Wood Stove

-
Image
I rebuilt a wood stove I had in storage. The only textual items on the stove is "Made in West Germany". After puzzling about how to repair the broken leg (everything from welding with tungston rod to fabricating a splice), I found a similar replacement foot. It was similar, so I ended up buying two in order to make it look and set right. It was a fun "little" project. It cost me about $150 in materials and probably took me about 8 hours. I am looking forward to getting it fired up at some point. Since it is going back into storage I am wrapping it up with as much rust inhibitor as I can. I bought some VCI paper for the effort.
Post a Comment
-

Word is getting out. I am headed to Antarctica this winter! I keep thinking about different musical ballads that seem appropriate. The Theme to the Beverly Hillbillies always seems pop into my head. However, I have not yet conjured the appropriate lyrics.

The Ballad of Jed Clampett by Paul Henning - Beverly Hillbillies Lyrics

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed, Then one day he was shootin at some food, And up through the ground came a bubblin crude.

Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

Well the first thing you know ol Jed's a millionaire, Kinfolk said "Jed move away from there" Said "Californy is the place you ought to be" So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.

Hills, that is. Swimmin pools, movie stars.

Well now its time to say good by to Jed and all his kin. And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in. You're all invited back a gain to this locality To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality

Hillybilly that is. Set a spell, Take your shoes off.

Y'all come back now, y'hear?.

I still have to get official paper work done and become PQ'd (Phyically Qualified) but it is a pretty sure thing at this point.

I have been reading so much about Antarctica. Everything about the place just seems so... well.. cool. I will be working for four months based out of McMurdo base as a Senior Communications Technician. What that means is that I get to do field work. I will be repairing and maintaining radio equipment to support the profoundly important science work in Antarctica. When I first met these folks who have been doing this for a while I was amazed at how well we clicked. I felt (and so did they) that we already knew each other. It will be great working with these folks.

The following pic is a good one to start with. I am using this map without permission because I don't remember where I got it from. McMurdo Base in this view is kind of above the Idaho/Montana area. There are three permanent US bases currently in Antarctica, Palmer (on the Peninsula), McMurdo and Pole (No sense calling it south down here). Although in the summertime it is sunlight 24 hours a day, the program primarily operates on New Zealand time since US logistics is mostly done through Christchurch NZ. (cheech).

Before I am deployed, I am going to be writing about what I think the experience will be like so I can reflect on what it really is like when I am actually on the ice.

My perception is that McMurdo runs on Diesel and Coffee. It is described as a mining town. There will be over 1000 people there in the austral summer when I am there. It all seems very fascinating to me. I think the people will be pleasant and will have common interests to myself. I will be staying in a shared dorm room when I am at McMurdo (Mac Town).

I hear of Doctors and such working as General Attendants (GAs) for the experience. I am fortunate that I have extensive IT experience with Ethernet networking, Digital Microwave, Analog and Digital Telephony and VHF and HF radio experience. The food is supposed to be good. And of course food that is free is a pretty good start on the road of being good. I will be working a minimum of 60 Hrs a week. Right now that seems like a part time job. We shall see. One of the quotes I have been kind of dwelling on is:

"First you fall in love with Antarctica, and then it breaks your heart." — Kim Stanley Robinson, first line of his book Antarctica."

This quote makes sense to me at this point. There is no avoiding the harsh, lifeless enormity of the continent. Although it is facinating in the planning stage.

I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have a job that has allowed me to pursue this adventure and even more fortunate to have a spouse that I will be able to return to in February.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Congratulations
9:14 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Solon NY Water Mill

-
Image
I went and looked at the Solon Pond Mill. I was mistaken last time when I was up there in 2000. It was Summer and everything was overgrown. The mill is about an 1/8 mile from the building I thought might have been the mill. The mill is in rough shape. But everything is still there. I couldn't get underneath to see if the turbine was in good shape. I had heard that it was buried in muck. I suspect it is there, but probably in rough shape as well. It is a combination grist and saw mill, and could be restored to do exactly that. I am going to pass. I was thinking it would make a great homesite however. There is 3.9 acres (a lot for a mill) and you could build a nice house that looked period and work on getting an awesome water powered workshop out back. There is a planner, and it looks like a jig saw and I bet a few other pieces of woodworking equipment in there. All the shafting looks good. It is fun to think about the coolness of starting with logs and making furniture all out in th...
Read more
-
Image
I am flying this morning. We are getting off the beaten trail. We are going to Mt Heine on White Island and Williams Cliff on the side of Mt. Erebus. We are trying to determine if we have a found a better radio location at these two points. We are taking GPS, maps, a 900 Meg radio and ice axes. It will make the network simpler if I can prove these spots will work. Cravasses are common near Williams Cliff so we are on high-guard about where we will set the helo down. We may not set down at all. Cravasses are really problematic down here. They are hundreds of feet deep and they are very often covered with snow. Sometimes the snow may be 6 or 10 feet thick and may support equipment for a while. Then one day the equipment breaks through. Ice radar is normally used for traverses.
Read more
-
Image
Iceland was a real hoot. It is a mecca for off-road, drone-toting, adventure seekers. There is a surprise around every mountain or glacier. There is considerable variety to the landscapes and near limitless long vistas for reflections. I will go back again. Here is a multi-million dollar view of Iceland. Here are few stills from the drone. I flew both in the rain and in winds over 40 mph. This is just a small sample.
Read more

CAT D6 started after 30 years of Sitting!

-
Image
Well the big fun this weekend was that we got the CAT D6 Dozer running! After 30 years of not being run it now runs. When the diesel finally kicked it did not disappoint in the slightest. The thing belched a big black cloud of black smoke and the cooling fan emptied the radiator of 30 years worth of bugs parts and mouse nests all over us. The neighbor came over pretty much in disbelief. In thinking about it, he had only ever lived across the street, it appears, and he was maybe 40 years old. That machine had been a familiar static fixture for almost his whole life. Something simple like getting that big old engine running is truly a lot of fun and was satisfying. I don't have a video of the engine rebirth. It took more hands than two people have to work the controls required to get the thing started. Now it is a bit more work to get it to move. It appears the brakes and possibly other parts are stuck.
Read more

Back to the "Deep South" in Duluth GA

-
Image
I get a kick out of hearing the term "Deep South" in 2026. It is a crazy incredibly outdated label. I think maybe I should start saying the "Deep Northeast". I am a Yankee. My family came over on the Mayflower and moved to Upstate NY via Connecticut. Terms used in the revolutionary and Civil war days are generally inappropriate. My family is all but totally out of NY State now. I find the term "deep south" to be of the same thinking that the movie "Heidi" is what contemporary Europe is like. Watching the fireworks in Rochester, NY from the back yard of a house in the city made it look like a real war zone. It is a long drive between Berkshire, NY and Duluth, GA. Most of the 35K miles on the truck were spent in between. I drove the truck about 3k miles in 2-1/2 weeks. It was great to spend time on the farm. It was good to make some progress on needed repairs and improvements. I also felt good about making some new friends up there. I will be...
Read more