sad joy

I have an odd sort of joy this Sunday morning in New Zealand; two weeks from returning to Washington State. It's a sad sort of joy; sad for those of us who are left living and so full of joy for the one who has slipped through his tangible body and entered a much more amazing and beautiful world.

My Great Uncle Laurie passed away today in Washington. A little over a year ago he had major heart surgery and last June he celebrated his 80th birthday. Yesterday, he suffered a major stoke and began to walk the road to unimaginable joy with his Savior and God.

Though I never spent as much time around him as my grandmothers, this witty elder of the family I know was the closest thing I ever had to a grandfather. After my grandma in Washington died, I began writing he and Aunt Joyce a few snail-mail letters and enjoy reading about their lives in return.

Uncle Laurie was witty and loved to tease a bit. I remember being slightly scared of his humorous prodding when I was 6, or so. Regardless, it was always special to be able to go to their house for coffee and cookies. He was thoughtful and wise. He was an excellent second father figure to my dad's family after their dad died and an ever faithful servant of Christ on this earth.

He loved to build things. I collect spoons because I have spoon racks that he made. He built his own home; complete with singing doorbell, and, upon my last visit to his home, even a singing toilet paper roll. Working with wood was his special hobby.

He was a bit of an adventurer; whether in his own back yard, or traveling the world. Perhaps that is why I am in New Zealand typing this; a week off the continent of Antarctica. God's Creation from the Cascade Mountains to the Southern Alps, Puget Sound to the Tasman Sea, is an amazing place to experience his grace towards us.

Looking back on our family history, I appreciate his powerful testimony in our lives. I've been more indirectly touched through my dad than directly affected by his life and know what a special part of many people's lives he has been. Because of his important role in the livelihood of our family, I see him as a great example of how to live out the lives of the faith of our biblical fathers.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality... -- Romans 12:9-13... --

pole marking

Every January 1, there is a bit of a celebration at the South Pole, marking the new Geographical South Pole with a new marker. The actual location on the earth does not change, but as the ice shifts and slides (20-30 feet per year) over the continent, the "spot" where the South Pole actually exists on the snow changes. There is a competition each year to design the new marker and the design that won for the 2008 year was produced by my sister, Laura, while she was wintering this past year. While, I was not able to attend this fun gathering, I found some photos on the internet. Doesn't it look beautiful under the super-UV-intensive South Pole sun?

Good work, Laura!

thanks and giving

My Thanksgiving day is over according to our U.S. calendars, but our station officially celebrates the holiday on Saturday. This year, among the big needs that were met this year, I'm also thankful for some little things that mean big things to me right now. So, little and big, here's my alphabetized list of thanksgiving:

. Antarctica. God's Creation surrounds me in a very visually significant way here.

. Birthdays. Tia and Lucas in Antarctica, as well as, some friends back in the States, too!

. Coffee.

. Dinner. The anticipation of this event has everyone curiously looking forward to the Saturday spread.

. ECW Gear. It's warm (see W).

. Family and friends. I have been blessed.
. Genevieve. A beautiful woman and wonderful friend.
. Hope.

. Ice. Even though it's cold, it's also intricate and unique.

. Joy. Smiles. Making much out of limited resources.

. Kids. Other people's.

. Light. Lots of sun, and the decorative lanterns hanging over my bed.

. Michael and J. Deployed from Christchurch in time for the holiday in McMurdo.
. No holiday shopping. Don't miss it. Don't want it.

. Odd people. Keeps life interesting!

. Passengers. The reason I have a job down here this year.
. Quiet. There are times down here when the world is so quiet. It's like nothing you've ever known before!
. Rest.
. Space. And a friend to let me in a quiet building to get away.

. Travel opportunities including the three continents I have yet to visit. What's next: Asia? Europe? South America?

. Underwear. Long underwear!
. Vacation. What I'll be doing after I leave here.
. Warmth. Heat. My new Mom-made and oh-so-soft blue bathrobe.

. X-treme. Going out of the ordinary to do something important.

. Yonder. There is a lot of it around here.
. ZCM. The air field designator code for McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

the arrival of laura

After a week of waiting, Laura finally flew into McMurdo Station early Friday morning. The weather broke for a short amount of time into some beautiful low-light cloud-streaked skies. And, for the first time since October 31st we flew three complete missions to the South Pole. Our entire office in Antarctic Terminal Operations cheered every time we had flight movement reports over the radio. Never mind that they all took off after 20:00 on November 8, and all returned the early morning of November 9; the first line took Laura back, the second was full of cargo to Pole, and the 3rd was the NBC Today Show crew. Watching that first plane roll onto the apron to drop her off, I sort of expected to see a big red ribbon around the aircraft! I had a huge grin on my face, too!

I was able to relive my shuttle days of last year, and drive for the flight's pick up. So, I saw Laura out at the Ice Runway with a gleaming, pearly-white smile on her face as she got off the plane. She did well. Her winter at the Pole didn't take her fun-loving teasing personality out of her.

She dropped her bags and got her room for the night and then came around and spent some time with me at work for the rest of the night. By the end of the shift, I knew the C-17 flight from Christchurch was not going to fly that day, so we would have a little extra time to hang out between our two crazy sleep schedules!

It was fun having her meet a few of my new friends and watching her catch up with some familiar faces, too. Plenty of people have mentioned that they ran into her and knew exactly who she was by her voice or similar face.

Friday morning, the two of us went to the Coffee House and sat next to Ann Curry who remembered that Laura was coming from Pole and told her how excited I had been to see her. We also had a good-sized chunk of time to spend catch up before she flew away again. I wish I had more time to introduce her to more of my new friends this year and enjoy some pleasant conversation with my sister, but I'll take what I had. She woke me up during a hard, NyQuil-induced sleep to say goodbye this afternoon. I could tell in her voice that she was happy that the C-17 finally made it on ice and she would be smelling things and being warm this evening!

On the down-side, I picked up The Crud; the official McMurdo medical description for anything resembling a cold. Since I stayed up so long in anticipation of Laura, and working at the Coffee House, I have also been extremely tired. The two do not go hand-in-hand! Now that flights are coming and going regularly, Laura has successfully redeployed, and the hype of NBC has left the continent, I think I'll be able to slip into a routine again!

the flight schedule

P005R: that's Laura's flight number. It would be the fifth (005) LC-130 return (R) mission to the South Pole (P). Unfortunately, this flight has had some significant setbacks. The first day, November 3, they were canceled due to weather at the Pole. Day two was a Sunday and therefore a no-fly day.

Day three started with a cancellation of the C-17 flight from Christchurch. Then a mechanical delay on the Pole flight. Then it flew and made it to the Pole, but couldn't land due to weather and had to boomerang back. Two other flights that day came back to McMurdo and couldn't land here, either, so they had a free night's stay at the Italian-run Mario Zuchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay (good scenery, great food, and fantastic Italian wine).

Day four, Tuesday, the C-17 was cancelled again in New Zealand and after a multitude of delays, so were the Pole flights.

Tomorrow we hope to send some flights down again. Weather has been bizarre. It's fun to have a variety of cloud patterns fly through the area, but not when it prevents my sister from arriving here, too! I've woken up nearly every "day" while I'm sleeping to find out what the flight status is. I have also been adjusting my plans for meeting Laura between finding her on the Ice Runway while she's transferring planes, or arranging to have an evening to spend with her on Station depending how soon they have her fly North on a C-17. I still can't wait to catch a glimpse of Laura sometime soon!

wild and windy weather

Laura is due to come out of the South Pole today. This will be a more beautiful sight than the gorgeous pictures I'm posting on this entry! She's been in Antarctica since the beginning of October 2006 and is anxious to finish out her contract. The last time I saw her was in February, so I am hoping she hops off a LC-130 around 15:30 this afternoon!

The weather at the South Pole has been very poor for flights the last few days and I hope that her plane takes off from McMurdo this morning! The weather report we get in Air Services labels the odds for weather at the South Pole as "marginal." On a scale of "below minimums" in red to "above minimums" in green, it falls in the cautioned yellow category.

Speaking of weather, the McMurdo weather has deteriorated quickly. The air temperature has been -20F which can be cold, but tolerable. However, add in the wind, and we are at a brutal -55F which will keep even the most hearty outdoor workers inside for awhile. I picked up a piece of cardboard on my way back to work from lunch, and I nearly turned myself into a kite.

The crazy weather afforded us some beautiful semi-cloudy sunset skies. Kaska and I caught up on all our work this evening early and gave ourselves a short trip to snap some unobstructed photos of the sun. It was so cold we could barely keep the windows open in the van we drove. The last photo is against Black Island. This island (30 miles away) is located in the best place for our satellite dish. It is pointed at 2-3 degrees, skimming across the earth's surface to a satellite that hovers over the equator and gives us 24 hour communication with the outside world.

laura's sister

One thing I love about Antarctica is that Laura was here first. My position as oldest and first in the family rarely puts me in a position where people relate to me through my siblings. But, here, I am "Laura's sister." People frequently ask who's older (I am) and what the age difference is (4 years). I have been called "Laura" more times than I can count and perpetually asked if I have a twin.

Laura sent a couple of e-mails when the first two planes landed at the South Pole last week (no planes or new people had been there since last February):

After the first flight on October 18 she wrote: "Also, did you know: That you look like me???? Word on the street is all."

After second flight on October 19: "More people arrived today, and more people thought I look just like you."

I am really excited to see my sister after her winter as the South Pole facilities engineer. In the meantime, we've exchanged a few items. She sent me a fun birthday present when a plane returned to McMurdo Station. One of the items in her box was a new hat that she crocheted just for me; the best gift of them all, I think! I christened it with snow the other day when I made my snow angel on the chalet deck.

I sent her a few little items as well. I had hoped to give her one of the 6 avocados that the AirForce crews had brought down for me, but the South Pole flights were delayed longer than my avocados wanted to stay fresh. Mostly, I wanted to make a connection; if not in my person, then through someone else.

Laura will be flying to McMurdo Station on November 3. She has a flight to New Zealand on November 5 and a day in between to spend time with me and her friends on Antarctica's coast.

traveling and touring

Our group of about 140 people deploying to Antarctica has finally put all 280 feet on the ground, or sea ice. My travels were so smooth, it makes me wonder if the airlines aren't just improving their service these days!

In Denver I met up with my friend, Jenny, for dinner the first evening I was there. It worked out that she, I, and another friend were able to all meet when she was driving through town. Jen was in Antarctica with me last year and had lots of wisdom to impart to me as a "returning" Antarctic employee. She is not coming back this year, so I enjoyed spending a few hours with her talking about the direction our lives may go.

The next evening, I spent with Matt. After sitting at Starbucks and chatting for awhile, he helped me run some errands and eventually make my way back to the hotel where we celebrated a birthday with Becky and had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant. Matt is working and going to school in the Denver area and I was happy we caught up. It's strange to see this brother of mine sitting in one place for a whole school year, but he seems to be doing well and enjoying the education.

The next day, after a morning of safety training, we headed to the airport for the big chunk of our journey to New Zealand. In Auckland, my friends, Jeremy & Kirrin, picked up Lucas and I and brought us out for coffee before we had to catch our connecting flight to Christchurch. Seeing them again felt like no time had passed. Their humorous chiding is a bit intoxicating and they are a fun couple to spend time with.

Arriving in Christchurch, I ran some errands, and enjoyed showing a couple of new people around the city. The city center is a great place to walk around and I made plenty of loops around the place before heading out of there. I met Lucas at the Coffee House on Tuesday morning. It's a great little cafe with beautiful and tasty coffee treats as well as fabulous breakfasts!

Another Christchurch favorite is the botanical gardens. The pictures in this post are from there. I saw, smelled, touched, laid in, and heard all the signs of spring while tromping around the paths for the evening. It will be quite some time before these senses enjoy such excitement again!

a trip north before heading south

Today, my Starbucks friend, Diana, and I went to BC (that's British Columbia) to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It was a cool and cloudy, but good day to get out and enjoy the green forest and a nice drive into Canada. We had both talked about wanting to visit and I thought a little trip would be good before I finish the packing tomorrow. Traffic was a breeze compared to my last trip north of the border and we didn't even have to show ID going into Canada!

After a stop at both Tim Hortons and Starbucks, we arrived at the park and took in some "First Nation" totems and sculptures. The park tells the story of the forest and the Douglas Fir tree. Some of these trees are 300 years old and stand over 250 feet tall!

The highlight of the park is the suspension bridge, first built in 1889. Four bridge constructions later, it has become the present tourist attraction. It is strong enough to carry 1,333 average-size people! On the other side of the bridge the forest is home to one of the best tree houses I have seen. Diana and I kept referring back to what we could have done in it as kids! Beyond this, there are suspended walkways between 7 of the towering Douglas Fir trees, and a boardwalk that allows tourists to walk along the canyon edge. I liked being able to see the trees from above. We also meandered through the little lakes and a stream between activities. This park seems ready to host a heap of 2010 Olympic tourists when the games arrive in Vancouver!

I had a great time outside with Diana. And, when I got back, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Faye took me out to enjoy a last dinner out. Of course, I couldn't pass up one last Bonzai Burger before I leave the populated world! Thanks to all for a fun day!