Freshies and Mail in the middle of Winter!

The upside of the medevac, besides our friend being able to get the medical attention needed in Christchurch, was the mail and freshies that came in on the flight!






There are a lot of things that could improve morale in McMurdo,
the awesomeness of fresh food is definitely one of them.

The June Apple

There is a particular sugar that lingers on the tongue just waiting for that last precious bite of apple in June. Or at least I imagine there is. There is also a certain sweetness to the act of picking out, saving and waiting for the last possible moment to devour. This year's June apple was all it promised it would be: the apple of all apples, again.


If you remember from last season, apples in June are a precious commodity.

Smoothie Break!

Once a month during the winter, the MET (Mapcon Editing Team - of which I am a part) hosts a smoothie break. Larry, Shandra and I gather the ingredients of yogurt, ice, fruit, frozen bananas we've saved from the last freshies of February. And for a brief moment during winter, we can all pretend we're at the beach sipping our fruity concoction with the sun kissing our cheeks...

What time is it?
Smoothie Break Time!

Shandra prepares for the hoards of fruit-loving winterovers.

We got ice and yogurt from the Galley.

And used strawberry applesauce left over from
flight meals to sweeten the tartness of the yogurt.

I put a brilliantly beautiful purple fake flower on the table and
put out some dried Hibiscus flowers from Trader Joes to share.

Go blender go!

Mmmmmmmm...smoothie.

Jonathan, Cedar and Gareth partake in some fruity deliciousness.

Gareth and Joseph add a little Passion Fruit Squeeze to the mix.

Mark and Zachary try to describe the complex and delectable
taste while Amanda smiles away in the background.

Life is short. Antarctica is cold. Smoothies are good.

Women of Winter

A Woman's Place is in Antarctica. Or anywhere else she darn well wants to be for that matter! And every year at the beginning of the Winter season, we Women of Antarctica get together for a little meet-n-greet. Shandra, Cathy and I planned on put on the event this year.

This year, I made a nice log book for us to pass on to future
Women of Antarctica, so we can record our legacy.

The book already has a nice collection of signatures!

Shandra works on cutting up all the appetizers.

While Cathy arranges yummy bites on pretty platters.

Delicious and tasty punch - one with a little bubbly, one with out!

So pretty! I'm sure appreciating the freshies while they're still around.

To die for! Hot cheesy artichoke dip with banana peppers.

Just a nice afternoon of chit chat.

Jenn checks out the bookmarks.

Mingle ladies mingle.

Janette and Cynthia aka Rhyme and Reason.

Quite a nice crowd.

Molly, Gracie and Jamie are all smiles.

Jenn and Kelli take a moment to reflect on some powerful women quotes!

A Passion Fruit Experience

As we enjoy the last of the freshies, Larry introduces me to the passion fruit.

Mmmmm...brown and wrinkly.

It's like slicing into a tiny brain!

Ewwww! And frog-egg like pulp with black seeds!
Despite the look and texture, the passion fruits smelled amazing. I didn't much care for the taste - they were sour and slimy and then crunchy. But I must say, I do appreciate the passion fruit, guava juice in the galley. And I tried something new!

Larry, however, loves them!

I did like how the empty shells looked.

The shells now live in a decorative nest up in the office.