Liberty Specs

Follow this link to find out the particulars of the Liberty Drill Rig.
http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=4705&contentId=7054829

Sunrise 10-31-09

Sunrise over the frozen Beaufort Sea

The Office

Here are some photos of my "office" it is the red conex seen in the left photo. In the reight photo is the door handle, oh it reminds you of a walk in freezer as well. Good I was hoping I was not going crazy up here. It even has the pushbutton release on the inside. Fortunately it is designed to keep the cold out instead of in. Interesting enough I have not been able to find an outdoor thermometer around here. Possibly someone may have gotten rid of them all in an attempt to improve moral. Today's high was supposed to be ten and I could definitely feel the difference.

Polar Bear Bridge

Here is that view from yesterday that still had water in it well today it was froze over with six inches of snow on top. The Island is slowly being attached to land and yet there is no escape.

I LOVE MY WIFE

My wife, how can I put words to express how I feel about her. She is amazing, we have three young children that she cares for and nurturers. Julie homeschools the oldest, Allie, and is constantly concerned with having shared enough attention between them. Did I mention that she is 21 weeks pregnant. Julie supports me in everything I do, sure she questions me and has great council during decisions wee make but when I have made a decision she stands by me. I appreciate that. I am currently in Alaska about as far away from home as I can get and she has the strength to manage the household put effort into AMP and still do everything the girls need her to do. When I ask her what is bothering her at times she tells me that she is worried that the house is not clean enough or that she has not cooked enough dinners or that she may be behind on laundery. I just want Julie and anyone else she may interact with that while she does those things and she does them well, that is not her calling. She is the most wonderful mother of our children and the sweetest wife a man could ever ask for. Come to our house and you may see where the kids have tracked dirt in in the last ten minutes or so but overall the house will be clean, lived in yes but clean and sanitary the perfect home for our kids. She does a great job of giving our kids room to live and not be hindered by having to clean up before they are finished playing and balancing that with them having the responsibility of cleaning up after themselves. Julie gives of herself so much I hope she knows how much I appreciate her. She rocks my world. Never in my life would I have dreamed I could have found a woman who balances all of her responsibilities as well as Julie does. Her love for God drives me to new levels of commitment to Him and inspires me to be a better man. Julie I LOVE YOU. Please stand by me for the rest of my life.

Feng Shui

Imagine this and a mirror image where my roommate sleeps. Yes, I said roommate. These rooms are about 13X11 and have two beds, a desk, two armoires, and a sink.

SDI North Slope

Here are some photos of the Beaufort Sea from the staircase on the side of the stacks of temporary buildings that I live in. The bottom show what little bit of actually liquid water is left and it was considerably smaller this evening than it was this morning.

Where am I!!

Here is what Wikipedia says about Endicott Island

Endicott Island is a 45-acre (0.18 km²) artificial island located in the Beaufort Sea in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located 2.5 miles (4 km) offshore, 15 miles (24 km) from Prudhoe Bay, it was built in 1987 and is used by BP and ExxonMobil for petroleum production.

I am actually on a satellite island about three miles from Endicott. Liberty Island is six miles offshore. The Beaufort Sea is starting to freeze around us and water can now only be seen in one direction. The drill rig is designed to go down 4500 ft and then start turning horizontal approx. 3 degrees every 100 ft . Once it turns horizontal it can drill out 50,000 ft to the oil. This rigs is designed to move across the land and will eventually be used to drill back under the tundra and extract oil below the land reducing its environmental impact. This is the start of the Alaskan Pipeline. The terminus is in Valdez, AK which I had the opportunity to visit several years back.

They brought me up here on short notice to have me test protective relays installed in the switchgear here. Now that I am here they have let me know that it may be several more days before they have the settings for these relays. So we sit and wait.

Endicott SDI

Here I am on the largest land based drill rig in the world and so far it has been too dark to see it. I am also told that I am on an Island that information too is yet to be verified. I have seen the signs that warn of polar sightings in the area. I am wondering how they saw them in the dark. I spend more time taking off and putting on over clothes just to go outside for a few moments. For some reason in this place that is suppose to be so tough everywhere inside has a heater set on about 90 degrees leaving you no option but to take off your coat or sweat.

Alaska

After traveling 14 hours in a plane I checked into the Embassy Suites Midtown Anchorage(reservations made by host client). Was treated to a fabulous dinner of Asiago baked Halibut. Started the next morning with what was supposed to be a eight hour training course for survival and safety above the arctic circle on the North Slope of the Brooks Mountain range. Ten hours later I received my card stating that I was now qualified to make the trip and walk around without an escort and I could not have been less sure of that.