Nathan Tift's South Pole Journal
Monday, June 25, 2001
One Night Away From Antarctica
Like most South Pole holidays, our midwinter celebration continued through the weekend when most people have more free time.
Our station manager Jerry inaugurated a horde of Poleys into the tradition of sampling an array of special midwinter brews from around the world. As a licensed beer taster, Jerry has amassed many of these customary ales and lagers, most only brewed once a year. Some of the beers were quite rare and obtained by Jerry as a result of his spotlighting to the brewery the unique destination for consumption. It was amusing to note many of the bottles' labels had a Christmas theme to coincide with the midwinter of most locales. It was indeed the middle of winter, but in June, Christmas could not be farther away.
Changing pace a little after the beer tasting, Ben (an Australian) introduced us to some of the Outback's finer hooch by giving samples of his family's rum.
Saturday was our big midwinter meal. Again volunteers annexed the Galley to put together another great South Pole feast. Foremost of the fare this time were turkey and roast beef
The a cappella singing group "Froze 'n Harmony," which had not made a public appearance since Christmas arose midway through midwinter dinner to serenade the seated assemblage. Unannounced, we (I'm part of the group) began to croon Holst's "In the Bleak Midwinter." It seemed an appropriate song, especially with a slight change in the last line of lyrics:
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In the bleak midwinter, Frosty wind made moan. Earth stood cold as iron, Water like a stone. Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow. In the bleak midwinter, Here at the Pole. |
One of the other semi-organized musical groups made their debut after dinner. We cleared away a few tables to make room for the rock band "Johnny Five and the Winter Tones." And after moving aside a few more tables we had room for a dance floor. The band rocked late on through the night and the floor was packed.
These formal dinners seem to work like clockwork now. We have taken out the white tablecloths and candlesticks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and now Midwinter. Yet it remains amazingly satisfying to have these nice meals. In a way it is an escape. It may be the same old Galley where I've eaten every meal for the last eight months. It may be the same people I see every day. But with those same people dressed up in classy attire and the candlelight -- tinted rose through wineglasses -- casting shadows on a finely set table of fancily folded napkins, it seems that if for one brief moment I am not at the South Pole. I am transported to some elegant establishment thousands of miles from here for one fantastic night off the continent. One night away from Antarctica.
