Remember The Mountains

Douglas Island is well populated partly along the Gastineau Channel side of the island.  The vast majority of the island however is uninhabited, undeveloped, and extremely mountainous.   

The above pictures were taken standing along the shore line of downtown Juneau looking across the channel at the shore of Douglas.  Behind these few rows of houses is nothing but mountains.  Only today the temperature was warm and the fog was dense.

The native history of this state is evident throughout Juneau:

 

I received a bid on my house in TN yesterday, countered the offer, they countered my offer, and now I have countered their counter offer.  Or something like that.  Fingers crossed.

I haven't heard from son in Iraq since before I left Tennessee.  The boy needs to call me.

I have to remember to not get caught up in the minuteau of the everyday.  I had a meeting downtown all morning, and decided to walk back to my workplace (rather than driving back with a colleague) after it was done, to help decompress .  It was a 30 minute walk and I stopped to take these pictures along the way.  My mind had been consumed with "work things" and maneuvering through melting snow on the sidewalks - and then I looked up.  And saw the mountains (the ones in the pictures I took yesterday).  I didn't come to Alaska to get caught up in the trivial - budgets and employee issues and keeping pants dry while walking in slush.  Remember the mountains.  Remember the mountains.  Remember that the mountains are there waiting for you to commune with them.  I will keep trying to remember.

Most of the snow we had over the past two days is gone.  It was somewhere around 38 degrees today, and very foggy by this afternoon.  I was concerned when I moved here that I would find the mountains and fog constraining and claustrophic.  I don't.  There is something soothing about this place.