16 November, 1997

11/16/97

Sunday was just like any other day except it turned out to be a day without wind and the temperature rose so that it was extremely nice. Even out on the ice surveying, we were able to shed our huge parkas for wind breakers and lots of sun screen. The day was spent working for us while the rest of the camp took it off to relax before another full 6 day week.

Sunday meant that we had been here 4 days and showers could be taken. I did not think that a shower was a luxury until now but I certainly do. It is the things that we take for granted that are real important on a place like Siple Dome. One wears 35 pounds of clothing to work and often to walk around in. Most of the clothing is that which has been given to you by ASA so everyone looks alike. Not hearing news and even mail becomes a big thing. People here have been looking forward to a group called SOAR (a later journal on them will be coming). The SOAR group have a bunch of engineers with them and they know how to make email work here. Most of the camp is composed of scientist but SOAR has engineers - IS my class listening? Talk is when the SOAR group gets here everyone will have access to email.

The weather today being what it was allows you to see forever on the ice dome. Since it is very flat (yes, I know it canít be because of the curve of the earth) , no matter which way you look it is white with a sky that is so blue and the prettiest color. Coming from ìBig Sky Countryî, I thought I had seen all kinds of blue sky - but I hadnít. The blue here goes from a light color where it touched the ice to a blue the color of Yogo sapphires as you move up into the sky. Most clouds are cirrus clouds today where there are any.

The wind that blew yesterday, left beautiful snow patterns on the ground from the drifting firn. I parcticularly like the ones that look like ruffles on the collar of an Elizabethan era shirt color or around the wrists. They seem to have formed where we had walked. The rest just drifted into small dunes or ripples like you would see in the water.