I awake to a gorgeous day in Christchurch. The clouds have cleared and it is blue sky and summer time. This morning I have breakfast with one of the IceCube drillers at Drexels. I hear it is the breakfast place for American pancakes, bagels, and french toast in CHC. We have a fascinating conversation. He just came off-ice a few days ago after finishing the completion of the IceCube construction. It is obvious that the mood is mixed. Proud to have participated in a project such as IceCube the drillers' future is now uncertain. They are all contract workers. Some of them stay on, my breakfast partner is now unemployed. With time to spare and no immediate obligations he will be heading to Mt Cook for some hiking. After that he may stay in CHC or find another unique construction project somewhere in the world. His girlfriend is from Germany. It is a small world.
After breakfast he takes me to the CDC, the Antarctic clothing distribution center. This is where many drillers store some of their belongings for up to 3 months after coming off-ice. He has a snowkite to sell which he used for recreational purposes at the Pole. I always wanted one. Why not get one that was tested and has flown at 90 degrees South? Now I can start kite-skiing on the frozen lakes in Madison....
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