Thanksgiving On Ice
The Holidays are a really busy time in the Rec Department, so we’ve had lots of cool stuff going on and I’ve been up to lots of stuff! FINALLY here are some photos from Thanksgiving Day.
In the morning, it’s tradition to have the Turkey Trot, which is a footrace that goes out to the airfield and back. Usually it’s quite an effort for people to get up in the morning because there’s usually a LOT of partying the night before.
Here they’re off and running! Despite the many hangovers, we had a great turnout - we figure around 250 people ran. It’s a 5k race and it was a very chilly morning! Some people wear costumes and it’s generally just a really good time.
This is the looooong view of the runners going out to the Sea Ice Runway (they’re those tiny little ants at the middle of the photo.) I didn’t run the race - I helped set up and handed out T-shirts to the fastest runners at the end.
After the race, everyone usually just relaxes until the dinner. Holiday dinners here are great - the Galley makes a really nice fancy meal, complete with all the traditional things like turkey, stuffing and gravy, and with some other nice options - the vegetarian dish was delicious. It was a napoleon composed of portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper, grilled tofu and polenta. We also had plenty of freshies! There were also lots of pies and other tasty desserts to choose from.
Here are the folks I sat with at the Thanksgiving meal. From left to right: Martin, me, Katia, Kevin, Dave, Kai and Allan. Notice the nice white tablecloths - those aren’t there every day, heh! But the blue trays are ubiquitous.
Last but not least, here’s me and my roommate Kai.
So we’re gearing up for Christmas now, the office is all decorated, and the big party is only a week from this Sunday! Time flies!
Wow - it looks really nice in there! Not what I’d expect out of base at all. But then, I guess McM is the station that would have the highest investment and quality of living.
Glad you’re having fun down there! It’s sheer chaos up here in the northlands …
— Dave
What an experience! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog and seeing the pictures (and maps). Great idea to have the blog (good job Laura’s brother!) and thanks for keeping us all up to date on your adventures. I am looking forward to your future postings! I’ll keep in touch. We miss you!
Pretty good stuff(ing)…I couldn’t resist…
Are you going to send me a penguin for my B-day today?
Not much new here, just the same old stuff, trying to get X-mas cards out but failing miserably.
Lisa and I get the week off for Christmas/New Years so at least we’ll get a bit of vacation.
It’s been cold and a little snowy here the last few days. At least it’s manageable.
Keep up the blogs!
Jason
YAAAY For Turkey-Trottin’ in Antarctica! That’s rad - your people down yonder are pretty hard core. Did I mention that I’ve had too much coffee this a.m? Glad you’re back to postin’… and your pics on Flickr are great!
So is this what you’ve been doing down there?
Massive dinosaur discovered in Antarctica sheds light on life, distribution of sauropodomorphs
Only second Jurassic dinosaur ever found in Antarctica
CHICAGO—A new genus and species of dinosaur from the Early Jurassic has been discovered in Antarctica. The massive plant-eating primitive sauropodomorph is called Glacialisaurus hammeri and lived about 190 million years ago.
The recently published description of the new dinosaur is based on partial foot, leg and ankle bones found on Mt. Kirkpatrick near the Beardmore Glacier in Antarctica at an elevation of more than 13,000 feet.
“The fossils were painstakingly removed from the ice and rock using jackhammers, rock saws and chisels under extremely difficult conditions over the course of two field seasons,” said Nathan Smith, a graduate student at The Field Museum. “They are important because they help to establish that primitive sauropodomorph dinosaurs were more broadly distributed than previously thought, and that they coexisted with their cousins, the true sauropods.”
The findings were published online Dec. 5 in the Acta Palaeontologica Poloncica (see http://www.app.pan.pl/). Diego Pol, a paleontologist at the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio in Chubut, Argentina, is the other co-author of the research.
Sauropodomorph dinosaurs were the largest animals to ever walk the earth. They were long-necked herbivores and include Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. Their sister group is the theropods, which include Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, and modern birds.
Glacialisaurus hammeri was about 20-25 feet long and weighed about 4-6 tons . It was named after Dr. William Hammer, a professor at Augustana College who led the two field trips to Antarctica that uncovered the fossils. Glacialisaurus belongs to the sauropodomorph family Massopsondylidae, which may represent a secondary radiation of basal sauropodomorphs during the Early Jurassic.
Currently, the development and evolutionary relationships of the sauropodomorph dinosaurs are hotly debated by paleontologists. This discovery, however, helps to resolve some of this debate by establishing two things. First, it shows that sauropodomorphs were widely distributed in the Early Jurassic—not only in China, South Africa, South America and North America, but also in Antarctica.
“This was probably due to the fact that major connections between the continents still existed at that time, and because climates were more equitable across latitudes than they are today,” Smith said.
Second, the discovery of Glacialisaurus hammeri shows that primitive sauropodomorphs probably coexisted with true sauropods for an extended period of time. The recent discovery of a possible sauropod at roughly the same location in Antarctica lends additional evidence to the theory that the earliest sauropods coexisted with their basal sauropodomorph cousins, including Glacialisaurus hammeri, during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, Smith and Pol conclude in their research findings.
Gondwanan sauropods lasted a lot longer and played a much bigger role in communities than their northern hemisphere relatives. When you know next to nothing about a region’s history, anything you find is gonna be new.
That being said … Acta Polonica? Okay, it’s not a terrible journal (and I am the last person who can slander Polish paleontologists), but really, I’m surprised it didn’t make something bigger.
I mean, if a new species of Carcharodontosaurus is enough to make international news … sigh.
Anyways, Jason, Laura is playing a critical, and I do mean CRITICAL, role in terms of science support. If you don’t keep us paleontologists boozified, you don’t get results!
— Dave
Man, boozified paleontologists. I suppose that explains the draw to study extinct things… nah, just kidding! Being a paleo geek type myself, I find this stuff fascinating. Any who, I’m off for a week from work officially! Hooray! Just enough time to gain a little sanity and then be thrown back to work misery. Turkey trot looks like fun! Glad to hear the days are warming up to 20 to 30 degrees down there. You’re about the same temperature we are here in Colorado Springs these days.
Merry Christmas!
Lisa
Was this the line for the Holiday dinner?
If the above link doesn’t work - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Colony_of_aptenodytes_patagonicus.jpg
Hope you had a good holiday,
Jason
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2232454,00.html
So, are you in charge of the alcohol that goes to Amundsen-Scott South Pole station too?
I think everyone is down there to party and that the ‘illusion’ of work is what the rest of the world is seeing. HA! Just kidding…
Jason
Happy New Year!!!
Laura!
How amazing to be contacting you in No Man’s Land!
Thoroughly fascinated by your blog(provided by the mini freak guy).
What an incredible opportunity.How many people(besides the other 1,999 there with you) can say they’ve worked in the Antarctic? Wow! Must say you are a very resourceful bunch.
Also really enjoying web sites and info provided by Jason R. and Dave!
Have a Very Happy New Year. Thinking of you.
Nancy and Dooey (special hellos from Case and Erin)