4th of July - Camping, Deer Babies, Wake Boarding

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We have had a new resident. Actually there several new residents. A deer decided to have her kids in the back yard. They are here often. I can see them from my Zoom Room, so I apologize if I seem a little distracted sometimes when I am on a video call. We went canoeing and camping in South Carolina. We were exploring without a lot of planning, so you get what you expect- adventure and discovery. We stopped by the Tallulah Gorge lookout. When I rode my motorcycle through the area in the early 80's, I vowed I would come back. And I have come back-- again. I ate my traditional moon pie there as well. The Tesla is a great camper. Charge the battery, run the AC and enjoy the filtered ventilation with a nice entertainment system. Crazy. The paddleing wasn't that good. We found ourselves in Lake Keowee. The campground was good if you speak Spanish, and only enjoy power sports on small boats. I am a bit disturbed by the new trend of wake boarding. Instead of skiing being towed by...
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Yesterday and today we are having some significant comms (Antarctica speak for radio) issues to deal with. The diversity of equipment I have to work on is great. Everyday I get to learn about a new radio of some sort. Today I worked on complex NASA equipment for monitoring spacecraft telemetry.

Last night at dinner I was laughed at by a janitor (with a degree) by saying that we are doing all this for science. He thought I was joking. I was not. There is a purpose to all of what is done down here, the dishes, the toilets, the radios, the aircraft are elements of a grand mission of discovery. It is to push human understanding forward. I suppose if you didn't see or appreciate that fact this might be a tough place to work. If you do see it... it is a calling. I spent some time trying to figure out his purpose. Sure the program can not all be perfectly focused on science (no human endevor of science could ever be), but the overall thrust is clearly and sincerely focused on science of many different disciplines. We are here for the same reason we send spacecraft to other planets. This is a special place on earth in this regard. The best place to get the reasons why we are here is the official website www.usap.gov

The vehicle show is a 1957 Tucker Sno-cat. This one unlike the previous one I took a picture of it is fully functional and an original to the program. Much of the stuff here that was brought here since the early 1900s is still here. If it is useful there is no need to retrograde (send back to the US). The other picture shows an exciting sight... Far off on the bulding top there is a bird. This is exciting for experienced people. This is a sure sign of summer. It is a Skua (Skoo UH)

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4th of July - Camping, Deer Babies, Wake Boarding

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