Antarctica...

Those of you who know me, are aware of my fascination with all things Antarctic. I have been on the mailing list for Quark Expeditions, a leading Antarctic travel company for many years. I always pour over their catalog and marvel at the photographs. I am so intrigued, that I have even been known to base my reading selections on whether or not the story includes anything about this frozen continent! In fact, I recently discovered that the author (Kim Stanley Robinson) of a fiction book I read called "Antarctica" had applied for a special "grant" from the National Science Foundation's Artists & Writers Program. You can read more about this program here.

Basically, the program provides paid travel to and from Antarctica, room and board at the science station, and a loaner on cold weather clothing. Cool!

I stumbled across the blog of one of the latest grant recipients, David Ruth. He is a glass artist from California and he is studying the natural ice formations in Antarctica in anticipation of recreating the structures in glass. Check out his
Antarctica Blog.