The Nathanial B. Palmer, (Nattie B) the NSF’s research vessel pulled into the ice pier yesterday morning. I was downstairs doing my laundry and the window at that end of the dorm looks out over the pier so I got a chance to watch the docking process. Deni they do it very slowly. They pull in here at the end of the year to off-load trash for the cargo ship to haul north. They also allow tours of the ship which I hope to go on tonight after dinner.

As I thought about the nickname “Nattie B” it made me think of other nicknames I’ve heard since I’ve been here including, “Lucky” a guy who showed up one night at the bar clad only in a leopard skin Speedo, “Sandwich” a young woman with purple hair, “Snacks” a young guy who ate a lot in high school, “Green Piece” an two and a half ton old Navy truck, “Eggs” a guy who’s bald head looks like an egg, “Bomb Bill” a guy who thinks we can bomb the world into seeing things “our” way, to mention a few.

I went to a travelogue presented by “hitch hiker Ben” on his trip through the Outback of Australia. As usual he is very interesting. He stays he usually stays with people who offer hospitality to travelers like him. It still amazes me how these vagabonds travel when not on the ice.

Apparently the NSF also has money issues. Because of that they are slowing operations here and sending folks home early. I ran into one of our Tower controllers who is going home today and another Center controller who is going home Friday both well ahead of the original schedule.

The Coast Guard ice breaker Polar Seas is giving rides out to the open water today. They have offered to take 200 Mac Town people on two cruises today. The best I can tell the last time this happened was 2001. Because of huge demand (about 800 people signed up) they held a lottery. I’m sorry to say not only was I not selected for either cruise I didn’t even make it on the 100 person alternate list. Oh well! I hope the ship sinks. (Just kidding). Hopefully because of the huge demand they will add another cruise next week. Keep your fingers crossed. We have heard there are lots of whales out there to see.

The flow of summer people out and winter people in continues. People who will stay over from summer to winter are headed to Christchurch are enjoying week long R&R’s.

I went to the Tower yesterday to work. To get there we ride a shuttle (sometimes the big Terra Bus or “Delta” the thing that’s like an earthmover or a 10 or 25 passenger van). Which of these we ride is largely determined by the condition of the ice where the land meets the water (ice). To the side of the road to Williams Field there is a huge vertical cliff caused by the prehistoric lava flows as they tumbled to the sea. When we first arrived these cliffs were packed by drifting snow and so were not visible. As the snow now melts more and more each day many of the cliffs have become exposed. As I was coming back yesterday afternoon I looked up to the tops of the cliff and noticed a waterfall. Water was flowing freely from under the snow at the top of the cliff until it met a shelf of lava. The water cascaded over the shelf and continued its fall until it collided with another shelf and so on until it finally reached the surface of the ice where it mysteriously disappeared into the sea below the ice. There was a massive hood of snow that hung over the cliffs which looked much like the hood of a heavy coat as it hangs over your forehead. The hood of snow is swept across the cliff in a perfect curve of pure white and seemed to be suspended in mid-air with no visible means of support. Behind the hood on the cliff is a vast white plane of snow that gradually climbs and merges into Mt. Erebus some 50 miles away. The sheer majesty of the view is awe inspiring. Even in these last days I’m amazed at the beauty that unfolds before my eyes.

I’ve told you earlier how good the weather has been this year (as reported to me by others who have been here before and seen really nasty weather). Well today we have fog as thick as pea soup. It’s so thick that even the helicopters stopped flying for a while. I was working when it first rolled in so I really couldn’t feel it but when I left work and stepped outside I felt humidity for the first time in 5 months (not counting the brief trip to the greenhouse). The fog also meant that the C-17 didn’t come in today so all the folks we thought were leaving are not gone. One of my co-workers went for the long last walk with his girlfriend and said all the tearful goodbyes and now she’s not gone. He said it feels kind of surreal. One good thing about the fog is that the wind that brought it in was very strong out of the southeast which helped blow a lot of the ice in the turning basin out to sea which in turn opened up lots of open water in the sound. The good news is that I heard through the grape vine that the Coast Guard ice breaker is going to give rides around McMurdo Sound and out past the sea ice into open water. That could be pretty cool except I work every Sunday so I’m working on someone to come relieve me so I can go for a ride. They said 400 people could go at one time and if they have more than that they might make a second trip.

Today we start sending people home. The first to go is one of our controllers who has found full time employment in Beaufort, SC. I think he is really looking forward to the new job and getting to spend some time with his wife. (He arrived here before I did) One of the women who work in operations in our building is also leaving today. She is headed off on a new adventure to Columbia and Bolivia. From here on out we will be loosing people each time the C-17 comes in from Christchurch. It’s a little sad. Kind of like loosing family because some of these people will never return here.

Steven and I went down to hut point after dinner last night to check on the whales. We just missed seeing three Mienke’s by a few minutes. We did get a chance to watch the Oden (ice breaker) up close and personal as he worked to clear huge chunks of ice from the ice pier area. The big tanker and cargo ships are due to arrive next week. People who have been here before tell me Mac Town turns into a real beehive of activity once the ships come in. Here’s a funny note, they close all the bars when the ships come to town. I wonder why.