crossing the drake

January 24
Reunited with my luggage at the last minute (that last post was not a hypothetical), all's going well down here. It's a beautifully calm day to continue South across the Drake Passage. The low winds also means few birds, which is alright with me. Much though I enjoy the birds (this morning I saw Wandering & Black-browed albatross, southern giant petrels, and for mammals, hourglass dolphins). I've felt the action of the open ocean a time or two, but mostly the day has been just fine. I'm looking forward to Antarctica. I brought some brownies with me for the trip down, but otherwise it's been other kinds of goodies - wine, cheese empanadas, and the like. Yum. It's fun to be back in this world, getting to know some more people who devote pieces of their lives to this crazy place. And now, it's time for a little reading.