Tanker done

the tanker finished offloading at midnight. I took that around 6pm I think. See how high it is riding in the water?

Tomorrow is my last day off for another 12ish days depending on how fast vessel goes. We may get it done in 7. We are all changing to 12 hour days on Saturday and some will be going to Nights so we can do the 24hr ship offlaod.

It's nice out today, +24, +13windchill.

The N.B.Palmer is coming back to swap out some scientists and gear as well as the Oden before the cargo ship docks.

Busy buys busy.

Line Handeling

I helped tie this ship up to the ice pier last night. It was an amazing experience. We mustered at 2am on the medical building side of the galley then tied the ship up for 3 hours. They started the fuel offload soon after.

Emperors on Pegasus road

I went on a rec trip to see the Emperor Penguins off the road to Pegasus! They are molting so they can't go in the water for up to 24 days. They grow a new set of feathers once a year!

Not so cold

It warmed up and just in time for a Blasting! They blew the clinging ice off the port side of the ice pier. It was very loud and I took a video!

Everyone here is sick or fighting off the sick.

one more month and I re-deploy.

I go to 12hr days on the 4th and the supply vessel should be here between the 5th and 7th.

Cold today

It is pretty cold today. Windy too.

The Fuel Tanker is in the turning basin. OMG! Billions of gallons of fuel will pump up to the tanks. I am no going to Line Handle as it is in the morning and tomorrow is food delivery. Seems all the line handling times are when i have food delivery on wed and thurs. Conspiracy? i think so!

The South Pole traverse is back. They drove to the south pole and back.. Drove... amazing and crazy.

The winds have blown a lot of ice out and I thing the ice breaker will help that along. maybe we will get some more wildlife soon as it isn't too cold to go down to hut point again.

We go to 12hr days on the 4th. Then vessel unload and load starts.

I am starting to worry that I am not physically capable to do this job for more then 3 months.

It is very foggy today. Something to do with the open water getting closer. The Fuel tanker should be in the turning bases anydaynow.

Weather and change

It is very foggy today. Something to do with the open water getting closer. The Fuel tanker should be in the turning bases anydaynow. The town is filling up with winteovers and kiwi helpers for vessel. They call it vessel evolution as a large portion of town goes to 12 hour days until the work is done. If my luck holds i'll be driving a loader from galley pad to freezer deck.

No more sea life so far. The channel is still blocked up with ice even though we get winds most days. It's cold enough outside today to form ice on my mustache and the wind is bitting.

Also, missing Sandwich lots the last few days.

photo from beard and mustache competition this weekend

This was taken by the event organizer. All the people with fingers in
the air are winners!
https://photos-5.dropbox.com/i/xl/R16PLOjdQCsS9Uyztv2xPzgxLvQ1n75JX92_7Z_sIHY,EQRoGf1O_WY7unJu8H2sRidf2_M8clfzp8Fa1WhPjO4/50892/1295935200/7e3e242

Who has 2 thumbs and is the Best Overall beard/mustache combo in Antarctica? ME! Well, at McMurdo but we are the largest station and are the most important. Ha, joke. but I did win.

Tonight is the 7th continent beard and mustache competition! I am entering the Musketeer category and surprisingly have some competition. Photos and reports to follow.

This showed up on the whiteboard

I know who did the skua and the sandwich but not the bryan themed penguin.

Just did first Line Handeling job. Let the NBP off the ice pier. It was pretty neat to see it power away, pushing ice out of its way.

Ice Breaker

The ice breaker Oden is here. It is currently docked at the ice pear. The NBP is in the turning basin waiting to take Bill J. away!

Penguin and Icebreaker

Yesterday I went to see the icebreaker at lunch. The penguin is still there. The breaker is very close now.

Ice breaker this morning

Closer!

I rode one of the town bikes to Hut Point and saw the IceBraker Odin off in the distance today at lunch. The little penguin is still there and seem to perpetually be grooming. There was also a Seal! The research vessel Nathanial B. Palmer is supposed to come to port tomorrow.

Odin and Penguin

I rode one of the town bikes to Hut Point and saw the IceBraker Odin off in the distance today at lunch. The little penguin is still there and seem to perpetually be grooming. There was also a Seal!

The research vessel Nathanial B. Palmer is supposed to come to port tomorrow.

The wind is coming from the South. The wind turbines are pointing away from us. That is where this snow is coming from, the south pole! It is storm weather. The snow we had before fell gently from the sky and was nice. This is bitter cold and gusty.

Oh, also! Icebreaker will be here in a few days! I am now a trained line handler and will help it dock to the ice pier.

an penguin!

There is a lone Adele penguin down at hut point. The ice is breaking
up on the shore. I think he is sick!

There is a lone adelie penguin out at Hut Point where the Ob tube used to be! That all sounds like code but just means CUTE! Photos to come. More penguin should show up soon they say as the icebreaker is only 14 miles out!

Interesting day. Signed up and was orientated to Line Tend for vessel. Got a Pager. Trash picked up in LarryVille. Now, home to make mail!

Mail is a go!

I was a little wrong. mail will be routed to us until Feb 13th so
packages can be sent. I just have to send out my mail soon.
----
bryan sebastian kiechle
http://ocularavulsion.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geneticmemories/

From Santarctica

Me in an elf suit with the loader I drive. His name is Heckle. Still snowing today. not much is sticking but ob hill is white again. It was clear and dirt colored when i got home from dinner but after talking to Sandwich on the phone for a few hours I went out and it was all white!

I just got a letter from my ladies. My mom, Sandwich and her mom Jeanne. it took 12 days to get here from New Zealand! I sent out a huge batch of post card yesterday too. I have to send home a box of stuff I don't need here but have with me by end of next week too. The big news is I am going to try and come back next year. Also that I got a loader job for Vessel Offload! I think one of the best jobs there is! Me driving a CAT 930 for 12 hours a day for 5ish days sounds awesome! Maybe I can come back as an equipment operator next season.

Still snowing. Summer is over. Ob hill is now mostly white. Last day I can send mail out is the 13th. It is too late for package mail to get here but flat mail will make it.

OMG IT's mine

So silly. Got this tittle finaly after some spam bot camped it. Yay!

Er, i mean, I am in antarctica, working as a materialsperson in the food warehouses for the summer 2010-2011 season.

I'll post photos and descriptions here!