The Second In Between

The Second In-Between: usa, england & argentina

Oh lawd. Where to even begin? Logic says, where the second winter ended, and that was at the…

South Pole, Antarctica

It was a series of patience testing struggles to get there, but I held on tight to my goal, the webbed seating of an LC130 and eventually spent five incredible days living and working at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Then I landed back at McMurdo Station and almost immediately it all felt like a fever dream, but never did I ever dream I’d make a trip to the South Pole.

That was November of 2024. I’ve got some catching you up to do, huh?!

syracuse & northern virginia

The next leg was McMurdo->Christchurch, NZ->Syracuse, NY. My lil brother and his, ahem, our, two cats moved to Ithaca, NY while I was wintering over last year, so I landed in Syracuse to my sweet baby bubs, Samuel, who picked me up at the airport and graciously let me stay with him for a few days. While he was at work, I played tourist, snuggled the kitties and relaxed after the long journey home. Then together we road-tripped to Virginia just in time for Turkey Day, where my other sweet baby bubs, Carl, met us via a flight from his home in London. After two years away from the States, it was nice to be home and nice to see mi familia. Love ya Mom and Dad!

In early December, I scooped my partner, Thomas, up from Union Station in Washington, DC and gave him a two day whirlwind tour of my stomping grounds in Northern Virginia.

london & widford, england

After a couple days of introducing Thomas to Virginia, we took a pond hopping flight to London. My brother and his wife were still back visiting in the States so we were able to stay at their flat while I showed Thomas my college days stomping grounds and more of my roots. I had a short but sweet visit with my UK family, grateful to see my Granddad and spend time with Auntie Amanda and Uncle Tim in their lovely home in quintessential village of Widford before heading back to Virginia for Christmas.

virginia

After traipsing all over London and the English countryside, Thomas and I flew back to our respective family units for Christmas. I was able to spend time with the Mumsy, Papa Bear and bestie, Francesca, (whose family continues to grow…beautifully). Along with many visits with my sweet Virginia Nana, who passed away just a couple months later.

Argentina

Thomas and I met up again a few days before New Year’s Eve, in the airport in Dallas en route to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where we spent the next month trying to see what was ultimately a smidge of the massive country. We met up with our ice friends, Alicia and Candace, and completed the O-Trek in Patagonia, saw a few more than massive glaciers, and enjoyed experiencing the Argentine culture.

florida

We ended our off-ice adventures together in Thomas’ hometown of Jacksonville, Florida which was another tick on the map for me. Thomas was an excellent tour guide for my ten-day immersion into North Floridian culture. We winter camped at an eco-hostel in Southern Georgia, took the ferry for the day to Cumberland Island, people watched St.Augustine and had meals upon meals with his fam bam. A great ending to the off-season.

That brought us to mid-February and back down to the ice for my third winter and fourth season at McMurdo Station.