This was one of the last meals that I got to cook. Dave's dad grilled the pork, the roasted potatoes were grown in Dave's aunt's garden, the rice and avocado salad is Dave's favorite, and remember giving me the olives and tomato recipe years ago Dora in Morro Bay? The tomatoes were also from Aunt Doris & Uncle Paul's garden. I'm going to miss cooking for sure!
Dave and I took a trip together to southern Indiana to see the sights and spend some time together before our six months apart. We stayed and hiked in Turkey Run State park. It was gorgeous!
We did most of the hikes and loved how lush and mossy the whole place is.
Dave hiking in the canyons. We actually stayed in the park at the Inn.
We also visited six of the many covered bridges in the area. They're so fun to walk and drive through!
After 12 years, I finally got to see where Dave went to school. This is one of the many lovely buildings at DePauw University in Greencastle. Very beautiful campus!
This year the Antarctic Program gave us $115 for food per day so I decided to go on an eating festival. One day I even had three dinners. The food in New Zealand is so incredible because everything is so fresh and they don't do the genetically modified process that makes everything tasteless and creepy. This sushi place was right across the street from our motel, the City Park Motel. It was a perfect location being so close to the botanic gardens.
After Indiana, Dave and I both got to visit my parents in Reno. We went on a hike in the Tahoe Meadows one day and out for Chinese, Italian and Mexican meals. Visiting our Grandparents was great and Gracie as beautiful a puppy as ever. Thank you very much Szulok, love you!
Another lovely day in Christchurch. Somehow I got a week of sunny, gorgeous weather. I spent a lot of time in the gardens, in the Riccarton bush (a natural park), at a beach nearby and downtown strolling.
Hagley Park right next door to our motel. This was my walk to the Botanic Gardens everyday.
The magnolias were in bloom, as were the daffodils, crocus, snow flowers and violets.
The Canterbury Art Museum. I love their exhibits.
This is my favorite part of the Botanic Gardens, the native New Zealand section, chock full of three ferns.
Another morning in the New Zealand section of the gardens.
Crocus flowers in full bloom. I love springtime in Christchurch!
I should have kept count of the number of cappuccinos I had. YUM.
Crocus flowers in the gardens (can you tell I spent the whole week pretty much in the gardens?)
Fern
Pier at New Brighton, which was just a 25 minute $3 bus ride away.
My breakfast usual, eggs bennedict at SisMo cafe.
And here I am, McMurdo Station at Winter Fly In (Winfly). It's dark. The day we flew in it was -30F but very calm. It took me by surprise how beautifully dark it is and I didn't think I missed winters in Antarctica until I saw the moon and stars in the sky. Really beautiful, especially the other night with the full moon. I definitely miss Dave and it's been nice to be emailing back and forth everyday. Everyone here misses him and sends their hellos and congratulations on the job and ask me what kind of funny things they can email him. So far, I love my new job (South Pole Traverse). I am getting trained up and transitioning to night shift (there will be 7 of us from Traverse and just two from another department, a ghost town!). I can't wait to start driving the forklifts and tractors. I'll try to get some pictures up, but in the meantime you can see some of the equipment we use on this link: http://www.google.com/search?q=south+pole+traverse+antarctica+equipment&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=xclAUMegF4e-9gSK2oGoBw&ved=0CD4QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=843
Love you all!
