Hello All my faithful readers,
If you haven't noticed I changed my blog's name. It is the same title just rearranged into something more fluid. I hope it doesn't mess anyone up. I also put in a little synopsis of what I am attempting to accomplish with this blog. Well I hope this helps.
Stay Frosty
-C
16 August 2010
Winter Fly In a.k.a. Winfly is officially “open”!
Well here I sit after 2 oranges, 2 cherry tomatoes, 1 BaF carrot, 1 apple, 1 mini banana and 1 bowl of Orange Chocolate Chip ice cream plus a 16 ounce can of Red Bull and my stomach is feeling “awesome”. I just got back from the airfield after the 1st of 7 flights, 4 of which are NVG or Night Vision Goggle flights. The flight was supposed to come in on Friday but after a 24 hour mechanical delay, followed by a 19 “weather” delay it finally left this Sunday just after 1pm Christchurch time. On the flight were 7 fellow firefighters that were gracious enough to bring 1) a shopping bag with cherry tomatoes, grapes, oranges and mini bananas 2) big as f*** (BaF) carrots 3) apples and 4) a BIG bag-o Nuts. Oh how gracious my fellow firefighters are. While we received this group of returning firefighter we, more importantly I, lost 2 firefighters (Scott and Peter) of which I am glad to call my friends. They both went home due to family problems which is extremely unfortunate.
We begin the airfield shift by waiting outside of town about ½ mile as to not cause to much exhaust induced fog over the runway and apron since the C-17 pilots are landing using their night vision goggles. As I sit there, in the driver’s seat of Red 3, a 2005 Ford F-550 4x4 with an ARFF package on the body, I am explaining to my fellow firefighter, whose is ironically named Corey as well, what our specific role and response will be if something should arise. (See Corey and Peter along with Grant arrived on the truly last flight of Mainbody on the 5th of March 2010. The last few weeks for them have been a learning curve to get up to speed on the workings of the ARFF vehicles and procedures. Peter however was just lucky to get pictures since he already knew that he was going home on the 1st flight.) Now with the procedure and response explained I showed him how to use the wonderful joystick that controls the front turret. The turret can spray both firefighting foam and dry chemical extinguishment agent. It is pretty slick if I may say so myself, which I may since it is my blog. It reminds me of the movie character named Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars episodes 1, 2 & 3. With his 2 protruding google-ly eyes and long snout it looks just like the turret on the front of our rig. We sit outside of town until the planes calls 100 miles from airfield. That way we have enough time incase something is going to happen to get set up and still we are not there long enough to cause to much fog over the airfield. Then when the plane got to 25 miles or so the pilots asked to have the airfield runway lights shut off. Now this was absolutely amazing was to have the airfield completely light free and then have the C-17 swoop in like a “bat out of hell” and land with just enough background light to illuminate it. After the plane lands it has to turn around and taxi down to the apron, where we are staging and where it will get off loaded, in a slow stalking … no lurking pace. Just as the plane becomes visible in the dark of Antarctic night “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns-N-Roses comes on the speaker of my Ipod. I, we actually-we the 2 Corey’s-, believe this is completely fitting since it is a winter “jungle” here after the plane stop flying.
Once the plane is down and beginning to offload we are able to get out and greet our new McMurdoians as well as the few Scott Baseians that come off of the flight. They all come off with the same look, or what I would assume is the same look, that I had when I got here on the 26th of August 2009 or a mere 355 days ago for whose who weren’t counting. They are, for the most part, here until February when they will be replaced by winter over’s, like myself, who will bear the cold dark hard winter. The lucky few will experience a whole year down here consecutively like I have. This will truly give them an appreciation of the new blood, the infusion of happiness, of giddy, of eagerness to get the job down, just like me.
About the picture:
This is a picture of me getting my Antarctic Service Medal with my Winter Over bar. It is fairly significant, to me at least. I know I am blurry but what can you say, it is hard to get an accurate view of my swaggah!
Stay frosty
-C
We begin the airfield shift by waiting outside of town about ½ mile as to not cause to much exhaust induced fog over the runway and apron since the C-17 pilots are landing using their night vision goggles. As I sit there, in the driver’s seat of Red 3, a 2005 Ford F-550 4x4 with an ARFF package on the body, I am explaining to my fellow firefighter, whose is ironically named Corey as well, what our specific role and response will be if something should arise. (See Corey and Peter along with Grant arrived on the truly last flight of Mainbody on the 5th of March 2010. The last few weeks for them have been a learning curve to get up to speed on the workings of the ARFF vehicles and procedures. Peter however was just lucky to get pictures since he already knew that he was going home on the 1st flight.) Now with the procedure and response explained I showed him how to use the wonderful joystick that controls the front turret. The turret can spray both firefighting foam and dry chemical extinguishment agent. It is pretty slick if I may say so myself, which I may since it is my blog. It reminds me of the movie character named Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars episodes 1, 2 & 3. With his 2 protruding google-ly eyes and long snout it looks just like the turret on the front of our rig. We sit outside of town until the planes calls 100 miles from airfield. That way we have enough time incase something is going to happen to get set up and still we are not there long enough to cause to much fog over the airfield. Then when the plane got to 25 miles or so the pilots asked to have the airfield runway lights shut off. Now this was absolutely amazing was to have the airfield completely light free and then have the C-17 swoop in like a “bat out of hell” and land with just enough background light to illuminate it. After the plane lands it has to turn around and taxi down to the apron, where we are staging and where it will get off loaded, in a slow stalking … no lurking pace. Just as the plane becomes visible in the dark of Antarctic night “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns-N-Roses comes on the speaker of my Ipod. I, we actually-we the 2 Corey’s-, believe this is completely fitting since it is a winter “jungle” here after the plane stop flying.
Once the plane is down and beginning to offload we are able to get out and greet our new McMurdoians as well as the few Scott Baseians that come off of the flight. They all come off with the same look, or what I would assume is the same look, that I had when I got here on the 26th of August 2009 or a mere 355 days ago for whose who weren’t counting. They are, for the most part, here until February when they will be replaced by winter over’s, like myself, who will bear the cold dark hard winter. The lucky few will experience a whole year down here consecutively like I have. This will truly give them an appreciation of the new blood, the infusion of happiness, of giddy, of eagerness to get the job down, just like me.
About the picture:
This is a picture of me getting my Antarctic Service Medal with my Winter Over bar. It is fairly significant, to me at least. I know I am blurry but what can you say, it is hard to get an accurate view of my swaggah!
Stay frosty
-C
03 August 2010
Under the Pale Moon Light
As I sit here up on the road to Crater Hill I look out onto the miles of ice that is McMurdo Sound, into the desolate black that is the forefront of Antarctica, and I see water! Profound I know, but the water I see is the water of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, Boston Harbor (also called Cape Cod Bay or the “North Side” when on Cape Cod) and the Atlantic Ocean (or the “South Side” when on Cape Cod) all rolled up into 1 big frozen ice block waiting to be explored. It reminds me of a simpler time when I could relate the moon to a perspective.
I see the bright, brilliantly clear, off-white moon shining down on the calm, clear, picturesque (if I had my camera that is) day and it brings me back to Philmont, where I went hiking multiple times as a Boy Scout and eventually as an Eagle Scout. I am imagining myself back on top of Mt. Castilla (I think at least but could be Costilla, Castillo, Costillo or some variation similar to that) as the star-filled sky and the full moon begin to illuminate my walking path down off the mountain. See, we (the scout group and I) had hiked up from our campsite, about a mile away, when it was sunshine and happy times. Then after dinner and some good conversation, we sat there talking, and getting to know each other, counting shooting stars, satellites, planets (when there were 9) and constellations before having to head back down. However, there on top of the mountain, I realized that there is something more to the sky than just the stars, satellites, planets and constellations. It brings me to realize that, looking up into the sky I have found an awakening feeling in myself. It feels liberating knowing that I am the only person in my immediate family, and even extended family for that matter, to look at the stars -- these stars to be specific -- from this specific vantage point. I mean anyone can look at the stars but there will be no one in my family that will even be in the same section of the country to look at these particular stars. In fact, I know this now but I assumed it then, that I would be the only one in my family to even be in this part of New Mexico, on these Sangre De Cristo Mountains in the Northeast corner of New Mexico on an early August night. Some of my friends will and have experienced them as I do and they will be able to understand my feelings, but most will not. The most that they can compare this to would be sitting on a beach. I know I make it sound humble saying “a beach” since Cape Cod really does have a phenomenal collection of beaches but it still puts it into perspective. But seriously, the best they can do is under a full moon with a slight breeze looking up at the stars but never the same ones, never from the same angle, never being this isolated from the world where there are no house lights for miles or sounds other than primal. The only thing that they will ever see that compares to this would be the same moon just at a different time, different orbit, a different phase, a just plain different personality.
When I look up at this moon and onto the ice, which is the ocean of McMurdo Sound, I am again back to this same feeling. Of knowing that I am going to be the only person in my family that gets to see the moon from this vantage point, and as humble as everyone knows me to be, I am content with having these few singular memories that are all my own. Hopefully, someday I will be able to share them with my family, but maybe this time I am the teacher instead of the student.
About the picture:
This photo was taken near what we call derelict junction or DJ for short. DJ is the “bus stop” in McMurdo where you where you get dropped off after getting here for the 1st time in the season and where you wait for the shuttle to bring you to the airfield or to Scott Base. It looks back onto building 155 on the right in the blue and up into the “business district” of town with Crater Hill just being visible in the far background. There is a road, on what would be the right of the picture, and that is where you can see the crystal clear skies, ocean, and off-colored moon when it is visible.
Stay Frosty
-C
I see the bright, brilliantly clear, off-white moon shining down on the calm, clear, picturesque (if I had my camera that is) day and it brings me back to Philmont, where I went hiking multiple times as a Boy Scout and eventually as an Eagle Scout. I am imagining myself back on top of Mt. Castilla (I think at least but could be Costilla, Castillo, Costillo or some variation similar to that) as the star-filled sky and the full moon begin to illuminate my walking path down off the mountain. See, we (the scout group and I) had hiked up from our campsite, about a mile away, when it was sunshine and happy times. Then after dinner and some good conversation, we sat there talking, and getting to know each other, counting shooting stars, satellites, planets (when there were 9) and constellations before having to head back down. However, there on top of the mountain, I realized that there is something more to the sky than just the stars, satellites, planets and constellations. It brings me to realize that, looking up into the sky I have found an awakening feeling in myself. It feels liberating knowing that I am the only person in my immediate family, and even extended family for that matter, to look at the stars -- these stars to be specific -- from this specific vantage point. I mean anyone can look at the stars but there will be no one in my family that will even be in the same section of the country to look at these particular stars. In fact, I know this now but I assumed it then, that I would be the only one in my family to even be in this part of New Mexico, on these Sangre De Cristo Mountains in the Northeast corner of New Mexico on an early August night. Some of my friends will and have experienced them as I do and they will be able to understand my feelings, but most will not. The most that they can compare this to would be sitting on a beach. I know I make it sound humble saying “a beach” since Cape Cod really does have a phenomenal collection of beaches but it still puts it into perspective. But seriously, the best they can do is under a full moon with a slight breeze looking up at the stars but never the same ones, never from the same angle, never being this isolated from the world where there are no house lights for miles or sounds other than primal. The only thing that they will ever see that compares to this would be the same moon just at a different time, different orbit, a different phase, a just plain different personality.
When I look up at this moon and onto the ice, which is the ocean of McMurdo Sound, I am again back to this same feeling. Of knowing that I am going to be the only person in my family that gets to see the moon from this vantage point, and as humble as everyone knows me to be, I am content with having these few singular memories that are all my own. Hopefully, someday I will be able to share them with my family, but maybe this time I am the teacher instead of the student.
About the picture:
This photo was taken near what we call derelict junction or DJ for short. DJ is the “bus stop” in McMurdo where you where you get dropped off after getting here for the 1st time in the season and where you wait for the shuttle to bring you to the airfield or to Scott Base. It looks back onto building 155 on the right in the blue and up into the “business district” of town with Crater Hill just being visible in the far background. There is a road, on what would be the right of the picture, and that is where you can see the crystal clear skies, ocean, and off-colored moon when it is visible.
Stay Frosty
-C
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