One lonely woman’s inspiring story from scenic Sitka, Alaska.
Chapter One: New Year’s Resolution
“Hello, my name is Rachel. I guess you already know that much. So you’re going to be my silent, unseen companion for the next twelve months. Hopefully you’ll stick around for the entire time as things can get somewhat tedious around here. I’ll do my best to keep things interesting. Oh yes, Happy New Year to you. Indeed today another year begins here in good old Sitka. It will be my twenty-ninth one, with my birthday being in June. Twenty-nine has always been my lucky number, so I hope for the best this year. Why twenty-nine? My dad always wore a football jersey of the Bears. His parents came from Illinois. Anyhow, the jersey had the number twenty-nine on it. Also my baby brother was born on April twenty-nine.
“My father and my brother have been the most important men in my life up until now. I guess I should say were the most important men in my life because my father passed away a few years ago. I still talk to him at the cemetery. I talk to my mom too. They were good parents. They fought quite a bit, but there was never violence of any kind that I knew about. My dad worked hard for a living in the lucrative fishing industry we have here. He worked at the processing plant his entire working life, until he was called home by God. My mother never worked. She babysat for couples at the church, but I mean she never worked at a conventional job. Times were never too tight, but we had to conserve now and then.
“Maybe it’s good that I didn’t grow up with the proverbial silver spoon in my mouth. I make a good living at doing massage therapy, but I have to pay a hefty price for insurance. I’ve had to tighten my belt many times over the years. When my parents died, I sort of took over the house. I’ve never left this house. My parents died when I was twenty-four and I still lived here at the time. Those first few months were a nightmare. I hated it. I even moved in with my brother, who lives in Juneau, for two weeks. There are still days I sense their presence. One time I woke up to the smell of bacon and thought my mom was cooking breakfast. The wind was actually blowing the smell from a neighbor’s house in through my cracked open bedroom window.
“Yes this is an old house. I do my best to keep it up though. I have plenty of time to do this seeing how my social calendar is rather lacking for the most part. The house doesn’t get too dirty; cat hair is the biggest culprit. That’s right, you have to meet Frosty, my cat. I named him that because he adores the snow and he’s all white. He can play in the snow forever it seems. I was going to name him Snowball, but I think that name has been overdone. My yard is pretty small, I’m right in town, but Frosty is plenty happy with what he has. He’s a good cat and keeps me company regularly. I bought him as a kitten just after my parents died. It was my brother’s idea. Frosty has made the transition a little easier. If he ever dies, I’ll have to get another cat. I can’t live here totally alone.
“I suppose someday I’ll get lucky and find a man who will want to marry me despite my flaws. It’s not like there isn’t a surplus of men here in Alaska. They outnumber the women easily. With those odds how can I lose? I find it borderline pathetic that, at my age, I haven’t even had a serious relationship since high school, if you can call anything in high school serious. I’ve had maybe one date a year since high school. I’ve been tempted to do one of those dating services, but I chicken out every time. Who knows what kind of people resort to that?
“My brother found a good woman to share his life with. They fell in love right away and haven’t looked back since. They relocated to Juneau about five years ago now. That’s right, it was just a few months before our parents passed away. They have no children, but are expecting their first around mid-May. I can’t wait. I’ll be an aunt! I know they’ll be great parents. My brother works for the city, so when his wife quits her job, after the baby is born, they’ll still have enough income to get them by easily. I don’t harbor any resentment toward my brother as he has taken life by the horns and done very well, but sometimes I wish I had it that good.
“So did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Not me. I used to but they rarely seem to come to fruition. I shouldn’t say that. About ten years ago I made a commitment to taking a brisk walk every morning regardless of weather. I’ve only missed that walk three times. Twice due to illness, once due to weather. Okay, I caved in one time. It was freezing rain outside. We get a lot of rain here in Sitka. I have come to look forward to those walks. I take a different route each day of the week. Sometimes I have to look at my daily planner to remind myself what route to take. The walks are all about one mile long and I’m convinced they help keep me in shape physically and mentally.
“I used to have a real problem with weight gain. I was never huge, but chubby I guess you’d say. People would comment that I was well equipped for winter. There was this girl, back in junior high, who once said, ‘I guess the humpbacks are coming early this year.’ Humpback whales visit the area during winter months here and she got more than a few laughs with that one. By high school, I had enough of the jokes and cruelty. I dieted and exercised myself silly. I gave up my addiction of candy bars and substituted apples and oranges. At first I detested this change, but now I can’t go a day without eating one or the other and walking. I can still put on the pounds if I let my guard down, so I don’t let my guard down. Not even during these holiday seasons.
“Well, make yourself at home. I’d prefer you didn’t sit in my favorite rocking chair. It used to belong to dad. The football games will be on now. We don’t have to wait like you guys in the east or central time zones. I know our church attendance would improve if the pro games weren’t on in the morning. I’m not a real big college football fan, but it passes the time. Nothing is open today anyhow. I’ll make something to snack on soon, but don’t expect junk food. We should hit thirty degrees today. Not bad really. Good walking weather. You can join me on future walks, but I’d prefer to go solo today. I’ll be back before long.”
Greetings. I will be your narrator behind the scene, giving you some inside info from time to time. So Rachel has left for her daily walk. You may have not taken notice, as you’re not familiar with her, but Rachel wasn’t totally herself. She didn’t even show you around the place. Give her a day or two to get used to this arrangement. She is not at all accustomed to entertaining anyone, so this is very out of the ordinary for her. She’s a bit uncomfortable, that’s why she opted to walk alone. Fear not. As she said, you shall be joining her on future walks. I suppose you may as well watch a football game, like Rachel suggested, until she gets back. And she is very serious about the rocking chair request. Don’t start the year off on the wrong foot.
“That was refreshing,” Rachel said as she came back into the warm house after completing her walk. “I see you’ve found a good game on. There sure isn’t much going on outside. I suppose most of the population is tired from a long night of partying and celebrating. I wish I would get invited just once. I don’t drink much, but I’m sure there are other things to do. My brother and his wife get together with some friends and fondue. If you’ve never cooked fondue style you really need to try it. You can dip many varieties of food into melted cheese, chocolate or boiling oil. Personally, I love cooking chunks of steak in the oil. I have to limit my chocolate intake, and cheese isn’t much better.
“This is really embarrassing. I don’t know what else to tell you about. I don’t consider myself a loner, but it sure appears that’s how things have worked themselves out. The dictionary defines a loner as a person or animal that prefers to be alone. I would welcome friends, but I guess I don’t go out of the way to make them either. Loners spend a lot of time reading, watching television, doing various hobbies and spending time with their pets. That’s me in a nutshell. I read a lot. I read the local paper, books and what have you. Yes, I even read the dictionary as indicated earlier. I think it’s neat to expand one’s vocabulary. I only subscribe to one magazine and it’s related to my career. You’d probably find it rather boring, but I’ve learned some things from it.
“As far as television shows, I watch whatever’s on. I watch news, weather, sports, dramas, documentaries, comedies, movies and even on rare occasions cartoons. There are only a handful of shows I try not to miss, but please don’t label me a coach potato. I honestly only watch maybe two hours of television a day and some days it’s even less. I know that I should more actively pursue outside interests. I’m not real sure what I would like to try, but this year I will try something. I guess you can call that my resolution for the New Year.
“Pursuing something outside of the home would be a perfect way to meet friends. You know, I have this philosophy about friendship. It’s a lot like panning for gold, which has a strong history here in Alaska. You use a pan to find the solid pieces and the small stuff gets sent back into the water. A real friend is like one of those solid pieces. You don’t want to lose it. It has value. You meet so many people in life, but only a select few are important enough to hold onto. Although I’m not an expert on the subject, my guess is that a real good friend is far more valuable than gold.
“Not to change the subject, but have you ever noticed how the most bitter of enemies can become the tightest of friends. I’ve also watched the closest of friends become the worst of enemies. Why is that? There must really be a thin line between love and hate. How can one minute you loath a person and another minute love them? I can’t really say that I’ve ever experienced this. I guess that’s how a lot of divorces occur. I hope that if I marry I never get divorced. Nobody in my family has ever divorced. From the statistics I’ve read about divorce, I think my family is in the minority. Granted, some of these people don’t always marry for the right reasons either. I’m not so sure why I got off on this tangent, but I must admit it’s very nice to have someone to talk with who isn’t a feline.
“Don’t get me wrong, I do have some friends. Not real good ones. We don’t go out to dinner or shopping together much. We might speak on the phone once a month, or go to a movie or two each year, but that’s basically the extent of it. The girlfriends I have are married and raising children. You just don’t have much free time when you’re in that position. If they aren’t going to baseball games or gymnastics, then they’re doing homework or hosting slumber parties.
“Parenting has got to be tough. Your entire world changes with just one child, let alone two or three or more. You can no longer sleep in on your days off. Things like the television, telephone and computer are now shared and you may have to wait a good long time before it’s your turn to use them. You have more laundry to do, dishes to wash, food and clothes to buy. You have to be responsible and loving, yet in charge and nurturing at the same time. You make one slip in the public’s eye and people talk about you and doubt your capability of raising a child. And all this assumes you have a perfectly healthy and cooperative child. I’ve gotten a lot of this from books and documentaries by the way. My two girlfriends have also told me bits and pieces that go hand-in-hand with what I’ve acquired on my own. I wonder if I’d be up to the task of raising children.
“My folks did a good job as far as I’m concerned. I’m not just saying that to be respectful to the deceased either. I know it’s commonplace to compliment people when they’ve passed away, but I think my mom and dad did right by us. Charles, my brother, and I were always taken care of. We may not have had all the toys and best clothes money could buy, but we never went hungry. We did chores around the house. We didn’t really get an allowance, like most kids at our school, but we didn’t mind. Dad explained to us that we needed to learn how to be responsible even if we weren’t always rewarded for it. We were brought up fairly strict, especially by today’s standards. We did our chores, respected our parents and attended church every Sunday.
“Hey, you can go to church with me tomorrow. It’s a beautiful church. It’s no Saint Michaels, but it’s nice. Saint Michaels has some great history. I think it was built in the mid eighteen hundreds. In nineteen sixty-six Saint Michaels burned down. Now it’s a focal point of interest to many tourists. It has some old and beautiful Russian artifacts. My family went there forever it seemed. My current church is more in line with American beliefs and Christianity.
“Yes, there is a Russian theme all over town. Lots of the local shops have Russian-style gifts and art. I like some of it, but I’m not as crazy about it as my grandparents were. They were my mother’s parents and they loved anything to do with Mother Russia. Their furniture, their food and even some of their clothing were of Russian influence. I’ll have to prepare you some Russian cuisine while you’re here. I make a few dishes that I’ve come close to perfecting.
“I’ve actually inherited several authentic Russian recipes from my grandmother, aunts and even my parents. My brother hates just about all of it, but I like several dishes. Some of my favorites are mushroom noodle soup, beef stroganov and berry kissel, which is about the best dessert you can imagine. Plus, with it being full of blackberries and raspberries, it has some serious nutrients in it too.
“I’ll tell you what; let me look through the cupboards and refrigerator to see if I have the ingredients to make any of those dishes. All of the sudden I’m starting to crave it. I guess we’ll have to ride the remainder of this day out somehow. Food and football, now that sounds like a good day to me. I only wish the entire year would be this relaxing.”
As you can see, Rachel is a very down-to-earth person. She means no harm to anyone, but doesn’t have the confidence to get into the social scene. I suspect that spending a year with you will assist her in making that transition. And if not, there’s nothing wrong with living a peaceful existence the way she does. Well enjoy the games, and enjoy the Russian fare that Rachel will likely make today. She’s a pretty good cook, yet has nobody to cook for. You’ll find that out for yourself, as well as a host of other things. After all, your year in Sitka has merely begun.
Later that day the phone rang. Almost all of the phone calls Rachel received were either work-related or telemarketers. This time it was her brother, Charles, calling to wish her a Happy New Year. Whenever the two talked it was almost always Rachel who took the initiative to get in touch. This was a refreshing change of pace for her brother to make the effort.
“Hey, Rachel. Happy New Year to you.”
“Thanks, Charles, right back at ya. Did you have a good New Year’s Eve party?”
“Actually it was one of the better ones. We grilled, can you believe that? It never got too cold, so why not? It was our turn to host the festivities and Hope (Charles’ wife) agreed to do things a little different this year. We still had the fondue pot going, so it was kind of a ‘best of both worlds’ meal. We did cheese in the fondue pot this time, with broccoli and breadsticks. What did you do?” Charles asked this almost fearing a negative response.
“Same thing as last year, watched the various telecasts of different regions ringing in the New Year. I should really have come up with something better. Oh well, maybe I’ll start planning next year’s celebration a little earlier. How is Hope and my future niece or nephew today?”
“Still in bed. We were up until almost three a.m. so I’m the only one stirring around here. Hey, I have some serious cleaning up to do, so I’ll talk with you later.”
“Okay, thanks for calling,” Rachel said, wishing he would’ve talked longer.
“That’s Charles for ya, brief and to the point when it comes to me. He talks a mile a minute with other people, but I think he feels uncomfortable with me like he doesn’t exactly know what to say. I love him and all, but I wish he’d give me more of a chance to have an adult relationship with.”
Charles is an authentic good guy, but as Rachel suggests he has trouble relating to her. He can’t figure out why she would chose to live a life of solitude. Charles also fells a bit guilty having a spouse and many friends. He fells like Rachel is content on living in the past so to speak. While Charles bought a new all-wheel drive car and a big screen television with the money he inherited from his parent’s death, Rachel sank every dime she inherited into fixing up the old two-story house. Charles had hoped that by giving his sister a niece or nephew her life would come to be more complete and pleasurable.
“Charles and I used to be much closer. Though I don’t fault my sister-in-law, Hope, for Charles’ change in behavior, it started when he met her. I suppose it’s only natural to want to spend more time with your girlfriend than your sister. Ever since then he’s acted kind of reluctant to get close to me again. I don’t recall doing anything to bring this on, but perhaps I did. The only adverse thing that may come from the birth of this new baby is the limited attention Charles now gives to me might be cut down even more. He’ll have yet another person in his life that will rank higher than I do.
“Hope is really nice. She grew up in Juneau and her parents still live in the area. She is so excited to have this baby and to quit working. I envy her in a way. I wish to find a man like my brother, to take care of me and start a family with. Hope is very bright and attractive. She got her name because the doctors told her parents she would probably not live long after birth. She had some condition, I forget now what it was, which nearly ended her life just hours after birth. Her parents couldn’t decide on naming her Faith or Hope, but eventually made up their minds. Obviously she overcame the odds and survived. I’m very happy that she’s my sister-in-law and I know she genuinely cares for my brother. She will make a wonderful mother. I pray all goes well with her delivery, all things considered.
“And what an experience it would be to give birth. I’m not too big on pain, but it would be a dream to give life to a baby and bring him or her into a loving home. It sure would be a different existence than the one I’m currently accustomed to. I have very few sacrifices to make these days, and I can come and go as I please. Still, I hope to someday be able to raise a child alongside a husband who cares for me and the baby.
“I plan to be there, in Juneau, when the baby is born. Obviously I won’t be in the delivery room, but this is a big moment for our tiny family. As the time gets closer I will let my clients know that I’m going to Juneau for a week in May. Boy that’s one thing about working for yourself: No paid vacations. It will likely be the only week I will be taking off from my job this year.
“I do have a great group of clients. I have so many regular and occasional clients that I rarely have to worry about paying the bills anymore. Keep in mind that this house is paid for, so that’s a big burden I don’t have to worry about. I charge a reasonable fee for my service and have two options for my customers. I offer a forty minute abbreviated massage or a full hour massage with lava stones. I have a few clients who come in every other week or so, during their lunch hour, and get the abbreviated massage. I also have two weekly regulars who get the one-hour package. I call those people my bread-and-butter clients. I can always count on them showing up. I really do enjoy my work despite the lack of benefits or co-worker camaraderie.
“There are also two other clients who were good friends of my parents. I’m almost certain the main reason they come here is out of a sense of wanting to be nice to me because they know what I’ve been through. I see one of these people at church, and I always want to come out and ask if they are coming to me out of pity. I never would be so bold as to do it of course, but I have my suspicions.
“Oh hey, another thing you are going to need to get used to is the fact that in winter months the sun sets pretty early around here. As you can see the clock says it’s quarter past three in the afternoon and the sun is already plummeting out of sight. Yes, sunset is scheduled for something like three twenty-four today. It could be worse. Way up in Fairbanks the temperature this morning was negative five, and the sun sets forty-five minutes sooner. Not only that, but the sun doesn’t even rise until almost eleven a.m. up there. So while this is going to seem unusual, and maybe even depressing, just wait until the summer when you start to wish the sun would go away. Alaska becomes the land of the midnight sun.
“I earlier said ‘way up in Fairbanks’ and I meant it. Alaska is so big that even if you split the state in half it would be bigger than Texas. There were some folks in Texas that lobbied to get Alaska to split into two different states, as they wanted Texas to remain the largest state. Once they found out that they would then become the third largest state, well that proposal sort of vanished.
“And while Fairbanks is a long trek, I’ve heard a comparable distance would be from New York City to Nashville, Tennessee, there is still a lot of land further north. How about Barrow, Alaska? This has to be one of the coldest places on American soil and the darkest during the winter. It’s dark basically twenty-four hours a day right now up there. I couldn’t stand that. Sure I spend most of my time indoors, but could you conceive not seeing the sun for days on end?
“Imagine getting into your car to go to work. It’s, say, twenty below zero with the wind-chill and pitch black. The further north you go in Alaska, you’ll notice more and more electrical plugs hanging out of the hoods and front grilles on the vehicles. These are used to plug in battery heaters. Without them you’ll be hard pressed to start your car in that weather. You also have to watch that you don’t park in water, because if it freezes you’ll have some serious trouble even moving the vehicle. It takes a hearty soul to spend your life up in Northern Alaska.
“I’m happy to say it’s not like that here. No, even places in the northern half of the lower forty-eight states experience more harsh winters than we do. We see many days above the freezing mark all winter, but the downside to it is the rain. I’d almost rather have snow, especially when it becomes freezing rain. Frosty would more than agree.
“Hey, why don’t I get started on some Russian treats for us? I’ll turn on the lights outside and you and Frosty can go out and get some fresh air. It’s not too cold and there’s a little snow for Frosty to romp in. It won’t take me too long and then you can get a taste of my favorite Russian dessert.”
Say, it isn’t too cold out here, is it? I suspect once the sun is totally gone things will cool off more. Anyhow, Rachel is making for you the Russian dish known as Berry Kissel. Watch Frosty now, we can’t have him running away. Not that he has ever even tried such a stunt. As I was saying, this dessert is made from blackberries and raspberries, along with sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Don’t get too hungry for it though. Once she’s done preparing it, the dish takes a couple of hours to cool. Then again, she might set it out here and speed up the process. I suppose this will wrap up the majority of day one here in Sitka. Tomorrow you will accompany Rachel to church. She doesn’t usually have much of a schedule on Sundays, so hopefully things won’t get too tedious. Goodbye for now.
After some idle chit-chat and dessert taste testing, January first was in the books. Enter Sunday morning.
“Sorry if I woke you, I usually get up pretty early to get ready for church. I don’t know why, it’s not like anyone takes notice of me from what I can tell. I guess this is the one time during the week I get to be around people. Some weeks it’s the only time I get out, so I feel I need to look my best. The weatherman said we should hit a high of thirty-three today. Let’s hope no rain is on the horizon since it could get ugly being so close to the freezing mark most of the day.
“Don’t get worried if you’re not a regular church attendee. This church is far from intimidating. The service doesn’t go too long and the people are mostly pretty nice. Some people even wear jeans, though most dress up a little. Our pastor is a good guy, younger than what most people think of when they hear the word ‘pastor’. He identifies well with the young adults, which is the anchor of our church. Hey, we should get going.
“This is my car, well actually SUV. I can’t walk to this church, unlike St. Michael’s. I bought it during the SUV craze, which unfortunately hit right before the gas price increase craze. It’s not a big vehicle; I have no need for that. Actually, I don’t really have a need for anything larger than a compact car, but I loved the look of this vehicle. I test drove it and was hooked. I love yellow and this little four-wheel drive is yellow personified.
“As you can see, I didn’t really go all out when I bought her. I have the manual windows and manual seats. It’s not like I need to unlock the other doors for anyone or ever lower the windows. Nobody else ever drives it, so I don’t change the seat position. I walk to the bank and rarely eat at the local fast-food style places so power windows aren’t necessary. I don’t drive very often, maybe twenty to forty miles during an average week. I try to get her on a good driving road for several miles a few times a month, which is pretty limited on this island. My brother says this exercise keeps it in shape and helps something called the EGR system. I don’t know what it is or what it does other than keep pollutants lower, but I trust Charles and want to keep this vehicle for awhile.
“Well, here’s the church. Obviously we won’t have any trouble finding where we’ve parked. Not only does the bright yellow of my SUV stick out, but this is not a very big church either. I bet next week it will be even less full as the professional football playoffs start up. I generally sit in the middle, on the left side, but I wouldn’t mind if you’d rather be seated somewhere else. I just need to quick use the ladies room.”
Allow me to let you in on a secret. No, it isn’t the fact that Rachel is making sure she looks presentable in the bathroom either. That guy, in the navy blue shirt, in the third row actually likes Rachel. He’s single, lives in town and has attended this same church since birth. He, unlike Rachel, isn’t shy, yet he has only talked to her a few times. He wants to get to know Rachel better, but struggles with the right way to do it. Rachel is totally ignorant to this; at least I think she is. He started having feelings toward Rachel when her battery went dead, after she left her headlights on, and he helped jump start her SUV. That was a month ago, but he has yet to muster up the courage to follow up in his quest to get to know her better. Rachel is under the illusion that she is unlikable. I hope this young man acts soon, because I believe Rachel would be rather receptive to him.
“We’d better grab a seat; I hate to be one of the last people sitting down. I always think that people who can’t manage to be seated in the minutes before the service starts should arrive earlier. I know I shouldn’t judge, but we aren’t here to socialize. You can do that after the service. Okay, time to be quiet.”
The service was a well received one and Rachel got a little inspired by the message of trying to understand why bitter people are bitter and how to deal with them. Not that she encountered many unpleasant folks, but she was always one to enjoy learning about most anything. The young pastor dismissed his congregation right on time, which was pretty common.
“I thought the message was pretty good. Maybe it touched someone in attendance today. I could almost see myself being bitter toward the world over how circumstances have worked themselves out in my life. I’ve lost my parents. I have only a handful of friends, none of which are especially close. I have no husband or boyfriend and no immediate one in sight. Oh, speaking of men, you see that guy over there. My SUV’s battery died some weeks ago and he bailed me out. We talked a lot and he seemed legitimately interested in getting to know me, but he hasn’t spoken to me since. I don’t ever see him with a girl, or a guy for that matter. Hey, you never know. We seemed to interact really well, but maybe he’s that way with everyone. It was probably wishful thinking on my part to assume he actually wanted to get to know me. He was likely just being kind.
“You know, at this point I always head home and spend the day with some light exercising, reading and a little TV. However, maybe we should do something different. I don’t know, what would I want to see if I was visiting Sitka? We have a great bird sanctuary just up the road. It doesn’t really open to the public until spring, however. It’s the destination on one of my daily walks actually. I’ll make sure to take you with me when I go there next.
“The place is called the Alaska Raptor Center. There are many different birds of prey residing there and the workers take care of sick or injured birds as well. They mainly focus on bald eagles, but there are also owls and falcons and other birds. I’ll have to take you there in a few months when they’re open for tours. But for today, what else can we come up with? Our tourist season occurs when all the good things are going on and that isn’t for some time.
“Speaking of bald eagles, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a wider array of them outside of Alaska. While Hawaii may be the only state without bald eagles, they thrive here in Alaska. At almost any time you can look up in the sky, when it isn’t raining too hard, and see eagles flying above. They love to spend time at the waterfront, being birds of prey. Back in the lower forty-eight, you’d be more likely to see robins or sparrows flying around. Not here, we have eagles aplenty.
“Another neat thing we could, nay should, do is visit the Isabel Miller museum. If you want to learn quickly and abundantly about our culture and history, stopping there is a necessity. You see, not only do we have a rich heritage from Russia, but before they arrived here a group called the Tlingits were already here. They are this area’s version of Native Americans. Being winter, the museum isn’t open on Sunday. Boy, this may not be a good day to do much. It’s the dead of winter, it’s a Sunday and a holiday weekend at that. I guess we’ll have to do those excursions, amongst some other ones, later on. At least you were able to see my church.
“Back in the early eighteen hundreds, the Russians actually battled with the local Tlingit people here. The Tlingit clans, I have been told that there were three in all around here, also carved many totem poles. Not so many years ago some of the Tlingits made a thirty-five foot tall totem pole to honor those who have gone before them. They have a strong sense of family.
“Speaking of which, I should also take you to Juneau to meet my brother and his wife. Obviously I’ll be going there in May for the birth of their child, but that is so far off. I should warn you there really isn’t an easy way to get to Juneau from here or from anywhere. You see, you can’t merely drive there. I have to take a ferry and it isn’t a quick ferry either. It literally takes a half day and costs over two hundred dollars round trip. For this reason I don’t go there too often, nor does my brother return to Sitka frequently. You can bring your vehicle along with you, which I do. Actually it is a nice system and what else can you do? Okay, one could fly commercially. I suppose I could also arrange for a charter flight, but I personally am not too sure I want to attempt my first flying expedition on such a small airplane.
“No, I’ve never flown before so I’m somewhat apprehensive about it. I have read that it’s thirty-seven times safer to fly than to drive. I’m willing to try it, mind you, but I’d prefer my first flight to be on a big jet and not a little plane. There is so much in life that I have never done. Partly because I’m secluded here in Sitka and partly because I guess I just don’t have the ambition to do it. Maybe with you here this year, I will attempt to do some new things. After all, we do have a little airport just minutes from here. We even get airline service to places like Seattle and Juneau. I’ll have to fly to Juneau when I get the nerve to. The obvious drawback to flying is not being able to bring my SUV. It would take far less time to travel, however, and if I booked the ticket far enough in advance it would be cheaper than the ferry as well.
“Wow, we’re already home. The time flew by having someone to talk to. I’m so glad I have this garage to park my SUV in. I couldn’t bear to have her out all night in such a climate. I made an observation while shopping around for a car. Do you notice that there are no vehicles named after cities or states east of the Mississippi? Think about all the ones named after cities like Laredo, Sante Fe, Tacoma and Tahoe. Or even states like Montana, Colorado and the Dakotas have vehicles named after them. They even name vehicles after things that are associated with the west like rams and avalanches. At least they gave Alaska one with the Denali.
“Sorry I couldn’t come up with something more amusing to do today. At least church was good. You’ll have to forgive me, I really don’t entertain much. Okay, I never entertain. I do have some movies I’ve only watched once or twice that we could see. I love horror movies. Well, tasteful horror movies which kind of sounds like an oxymoron, but there are some out there. I like the chick-flick style movies too, but they sometimes depress me because almost every one ends with the girl finding a great guy who loves her.
“I tell you what, why don’t we take a walk to the waterfront. It’s nice enough out and no rain is in sight for the time being. We should probably go right after lunch because, lest you forget, the sun will set not long after. Now what to do about lunch? I don’t want to overkill the Russian thing so I’ll make my favorite meal done Mexican style.
“Now even if you really enjoy this meal, like me, I can only make it sparingly in the winter months. You see, to buy vegetables out of season in Alaska is very pricey. Why a single tomato alone can cost in the neighborhood of more than a couple bucks. Outrageous, isn’t it? Well, imagine how much the shipping costs involved are. Add to that my need for oranges and apples and I can pay a hefty amount for my produce during these cold months.
“Keep in mind, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We, here in Alaska, enjoy something no other state does. The residents here, young or old, get a nice little check every year from the profits of the Alaskan oil pipeline. You receive it for simply being a resident of the Final Frontier. How neat is that?
“Back to the Mexican food I plan to make for lunch. Now I like hot things, but not super hot. I use jalapenos and other spices to liven up the food, but I don’t go all out with stuff that is going to make your eyes water for an hour. I love cooking with cilantro. Sometimes I look for recipes to add it to when the recipe doesn’t even call for it. Sometimes I think I would love to visit Mexico. I can’t imagine how hot it gets there or all those dangerous and venomous creatures they live with. Maybe someday I’ll sneak aboard a docked cruise ship here and eventually end up south of the border.
“Again, back to the food. I keep getting sidetracked here. The dish is called chile cheese casserole. It’s not exactly the chili you’re probably thinking of. It’s actually green chiles, along with corn, cheddar cheese, eggs and some other stuff. Once you melt the oleo, you add some flour and other ingredients. Typical baking stuff here. It takes a good forty-five minutes to cook, so I’d better get started or we won’t have time to walk to the waterfront in the daylight.
“Isn’t this pathetic? You’ve been here not even two full days and again I find myself making a big deal out of the food I’m preparing. What’s so great about that? Everyone makes food. This just goes to show that I have no life. I’ve acquired this stance of looking forward to the small things in life. So many times people go through life bored and looking for something exciting that time passes them by. They miss all the little things because they’re too consumed with finding the big things. I look forward to my daily walk, my monthly magazine to arrive, a television show here and there and going to church. Without these little things, big things don’t mean as much because you’d have nothing to compare them to. I guess I’m blessed that way. I look up and watch the eagles, which is nothing special in these parts to most people. I enjoy watching my cat play in the snow. Most people send their pets on their way, out of sight out of mind. I realize I might not feel this way if I had a family or a big career, but I’m glad and I do feel blessed with my simple life.”
Lunch came and went again. Rachel proved herself worthy of the title “good cook” as her Mexican meal was exceptional and, like most of her meals, healthy as well. After eating, and getting dressed for the walk, Rachel had one thing to do before commencing to the Sitka Sound.
“I have to catch a quick report on tomorrow’s predicted weather forecast. I just love watching these reports, though I don’t spend too much time out of doors. There are days I’ll watch the local weather report a few times. I also watch the reports for other places in the U.S. and Canada. Hey, it’s going to hit forty-two tomorrow! The down side is that it’s going to be very foggy and drizzle-type rain is expected for the first several hours of the day. I’ll take it, I suppose. Are you ready to head to the waterfront? Let’s be off then.
“Sitka is one of the best places on earth for salmon fishing. I went a few times with my dad but don’t quite understand how someone could get hooked, no pun intended, on fishing. I do enjoy the taste of a well cooked salmon though. Okay enough about food. My dad processed many fish out of these waters during his time with the processing plant.
“I thought about following in my father’s footsteps and getting a job at the plant. I knew my dad was always hoping Charles would do this, but he opted to go to college in Juneau. My dad wanted to start this tradition of the Ford family at the plant, but Charles wanted nothing to do with it. Oh he worked there for one summer and pretty much hated it. It took my dad awhile to forgive Charles for that though in reality my brother did nothing wrong. When I suggested to dad that maybe I could work there, he didn’t get too enthused about it so I kind of backed away from the idea. I’m probably better off doing what I’m doing anyhow, although I’d actually have health benefits at the processing plant.
“My father enjoyed it, for the most part, but I don’t think yours truly is cut out for gutting and cleaning fish or packing cans and boxes of seafood. My dad came home smelling of fish everyday, not something I found too alluring. In May and June the halibut and king salmon run wild and dad had to work like mad to keep up with the catches. It’s a manly profession though several women can be found working at such places. Not only fish, but plenty of crab and shrimp are found in these waters as well. Forgive me but one thing I can’t resist is crab meat. My dad would sometimes bring some home for us and I always looked forward to it.
“If you’re interested, there are many charter boats you can take to experience deep-sea fishing Alaskan style. I’m not necessarily talking about day trips either. Some of these charter sailings last a week! Personally, I think one day would suffice but there are plenty of avid fishermen who go for four, five or even seven days at a time. These charter companies think of everything too. You get your airline ticket right into our airport, transfers, meals, fishing licenses and your bait.
“Isn’t this some gorgeous scenery? I have looked upon these waters and those mountains thousands of times and it never really gets old. Mount Edgecumbe, in the background, is awe-inspiring. I didn’t start appreciating the view until after high school, but now I think this has to be one of the most beautiful places anywhere. Okay, admittedly I’ve never visited anywhere outside of this area except some nearby Canadian cities, but what could top this panorama of sights?
“Tomorrow the normal routine starts over again. The holidays are about over and work, school and the other normal daily duties will resume. Monday is when one of the two gentlemen I refer to as my ‘bread-and-butter clients’ comes in. The other one comes in on Wednesdays. Believe me, I schedule my shopping, appointments and what have you around those two guys. If I were to lose either one, my budget would certainly be compromised. They’re both good guys, similar in many ways and different in others.
“Tomorrow you meet Mr. John Radisson. He is the owner of one of those aforementioned fishing charter companies. He’s loaded, trust me. I usually don’t talk a lot to my clients, as was mentioned, but he has offered me a free off-season day fishing excursion. I told him that I plan to do it but not until it’s warmer. He’s in his sixties. John’s on his second marriage and has a son with his first wife. His son, like my brother, lives in Juneau.”
John Radisson is what you’d call a good ol’ boy. He’s from Broken Bow, Oklahoma and still acts the part. His family was always into the recreation business. In Broken Bow, his parents owned a golf course and a canoe rental outlet. John wanted to take this ambition to new places. His love for fishing helped make his decision to buy and run his own fishing charter company. He settled in Juneau at first, and then soon moved to Sitka. John is a little overweight and short. He can often be found wearing a cowboy hat. He’s friendly to those who are friendly to him, but he’s a nasty person to tangle with if you’re not.
“On Wednesday afternoon you will meet Mr. Nick Brezhnev. His real first name is Nikolia, but he never goes by it. He is obviously of Russian descent. I honestly don’t know that much about Nick. I don’t ever hear him mention a wife or family, but who’s to say what his marital status is for certain. He’s a businessman, but in what capacity I’m unsure. He travels frequently to places like Seattle, San Francisco and Anchorage. He looks to be in his mid-thirties. He’s very well built and takes exceptional care of himself. He doesn’t talk with an accent, though his great, great grandparents moved here from Russia. I recall him saying that, while he isn’t fluent in it, he does know how to speak Russian fairly well.”
Nick Brezhnev is Rachel’s favorite client. He’s generally quite shy, but doesn’t act this way around Rachel much. Nick doesn’t like to talk about himself. He’s single and lives in town. As Rachel mentioned, Nick travels on business nearly every week. Nick isn’t exactly model material, but he’s a nice looking guy.
John and Nick schedule their weekly appointments with Rachel for two very different reasons. John, like Rachel assumed, is wealthy. A weekly massage is a perk for him. He has no back pain. John figures he has worked hard for his money and deserves to do something nice for himself. Of course the Lincoln Navigator and personal yacht fall into that category as well.
Nick travels often. He is subjected to sitting on planes every week. His back can sometimes pay the price. His employer recognizes this and has agreed to pay for half of Nick’s massage bill. His employer has one other employee whom he offers this same benefit to, but that employee goes to a different therapist who works out of a professional building. Nick was less intimated by the backdrop of Rachel’s small house. Nick was slightly embarrassed the first time around, but now looks forward to his Wednesday time slot.
“Let’s just sit here for a few minutes and watch the boats and see if anybody has had a good day at sea. Word to the wise, don’t get caught sitting under an eagle at the wrong time if you know what I mean. You think it’s bad getting hit by a seagull? Don’t press your luck with a bald eagle. I think I’m going to stay out here and watch the sunset. It won’t be much longer. Yes, tomorrow I’m back in the old routine. But for right now, I’m going to enjoy the view of what has been used as the setting for countless pictures and paintings.”
Read more about A Year in Sitka and Mark Deans HERE.
Copyright 2008 Mark Deans. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
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