The arrival of summer

McMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA

The ice has finally melted from the inside of my bedroom window, and the darkness has vanished entirely. The first of the summer flights began arriving two weeks ago, and the population here has swelled rapidly. Somewhere between work and projects and social engagements, time has slipped away, as it always does, and suddenly it is mid-October. 


Folks bound for field camps and the South Pole have begun to arrive on station, the helicopters have started flying again, and the traffic on the sea ice road is notable. The consistently clear, bright skies make me a little sad, wistful for the nacreous clouds and gorgeous sunsets of winfly. 


There seem to be hardly enough hours in the day, nor days in the week, to tend to all the projects and obligations, not to mention the constant draw of friends and social engagements. Laundry is heaped on my bed, sewing projects fill an armchair, a wool blanket hangs where a (yet unmade) curtain ought to. My to-do list is ever longer than the hours in a day, and even a rare two day weekend has proved inadequate for conquering all of my best laid plans. And meanwhile the sunny day and warm temps beckon me to come play outside.