PART 1--To A Magical Night... and to a New Era!
Oh, how the night was so magical! Those words right there have espaced me in many ways since I have been home. The snow was blowing "pretty friggin hard" here in Maine on friday, and all is well. Had a day of walking in the woods with some great women, ate some wonderful lasagna that a fellow Scorpio cooked up, listened to and participated a little to some live music and took a crazy four wheeler/snowmobile ride to the local hangout. Unfortunately, after that long snow blown whiteout ride, it was closed. That ride made me miss running dogs. A LOT! I miss going for night runs and not smelling the odor of gas, but the smell of dog. Having the bond that I did with Scott and Russ's dogs or even the dogs that I ran while doing tours in Montana with the Sperry's. Best kind of relationship anyone could ask for. Now, I am watching my friends dog Jetta. She and I spent some time together back in 2010, the first best summer/year ever. She is a faithful dog, with a bratty attitude if you let her get away with it. She is super smart and sneaky as the devil, but a great loyal friend. She also takes you on some great hikes which I see in my future today.
I have been home for a little over 2 months now and all was great when I first got home. But after having the second most amazing summer ever, what can I truly expect. My heart was filled with such wonderful times of laughter, love and all walks of life. Coming home, has been a true eye opener. That of some thing I need to learn and grow from. I may have said this before, but life has thrown me a few curve balls here and I am not a fan of baseball...
Let me see--- How about a recap of some of my favorite adventures that I seemed to have forgotten to write about... or maybe because I was having too much fun!
Chris and Dan (owners of AIE) needed me to go to Juneau and work as the ground expeditor with my friend Alan. Wow, was that fun. It was great to have a week or two off the glacier and be on the ground. I had to make a meal plan and recipes for whoever was doing the cooking while I was gone. Order all the food ahead of time and make sure they had everything they needed. Totally felt like a lunch lady! I found that it can be hard at first to send two people that love to make people laugh and have severe ADD, to work on computers. But all and all, it wasn't that bad once you got the hang of it. The Juneau crew on the glacier were great people and a lot of fun. Time well spent with great peeps!
When I got back from working in Juneau "Uncle" Russ arrived on the glacier and spent a couple days up there visiting me, then we had a few days on the ground. When he arrived there, I saw him in the helicopter (it was a dead head- empty) and asked Pete if I could unload it. I was so excited to see Russ. He's kind of like my Alaskan Dad, whether he likes it or not. The helicopter shut down and I waited until it was safe for me to run (walk) out and help him with his bags. He got off the helicopter and I started to cry like a baby. No sobbing, just tears of stories I wanted to share. It was the best feeling I had felt in some time. I needed to see him, see someone that knew me. Like really knows me and my quirks. We made his sticky buns for everyone on the glacier and later one night we made hot cocoa, Russ style. In a trash bag. Some of the best hot cocoa I have ever had. We were thinking that a crystal meth lab would probably make it on a glacier, for sure! Then we went down and hiked to Upper Dewey Lake which is on the other side of where camp is on the glacier. Longest 2 miles I had ever hiked! Such a wonderful time!
Then, I started to work down on the ground and lived in the campground. Wow, life was amazing there. Where you could be a kid, literally. The sacred, in my mind, Sitka Spruce tree that you could climb whenever you wanted to. Windy days were the best. The tree was still and the smaller trees around it would be moving around like seaweed in a kelp forest. MAN, I miss that tree. I learned a lot form a tree, yup a tree. I learned how to trust my body and trust my strength and also my friend Shane. He talked me up the tree, while in the tree. I had never climbed it before, but with his great skills of talking me through it all, I was able to trust him and conquer! I love you Shane for that! He is a great leader as well as all of the AMAZING people that were my fellow neighbors there! Some of the best friends that I have made in a long long time! Ones that you never forget, or loose touch!
My job was a fun one. I dressed in 1898 and gave 1937 tours... or so I like to say. I worked for the Klondike Gold Fields in Skagway. So basically what I did was talk about some of the history of Skagway during the Gold Rush and how, Skagway and Dyea, were the Gateway to the Klondike. I gave train tours and Dredge tours. The Dredge was another way, especially during the depression, for those is search of "striking it rich"were able to seek GOLD!!!!!!! Yeah, it was great. Fun people to work with and it was a treat to be on the ground.
Then... it was the end. Time to pack up and head back to ???? I drove from Skagway to Sedro Woolley, WA with Dave. Dave worked for Chris and Dan (AIE) at Liarsville Tire and Lube in Skagway. He's Papa Bear. We drove down in 3 days in a 1979 Ford Ranger. Dave is a great man with a wonderful wife and family. One of those people that when you meet them, you feel you have known them for a long time. We had our fun and met some cool people along the way. Dave, well, he loves to talk to people and me, well, I do too! I also came to Skagway with Dave, Sarah Turner (Chris and Dan's daughter) and her boyfriend Joel. THAT was a trip too on the ferry!
Spent some time in Seattle with my cousin Mark, where he had a tent all ready for me! Met up with some friends that I worked with in Skagway, which was awesome. Talk about a bit of shock coming from a small quiet town, where I lived in a tent, to the city and the crazy hub-bub! So, what do I do next...
I GO TO NYC!!! I spent time with my friend Loukas from home, my friend Heidi that I worked with in Skagway, my friend Carolyn that I met in California while out there for school, my friend Matt that was filming a movie at the farm (where I grew up) and met a few more new friends. I became a pro on the subway and ate some great food! I felt like I was living in a dream with all that I did. Unreal. Loukas showed me around the Bronx a bit. He goes to school at the Maritime College and graduates soon. Heidi showed me around Queens and the city a bit. We camped out in a tent on the roof at her friends place in Manhattan. We also got tickets to Comic Con, geek fest! Heidi is an amazing, great spirited person! Carolyn took me too a great little bakery in SoHo and we went to the Union Square farmers market. Carolyn is like a big sister to me and can always keep up with my stories. She has taught me a lot over the years. Matt took me on a GRAND tour of NY!!! Dempsey's bar, Staten Island Ferry, bus ride through the city, subway "tour", Central Park, the MET... seriously, one of the best tours ever! Wonderful, WONDERFUL human being with such amazing spirit!!!
Well, I have to take a break. This has helped fill my heart up with some memories... there are more, just need to wait a bit. I will add photos too, just need to pick the best fit ones!!!
Remember for the New Year... Worry is a waste of imagination.... Was on a sign in a tree on the way to Dyea. Passed it almost everyday, when going to one of my homes... for a little bit :)
I have been home for a little over 2 months now and all was great when I first got home. But after having the second most amazing summer ever, what can I truly expect. My heart was filled with such wonderful times of laughter, love and all walks of life. Coming home, has been a true eye opener. That of some thing I need to learn and grow from. I may have said this before, but life has thrown me a few curve balls here and I am not a fan of baseball...
Let me see--- How about a recap of some of my favorite adventures that I seemed to have forgotten to write about... or maybe because I was having too much fun!
Chris and Dan (owners of AIE) needed me to go to Juneau and work as the ground expeditor with my friend Alan. Wow, was that fun. It was great to have a week or two off the glacier and be on the ground. I had to make a meal plan and recipes for whoever was doing the cooking while I was gone. Order all the food ahead of time and make sure they had everything they needed. Totally felt like a lunch lady! I found that it can be hard at first to send two people that love to make people laugh and have severe ADD, to work on computers. But all and all, it wasn't that bad once you got the hang of it. The Juneau crew on the glacier were great people and a lot of fun. Time well spent with great peeps!
Then, I started to work down on the ground and lived in the campground. Wow, life was amazing there. Where you could be a kid, literally. The sacred, in my mind, Sitka Spruce tree that you could climb whenever you wanted to. Windy days were the best. The tree was still and the smaller trees around it would be moving around like seaweed in a kelp forest. MAN, I miss that tree. I learned a lot form a tree, yup a tree. I learned how to trust my body and trust my strength and also my friend Shane. He talked me up the tree, while in the tree. I had never climbed it before, but with his great skills of talking me through it all, I was able to trust him and conquer! I love you Shane for that! He is a great leader as well as all of the AMAZING people that were my fellow neighbors there! Some of the best friends that I have made in a long long time! Ones that you never forget, or loose touch!
My job was a fun one. I dressed in 1898 and gave 1937 tours... or so I like to say. I worked for the Klondike Gold Fields in Skagway. So basically what I did was talk about some of the history of Skagway during the Gold Rush and how, Skagway and Dyea, were the Gateway to the Klondike. I gave train tours and Dredge tours. The Dredge was another way, especially during the depression, for those is search of "striking it rich"were able to seek GOLD!!!!!!! Yeah, it was great. Fun people to work with and it was a treat to be on the ground.
Then... it was the end. Time to pack up and head back to ???? I drove from Skagway to Sedro Woolley, WA with Dave. Dave worked for Chris and Dan (AIE) at Liarsville Tire and Lube in Skagway. He's Papa Bear. We drove down in 3 days in a 1979 Ford Ranger. Dave is a great man with a wonderful wife and family. One of those people that when you meet them, you feel you have known them for a long time. We had our fun and met some cool people along the way. Dave, well, he loves to talk to people and me, well, I do too! I also came to Skagway with Dave, Sarah Turner (Chris and Dan's daughter) and her boyfriend Joel. THAT was a trip too on the ferry!
Spent some time in Seattle with my cousin Mark, where he had a tent all ready for me! Met up with some friends that I worked with in Skagway, which was awesome. Talk about a bit of shock coming from a small quiet town, where I lived in a tent, to the city and the crazy hub-bub! So, what do I do next...
I GO TO NYC!!! I spent time with my friend Loukas from home, my friend Heidi that I worked with in Skagway, my friend Carolyn that I met in California while out there for school, my friend Matt that was filming a movie at the farm (where I grew up) and met a few more new friends. I became a pro on the subway and ate some great food! I felt like I was living in a dream with all that I did. Unreal. Loukas showed me around the Bronx a bit. He goes to school at the Maritime College and graduates soon. Heidi showed me around Queens and the city a bit. We camped out in a tent on the roof at her friends place in Manhattan. We also got tickets to Comic Con, geek fest! Heidi is an amazing, great spirited person! Carolyn took me too a great little bakery in SoHo and we went to the Union Square farmers market. Carolyn is like a big sister to me and can always keep up with my stories. She has taught me a lot over the years. Matt took me on a GRAND tour of NY!!! Dempsey's bar, Staten Island Ferry, bus ride through the city, subway "tour", Central Park, the MET... seriously, one of the best tours ever! Wonderful, WONDERFUL human being with such amazing spirit!!!
Well, I have to take a break. This has helped fill my heart up with some memories... there are more, just need to wait a bit. I will add photos too, just need to pick the best fit ones!!!
Remember for the New Year... Worry is a waste of imagination.... Was on a sign in a tree on the way to Dyea. Passed it almost everyday, when going to one of my homes... for a little bit :)
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