A cold hike, a visit to the Crary Science Center and I lost a good friend

A friend and I went on a 7 mile hike across the Ross glacier. It was cold and this was the first time that my camera froze as I couldn't power it on. I keep it in an inside pocket next to me but all that was frozen too. Did I say it was cold? I think my hiking days are over until it warms up a bit.

This is what you look like after hiking 7 miles across Ross glacier in -60 degF wind chill.

 Monday's science presentation was in the Crary Science Center. I took a few pictures of the displays.

Flags that flew on the space shuttle.

On a previous polar plunge post I added a few pictures of Leopard seals and said that they are the sharks of Antarctica. This Leopard seal skull shows you why. They are very aggressive.

An artifact found under the ice.

The Grab.

Display cases full of interesting things.

Seal skulls.

Under the ice specimens.

A taxidermied Emperor penguin with baby.

An old microscope.

Icefish.

A phonolite bomb from Mt Erebus.

Cookies for the science presentation. All nicely labeled with ingredients. All the food here is labeled like this.

A good friend of mine Richard Salick passed away last week. He was a longtime surfer and along with his twin brother Phil organized the annual National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Labor Day Pro/Am Surfing Festival. This festival has raised hundred of thousands of dollars for the NKF and has been running for 27 years. When I first met Rich and Phil in the '80s I worked part time as a videographer in my business 'Video For You'. In this business I worked weddings, model portfolios, and other events. I soon volunteered to video their annual festival and edited tapes for their corporate sponsors. I had a lot of fun hanging out with all the volunteers and continued to tape the event for many years. After that I still visited Rich and Phil at the many NKF events around the county. They were just the nicest guys to hang with and they worked relentlessly to help all those that needed medical help. Rich always had nice things to say to and about my daughter Jocelyn. Besides the events we always seemed to run into each other around town. After three kidney transplants from his brothers, cancer that spread into his brain and heart disease his body gave out. I will really miss him.

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2946045868892.100114.1793655990&type=3&l=283312669a

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2946045868892.100114.1793655990&type=3&l=283312669a

I have never seen such a huge memorial paddleout. It was at 3rd street North in Cocoa Beach where the Salick brothers owned and operated Salick Surfboards Shop many years ago. The aerial photographer said the paddleout spanned 3 blocks. Rich touched countless people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8kR6PtEX4Q

A YouTube link to Richard Salick's paddleout. Amazing!

A very appropriate poem read at Rich's service and posted on the surfing website: 2ndlight.com. Good words.

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of his friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth…
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…
are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left.
That can still be rearranged

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile…
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy’s being read
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?

by Linda Ellis