July? How is it July already? Time flies and all that…
It feels like ages since I’ve been back to Alaska, and yet at the same time it feels as though I never left it. The world shifts and changes all the time, but somehow Alaska remains the same – and I don’t mean than in a boring way. I adore Alaska, despite the sometimes bumpy relationship I have had with it in the past. I’m still not sure what’s waiting for me at the edge of the ice this time…but we’ll see.
I’m finding it’s also interesting to see somewhere you have seen so many times before – through the eyes of someone that’s it’s brand new to. I don’t actually get the chance to work with a lot of new hires – one of the downsides of working on the flagship all the time, they don’t send newbies there very often – but at the moment my current roommate is brand new to shipboard life. It’s a surreal thing, looking at someone and almost completely seeing who you were what seems like a very long time ago. Amras and I were sitting with her at lunch in Ketchikan the other day, and suddenly found ourselves remembering sights that we hadn’t actually been to see in ages…
Oh, are you a candy person? If you’re a candy person you have to hit Ketichi-candies, but it’s expensive…
Etc etc…
So that’s been fun. Enough so that we didn’t really mind the fact that after a half hour walk to the restaurant we wanted to go to we found it closed for the July 4th holiday…so we have to wait till next week to have pancakes.
We’ve only had one bout of rain, yesterday in Skagway, so we took shelter from the wind and wet in the tiny theatre on Skagway’s main street to watch The Days of ’98 show that’s put on every season. It’s a really cute little show, and the performers do an excellent job of it. Much to Amras’ shock I steadfastly refused to be pulled up on stage – I am not that great with being put on the spot, I become painfully ridiculously shy in such circumstances, so I stayed firmly planted in my seat; for which I apologized afterwards.
And then suddenly, after a whirlwind of unexpected and thankfully quickly (though not necessarily easily) resolved drama – we find ourselves back in Glacier Bay.
There is a lovely kind of peace to the slow ride up and down the coast…as I’ve said before, I think I’m going to like it here.