As I type this, I am in the process of dubbing my VHS tape of my year at the South Pole onto DVD. For those of you who don't know the price on a combination DVR/DVD writer went below $500 so I jumped on it. Okay in a year it will probably be $50 bucks, but my tapes they were aging and the one I am dubbing today is one of those personal momentos like tapes of the kids or such that is a great personal treasure. If only to signify not only a thrill of a life time, but a great turning point in my life, but I digress.
Anyway, last week I dubbed the video from VHS to the DVR (Digital Video Recorder, nothing more than a large computer hard drive that acts like a VCR) part of the recorder. I have wanted to write it to DVD for permanent storage, but if I'm dubbing I can't use the TV for the time that it is writing, that's kind of how I have it wired. So I have about an hour and a half to dub the full contents to the DVD and finalize it so it will play on any player. Very cool.
Watching this video (actually a string of short videos and then the main feature), has brought back all of the memories from 10 years ago when I began my journey. As I said in earlier post, 10 years ago on the 23rd of October (last Saturday) I flew from Christchurch, New Zealand (a place that I would love to return to visit, Lord willing) to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Now 10 years ago today, as I look at the large Antarctic map on my wall in front of me with Mom's notations of dates when flew in and flew out of Antarctica, I flew to The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to begin my 1 year retreat.
It's hard to believe that it has been 10 years since and in that time I have ventured back for one summer season at the Pole, joined the National Weather Service and have travelled around the US in those 10 years. Of course, I have travelled other places in the world, prior to 1994 with the Navy, but those are other stories. It's amazing to me the places that God has allowed me to go.
I try not to mention the South Pole too much these days, as I sometimes feel its just me trying to be semi-important, but I will if I think it is important to the context of a story I am telling. However, those stories are being substituted with more recent memories as even I get tired of telling them to a certain extent.
2 comments:
Ok, had to comment on this one!!! This really fascinates me! I didn't know you were in the Navy, but I am sure there are many things I don't know about you...but nevertheless (is that supposed to be one word?) I am fascinated that you went to Antartica, and that you were in the Navy. I have never been off this continent..well except for the one cruise I went on to the Grand Cayman Islands, but that's not that far off this continent and it is a bad memory for me, so I don't think about it too much. Anyway!!!!! Sometimes I forget I'm commenting on the latest post and I think I am emailing you, and so I tend to say more than what I should. Anyway....you will have to tell me about your experience to the South Pole. I would absolutely LOVE to go to New Zealand! That is like my dream place to go!!!! Seriously, or Australia. Either one, but if I had my choice, New Zealand! So, maybe you could tell me the stories one more time, if you're not too sick of them!!!
No problem with telling you about my South Pole experience.
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