31 May, 2000

Harold the Halibut (big flatfish like a flounder) must have been 50 pounds when he swam in the waters around Canada. He still was a huge fish to work with for dinner. Sarah Harvey, our cook extraordinaire, needed a hand this afternoon to get the fish into reasonably sized boneless portions. Being an Aquatic Science teacher certainly qualified me for the job (everyone was in agreement as they ran out the door when the giant fish appeared), so the 2 of us tackled the beast. We slipped, and wrestled, and giggled about everything and managed to get the job done. The real miracle was in the meal that Sarah made for us this evening. She managed to have in stock some Thai green curry and some coconut milk to make a spicy sauce that made that fish so delicious. How were we so lucky to have such a creative and resourceful cook at this remote field camp? Sarah, who has also worked in Antarctica, lives and works in Montana. Her main job there is to take people on week-long pack trips on horses into the wilds of that beautiful state. On those trips she must plan and pack the food for the whole troop and fix it in primitive conditions. In her spare time, which is rare, she plays with her Lab mix, Deets, and works on stained glass. She has even helped restore old stained glass windows from a church so that they fit the new church building. What a diverse lady - what meals.

Today, although quite cold (-28C) was fairly calm and pretty as I crawled out of my tent. What a change from yesterday. The tents showed the effects of the strong winds with deep snowdrifts around them. As all the others had strong work demands, I grabbed the shovel and dug the drifts from around the tents so we wouldn't get buried with the next bad weather. The tents are designed to have an airspace between the outer cover and the insulated inner cover. What would be the purpose of this space? When the snow drifts onto the tent, that air space is lost and the tent is not as comfortable.

Warm regards,

Besse Dawson

> Drifts just about buried one side of the science weatherport. > > > > > <>

> Sarah and "Harold the Halibut" > > > > > <> > >