Halloween is a big deal at McMurdo, probably because it gives people something to which they can look forward and for which they can spend time preparing. There was a big party Saturday night at the gym. People spent the days before the party searching out a costume. The options are to fashion one out of what you can find on base or to borrow one from the stock that has accumulated over the years. Some people planned ahead and brought a costume with them!
The cold can make it difficult. As you can see from the top picture, sometimes you just have to wear "big red" over your costume to keep from freezing to death. The middle picture shows that some folks may have wished they wore their coats. This centurion was running like mad from the gym to his or her room, probably because the temperature was 15 below zero (F) and there was a fierce wind blowing. The dude in the bottom picture is David, a leader of this ANDRILL project. I think the hair suits him.
Unfortunately, those of us blessed with working the night shift were unable to attend the party. However, we were visited by costumed partygoers and were able to watch the parade of costumes out the lab window.
I'm told that the Halloween party is rivaled by the Skirt Party at New Zealand's Scott Base (just over the hill from us). This is a party where all the men dress as women. Sounds interesting, given all the big hairy men down here!
