After grabbing a quick coffee and breakfast at the Hungry Moose, by 7:30 on Monday morning we were waiting in yet one more sunny and warm day (now five days in a row of such unusually warm weather in the SE) at the ferry terminal in Haines.
Waiting for the Malaspina to take us back to Juneau.
I took the picture of the sign below at the terminal, having missed it upon our arrival.
Chris fished along the shore, waiting for our boat, while LC, Jamie and I visited with travellers from the Yukon.
Our ferry arriving into port.....
Although I took quite a few pictures on the way back to Juneau, when I was looking for ones to blog I decided to keep this post short and sweet.
Many pictures look similar to each other, and of course similar to our ride up just a few sunny days earlier.
Chris mostly socialized with other passengers during our return trip, while LC and I talked, took pictures, enjoyed the wonderful beautiful scenery, and then slept for a short while.....
Our trip was wonderful. Every moment of it.
I loved watching my military son transform from his fast-moving fast-talking big-city war-veteran self, into a boy who got excited seeing bears and finding fishing holes.
I loved watching my son and my Mountain Boy bond over common personality traits, jokes, stories and fishing.
I loved my goofy dog walking, and barking and sleeping with "The Boy" and tail wagging at all the newness and excitement of her journey to places unknown.
I loved spending time with all of them.....
The mountains that were bigger and more rugged than even the wonderful and accessible mountains in Juneau.
The fishing boats that were smaller and less pretentious than many in Juneau.
The people we met from countries around the world. The friendly and tightly knit people of Haines.
I loved it all.........
I need to slow down. I have been moving so fast for what seems like such a long time now, but my body and my head need to slow down. I relaxed - really relaxed - for the first time in what seems like a very long time during this trip.
I loved that too..........
My child is on a plane at this moment - on the way back to New Jersey.
As I am writing this he is in the air somewhere between Anchorage and Chicago.
He had to go of course, but I did not want him to leave. I missed him even before hugging him, walking away and leaving him at the gate.
I felt the same way saying goodbye to him at the airport, that I felt when I said goodbye to my Mountain Boy at the airport in Nashville in early January.........
In the past four years I have seen him when I travelled to San Antonia TX to watch his graduation from basic training - when he came home to TN after trades training and before heading to NJ - when I travelled to Norfolk VA to say goodbye to him before he headed over to Iraq for the first time - when he came home to TN after he got back from Iraq - when I flew up to NJ to see him before he left for Iraq the second time - and when he flew to Juneau Alaska just over a week and a half ago.
He gets out of the Air Force in two months, and I don't know where or when I will see him again.
He is toying with the idea of moving over to the Navy.
He is toying with the idea of going to college in New Brunswick (close to his father and uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews).
Maybe he will do one of those things. Maybe he will do something entirely different.
I am proud to know him, and am proud that he is mine.
And I am very pleased that I had this time with him............
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