Hopeful Cookies

 Greetings!  This will likely be my last post for 2021.  There is so much to say and so little time or energy to say it these days.  Three years now and we are yet to have what feels like a "traditional" Christmas.  I feel like gone are the days of piling wrapped gifts under the tree with the collection growing larger every day in anticipation of the intended recipients.  Gone are the days of baking for days before Christmas in anticipation of a full house.  As much as I love all those baked goods, I am pretty sure after my physical in a week my doctor will once again scold me for rising blood sugar and extra weight, so the yummy Christmas treats will look more like vegetables than buttery delicious cookies.  But then again, maybe not!  Willpower is not my strong suit!  

We are in the final week before Christmas.  We have two of our grandchildren staying with us this week while their parents move everything into their new home in Boston.  Nothing makes you feel your age like trying to care for a 6-year-old and 3-year-old when you are "of a certain age".  I am so glad I had my kids when I was young!  No wonder I didn't drink back then...who had the time or the energy?  Probably lucky for them too.  Also, no wonder I was so much thinner when I was young, in addition to the no drinking, there was no sitting on the couch either.  Parenting young children is not for wimps.  It does have its rewards though!  Today we reaped some of those rewards.  We took the kids to Mass this morning.  I have been to church with many young children and usually found myself questioning why we were expected to have those children and bring them to church when there was no way I was going to be able to pay attention to anything read or spoken during that Mass because I was constantly corralling the children.  Today, the children were perfectly, well...almost, behaved and I even heard what was read, spoken and sung during church. So much so that one song brought tears to my eyes.  Breath of Heaven is worth a listen to get you in the spirit.  It was a Christmas miracle!

After a dreary, rainy day yesterday, today was chilly and sunny and everyone was happy to be outdoors.  I thought it would be fun to bring the kids to town center and see the giant Christmas tree.  Little did I know that there was an outdoor market set up today around the town square.  Bonus!  The kids were enchanted with the tree, and I sprung for a couple of pre-Christmas treats for them.  It is starting to feel a bit like Christmas.  The rest of the day was spent playing at the playground, helping Grampy build my Christmas gift in the garage, building our new Lego, reading lots of books, walking around the neighborhood and eating all of the fruit in the house.  We ended the day watching a couple of cute kiddie Christmas Disney+ shows.  I am a sucker for a cute Disney show.  I think they are as tired as we are at the end of the day because we don't hear a peep out of them when they go to bed.  All is good...so far.  We are only at the end of day 2 though.  

Sugar Land, Texas

Because who doesn't love a giant Christmas tree and a lizard hand puppet?

Grampy's assistant helping build Gigi's Christmas gift.

This year, our focus is definitely not on the material things.  Christmas gifts are an afterthought.  In the front of our minds are these two kids, who we will miss so much when they move north and the rest of our family.  Many of us will be together for the first time in a very long time.  That is, if all goes to plan and these days, nothing goes according to plan.  Living a life where making plans comes with a caveat that those plans may well be cancelled depending on the current situation is mentally and emotionally challenging.  I like to go "all in" when I make a plan, so knowing in the back of my mind that any number of circumstances could change those plans makes it all feel so halfway.  My heart can't commit, and if your heart can't commit, why bother?  I find myself committing and just setting myself up for disappointment.  It happens.  A by-product of the last almost 2 years.  I don't' like it, just in case anyone wants to know. 

 So, while our house will be fuller than in the previous 2 Christmas', we are guarded in knowing that in a moment, it could all change.  So...no baking just yet.  I just can't look at hopeful cookies before I know I have help to eat them.  It's weird...right?  In the meantime, we have two very sweet and excited children to bring to the forefront the true joy of Christmas, and for that we are very thankful!  Merry Christmas everyone!  May the joy of Christmas through a child's eyes be yours!

Control

A little God wink today for all the control freaks out there.  Maybe it is something we all need to be reminded of. Maybe it is my gift to you today and maybe it is just something to give you a bit of a giggle.

I was out running some Christmas errands today.  Far be it from me to do anything well ahead of time when I can wait until the last minute.  I was picking up a gift for a gift exchange, getting the ingredients I needed to make the appetizer I am bringing to the gift exchange party and throwing in some random gift shopping for the family.  I was not necessarily rushed, and it was not an altogether unpleasant experience unless you factor in the fact that it is still 80 degrees, and I wore as mask for all of these errands...bah humbug.  I almost felt productive.

I was on my way home and noticed how poorly I had timed my return.  It was now "school zone" time and in the one-giant-school-zone I pass through to get home there are 4 schools that let out at varying times.  Traffic is a nightmare from 2:35-4.  As I approached one particularly backed up light and looked ahead at a solid line of cars on the other side of the light going nowhere, I decided to be clever and scoot into the right lane and turn onto the cross street and go home the back way.  I figured it would be forever before I made it through the light and then through the next light before I got to my turn.  It was smooth sailing until I reached the front of the high school and the traffic guard held up his hand for me to stop. I sat there as 25-30 school buses proceeded to pull out in front of me...one after another, they just kept on coming out of the school!

As I sat there, waiting for an eternity watching the yellow line in front of me get longer and longer, the song on the radio came into my consciousness and I listened to the lyrics.  The name of the song was Control by For King and Country and listening to the lyrics I just had to laugh at myself for trying to be so clever and take control of my situation.  I must have needed to slow down, sit for a few minutes and listen.  Even if it was just traffic...I was reminded that at the end of the day, I am not in control of it all and I just have to trust there is a higher power at work in my life.  

I give up control, 
Body, mind, and soul, 
Can't do this on my own, alone, no
I give up control

Transitions

I started this post weeks ago...in September.  Rather than deleting it, I decided it was still relevant and figure I can just add to it.  Hard to believe we have been "home" for 5 weeks already.  Real life has filled our days so much that finishing a blog post always seems to draw the short straw.  Enjoy the fall reflection here and yes, I am still wearing my tired summer clothes and running the AC all day.  Where do you live and is fall in your neighborhood?  May I come visit?

September is a month of transitions, regardless of your stage in life.  It is the month school traditionally began until they moved it into August...sigh.  It is the month we say goodbye to the freedom of summer.  September is the month life returns to a more focused and structured pattern.  The days begin to get shorter and in many places...the weather changes.  Not sure what that all about, but I hear it happens.  Your wardrobe changes.  After months of flip flops, shorts, bathing suits and lightweight clothing, the weather, or life, dictates a wardrobe change in September.  Unless you live down south where the only thing that dictates a wardrobe change in September is wishful thinking.  I have always "theoretically" liked September.

Visions of fall colors dancing in my head.

Living in the south, September inevitably disappoints me.  For most of my life, we spent much of August in Canada and August was the month things like school supplies, and more importantly, fall clothing, appeared in the stores.  I always idealized that distinct change of season...and wardrobe.  I had high hopes of going home and being able to wear pants and shirts with sleeves and maybe a sweater...but instead, when we arrived home, the weather dictated my very tired summer clothes stay in the daily rotation.  Things are no different even returning as late as mid September...so much for that ideal fall season down south.   

The pace of life changes in September, even if our wardrobe doesn't.   School zones are back in effect and the ebb and flow of life follows more structure.  I kind of like structure.  I can remember the bumpy entry into the fall schedule with the kids every year because we chose to return from Nova Scotia at the very last minute possible.  After a summer of relative freedom and unstructured days we suddenly had to be places at specific times, wearing certain clothes and do it all indoors!  The drastic change never came without some rebellion...from both the kids and the adults.  Every year, within a couple of weeks, we had bumped our way into our new rhythm of life.  Transition complete...bring on the football games!

This year was no different.  After a summer on the road, we spent the first few weeks re-engaging...and perspiring.  TJ was back to a regular work schedule that after 18 months involved a couple of business trips.  Can I say it was both strange and enjoyable to be home..in my own house...alone... for the first time in a very long time?  The luxury of having full access to the remote control cannot be underestimated.  Especially when you have not watched TV in 3 months.  I had a lot of catching up to do.  Life almost seemed normal after a couple weeks.  

A few things that have made life feel closer to pre-pandemic times involve weddings.  So many couples ended up postponing or cancelling their weddings in the pandemic.  Now it seems there is a huge rush to the altar.  Go for it!  We have attended a bridal shower and an engagement party over the past 5 weeks.  These gatherings are so overdue!  Everyone is thrilled for these young people and to be able to gather once again and celebrate with them feels wonderful.  Happy times together have been on hold and are even sweeter now.  This only confirms in my mind how essential togetherness is in our existence.  

Speaking of wardrobe changes...has anyone braved shopping lately?  I was humbled and perplexed a couple of weeks ago when I was forced to go out there.  First off...maybe I am not exactly in the same shape I was pre-pandemic.  Secondly, what the H-E- double hockey sticks??!  Who decided that we needed to look like we came out of the pandemic and entered The Little House on the Prairie?  After a couple of humiliating and frustrating efforts to find appropriate clothing for a social gathering I have come to the conclusion that designers are just trying to get back at us for not buying anything for over a year.  Ugh!  Maybe they added giant puffy sleeves to detract from the waistlines that expanded during our extended homestays.  I found myself lost.  Where did I shop before?  Why are all of these clothes so ugly?  What brands used to fit me?  Where do I buy pants to fit me?  And, seriously...high waisted bell-bottoms?  Been there, done that. The downside of rejoining society and going "out" again is remembering how to dress for public again.  I am pretty sure yoga pants, running shorts, hiking clothes or golf clothes are not what people wear to parties.  My closet is full of things that look tired and neglected.  I have been forced to dust off my dormant sense of style and reinvent my wardrobe.  I will not be wearing anything that resembles Laura Ingles Wilder.

There you have it.  Re-entering life at home and slowly entering post pandemic life or just living more fully in a pandemic.  Still wishing for more fall-like weather and searching for clothes to wear in real life.  I hope you are enjoying pumpkin season in a cozy sweater where you live!

A Celebration of Life

 And just like that, it is the dreaded last week day.  The week full of mixed emotions.  It was a very short summer considering it began on August 15th!  Try fitting in all of the visiting, the sitting on the beach and soaking up some sun while attempting to read a book, the rounds of golf, the lobster suppers, the cousin time, the many walks on the sandbars, the marveling at sunsets, a few scenic drives, and spending as much time as possible enjoying the peace this place brings into a mere 5 weeks!  It has been hard work, but we were up for it.  We knew we would make it here once the border opened and we were overjoyed when it did.  Hopefully, next year will be a bit more "normal" and our regular summer pattern will resume.  Of course, none of us are banking on that because if we have learned anything over the last 2 years we learned life is unpredictable.  Still, it has been a true blessing to spend some very quality time up here in Nova Scotia.

That "coming home from the beach" hour.
I love the shadows!

One notable occurrence this year happened on August 28.  As you probably all know, my Dad passed away on New Year's Eve 2020 and his funeral was in January 2021.  I was unable to make the funeral.  His wish was that his ashes be spread in the Northumberland Straight, which is the body of water our little piece of heaven is located.  I am pretty sure he is not the only one to have that wish, there have been several to go there before him and there will be more to follow him.  I am sure they are all enjoying that eternal shore summer together now.  My Mom was very focused on making this happen this summer.  She was lucky enough to make the trip up here once the border opened and I think her main purpose was to honor Dad's wish.  As my siblings handled the funeral and all the arrangements in Baton Rouge in January, I was put in charge of the Nova Scotia part.  Fair enough.  But planning something when you don't really know if you or any of your family will even be able to cross the border presented a bit of a challenge.  Once we knew we were able to come up, we made sure the ashes were sent  up here too.  Mail and delivery these days is unpredictable at best.  No plans could be made until "Dad" was here.  

Dad's ashes arrived and the planning began.  With 3/5 of the kids here and Mom here and so many of Dad's cousins and friends it was the perfect setting we never saw coming.  The day ended up being the most beautiful day ever!  Mom was a bit emotional, as should be expected.  I think we were all a bit emotional and unsure.  Having never distributed ashes, I wondered the best way to do it.  As it turned out, the wind was very high that day and using a boat was not possible.  We decided the best plan would be to wade out into the water and distribute the ashes sometime near high tide.  Dad was a veteran and a proud American.  One of his grandsons carried an American flag, attached to one of his walking sticks into the water making sure to keep it dry the entire time.  The wind kept it blowing for all to see perfectly!  One of my sisters distributed the ashes while another tossed flowers along with the ashes to float along with him.  I sat on the bank with Mom and watched.  It was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever seen.  The weather was perfect and he would have loved it!  The flag was prominent and it was all very respectful.  There were many people gathered on the bank watching and each was touched in their own way.

Driving Mom down to watch the ash distribution.
Dad would have approved of the golf cart transportation!

I was worried that this day would be too much for Mom.  She will tell you that she was worried she might just pass out, but something very different happened.  She felt peace.  She said she knew that Dad wanted to be here and that he would not rest until he was here and consequently, she would not rest either until he was here.  The spirit was among us and he is finally at peace, and even more, Mom is at peace.  She knew what he wanted and would not rest until it happened.  It was so special.  

This is the YouTube video I took of the ashes being distributed, if you care to watch.  It is 5 minutes long and the wind is blowing...thus the noise.  

We held a reception, outside, and invited friends and relatives.  They all came and celebrated Dad's life.  Not everyone could be here, but the ones who were made us smile.  We served some of Dad's favorite foods and drinks.  His signature cocktail was a huge hit!  Vodka, cranberry and Fresca!  Dad, again, would have loved it!  So...on a perfect day, in the perfect place, Dad got his final wish and Mom seems to have found peace.  The rest of us had some great food and enjoyed a good cocktail...thanks Dad!  It was the perfect send-off.

The heavens...or Dad... even gifted us with a lovely sunset that night!

Once we celebrated Dad's life the summer seemed to fly by.  There was that one rainy, icky week but then there is always one icky, rainy week.  How would we ever read a book or get anything done if there weren't?!

The last two weeks  have been special.  Normally, there are not many cousins here after the 3rd week of August.  But...this year September was awesome!  We had a continuous cast of cousins here!  TJ and I loved the company.  We all enjoyed the less frenzied time together by hosting dinners and playing games every night.  Mom got to participate in many of these nights and I think she liked it.  Especially when she was kicking our butts in Uno....or OneO as she called it.  Spending quality time with your first cousins, who you spent many a summer with as a child, is special.  Turns out, we really do like each other as much as we like this place.

1st Cousins rock!
Can't wait to be all together next summer!

  After 2 years we will close the door on the farmhouse again with hopes of returning next May.  I have realized there is no guarantee and so I have cleaned to the best of my ability and put everything away as if I may not return in 9 months.  That really stinks...doesn't it?  Today, TJ, Mom and I spent 3 hours of our last day driving to Moncton to get our pre-flight Covid tests.  We have 3 negative tests results "to go".  Yes, the world has changed.  But, if taking a Covid test and "wasting" 3 hours of my last day here is what we have to do....I guess that is what we will do.   I could have been dumping unused condiments into the green bin instead.  

Once again, I have stayed up much too late on my last night, trying to postpone the inevitable.  If I don't go to sleep, maybe I won't ever have to leave.  It was a good summer.  A short summer but appreciated so much more... "because".  We, and that means more than just TJ and myself...it extends far and wide, love this place.  We are so happy when we first arrive, we revel in the day to day luxury of routines that we love and we dread that last day that arrives much sooner than we are ever ready to accept.  There has been life breathed into my soul just being here.  I can't wait until next year and I hope next year is just an ordinary year...because we truly love those ordinary years here.

A few photos to show you why....

3 out of 5 of us and Mom at the reception for Dad.

These shirts were Dad's favorite "hot summer day" wear.

I needed a stiff drink at the end of the day...
signature cocktail to the rescue!

Took Mom on a Saturday drive...we were rewarded!

Nice round of golf with the guys!

We managed to stay long enough for raspberry season!!!

My last walk on the sandbars...

Waking up to this view makes it hard to leave...
goodbye until we meet again.

 

Soaking It All Up!

Oh, how I missed this!

Four short weeks ago we made it to the farmhouse in Nova Scotia.  After spending 2 summers on the road trying to avoid the heat and humidity in Houston and one hell of a pandemic, we were able to cross the Canadian border and return to our home away from home.  The second summer is almost over but the pandemic seems to live on...ugh!  After a long and slightly stressful day of travel we landed in Halifax and I could have kissed the ground.  How is it possible that after being away for 2 years, everything feels...ohhh...so familiar?!  It was like a part of me had been missing for 2 years and I am finally whole again.  This has always been my happy, peaceful, "put things in perspective for the year" place and I really need to put things in perspective.  

We were home for one week between Park City and our great Alaskan adventure before we flew to Nova Scotia.  We unpacked, did the laundry, repacked and caught up with our family at home.  We had to take our Covid test within 72 hours of our departure to Canada.  Negative results in hand, we boarded the plane for Toronto.  I told myself that I would not get excited until I was through customs and on a plane to Halifax.  We had dotted all of our i's and crossed all of our t's and made it through with the proper documentation!  Once we landed in Halifax and stepped outside I smelled the air and knew it had all been worth it!  It was a long day and it was late when we arrived at the farmhouse, but I could have stayed up all night.  We opened the door and it still smelled like the farmhouse!  Everything was exactly as I left it 2 years ago!  It felt like the earth was back on its axis.  All was right with the world.  Unbelievable!  

It was not lit up the night we arrived but it looked just as good to us!

The familiar smells, the angle of the sunlight, the colors that are so brilliant, the stars in the night sky, the sand on the beach, the smiling faces, the food, and the history all came together to form a perfect "welcome back" within days of our arrival!  I find it very interesting that after only a few days it felt just like any other summer with a slightly later start.  Life up here is so easy to slip into, even after being away for 2 years.  The routines come naturally.  I know this place like I know myself.  This year the only things missing were the garden, a few family members and maybe June and July.  We were able to reconnect with so many people we missed over the last 2 years.  It probably comes as no surprise that none of us skipped a beat.  We all have our own personal "Covid life" stories and our own experiences to share but we also have our shared love of this place and are each genuinely happy to finally be in this place together.  It really helps that the Americans who traveled here are all fully vaccinated and all tested negative before arrival and most Canadians here are also fully vaccinated.  We are living in a unique bubble and it feels so nice.  We are all counting our blessings and none of us are looking forward to returning to the real world.

Beach bbq...a new tradition?!
It was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with friends and family.

Last night I had one of "those" moments.  There are things we do here that we never do at home...in addition to walking on the beach, swimming and eating lobster.  It was after dinner, around 8 or so, and we got in the car and drove to a friend's house to visit...spontaneously and unannounced.  We were met with a welcome and had a lovely evening.  At home, I would never just drop in on a friend after 8 p.m. unannounced.  Let's just add Covid life to that equation and it makes that event even more meaningful.  We were together with friends, in their house, with other friends...spontaneously.  We had not done such a thing for way too long and it felt so normal.  The world was back on its axis.

Before getting here, I wondered how we would be received.  The U.S. is not faring too well with virus and Canada is extremely conservative in their approach, would we be welcomed?  My concerns were quickly put to rest.  We felt very welcomed and comfortable.  Whew!  It would have been very awkward to dial back my need for socializing!

We were blessed, early on, with some classic perfect shore weather.  The days were warm...even hot (totally surprising) and sunny and we followed our usual daily flow of morning exercise, take care of any chores, have lunch and make our way down to the beach until time to head home for dinner.  After dinner, enjoy sunset and visit friends and family until you can't keep your eyes open any longer, sleep and repeat.  It is a great way to spend a day week...or two!  I remember the first rainy day came after about 10 days and it was a blessing.  Today, the fifth icky day in a row, I am much less enamored of the rain. 

At least even the icky days have some bright spots.

I really missed the sky up here.  I could fill several photo albums with the pictures of the sky I have taken.  As I sit here in my sunroom, I  notice I have about a 140 degree view of the sky, no wonder it is my favorite room!  It occurs to me that our 2 summers of roaming the USA consisted of a lot of sky time, and that was just fine with me!  At home we do not see the horizon very often and I really like seeing the horizon.  Maybe I should file that information away for our "retirement" location!  Always looking for suggestions on that front!  

Love this even on a rainy day.

Turns out when you arrive late you stay late.  I am not sure we have ever had more Americans on the beach in September than Canadians.  Usually I am hunting for someone to chat with by this time of the summer but thankfully many of my cousins are staying into mid September.  With the border only opening on August 9 many of us are taking advantage of late summer here.  We are all enjoying the more intimate visits and time spent together.  I, for one, am looking at this as a preview of years to come when many of them retire and have more free time to spend here.  We all love the busy times in July and August with siblings, kids, grandkids and cousins... but as expected, those times often feel frenzied.  It has been a real treat to spend quality time together with a smaller group.  Don't get me wrong, next year I will be very ready for any and all visitors throughout several months up here!  I better be careful what I wish for!

Oddly, I expected to be inspired to write once we were here.  Usually this place inspires me and brings out some of my best stuff.  I have found myself struggling with just what to write since I arrived.  Either I have not been listening or I have been too busy soaking up my 5 weeks of fresh air, sea breezes, sandy toes, delicious local food, easy conversations, colorful sunsets, familiar relationships and peace enough to last me until we return next year.  This place has served as my giant RESET button for most of my life.  If ever there was a need to reset, it was the past 2 years.  Maybe this is an escape but maybe it is a return to a more simple life where the biggest problem is wondering how long the rain will last or how you repair old screens or what bin does aluminum foil go in...trash or recycling, and what time is low tide today?  So, instead of writing I have been doing...and enjoying every minute.  Even more thankful for this place this year than many other years.  Taking nothing for granted!

I waited 2 years for this glass of wine!

And for this sunset!

Garden renovation...getting ready for a banner year in 2022!

Fall colors in the roadside ditches...

Turtle head!

The simple pleasure of an afternoon spent
power washing.

No words can express how thankful we are to be here!

  

Alaska, The Final Chapter

The final chapter in Alaska is the wilderness in Wrangell St. Elias National Park.  When I say wilderness, I mean off the grid!  Wrangell St. Elias is definitely one of the least visited national parks for good reason.  It is off the beaten path.  The dirt road into the park comes with a warning sign, warding off weaker cars.  It is a former railroad bed,  somewhat narrow and you are warned that there may be railroad spikes along the way.  Who wouldn't want to visit? When driving 60 miles...one way...on a dirt road...is advertised to take 3 hours, one has to plan accordingly.  The limited lodging at the end of the road was already booked when we began planning.  We stayed in a lodge in Lake Louise, not THAT Lake Louise, which is about an hour and a half drive to the McCarthy Road.  The plan was to stay there one night, drive into the park, explore, spend one night at mile 30 in the park and then stay again at Lake Louise on our 3rd night.  Hours of driving were involved in this exploration!  120 miles of it on the dirt road in the park. 

We had high hopes on our drive!  
Had we only known then what we know now, we would have driven the extra 40 miles that day!

I must share our "most memorable" lodging experience of the trip.  Not the best, or the nicest or even the most interesting, but definitely memorable.  Our two nights in Lake Louise were spent at the Lake Louise Lodge.  To get there we had to drive 17 miles down possibly the worst road ever made...and it was paved.  We drove down many dirt roads on this trip and I would choose any one of them over this road.  I do believe at one point, the ice chest in the back of the Suburban hit the ceiling as we went over one of the bumps.  

Just imagine 17 miles of this...four times!

To get here.

Since we began making plans a little later than other people, many of the rooms were already booked at the lodge, leaving us one room in the lodge and another cabin outside the lodge.  We decided each couple would take a turn in the cabin.  Also...the cabin was defined as a "dry" cabin.  I quickly assessed that meant no water...no sink, toilet or shower!  When we checked in the first night I asked the host if there were any rooms available in the lodge that night.  She checked her spiral notebook/reservation record and said "yes" but is costs more than the cabin.  She could have said it was a hundred dollars more and I would not have blinked!  $30 for a room with indoor plumbing....SOLD!  She apologized because it was a room with a double bed and a twin bed...no problem...indoor plumbing trumps sleeping in the same bed in my book!  I asked if there was a room available "inside" on our return in a day and she said "no".  I asked to be put first on the standby list!  The lodge was definitely a fishing camp.  We were obviously from away!  The bar was more like Cheers with its regulars lined up telling fish stories!  The restaurant was fine, we watched the Olympics opening ceremonies on the tv and sat outside and watched the boats come in and enjoyed the beautiful view.  I had a feeling it was "the" night....the night I would finally get my sunset...if I could only stay awake!

I enjoyed my room and bathroom and spent some time sorting through my hundreds of photos on my computer that night while checking periodically for the golden hour.  I did not dare go outside too often because along with water in a wooded, remote area comes swarms of mosquitos!  Up until this point in the trip we had counted our blessings as far as mosquitos were concerned.  Sunset was around 11:20 that night... I looked out of my window at one point and noticed the orange shadows!  I put on my shoes, my jacket and strapped on my camera and headed out to the pier.  It was the night!  Aside from the trillion mosquitoes, it was perfection.  I sat on that pier with my two bird friends who did not seem to notice me and soaked in the sunset I had been looking for.  I finally stayed up late enough!

Looks like the perfect place to watch the show.

It was lovely and peaceful.

The next morning we drove back up that 17 mile roller coaster and headed to Wrangell St. Elias National Park hoping to see that beautiful mountain again.  It was not to be.  Once again, the fine weather we had upon entry was gone by morning and the view was quite different upon departure.  At least we had yesterday.

The main attraction, other than the spectacular mountains and wilderness, in Wrangell St. Elias is the copper mine at the end of the road in Kennicott.  It is where many a miner hoped to get rich in the day.  The stories about the mine were great!  I just could not help but wonder who in their right mind would get all the way here hoping to get rich mining copper or even gold and how did they get all the way out here???  We flew in a plane and drove a modern car, think of the 1910's..it had to take weeks to get out here!  I guess there wasn't much else to do back then, why not go to Alaska...or what would become Alaska...and do some copper mining in the middle of nowhere?!

Takes a certain mindset to live out here!

The beginning of "the road"...
wonder if they know they spelled McCarthy wrong?

One of several trestle bridges in the park.

Another one...out of service.

Peaceful and scenic!

We made it to the end of  McCarthy Road, parked the car, walked across the foot bridge and hiked to the town of McCarthy.  Town is a generous term.  Luckily in the "town" there was a nice place to eat lunch, even though by the time we got there the server was a bit grumpy.  I will say, The Potato had the best curly, crispy rosemary garlic fries ever!  The food was good, the place was very nice and it was exactly what we needed!

We then caught the shuttle to the copper mine in Kennicott.  I still could not fathom people living out here, but they do.  The town of Kennicott has been preserved nicely and gives a good feel for what it was like in the early 1900's.  It is set along a massive glacier bed that now looks like the surface of the moon with a receding glacier.  There is a lovely inn there and had we known then what we know now, we might have booked a room early in our planning.  As it was, we walked around the area, marveled at the copper mine and imagined life in the early 1900's.  Pretty cool place.

Kennicott copper mine, under restoration

Glacier bed

The mercantile

If we had to do it again, ideally, we would have chosen to fly in on a small plane (they are everywhere) and booked a room at the Kennicott Inn, enjoyed a lovely room with indoor plumbing and ended our day with a drink on the veranda and  a nice meal at the Inn.  We could have explored the entire area and not driven 120 miles on a dirt road.  But we did it our way.  We experienced a few things on our excursion we would have missed by taking the easy route.  We would have missed the cabins we stayed in at mile 30 and the chance to use the "cook house" and visit with people who have chosen a life off the grid.  We would have missed the tiny town of Chitina and the helpful ranger who lead us to the fishing community down a side road we would have otherwise overlooked.  She pointed the way and told us there was a nice surprise at the end of the road.  We were so glad we followed her suggestion.  We would have missed watching two men net fish on the river while chasing hungry seagulls away from their fish.  We also would have missed the chance to sleep in a "dry" cabin, which I really would not miss much.  We have many stories to tell by not taking the easy route.  I do wonder though, if there are any easy routes in Alaska.  

Dinner in "the cook house"

The Hunter cabin, complete with bathroom and 
many mounted animals!

The top side of the trestle bridge!

Fighting the seagulls off!

Running water not included.

Part of the surprise at the end of the road.
It took me forever to get them all lined up!😂

Trumpeter Swans 💓

We ended our trip in Anchorage, back to civilization.  We bought our frozen souvenir salmon and halibut to bring home so we fit in with everyone else at the airport with our white box.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the water and enjoyed working our way back into reality.  It did not take very long for that reality to hit when we entered the airport and found ourselves standing in a 1 1/2 hour long line to check our bags.  Luggage conveyor belt was broken and all luggage had to be moved by hand.  Real life smack in the face.

Alaska was vast, remote, peaceful, and friendly.  It is full of jagged mountains, pine trees, wildflowers, glaciers, beautiful streams and silt filled rivers.  It is not for the internet addicted!  It felt like we were in a foreign country and I had to keep reminding myself we were still in the USA.  We are so thankful we were able to see our 49th state!

Stay tuned for the Canadian part of the Canadian Chronicles!