Planning the next trip(s)...

Hi Gang- back again. No pictures this time, since a picture of me on the phone or computer at my office probably wouldn't be too exciting...

But it's an important part of this field work, we have to make sure all our plans are set out before we arrive, or it'll all come crashing down around us (figuratively, that is). So here are a few of the things I'm doing these days:

- getting dates figured out. It looks like I'm going to Svalbard in late April, then Greenland (Summit and Raven) in late May to early June. Then another trip to Greenland in mid August.
- arranging plans for cargo transport. I need to get gear from here to Svalbard. Most of my gear for Greenland is already there, but I still need to get my clod weather clothing together. That can come later.
- thinking about what new spare parts I need or new parts to try out on the system. With an experiment like this, where Science Techs work with my equipment through the winter, there's ample time for things to break, and for the system to be refined. This is the chance to bring what I need, since there isn't a store "just down the road".

There are other things as well. This year I have another piece of logistics to think about: on October 22 Suzanne and I had a beautiful baby girl named Olivia. I'll be missing them both when I go to the field, and wanting to make sure Suzanne has all the support she needs to take care of Olivia at home. Take a look at Olivia's pictures and stories on her blog: http://oliviahawley.blogspot.com.

In any case, I thought I'd post now to point out that although I'm not in the field right now, I am doing things that directly relate to the field work that I'll be undertaking in a few months. Stay tuned as the time draws nearer!