains, it's a nice place to watch the colors only five steps down the hall from my room.

My favorite place to spend time and warm my soul is the Coffee House. This little conglomeration of janesways is my comfortable place on station. Here I sit, right now, with my ethernet connection, communicating with people at home, and enjoying our dry milk coffee creations and an occasional glass of wine.