What I am Thankful For…

2015-11-06 15:37:28.000 – Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

 

With Thanksgiving only being a few weeks away, our Financial/Administrative Assistant, Mary Anne, challenged the rest of the staff to write one thing per day that we are thankful for until Thanksgiving Day. Since I am leaving the Observatory in a few days to pursue another job opportunity, I decided to take on Mary Anne’s challenge and create my list of 26 things I am thankful for, here and now.

I am thankful for…

  1. The days I have spent working and living on the summit at the Mount Washington Observatory.
  2. Good Vibes Coffee; it is the observers life blood here on the summit.
  3. Being able to see temperatures so cold that bubbles freeze in air.
  4. Seeing days so cold and windy that boiling water thrown into the air crystalizes instantly.
  5. Seeing more sunrises and sunsets than I can remember, that were so breathtaking that no picture does justice trying to replicating them.
  6. Taking weather observations at the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather”.
  7. The days with a complete undercast.
  8. The days of snowboarding in the eastern snowfield.
  9. The days the summit was encased in rime ice and surrounded by clear blue skies.
  10. De-icing our weather instrumentation in winds over 120MPH!
  11. Seeing the Aurora Borealis.
  12. The time I made it into the “Century Club”.
  13. The times I didn’t make it into the “Century Club”.
  14. My boss Mike C. who has let me crash at his place during my travels to and from NJ.
  15. All the interesting people I have met on the summit through the winter trips the Observatory offers all winter long.
  16. Being selected as a summit intern in the winter of 2013.
  17. Being hired as a Weather Observer/ IT Specialist.
  18. The volunteers who have come to the summit and worked alongside us over the years.
  19. The valley staff and the work they do to keep the Mount Washington Observatory flourishing through the years.
  20. The mentoring I received from the IT staff here at the Observatory.
  21. The sponsors of the Observatory, especially Eastern Mountain Sports and Vasque, who provide us observers with the gear that keeps us warm, dry, and safe.
  22. The Observatory’s summit crew. They are some of the brightest hardworking people around. It was truly an honor working with them, especially Mike C. and Tom.
  23. Being able to spend the coming holidays with my family this year.
  24. My family and friends and the support and assistance they have given me over the years.
  25. My fiancé Rachel, who has stayed with me over the years, even with a work schedule that took me away for a week at a time. Without her love and support I don’t know where I would be today.
  26. Last but not least, all of you! The members and supporters of the Mount Washington Observatory.

 

The Mount Washington Observatory owes everything we do to the members and supporters of this organization. If it was not for their generous support we would have dissolved a long time ago. I know I am planning to continue my support after my departure, and I hope all of you that are members continue to support the Observatory, and those of you who might not be a member already, join! I promise it is not a decision that you will regret.

Well Mary Anne, there is my list. Hope you didn’t think that I was going to short you on 26 days’ worth of things I am thankful for!

 

 

Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

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