As part of this morning's forecast, the radio announcer stated that we have "fourteen hours and 34 minutes of 'potential' daylight". The weather forecasts often include the times of the tides and the wind speeds and the size of the waves at sea.Today in Sitka is a very soft day. Every day is "soft" - the pale greys and whites and greens of the clouds and mountainsides (and when we're lucky, the palette also includes some blues of the sky).
On Sunday, I went to church at St. Peter's Episcopal, and during the service was welcomed "home" by Father Dave which was very lovely. In fact, he said the choir had a request - that I come up and join them. "Seriously" he said, "we'll all wait" and as they waited, I went up and sat in the soprano section.
On Monday (Labor Day) I went out on Julie's new (to her) boat. Julie is a friend that I met up here previously. She was originally my chiropractor (and a member of St. Peter's). Julie has a social work background and she just completed her M.Div, and is an Episcopal priest who (altho she serves at the church) makes her primary living at a Sitka counseling service.
Anyway, Julie has owned her boat for about a month. It is Ah-dorable! -- just my idea of the perfect little yacht - white wood, with brown trim outside and beautiful teak wood inside. It is a 30' Taiwan Troller, and Julie's first boat. She also has made this boat her home. (It is not unusual for people to live on boats up here.) She had invited Mike and Mim McConnell (also St. Peter's members) to come out with her. Today's lesson, she announced, was for her to learn to drop and raise anchor. Mim and I were given deck-hand assignments by Mike as we departed and returned to the dock. I was told to go up on the bow (fortunately I knew where that was) and to grab the bow line and then to ready the fenders to be sure that we did not hit adjacent boats as we left the tight dock space. It was quite exciting, really - I've never been a dockhand before!
Mike + Mim + Julie + nautical mapAll through the cruise Mike stood up front and guided Julie, telling her where rock outcroppings and sandbars were. I learned that buoys are all numbered and that these numbers are indicated on nautical charts. It was fascinating, listening to his boating lessons and lore. I never knew that trees were read as signs for good anchorage! We saw a bunch of trees on one island which indicated that there had been a "big blow" (not a good place to anchor), and Mike said that if a sailor sees all the tips of trees blowing in one direction that that is a sign of the prevailing winds.
Mike and Mim told us that Murray Murray (??) hit a rock at Pelican at high tide a week ago and that he is still sitting on the rock, waiting for another high tide to lift him off.
"I think I just got part of that guy"
I had borrowed my son Eric's camera and Mim, a professional photographer, gave me camera "lessons" as Mike gave Julie lessons in boating. I went outside the boat to capture some scenery and didn't know this guy was going to jump, so he caught me completely off guard. Fortunately I was playing with the camera and had it set on "movie" so when he made the first jump I just clicked it and then tried to "catch" him.
Last night Connie and Marcel invited me to supper - pasta with fresh pesto - delicious, and yesterday for lunch I stopped at a corner vendor and ordered up some grilled halibut, salmon and shrimp on a bed of rice for lunch. YUM!
I continue to meet up with old friends and acquaintances. Chris (Tiffany's husband) saw me through the windows of Stereo North as I was crossing the street on Saturday and came bursting out the door to give me a wild, curb-side hug. SWEET! I saw Dennis Demmert (a respected elder and "name" in native Alaskan education) yesterday in the library. He and his wife are moving back to Klawock next week.
Even the shop-keepers are remembering me.
I love Sitka as much as ever.
