New Beginnings

Wait just a second.  Has it really been since May that I wrote my last post?  It's almost OCTOBER?!  What a fast season.  With managing a store in Ketchikan, flying back and forth, and still managing SMC, I was busy.  When one is busy, days seems to fly by in a blink of an eye.  I like this.  I LOVE OCTOBER! So the faster we get to this month, the happier I am.  October is the month I get to go "home" to Ketchikan and Seattle, see friends and family.  Fall colors, warm drinks, my birthday, Halloween, travel..... so many wonderful things that make it the best month ever.
I leave today to Ketchikan for a few days and then onto Seattle.  This fall I will be making some big decisions for my future.  I can't tell you what about quite yet, but just know they are big for me, and a possible transition to a home that is more year round.  Skagway, this last summer, has finally (about time!) grown on me.  I had a great season, meeting lots of new people, and having a really good time.  There are some awesome life style factors about Skagway.  My commute is a two minute walk.  The people are extremely friendly and helpful.  The weather isn't so bad (except this summer was the rainiest).  Everybody knows your name.  You can lose something and it be found and returned to you the next day.  Summer time is like summer camp for adults, something fun is always going on.  So making this big decision, deciding to eventually give up this life, is HUGE...... I'll keep you posted.  Just know that I'm super scared and excited at the same time.

I'll end this post with a few "Heard on the Wind" (stupid things tourist say) published in The Skagway News paper.

*"Is this the real town of Skagway, or is the real town somewhere else?"

*A woman looks at the clock in the AB Hall visitor center and asks, "Is that the real time?"

*Two other ridiculous questions heard over and over again this summer at AB Hall: "Is that a real post box?", and on the driftwood facade, "Is that real?"

AB Hall

*A woman looking toward a glacier remarked, "Oh look, there's a glacier.  What a pretty color it is."  Her husband agreed, and said, "That blue color means it's a new one."

*A lady came into the visitor center and asked if there were any stores where you could just go in and buy things.

*A river guide pointed out the rounded river rocks on the shoreline.  He was then asked, "Who brought them in and put them there?"

*At the start of the day in the bank, people were in line, teller windows were staffed, and all of the banking staff were in their places, when a lady walked in and, in a surprised way, exclaimed, "Is this a real bank?”

*A Skagway resident was walking downtown and saw a woman point at a jewelry store. She said to the man next to her, “These are the stores that keep a small town going.”

*A TEMSCO helicopter was seen hauling a sling-load of provisions up to Glacier Station. A visitor asked, “Do they always take people up hanging on a rope?”

*A visitor asked where they could get an item, while pointing at a picture in a coupon book. The retail employee said, "That's in Ketchikan." The tourist replied, "Where is that store?"  

*At the M&M tour shack by the Railroad Dock, a woman came in with her husband and two children and asked about the train trip. The tour broker showed her the route on a map all the way up past the White Pass summit and the international boundary.

The lady then asked, “Is that Russia?
The tour broker looked her straight in the eye and stated, “No ma’am, it’s Canada?”
But they were still confused.

* A SMART bus driving into town from the Railroad Dock is stopped at the tracks by a train. While waiting for the train to pass, two ladies sitting behind the shuttle driver are talking. 

One asks, “I wonder what that is,” pointing to the fish weir.
The second woman, without pause, says “Oh, that's a safety net so you can go swimming and not worry about the bears getting you.”

*A man came in to ask about his ancestor who may have died in Skagway. The visitor center staff said they would be happy to try to find any information. However, when asked for the goldrusher's name, the man said he wasn't sure, he would have to go look it up.

*Told the Fjord Express was sold out for the next couple of days, a visitor complained, “How do they get any business if they’re always full?”

Skagway, Alaska