back in antarctica

What an amazing place. I am doing really well, and keeping very busy! It seems like there is hardly time to keep up with everything going on here, let alone with things back home. I'm happy to report I'm doing my part to share chocolate with this corner of the world. But not with penguins ... it's probably not good for them. (Ooh, maybe we need to do a study.) The penguins continue to do well. This time of year means lots of penguin chicks running around! Well, some are running around; others are still staying pretty close to mom or dad. The photo is of a gentoo penguin and its chick. I have seen chicks ranging from about one day old to over a month old and molting into swimming feathers. This means lots of work for me. Along with the penguins, Antarctic Fur Seals & Leopard Seals abound.

Earlier this week (what day is it?) we had some rain & snow showers. Today we have had just beautiful weather. I even left off my standard layer of fleece for this morning's work, and did just fine. I think I was starting to get dehydrated yesterday, since it's so easy to forget about in this kind of climate. Now I am paying a little more attention!

I am, of course, taking lots of great pictures. Well, lots of pictures at least. My big storage memory card for my camera seems to be having a few hiccups, so I am trying to be doubly sure that everything is backed up! I just came in from the cold and am warming up with cocoa. We'll be headed back out for another round in about an hour. I hope you are all keeping warm and snug!