Alaska Versus Olympic Peninsula

After being away from the Olympic Peninsula almost five years, and up in Alaska for almost four, we notice certain aspects of both places that give us pause.

For example, we spent yesterday at a friends mini-forest-farm in Sequim, enjoying their expansive yard, chicken coops, and home-brewed beer. Yukon went bike riding with Mr. Friend and Bear and I hung out in the sunshine with Mrs. Friend (they are going to get all over me for calling them that).

Anyhow, Bear was outside in the yard with a friend and as I watched him run all over the yard I thought how nice it was to not worry about keeping a sharp eye out for critters. Had we been in Alaska, I would be wary about allowing him outdoors, in the woods, without adult supervision and perhaps a can of Counter Assault bear spray in my hand. Even without any bears around, I would have had to warn him to make lots of noise and watch for moose browsing in the bushes. As it was yesterday, about the only thing I needed to watch out for was the occasional bee.

I also became quite excited about the fact that Mrs. Friend placed her garbage, which consisted of some Dungeness crab shells, in the trash OUTSIDE. Wow. Right there, on the deck, no lock on it or anything.

Perhaps there is something to be said for civilization. Perhaps.

What is Home?

Here we are, taking an extra week of vacation in our former home of Port Angeles, Washington. Wolf and I moved to the Olympic Peninsula in Februrary 1999, settling first in Sequim, then moving to "PA" in the winter of 2001. It is, for all intents and purposes, Home.

Wolf loves Port Angeles. It is where his first and best friend lives, where we met Yukon, and where he has felt most at peace. He and I made the move from Seattle when he was Bear's age, and he began school not far from the assisted living facility I managed.

It is strange bringing our younger son back here at the same age Wolf was when we made the cross-sound journey to a new and certainly better lifestyle. I see kids that were in kindergarten with Wolf now playing football, making college plans, and finishing up summer jobs. We've driven past our old house and Wolf's former elementary school, and I wonder how things might have played out had we stayed. I listen to the incredibly compassionate support from our friends and lament that Wolf is not here to feel their empathy for our family's journey.

Yukon and I are making tentative investigations into the possibiity of Wolf's return to Port Angeles for college, and our potential retirement here. It would be a nice step for him to be back where he is comfortable and secure with the circle of support of friends who could assist where necessary.

It is nice to think about, this coming Home. When talking to Wolf on the phone, I asked him where "Home" was. He told me Port Angeles. It would be nice to give that to him.

Ack, What Day Is It????

Well, we are not on a boat any longer. Nor are we in Alaska. We are currently spending a quiet morning in Port Angeles, Washington, our former home and really, our favorite home.

Little Bear is enjoying his new pseudo-grandparents at their lovely and spacious home on a hill overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Last night we joined their neighbors (and friends of ours) for a lovely gorgonzola/pasta/crab delight and some playtime with their little daughter, 3.

I have finally reached accessible internet and now can catch up on posts of information and photography for all those who are wondering if we are still alive.

Here are some additional photos of our family cruise on Holland America's Veendam. Would I recommend this trip? Absolutely. Would I take Bear again? Yep. Any takers for our next one???

Holland America and AK Fam

Day Five, Six? Who knows and Who Cares?

We’re back underway after a day in Alaska’s capital, Juneau. Other passengers, upon discovering that we were from the 49th state, were surprised that our family had not yet visited Juneau. AK Dad explained that with Juneau’s famous foggy, stormy weather coupled with the lack of any cross-state road system connecting the capital to the rest of Alaska, visiting the city is not the easiest thing to accomplish.

I liked Juneau. For northwesterners who are accustomed to low-hanging clouds and the smell of alder and spruce in the air, the city and its landscape struck a long-missed chord of familiarity. A small but dynamic place, Juneau seemed to hold close the partnership between environment and modernity; coffee shops, trendy clothing stores, and tourist traps all wound around the ever-present monoliths of State government, all crammed in between two craggy peaks.

Allen Marine provided AK Fam with a splendid tour of the Juneau area, including famous Mendenhall Glacier in the Tongass National Forest, and Auke Bay, from whence we took a whale-watching excursion and were provided a classy lunch of grilled salmon, corn, coleslaw and carrot cake on Colt Island.

It was our first official “shore excursion” and as Alaskans we were a bit skeptical of the quality of a guided tour that had definite time constraints. AK Kid was the only child under twelve on the tour; I had crammed our backpack full of amusements for him should the day prove too much. No worries, he was a trooper and enjoyed watching the whales breach, wave, and dive using is own personal pair of binoculars. At Orca Lodge, our lunch stop, he ate his lunch (I did provide that) and then ran about on the beach and visited the Lodge’s tank of sea creatures while waiting to get back on the St. Maria, our boat. I was highly impressed by the professionalism and knowledge of Allen Marine’s staff and would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to skip the shopping and get out in Wild Alaska.

We’re at sea now; steaming towards an afternoon port in Ketchikan and a visit to Saxman Native Village, a Tlingit site, and a lumberjack show. AK Grandpa requested we attend to see if “things have changed much” since his logging days in the 1950’s and 60’s. Roger.

Only two more days on this ship/home we have come to love. Last night was the Formal Farewell Dinner, during which time AK Dad and I had cocktails with the Captain, James Russell-Dunford. Quite delightful and quite European in flavor, the cocktail hour was a first for us. We managed not to commit any dreadful blunders and were regaled by Captain Dunford’s tales of a holiday in Alaska last summer.

Going to pick up AK Kid from Club Hal; they are having “Music Morning” today, and Game Night tonight so he needs some down time before that.

Check back later next week for photos; the internet is very spotty on board and pictures do not upload well....

Holland America and AK Fam

Let's be clear about one thing. Whatever I may have said in the past regarding cruises as a form of Alaskan vacationing, I take it all back. As a parent, this rocks.

Bear is busy, Yukon is busy, I am busy. And we are all happy. Counts for a lot. Not too much internet time for me, given the high cost and the allowed number of minutes Holland America provided for me, so this will be brief.

For a complete update, visit AKontheGO. I've created a sort of diary that I'll update every few days. Photos are also a downloadable problem, so bear with us!

Is it Time, Yet?

Ever seen that Disneyland commercial where the kids are laying in bed so extremely excited to be leaving for the Magic Kingdom that they are beyond control? Yeah, that's about where we are. Or, at least one of us.

Bear is about to pop something, he's so beside himself. I spent the day organizing, packing, and in some cases repacking, gear for two weeks of hopeful vacation bliss in lovely Southeast Alaska and the homey Pacific Northwest.

We're ready, we're willing, and hopefully by tomorrow morning, we'll be able. Yukon spent most of the day at his office tidying up some big projects that thankfully will now not dominate his thinking for the next fourteen days. Bear spent his day reorganizing my sofa so that the cushions now resemble a fort, and watching White Christmas. Don't ask me why.

The only one not so excited by all this preparing and packing is the dog, who has been in a deep depression since the luggage made an appearance. Fortunately the Southern Neighbors will take good care of him and provide more than enough attention and cookies.

We'll be blogging our way South, we hope, but one never knows about such things as wireless internet on a floating city. So, bear with us.

Bon Voyage!

When Our Ship Comes In

According to Bear's fingers, we have only two more days until we leave on our Holland America cruise from Seward to Vancouver,BC. He uses his hand as a fairly accurate calendar towards our departure, as it is always available for him during the day to announce to anyone and everyone when we leave. He is sort of right...

The length of this vacation is longer than any other we have taken as a family, save for the road trip to South Carolina in 2004, and I can personally attest that was NO vacation. Our ship has come in, and we are going to be on it.

Of course August in Alaska leaves much to be desired in the weather department. Since we are generally a month or two ahead of the Lower 48 in terms of seasonal shift, the rains and cooler temperature have appeared and there is clearly going to be some chilly days aboard the Veendam. For our family, it matters not, as we expect, if not welcome, the fall weather, and will go prepared with everything from wool gloves to hats to Bear's Grunden rain pants. I only hope our fellow passengers have been taking notice of the weather reports.

Today is my day to wind up some work, do the last of the laundry, and clear out food that has been hanging around the refrigerator longer than two weeks. None of this sounds particularly appealing, so thankfully I have a meeting to break up the monotony. Bear gets to go to a friend's house, which will break up the constant referral to his "hand calendar", at least for a while.