Update on the Dome and Thanksgiving at the South Pole

     The "Dome" was built in the early 70's by Navy Seabees to replace the original South Pole Station (built in 1956-57) and has housed support personel and sciencetists since its inception until the early 2000's when the current station was built.  Some of the people currently stationed at the pole have stories about living/working in the dome.  It initially arrived in crates of precut aluminum pieces.  The dome measures app. 164 ft. in diameter and 52 ft. high and has to be dug out every summer from drifting snow.  It is somewhat difficult to see in the pic to the left but you can see how the snow "drifts" and piles up based on the snow behind the red tower.
In my earlier blog I mentioned the "food pull".  Since the new elevated Amundson-Scott station was completed the dome has been used a food storage area.  Probably the largest freezer in the world. I have talked about the "past expiration dates" on just about everything down here but it was also interesting to see on the different food containers the reccommended freezing temperatures.  I never saw any package that reccommended freezing temps 30-100 below 0.  Amazingly the stuff is not freezer burnt.

Within the past week they had the biggest food pull ever.  All the food from the dome was moved into one of the tunnels that lead to the dome.  Dismatling and removal of the dome begins this week in accordance to the Antarctic Treaty.  The treaty requires that a minimum of human footprints be left on the most remote and undeveloped continent of our planet.  Here are some pic of the empty dome.  A big difference from the pictures on the last blog.

    The "last food pull" from the dome took place right before Thanksgiving.  Here at the Pole the days tend to run into each other and you obviously can't tell the difference between the specific seasons.  Like... the christmas decorations going up, grocery specials on turkeys (etc.), buying Christmas trees.  Thanksgiving is always on the 4th Thursday of November-this year the 26th.  However at the South Pole rather than disrupt the work week we work Monday Friday and have 2 days off-Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday, the 28th would be our Thanksgiving. The chefs in the galley definitely try to make things special.  There are sign up sheets in the galley for which seating for dinner you would like, volunteers for peeling potatoes, making pies, doing dishes, wine steward, setting up tables.....  I signed up for peeling potatoes (love my real potatoes) and making pies.  However prior to signing up for the potato peeling I had to check out their potato peelers.  I am a little picky about my knifes and potato peeler.  At home I have a Cutco peeler-best one you could ever have. Beaver, one of the chefs in the kitchen provided me with my own high-end potato peeler. through.Lots of people showed up on Thursday evening to peel/cut up the potatoes (as well as beets, peppers) and we had it all done in less than an hour.   On Friday night instead of playing volleyball I made pies.  Lots of people showed up for this as well.  Our team made about 20 pumpkin pies.  Others were involved in wrapping brie in pastry, cutting up bread for stuffing, and making pecan pies.   Saturday was a lazy day although I did assist with napkin folding, setting up tables, and place settings.  The first dinner seating was at 4 PM, mine was for 6 PM with appetizers at 530.  Everything was great.  They even had a "fire" playing on the scroll, live music, candles on the tables, and Pepsi Max (not diet pepsi-caffine free but would do in a pinch).  Pics include Beaver, chef, enjoying his shrimp, Kristin loosening her belt, Cav., Kristen, Corey (firefighters).  The meal was incredible and for the first time here I felt I ate too much.  After the meal I spent the evening watching several movies.

Sunday the 29th was just as relaxing as Saturday-it was great to have 2 days off in a row.

   Since Thanksgiving it has been relatively quiet in the station and the clinic (except for emergency drills).  However I did have another medavac.  I accompanied  a patient back to McMurdo with O2 sats in the 60's.  Fortunately he never developed pulmonary edema and I got to spend app 24 hours in McMurdo with the chance to catch up with Susan, Mia, Caesar, Eric, the folks from the McMurdo clinic, and Reinhart.  Luckily on arriving back to McMurdo it did not take long for me to re acclimate to the altitude.  I got to sit in the flight deck again on the return C130 flight from McMurdo-it was really clear this time and I got to re-appreciate the vast magnitude of Antarctica.