Happy Holidays

Hi folks. I want to thank Mrs. Radner's fourth grade class for all of their great questions and comments. I realize everyone is about to go on break, but I'll continue to post pictures. I will also try to make a layer for Google Earth with my pictures for people to download. I'll create a post for that when I have it done.

I also want to welcome the fifth graders, and answer some of your questions. I didn't see many animals when I was in the desert or camping on the glacier. I did see a penguin when I was camping on the sea ice. It seems that most animals are near the coast. In the Dry Valleys there are some mummified seals that got lost and wandered into the desert and were basically freeze dried from the cold, dry environment (and turned into seal jerky). When I sleep in a tent I usually get it to myself. We take a tent for each person out to our camp because we usually get a helicopter ride to the camp site so we are not limited by what we can carry.

There are various Christmas celebrations on station, and out at the field camps. Some of the people here at McMurdo station are putting on a Charlie Brown Christmas play. There is also a special dinner in the cafeteria on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are plenty of decorations around the station. Out at the field camps people usually celebrate holidays as well. I know out in the Dry Valleys one of the camps is inviting people from all the other camps in the valleys over for dinner.

Thanks for all of the questions. I haven't made it through all of them yet so I'll post more answers, and hopefully some pictures too, later today.