Let's go back in time to early December. Remember the field sites with the antennas we set up in Barrow and Wainwright, Alaska? Well, the ocean had frozen over by early December, so there wasn't any more information to collect on ocean currents with our instruments. Our permits require us to remove our field sites until the ice breaks up again, so we headed north to do just that...take everything down. Did you catch that we headed north from our already northern locale in December? Do you know what happens to the sun as you travel north? Sun? What sun? Sometimes you just do what you have to do, so we suited up and hit the 'beach' in Barrow. Yes, it was dark, but the temperatures and wind really weren't that bad. It helps to be wearing several layers and head lamps, which we were. Here are a few scenes from the trip to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:
The dark, snowy beach in Barrow before we took down the antenna
Ice buildup on one of the antennas we took down
There was some digging in the snow to try and find everything we needed access to
and some laying in the snow to get access to things we needed to get to. Hank definitely doesn't look like he minds or is being tortured in any way.
By the time we got to Wainwright, the skies cleared up a bit and we were able to catch some of the mid-day light. The frozen Arctic Ocean is in the background of the next few pictures. It's interesting how it can look as if the boundary between land and water doesn't even exist.
There was a lot less snow to clear because the wind blows most of it away from the bluff where we put our field site.
Well, it didn't blow all of the snow away. There was still plenty of digging to find our anchor points.
Here is the only picture of myself that isn't tremendously blurry; however it is rather flashy.
It wasn't all sunshine in Wainwright, it didn't take long before everything went dark.
Moving on to Christmastime, I had a fabulous time with family. Somehow the days just seems to fly by faster and faster during my visits, which is a shame because I already have an extra person to visit in my little super-cute, super-sweet nephew Parker.
I normally attend three large family gatherings when I go home for the holidays, and although it seems like a lot to do when it's all packed into two days, it's always a lot of fun. I've started to notice a lot of similarities between the three family gatherings. No matter where you are, Christmas is a time when every surface starts to look like a good seat and you think twice about getting up if you want your seat back when you return.
Christmas is a time when people don't mind crowding around a table even though it means that everyone's drink is on the same table and that you're looking everywhere later for the cup that is yours.
It seems there is always someone the kids like to hang on (and someone who gets a little tired if you noticed Nettie on the right hand side of the picture below)
and as soon as someone young picks up a new musical instrument, we all sing along to a Christmas concert. (Good job, Sarah!)
Another thing that is always the same from year to year is that everyone tries to take group photos. You need a picture of all of the great-grandchildren, one of all the grandchildren, one of the aunts and uncles, one of the in-laws, one of the great-grandchildren with grandma, one of all the grandchildren with grandma, one with all of the aunts and uncles with grandma, one of everyone with grandma (aside from that one cousin's boyfriend who is stuck taking every single picture of everyone with each person's camera). You know the drill. Most of the time, everyone gets set, but there are at least five people taking the same picture at the same time, and the seven or more people in the picture are all looking at a different camera, so you get back to Alaska, and you have 39 different attempts at group pictures and in not one of them is everyone looking at your camera and smiling at the same time. Next year...repeat. Is this a Midwestern thing or does it happen everywhere? Aggravating isn't it, but every year you still have the hope that you will get that one picture where everyone is smiling and looking. Funny thing is, I love it. Every bit of it. It wouldn't be the holidays without it.
Not to be overshadowed by Christmas, I have a grandmother that turned 90 on New Year's Day. Unfortunately I had to fly back to Alaska before New Year's, but that didn't mean we couldn't celebrate. Mom and I had her over for dinner, cake and just a general good time while the snow fell outside. Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma!! I'll definitely be there for 100.
This begs the question...Since I wasn't able to attend Grandma's birthday, what DID I do for New Years? I'm kidding of course with that last sentence, but if you want to know, you'll have to wait until the next entry because I'm tired of typing.
To be continued...
