Almost Done

The pictures are off the wall, I vacuumed up all the volcanic dirt and bits of cheese and bread off the floor, and my possessions have been divided into a box that will remain here and my backpack of practical travel clothes.  I had today off to clean and pack and "bag drag," which is actually dragging your bags up to the transport building to weigh in what each person will account for on the flight tomorrow.  BUT, our plane got delayed coming to pick us up, so there will be at least one more day of half-assed work before leaving.  Luckily, the winter crew are all good cooks and have things well in hand, so we'll make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, mop the floor, and call it a day.

The weather has been quite nice lately, and I've taken a couple more turns around my favorite hiking path.  The open water has come relatively far in -- not record-breakingly so, but beyond what it has in several years.  Here you can see some seals hanging out near the edge, which ominously creaked with the tide.  I didn't see any big chunks break off during my hike, but that's what's happening.

I had the time, inclination, and permission to use actual good food in a soup on my (formerly) last day, and spent a cheerful hour or so nicely cutting carrots, onions, celery, and parsnips into tiny cubes.  These were gently cooked before being combined with vegetables stock.  But the best thing I've made in a long time was my own breakfast omelet, in a pan on the stove, with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, gouda, and lots of butter.  We've all passed a good amount of time talking about what restaurant food we'll get in New Zealand.  Sushi is a popular choice, and good beer is high on lots of people's lists.  Conversely, we all have fractions of liquor bottles to bestow on the winter-overs.

Hey -- I did it!  I got up last Saturday night at 12:30, walked in the frigid cold and watched the sunset!  This doesn't really do it justice, but I like Scott's hut on the right there:

There were a few clouds to catch the colors, and though it was windy I stayed for a decent interval.  I thought it would set extremely slowly, but once the edge was touching the horizon, it proceeded as it usually does.  It was still pretty light out after it was completely gone, and supposedly it's staying set for a few hours a night now.  If it's not too overcast, I'll try to catch it one more time before I go.