Why so late?
I know what you're thinking--Thanksgiving was Thursday, well not at McMurdo Station! We are celebrating Thanksgiving today. Although I have not received an official explanation, I believe the reasoning is that most people work from Monday to Saturday, and a Saturday Thanksgiving allows most people to have a two-day weekend. Of course, a lot of people still have to work to keep everything up and running.
Helping to Prepare the Meal
Yesterday Terry and I volunteered to help out in the kitchen to prepare the Thanksgiving meal. There were lots of volunteers who signed up for different tasks at different times. The experience really gave me a sense of just how much food the kitchen staff needs to prepare. First we helped crumble up burger meat for yesterday's dinner and then we cut and filled endive leaves with flavored cream cheese for appetizers at Thanksgiving. We places 80 or so leaves on large trays and made about 10 trays of food. It was hard work! I really appreciate the amount of work the cafeteria goes through every day for us.
Terry Palmer helps prepare a beef dish by uncrumbling hamburger meat in the cafeteria.
Two of the many trays of stuffed endives appetizers which Michelle and Terry prepared for Thanksgiving.
Turkey Trot!
It is tradition at McMurdo to do a 5 Kilometer Turkey Trot every year. I signed up for the run and hoped for nice weather and luckily woke up this morning to blue skies. It was a great morning for a run! The Turkey Trot started at the chapel and went up to Scott Base, the New Zealand station, and then back. I was excited to see many runners in funny costumes for the event.
The Turkey Trot routeshows runners leaving from the chapel at McMurdo, running uphill to Scott Base and then returning. Courtesy of USGS.
Runners dressed up in silly costumes to do the annual Turkey Trot at McMurdo Station.
Michelle Brown poses with one of the Turkey runners who helped begin the Turkey Trot.
As I started out there was a cold breeze and lots of hills. It was tough to run uphill to Scott Base (about 1.5 miles) but I managed to make it! At Scott Base I turned around and the wind was at my back. While running back, I looked over the hill to see a wide expanse of sea ice and mountains with a bright blue sky. I have run a few 5Ks in Texas, but never in a landscape such as this!
Runners head up the hill towards Scott Base during the Turkey Trot.
Time to Eat
After the Turkey Trot, I prepared myself for the Thanksgiving feast. Having visited the kitchen, I knew I was in for a good meal. My research group and I met outside the cafeteria. A line of people dressed up for a nice meal stood in line.
McMurdo Handyman David
At 3:00 p.m. the doors opened for the first round of Thanksgiving festivities (other groups ate dinner at 5 and 7 p.m.). As I went from food station to food station, I was amazed at the amount and diversity of food! Our research team, along with our divers Steve Rupp and Terrill Efird, sat at a table and enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.
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The research team and divers celebrate Thanksgiving dinner together. From left to right: Steve Rupp, Steve Sweet, Andrew Klein, Terry Palmer, Joni Kincaid, Terril Efird, and Michelle Brown.
Post-Meal Coma
After our meal we headed to one of the lounges in the dormitories to watch some football. Of course napping was in order.
Steve Sweet, Andrew Klein and Terry Palmer (from left to right) watch the football game and snooze after a big meal.
We then went for a walk up to Hut Point to try to burn some of the many calories we took in today!
Terry Palmer, Steve Sweet and Andrew Klein (from left to right) head to Hut Point with Michelle and Joni after watching some football.
Questions
What is similar about Thanksgiving at your house and Thanksgiving at McMurdo Station? What is different?
Math Connection
If there were approximately 80 endives on each of the trays Terry and I prepared, and there were 9 trays, how many endive appetizers did we make?
If there are approximately 1.62 kilometers in 1 mile, how many miles did I run at the Turkey Trot?
Goofy Picture of the Day
Terril Efird and Steve Rupp have a Turkey fight at Thanksgiving Dinner.