So Long Until I Saw Him Again

When I first moved into my Alaskan cabin Out the Road I did not want to spend a lot of money on such things as blankets because I had a quilt collection down in Tennesee that I knew would eventually make its' way up here.

So.......for just a few dollars I bought three thin blankets from the Salvation Army.  That, in addition to a quilt top I had bought for a couple of dollars while I was still at the extended stay hotel have kept me warm at night for the past couple of months. 

I was at the Salvation Army store again yesterday and found this beautiful quilt for only $5.  It is a VERY heavy quilt, and last night I tried it out on my bed.  Happily it now replaces all of my other cheapy blankets and I have added one more to my ever-increasing quilt collection.  Very cool.

Today was one of those strange, uneventful days.  Raining for almost all of it my day started at a site in the Valley that I thought I would be working at from late morning until mid-afternoon.  Only (surprisingly) very few people from other organizations showed up for th event and I ended up leaving not long after I arrived, determined that I was not going to blow my entire Saturday for no good reason.

After unexpectedly adding five hours of free time to my weekend I drove downtown to my office to deal with a minor situation that I needed to stay on top of. And then I headed back through the Valley and Out the Road.

Made an appointment for my long overdue haircut.  Thirty dollars for a basic cut is about the cheapest I have found here in Juneau, and after taking a deep breathe I made an appointment for Wednesday.

By the time I was done all of these things it was early afternoon, still raining heavily, and I decided that before I went home I would stop at the Arboretum which is only a few miles from the house.

These are some pictures I took while wandering through the grounds in the rain.  A beautiful place that I first visited in late February when there was really nothing growing and only ice on the ground. 

I have stopped by the Arboretum frequently since that first time (usually while on bike rides out that way), curious to see what was happening and what was growing there.

Here we are in mid-May and the city-run Arboretum is turning into a beautiful, growing, alive place.

A month or so ago I had stopped right in this very spot and was putting my bike helmet back on, getting ready to move on.  And that is when I heard a high pitched noise coming from the water that broke the silence of the place.  I had never heard that sound in real life before but I knew immediately that it was a whale.

I never heard the sound again and did not see him out there in the cove - but I know that he was there.

Back then I thought maybe I was mistaken, because it sounded like the noise was too close to have been a whale.  I now know of course, that the water can be very very deep even close to shore.  The nature of the channel......... 

My Mountain Boy has been very busy these past couple of weeks - finishing up many last minute things around the house, selling furniture, packing.  Getting ready to break that vortex in Tennessee that has kept him there, and that has kept us separated for the past four months. 

Some of that vortex was built around issues related to the house.  Some were issues related to hesitation about a large move to Alaska.  And some were issues related to hesitation about my job and stability here in Juneau.  Issues for him, issues for me, issues for both of us.

This entire "Adventure In Alaska" thing has definately been a process.  

Difficulty selling the house in this market and ultimately making a decision to hand it to a property manager so that it can be rented out. 

Following my blog - seeing the pictures, reading my words, understanding my feelings about this place and my job and my life here.  

Coming to terms with this place (both its limitations and its advantages). 

Coming to some conclusions about my work and whether or not it is a good fit, workable, bankable, manageable.........

Deciding finally what possessions will come and what will be given away and/or sold before he leaves Tennessee.  As it gets closer to the time my Mountain Boy will be leaving, it gets easier to leave things behind. 

Dealing with money and ferry schedules............it has been a busy time.

By the time LC gets here (arrivinga at 3am on Monday June 14) it will have been a few days past 5 months since we last saw each other. 

Five months.  When I said goodbye to my Mountain Boy in early January I never imagined it would be so long until I saw him again.