This morning reminded me of winters as a boy in Jamestown, New York. A gentle snow was falling and there was no wind at all. The falling snow muffles sound and McMurdo was quieter than normal. The twoish inches of snow we got hid rocks, icy patches, and ruts making walking a bit more sporting! After lunch a wind came up and started drifting all that new snow around. The falling and drifting snow means some operations stop; the helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are grounded, for example. Visibility is greatly reduced. I *think* I took a picture of Mount Discovery across the Ross Sea, pointed like the one I posted yesterday, but darned if I know. The picture probably is not even in focus because there is nothing in the distance upon which to focus!

The ANSMET crew did make progress on getting ready for the two-man pre-season trip and for the main season. Mostly this meant that we got more of the gear we will need sorted out, packed up and ready to put in the cargo stream. All of this work goes on in the Berg Field Center (BFC), a medium-sized building that is almost as old as I am. In spite of its small size, it packs an incredible amount of gear; a giant REI or Cabela’s but squeezed down into a small space! We end up working on a patch of floor surrounded by shelves of gear and rows of standing, folded Scott tents.

Oh, Cecilia, we got the isopods and I retrieved my personal ECW you shipped for me. Thanks! And thanks for the new ECW item you included for me. I do not think it will fit so I put it in the Skua* bin for someone else.

*Skuas are large seabirds in Antarctica that are partial scavengers. In McMurdo, if you have a serviceable item that you no longer need, you put it in the skua bin for someone else who can put it to good use.