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Christmas at McMurdo
Seemingly the most unlikely place ever to enjoy Christmas,
McMurdo Station, Antarctica would rank right there underneath the moon,
you would think. But it would be ungrateful not to commend the
citizens of MacTown on the effort put forth at Christmas time.
Here we are, thousands, literally thousands, of miles from the people
we love, and even further from North-Pole-based Santa Claus's sled
route. Of the things that are impossible control, there is always
the inevitable fact, McMurdo residents always have a white
Christmas. And the festivities
are impressive.
The legendary Heavy Shop Party is always this time
of year. It features live, loud music, wines and cheeses, people
in outrageous costumes and of course, a place to get your picture taken
with Santa. And dinner last night was complete with your choice
of filet mignon, roasted duck and / or lobster. Groups of people
set out to go carolling for people, seals and penguins alike and almost
everyone gets time off from their endless stream of work. There
was a church service this morning and yet another feast of turkey and
all the trimmings this evening.
I met up with the soil researchers, Jeb, Bekka,
Mike, and Katie, (WMV, 1.63 MB, 59 sec) for an
exciting day of cross-country skiing the Armitage Loop. I had a
fantastic time and it wasn't really all that cold, but the combination
of my breath and the wind made for a great Santa
Claus beard. But don't get me wrong, I probably won't be able
to walk tomorrow!
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