January 17, 2004

Yes, I did make it back.

I guess I have not been keeping up. I returned on December 19 to lots of snow (the kind that has to be cleared from the driveway), a dearth of sunlight, and a house full of family and the holidays. Quite a change from the field life.

The most striking difference I noticed was the rather gloomy lighting here in Vermont. I have never been one to be bothered by the short days of winter. In fact, I have always sort of liked the grand procession of the seasons. However, when I returned from constant, bright sunlight, I found the winter gray to be rather depressing. After a month, I still feel that way, although I do notice that the days are getting longer.

If you are interested, there are several stories about the various science groups at the Beardmore Camp in this copy of the Antarctic Sun, the paper put out by Raytheon/NSF. A web page is in production showing the excellent field trip in all its glory. Link to follow.

We are in a brief break from the sub-zero weather we have been having the past week. People keep asking me if it was colder in Antarctica. The answer is yes, but -27F is still cold, no matter where you might be. It is also far more humid here than on the ice. Still, it is winter and we should expect cold weather in New England. It makes for a good snow base for different kinds of winter sports. Posted by chuck at January 17, 2004 11:02 PM | TrackBack

Comments
You are an inspiration to the pants-shrunken lumpenproletariat here in the heartland," rage rage against the dying of the light".Current projects:#1 Tasteless celebration of my millionaire status( as soon as I can scrape up enough cash)#2 Bahamian trip combining a hedonistic splurge at the Atlantis Casino followed up with a transcendental purge at the Sivananda Yogi retreat #3 Unauthorized trip to Cuba. The fact that the US government prohibits this activity makes me think there is something going on down there that I want to know about.I used to say that I loved all four seasons but lately it seems that the dreary gray slightly above freezing temperatures with the dreaded wintry mix goes on a little too long.Nothing which a tropical vacation wouldn't ameliorate, unfortunately no hay dinero.Adios amigo Posted by: Richard Linnemeier on February 14, 2004 10:09 AM
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