Curled Up In The Grass

I worked non-stop to day, skipping lunch and moving quickly from one project to another.  A few times today I spoke with my Mountain Boy on the phone briefly, trying to let him know that I was thinking about him.

Only......I wasn't.  Even when I was talking to him I was thinking three steps ahead, stewing over either what I was doing or what I would be doing when I got off the phone.

I did not realize any of this until tonight.

On the spur of the moment I pulled into the ferry terminal on the way home.  It was an attempt to slow my brain down, and to take a few minutes to realize that today was a lovely and warm day.  It had rained earlier in the day, but at some point the weather had cleared, and we were left with yet one more beautiful day in Juneau.

I had missed most of it, but pulled off Glacier Highway tonight determined not to miss it all.

I walked for a few minutes, and as I got close to the terminal saw three tents set up in one corner of a grassy area outside the terminal and close to the water.

After noticing the tents I looked more closely and saw two dogs curled up sleeping in the sun on the grass.  More of those very cool large, easy going, relaxed Alaskan dogs that are seen everywhere in this town.

I walked closer, and three middle aged men were either standing by the rail or sitting on the bench beside the tents. 

One of the dogs ran up to me to say hello, as all these Alaska dogs inevitably do.  And then the second one approached me.  And before I knew it I was down on one knee petting these friendly oversized beasts.

I smiled at the guys, they smiled back and soon we were all talking - me telling them about my arrival in Juneau a few months ago and about my Mountain Boys' impending arrival next month - and they telling me that they had been camped out for the past day and were waiting for a ferry to Soldotna.

It was a brief and friendly encounter with friendly guys and their friendly 4-legged animals. 

And just like that my stress was gone.  And so was my preoccupation with work.

And just like that I realized that I had spent my conversations with LC today both self-involved and not wholly engaged.  Which in retrospect seems so wrong, because he is someone who means the world to me.

It is so easy to lose sight of important things sometimes..............

One small ferry was already docked at the terminal, and as I stood by the water I watched a second ferry, the Fairweather, arriving.

For the first time I watched the ferry move smoothly across the water, and then watched as the Fairweather moved closer to the dock.  For big and lumbering boats they are very maneuvable.  I watched as the ferry inched forwards, then backwards, then moved sideways closer to the dock until it was completely in place.

When I arrived a few months ago the ferry terminal parking lot was mostly empty.  As with every place else in Juneau, that is now no longer the case.  The parking lot is consistently full.  And in addition to the three guys with their three tents and two big friendly dogs, I also saw a guy with his feet sticking out of the window of his truck while he slept, and one other young man laying in the grass curled up in a sleeping bag.

Many people hunkering down for as long as they need to, while waiting for their respective ferry rides home.

One more picture of spring in Juneau Alaska.  Taken in the back yard at my house.