Volume 17 - Day 318/47, 2025 - Friday

I figured out a way to send photos to myself, which makes me feel pretty okay. We headed north yesterday, today and tomorrow will be full days at sea. This morning at breakfast, there were 'hundreds' of whales off the starboard side of the ship. Of course, I got no photos at all, but there will be photos and videos included when Quark emails us the recap of this trip. From what I have seen so far, it was extraordinary. I have seen lots of whales, but not that many in the same place. We are heading north, they were heading south, to spend their summer in the Antarctic waters. Do you remember the child's song about Yankee Doodle? The guy that stuck a feather in his hat and called it 'Macaroni?' Well, it turns out, the song was not about noodles. Macaroni was a reference to 'fancy hats,' and there is a Macaroni penguin that has beautiful, very colorful feathers on its head. Who knew? More stuff: Penguins (and whales) are 'counter shaded.' Black on their backs and white on their stomachs. So, when these animals are in the water, the black on their backs blends with the dark water, and from below the water, the white on their stomachs blends with the brightness of the light from below water. One more thing...In the winter, the sea ice doubles the size of the Antarctic continent. That a lot of ice. We are being followed by lots of birds on the way north, and I hope you enjoy the photo included with this entry.