fish in the city

I went down to Juneau, the big city in southeast Alaska, this past weekend. I was raised there, it's all of 35,000 people, less than most stadiums...but after you've lived in Haines for a while, it's a metropolis! I love when something I've known all my life becomes shiny and new. Big stores! Movie theaters! Restaurants open year 'round! Sushi! Music! (and best of all) good friends!

Juneau has had a full year of truly crappy weather, people used to living in a rainforest are leaving town or taking anti-depressants. The record rainfall shows on the sides of houses where green stuff is creeping up the sides and on the faces of normally happy people where smiles aren't creeping in as often. I'm glad I don't live there, but so very glad I got to visit again.

I stayed with my former landlords who're also old friends of my folks. They were getting ready for a concert the first night I was there, so I got to hear free music, then they were relaxing after the concert the last night I was there...more music! There was some foot stomping mandolin whanging guitar banging music Sunday night. wow. (glancing over at neglected banjo...)

I had to catch the early ferry Monday, the normally nocturnal F got up to say good bye and tell me "see you at Christmas". Stopped at a drive through coffee stand (Big City love), the ATM and the gas station ($1 less in the city) then got out to the terminal early, but they were loading cars anyway. No time for the dog to get a leg stretch, but she's a veteran ferry rider and just deals with it by barking at anyone she can see outside her car.

Haines is beautiful of course, I'm glad to see the cat and the house, butthe reality of work settled in before I got off the ferry when a coworker gave me a dead eyed stare when I smiled at her. Haines wins the beauty contest, but Juneau gets Miss Congeniality any day.

The snow is insanely deep after a full on blizzard that arrived minutes after I did...we actually had one of those EBS warnings that said "Blizzard". I've heard plenty of Emergency Broadcast System storm and wind warnings, but Blizzard is serious. Shovel time this morning.