As I left a going away party last night I saw the last of the ships leaving McMurdo Sound. It was accompanied by the ice breaker Oden as it began its long slow trip back to Sweden. Each day now there is a “last” for me, the last ship, the last meal, the last friend leaving… The sun still shines twenty four hours per day but it too is slowly sliding towards the horizon and its eventual annual demise. The Sound never cleared its broken ice this year which means lots of extra work for the crew next August as they try carve a runway out of the jagged edges of this year’s ice. The weather gets a little colder each day with occasional snow flurries. Our workload in the tower has reduced and recreational activities are now very limited so I spend time in my room watching old movies and exercising in the gerbil gym. Of course we still have the nightly cribbage game although it’s now in the dining room because of the closure of the coffee house. These are all signs that the season is ending and its time to pack up and move on.