Health Emergencies and Friends

Julia has had a harrowing week. They were asked to rescue a guy from a fishing boat who was having cardiac issues (later confirmed, a stroke) and bring him all the way to McMurdo Station. The waves were too high when they approached the fishing boat, so they had to take the zodiac (small boat on their ship) to reach them. After some time, they decided to leave the guy on the fishing boat with a bunch of meds from Julia's ship doctor, and they headed to the nearest port on their own. Hopefully, the guy will be OK. 

Some less serious but unfortunate news: someone opened a window, and water streamed into Julia's backpack and ruined her iPad. :(

Mom spent the week in Rochester with Aunt Linda, Uncle Time, and friends. Highlights included seeing Pete and Cara, Aunt Ruthie, Patty, and Kristen--and watching Kristen's son, Josh, win a volleyball tournament at Roberts Wesleyan.

For fun, here's a picture of Booberry checking out her abs. :)

Success and Back to the Boat

Success! They were able to drill for ice cores to 150 meters as planned. Julia also took some snow density samples from a snow pit. This puts our few inches of snow this past week in perspective. :) As of January 20, they are back on the ship. The long journey back to New Zealand begins. 

Drilling and Birthday Celebration

Shortly after arriving on the ice of Antarctica, the team was hit with a colossal snow and wind storm. Julia spent 20 hours in her tent alone with limited Wi-Fi and supplies (Oreos? salt?), which resulted in a partial burial of her tent. Thankfully, conditions improved and they were able to start drilling for the ice core samples. The last picture of her is in front of the drilling tent. They have just a few more meters to reach their goal and a few days left to do it. Praying for continued safety and stable weather.

In DC, we celebrated Steven's 55th birthday. Mom took us to see, As You Like It, a fun mash-up of Shakespeare and The Beatles. The Sarrges enjoyed tons of snow and skiing in Park City, UT.

Antarctica and Park City

Julia has officially landed on the Canisteo Peninsula (Antarctica) and is in the process of setting up camp. We had the chance to talk with her and she sounded so happy and excited. It was good to hear her voice. Her roommates, the food, and whale watching have all been good. She got some work done on a research paper as well. Thank you for your continued prayers for her safety and good health while camping in Antarctica.

Mom, Steven, and I ventured to Park City, UT, to see Clarkson, Laura, and Emmie--and their amazing, new house! We saw the quaint town, hiked, and visited the Utah Olympic Park (real people training there and a cool museum), Olympic Oval (we skated there!), and a bit of Salt Lake City (the Utah State Capitol building and Temple Square). Check out the picture of the mule deer that Mom captured in front of a bank. 

It was nice to catch up with them and to see Emmie before she goes back to Leuven. And, Laura and Emmie are incredible cooks, so the food was top-notch as always. So, so good. As a side bonus, Steven and I tried out their Peloton Tread and were immediately hooked. My fitness routine will never be the same.

Happy New Year 2024!

Julia is en route to Martin's Peninsula. Unfortunately, Starlink is not available on the ship, :( so she is relying on spotty Wi-Fi. She isn't able to send pictures, videos, or check Snapchat; thankfully, we still get text messages. She said she feels good, although they've gone through many time changes--initially 18 hours ahead, they experienced 2 Saturdays, and now are in the Alaska Time Zone. I'm not sure how she is keeping her days straight or how any of this may be affecting her circadian rhythms. Pictured below is the helicopter stored on the ship and a couple of her meals (not bad!). 

Here in DC, we spent quality time with friends and family, walking the dogs, puzzling, and lots of good food. Don, Laura, and Skyler came to celebrate. I went to a bubble party with Vera, Maggie, and Vickie. We had a chance to catch up with the Breens too.