October 9, 1975: Thursday

Spent the morning fixing 666, changing tires, changed growsers, and tightening tracks. I did all the underside work. Felt like a real mechanic. Berzel would be proud. Got really dirty, too.

Ate pastrami in the lab.

Drove out to Winterquarters Bay to rip off a motorized winch. Then out to the far fish-hut to fetch the sled. Did a little fishing. Caught nothing.

I drove! The trackmaster! Like a tank. Clutch at hand, twisting her in and out and between sastrugi. Didn’t wreck her or anything. We kept 666 and plugged her in up at the lab.

Moved out of my office and over into Cal’s because of all the people coming in tomorrow. Mail tomorrow, too. The weather had better be good. Waited around to get a phone patch. Magnetic storm the last couple of days. They didn’t reach me by 8:30. So I went back to the Hotel.

I don’t want to write too much here. Want to save it all for letter writing (if I get any)!

A geneological sidebar:

What’s in a Name? (A book in the lounge):
Baker O.E., Bakere Village Bread Baker: Walter and Alan Le Baker, 13th Century Shield: Sliver background, five ermine seashells on a black X cross; an ermine covered lion on a blue stripe across the shield top.
Davis Eng.;Wel., David (Heb.) Beloved one: Name traces to Bleddyn-Ap-Cynfyn, 11th Century Welsh king Shield: Red background, three silver boar’s heads.
McCormick Ire.;Scot., from Gaelic Mac-Cormaig Son of the Charioteer: Clan originated in Ireland, but some descendants migrated to Scotland centuries ago. Shield (Irish): Silver background, a red, indented-edge cross stripe between three blue eagles, all within a scallop-edge black border. Shield (Scottish): Red background, three red disks on silver chevron, set between three silver daggers, point down. Ick is Irish. Ack is Scottish.

Owens Wel.; Eng., from O.W., Owein Well born one. Shield: Silver background, a black rampant lion, a black rectangle in the upper background.