to the end of the world and back

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Salley Mavor

The experience of being in Antarctica cannot be adequately conveyed in photographs and words. The continent is a truly awesome part of our planet, with an environment so different and extreme that my visit was as close to being on another planet as I’ll ever experience. From the deck of our big comfortable boat, we saw this sailing ship, with some more adventurous tourists aboard. The monochromatic scenery was breathtakingly beautiful! And everywhere there was wild life to gawk at.

We woke up a napping elephant seal pup.

We had to bundle up, but the temperatures were mild for the end of the world–in the 30’s F.

Being the height of summer, the sun was out most of the day and night.

The elephant seals sang (or grunted), “There were 9 in the bed and the little one said, roll over, roll over.”

Polly had a great time!

Throughout the frozen landscape, there were signs of growth, like these lichens and moss.

The adorable penguins won our hearts.

And an occasional seal on an ice flow noticed our presence. Antarctica was worth the trip! My husband, Rob Goldsborough took many of the photographs I’ve shown from this trip. See more of his great pictures of Antarctica on Flickr.

penguin pot holders

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Our trip to Antarctica has produced penguin fever! Luckily the local fabric shop had some penguin fabric to make pot holders, which I traditionally give for Christmas. See a tutorial about making my style of pot holder here. I picked fabric scraps from my stash that reminded me of the Antarctic landscape, including a dark purple and blue Mari Mekko design I’ve had forever.

Old cotton mattress pads work well for the padding.

Striped sear sucker fabric cut on the bias finishes the outside edge.

It’s time to wrap them in the penguin wrapping paper I found at the super market. Merry Christmas!

Antarctica: birds

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Salley Mavor

We just flew into Logan after about 24 hours of traveling, beginning in Ashuaia, Argentina, to Santiago Chile, to Atlanta to Boston. After a day of flying and while we wait in the airport to catch the bus to the Cape, I thought I’d write a post and show you the splendid birds we saw in Antarctica. Some were seen from the boat and others we saw on land. Can you guess what they are? Answers at the end of this post.

Birds, top to bottom: Cape petrel, Antarctic fulmar, Cape petrel, Giant Antarctic petrel, Giant Antarctic petrel, petrel, Giant Antarctic petrel.

Antarctica: Polly at the rookery

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Polly has visited several penguin rookeries, which have their own pungent perfume! The penguins are such entertaining and curious creatures! Both the male and female take turns sitting on the egg and keep up the nest of stones.

gentoo

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Antarctica: landscapes

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Salley Mavor

I’m downloading these photos at 5:00 AM, taking advantage of the time. The sun has been up for hours and the internet is wide open because almost all of the boat’s passengers are asleep and not trying to send e-mails and their pictures of this amazing place. Antarctica is a most spectacular environment, which I think my husband Rob has captured in these photos. Enjoy!

Antarctica: zodiac tour

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Salley Mavor

We’re finally able to get internet service, so here are a selections of pictures taken from a zodiac. Polly saw some amazing ice formations and some very cute penguins.

Polly meets the Penguins

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Salley Mavor

See Polly and the penguins on my Facebook page.

at the end of the world

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Salley Mavor

2 days ago, we arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America yesterday. For lunch, we had barbecued lamb at a arestaurant/cross country skiing/dog sledding opperation. Since it’s summer, the dogs just hung around outside of their houses.

Our boat headed out to sea last night.

Today, Polly saw her forst iceberg! The seas are unusually calm for the Drake Passage, which makes for a happy boat load of people. Besides the iceberg, we’ve already seen spouting whales and albatross flying near the boat. This is turning into a spectacular trip!