1. Chad insisted that I get a picture of the “bumblebee stay” that’s currently strung up down in the rig shop. Admittedly, it does look very two-toned and stylish:

2. The rig shop and wood shop will be closed from Saturday, December 24 through Tuesday, January 2. We’ll be back to work on January 3.

3. The glitter from Christmas Tree Ship (which was a rousing success; thank you to everyone who braved the cold and snow to volunteer and/or attend!) is slowly but surely vanishing. Spar Alley is still looking suspiciously sparkly, but the rest of the museum is almost back to normal.

4. Kate’s back! When  I asked her how she felt about returning to work another season of winter maintenance, she glanced down at her paint-splattered Carhartts and said “dirty.”

5. Most of the snow on the plaza has melted, and it looks like it’ll be warm(ish) for the rest of the work week, so for anyone who’s thinking about coming down to volunteer before the holiday break: we probably won’t have to move snow! It’s Erie’s Christmas gift to us.

Happy holidays–and thanks for sticking with us all year long.