The Erebus Chalice

Last night I went to the Church of the Snows to see the arrival of the Erebus Chalice. The following is some information on what it is:

"Ms. Bird (a descendant of Admiral Bird) acquired the Erebus Chalice, which is thought to have been made ca. 1908 in London. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated 1911 expedition to the South Pole, Ms. Bird had it engraved and dedicated for the use in services here (Antarctica) on Christmas Day 1987. It is displayed in the Chapel of the Snows during the austral summer. During the austral winter, the Chalice is returned and displayed at the Christchurch Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Which was destroyed in the earthquake a couple of years ago and is now housed at a Catholic Boys school there.) At the beginning of each summer season, the Chalice is presented in the special Opening Ceremonies worship service in Christchurch and carried to the Ice by the Chaplains. The Erebus Chalice is among the most treasured and historic items on the frozen continent."

Here's a pictures of the Chalice and the inside of the the Church of the Snows.

Erebus Chalice

The Priest FR. Yvan and the Chaplain Jake are really great guys! I will post more church pictures when I can. I am having technical difficulties with this computer I am using. The inside of the church has a penguin on the stained glass!

My Day Off

Today was my first day off I've had since I left for this adventure! I spent it doing laundry, making some phone calls to family, ate brunch! (yes, on Sunday's they have brunch at 1000!), read some and took a nap! We are currently in Condition 2. Condition 3 is normal weather, no wind things can be completed outside as long as one is dresseed appropriately. Condition 2 is altered visibility due to blowing snow and winds upwards of 65 MPH. Condition 1 is winds over 65 MPh and no visibility. We are in Condition 2 and have been most of the day. That's why I pretty much stayed in my dorm building except to go to eat. It is NASTY outside!! Here are some pictures of my dorn room. the room's furniture is circa Military Housing furniture from the 1970's! I am trying to decorate it as best I can!!

Hello From Sunny and Warm McMurdo Station!

It is a balmy 8degrees with a wind chill of 0.8 degrees! Actually it isn't too bad! Had a good day at work today. Nothing terrible happened and we had 2 flights come it. We got new people and what they call "Freshies" - fresh fruits and vegetables! I had asparagus tonight with dinner!! I was able to get a few pictures this evening after work. They are of Scott Hut and the Church. Also here's a picture of all of us dispatchers!

First Day Working The Radio

Today I got to work the radio for a couple of hours and my Ju Ju is back!!! I had my first "HAZ MAT"!! It was an oil spill at the helo pad. Spills are very dangerous because of the potential damage to the environment and I was the first dispatcher to get a call for the Summer season! Woot, Woot!! I am sooooooo happy to be back doing my first love....dispatching!! It was so much fun today! Tomorrow we have 2 flights coming in...one is a C-17 the other is an Airbus 319. I don't want anything really bad to happen but some excitement would be a blast!!

Busy Long Day and....

Yes, feeling a bit on Information Overload! Lots to learn with little time! I did learn that things can go bad...really bad...really quickly! i.e. C130 plane crashes, fires, etc. So far none of that has happened but I haven't started on the radio yet! :-)

Here's some pics from yesterday when I arrived!

I'm Here!! Arrived yesterday after a flight on a C-17! I got to sit up front with the pilots and talk with them and take photos!! It was so cool! Speaking of cool...it is COLD!! But all of my cold weather gear (and I'm wearing most of it) is keeping me warm. I got to talking with one of the Air Force crew members yesterday and he was a reservist from Washington State. I gave him my card and a MFD (sorry my PD friends!) keychain and he gave me 2 challenge coins! Turns out in his real life he was a firefighter and his folks live in Mesa! Small world! I miss you guys! E-mail me!!

ECW Gear

Got my Extreme Cold Weather gear today and will be taking a 5 hour flight to the ice at 0700 tomorrow morning. Got my flu shot too. Have made friends with quite a few people including a young guy from Tempe! His name is Jason (I think) but I told him I was going to call him "Tempe" from now on! Here's some pics of me in my parka and bunny boots! And more quake e pics and other pics from around town!