The Post Office is Open

The US Post Office, McMurdo, Antarctica opened last week for package mailing. I sent three boxes that take 3-4 weeks for delivery. 

The cost was $58. Much easier than carrying it all back.

I like their motto.

The Three Amigos (or Emperor penguins!). We have shared many meals and conversations this winter. John (left) is leaving today. Going home to Alaska - from the cold to the cold.

At breakfast this morning - it's been almost 5 months since we had a banana. I was a fruit hog and took two.

Post card assortment.

The official McMurdo Winter 2012 decal.

 The winfly (winter fly in) period is complete with six successful C-17 flights of people and cargo. There are now about 400 people on station and it seems so crowded everywhere I go. The dorms  now have a college dorm atmosphere with a much younger crowd. I fall asleep with ear plugs. The summer crowd will increase to around 1200 once main body starts arriving on October 1. I moved my "off the ice" date up to October 5th from the 8th just in case there are weather delays as I want to make sure to be in Christchurch on October 10 when my daughter Jocelyn arrives. I made reservations at a backpacker (hostel) in Brighton Beach outside of Christchurch. I am looking forward to the New Zealand sun and beach for the week before our South Island bicycle ride.

Point Break Backpacker is about 400 feet from this pier. Looks like some surf in the near future!

On the plus side the food quality has increased with the fresh food arrivals. The last two days I have enjoyed stir fried shrimp with fresh vegetables, and encrusted mahi with fresh lemon. Along with that we have had fresh spinach salads and all kinds of fresh fruit. I will never walk into a grocery again without thinking of these months on the ice eating frozen and canned foods. What a treat now! A friend of mine gave me a bag of fresh baby carrots as she received three bags from incoming friends. There are also bowls of fresh kiwis in the galley now.

On the work front the storms and power surges of a week ago caused a failure in another one of the antennas I work on. We received the needed replacement parts (flown in from California) yesterday and am now working on the recovery of that antenna. My winter co-worker has left and the two summer people are now on station. 

We are now into almost 6 hours of sunlight and that is increasing by about 30 minutes each day. The sun peaked over the hill for the first time yesterday. Along with that the temperature is almost up to a balmy 0 degF! I am told however that September sometimes brings the worst weather to the continent. About half of the winterovers are still on station until early October. We pass each other in the galley and dorms with friendly greetings and smiles as we are a pretty tight group now that the population has "exploded". Good times were experienced.

Mail Call!! It seems like my old navy days. Thanks Andee.

My first mail in 7 months and what is it?....

Can't get away from it... even at the bottom of the world!

Saturday September 1, 2012 noon. A pretty day at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Still digging out from recent storms.