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My 'seatime' on USCG discharge lists six months duty on a icebreaker and one Southpat ( Southern Patrol) to Antarctica. I brought along Shackelton's SOUTH and enjoyed tracing his voyage, the rare opportunity to visit his gravesite and drink a smuggled shot of whisky in toast. I have a Antarctic service medal, just about the only one not
rescinded and the only one I cared about anyway. I imagine of all the many people I've read or read about he has
always been the one I admire most.
The old books on polar exploration are all very collectable and expensive. I've managed reading what I can at libraries
under the watchfull eye of the collections clerks, a few reprints and wrote a scathing 'Letter to the editor' at OUTSIDE magazine when some ignorant twit made an unfounded insult to Sir Earnest and saw it published with a retraction- rare for that useless rag.
I was out and about and passed a garage sale, our residential equal of a boot sale. The usual junk; late uncle Ralph's old golf clubs, musty suits and wrinkled ties. Among it all was this book. I CALMLY asked how much? Oh, is $1 to much? I bought it and walked away quickly lest someone see the flash of exultation in my eyes poker players watch for. These books are never less than three figures.
Home safely I am playing this odd old musical score titled Antarctica with bone chilling wind effects. It's been 100 F give or take this summer and all my winter woolens lie drycleaned and safely folded in a Chinese camphorwood chest with no foreseeable use.
MY Antarctica is breaking up and it also breaks my heart. I love this book and curse not being born earlier.