Dec 31st: Danco Island and New Year's Eve

 It's our last day of operations! Can you believe it? 

We have been at sea 9 days. A week of them have been beyond extraordinary. Actually ALL of them have and just because I upchucked the first day, it doesn't mean it wasn't an adventure at sea also. LOL

Every day has exceeded expectations in all respects. The weather has cooperated more than we ever deserved and at every turn the scenery just gets better, the wildlife cuter and the relationships forged on the ship, more fun. 

Speaking of the ship... If you are contemplating this type of trip and have reservations because Zodiac operations and landings may be physically challenging for you, I'd love to remind you that a lot of my breathtaking experiences occurred onboard. Check out these pics from today.  The first one is taken through our slightly-less-than-clean, cabin window. The rest from outside on deck as the ship traveled.

Before I get too sentimental about it being the last day, I should let you know that I did remember stay present and was sure to enjoy the last penguin landings, last Zodiac rides and last chance to put the camera through its paces before we head back across the Drake. 

The skua's are making the most of every opportunity...

Penguin "highways" are routes carved into the snow, leading to and from the water. They are so deep this year that when viewed side-on, penguins are at times invisible as the tracks are deeper than the penguins are tall! Colonies are mostly located high on hills... a steep climb for us but hard to imagine the determination it takes when your legs are 3" long and your arms point backwards as you hike!

Gail and Jan are still quarantined after returned positive COVID tests on board. But efforts are made to give them as much of an experience as possible while maintaining separation from the other passengers.

I admit my heart was kinda breaking for Gail and I think she handled the separation from us a bit better than I did.  Yes, I can learn a lot from her positive attitude. I'm working on it. 

In the penguin world, just like the human world, it's pretty apparent when one needs a bath!

In the penguin world, as in our weird culture, the giving of rocks to one that you hope to impress, is common. I laughed a little at their offerings... before realizing the irony.

Does the crew ever get tired of the view or bored with the privilege of landing on Antarctica? I think not. I never saw anyone exhibit behavior that wasn't akin to ours... The magic of Antarctica puts a twinkle in everyone's eyes and every day, every place is a new adventure!

A mating couple! I guess the rocks work after all. :-)

This Gentoo penguin colony was only as far along as incubating eggs. The heavy snowfall this season has put them behind schedule and like the Adelie colony further south, they are hard pushed for time to get their offspring hatched, raised and self-sustaining before the harsh winter of Antarctica arrives once more.

Success for this skua. He has robbed a penguin of it's egg and now takes it well away from prying eyes to crack it open and eat the contents. A heartbreaking moment for the unlucky parents, I'm sure. 

It's glacier calving season here too at Danco Island. The noise is deafening and the resulting waves are enough to stop Zodiac landing operations for about 10 minutes.

Funny thing... later, while editing all these pictures, I congratulated myself that over the course of the last week my shutter finger had become less weighty. That I'd learned restraint and to be more particular about what I shot. That there were only about 150 pictures to edit for December 31st. 

Whoops, my bad! I later discovered the extra memory card still tucked up in my camera! Around midday I had swapped cards out because space was questionable. I downloaded images from the first card of the day, but it wasn't until later - much later - that I realized I was missing pics! LOL... there were then 250+ more photos to edit!

If you are thinking that there are too many pictures in this post... Tough! This is the abridged version and my personal record of the memories I take from each day. There are simply a lot of memories today that I'd like to cherish!

Sue... and behind her come Jason and Rune, our photography experts.

And the day was not done with us yet! It was new year's eve. 

A celebratory dinner, music and festive company was the perfect way to wind down the day, bring some more awareness and gratitude for ending 2022 on the best kind of high and welcoming in 2023 with love, friendship and optimism.

I heard it said many times by my fellow passengers, that this was the best day ever. It may well have been. I know I felt finally in the flow of life aboard an expedition vessel and had immense gratitude for where I was and who I was with as well as those folks at home who had been working hard to make sure my trip was all it could be and then some. But honestly, I couldn't say this was the best day ever because it had been preceded by many exceptional days. All were different and were the best in some regard. 

This is why, my friends, I'll look back on and (hopefully) truly comprehend at some point, the utter privilege and luck that the Universe has bestowed on my life, to allow me - a little girl from Tokoroa - to find herself aboard the Ocean Endeavour. Living my dream, photographing wild places and wildlife that is so unspoiled that the animals have nothing but curiosity when they see us!