Sitka - Part 2

While I was still standing by the water last night looking at the house on the rocks, I saw something dark disappear under the water to the left of me.

The water was choppy yesterday, there were lots of waves and logs and birds on the water so I turned my attention to it for just a second to see if it reappeared.

It did.  It was a whale. 

Even though I knew that whale sightings were very common in Sitka at this time of year (and in fact the Sitka Whale Fest had just been held not long ago) I was still stunned to see him.

I saw him appear and then disappear one more time before he disappeared for good.

I did not have time to get a picture of him.

Sometimes nature sightings are so completely brief and unexpected.

Last night's whale was one of those times.............

While still wandering and still waiting for 3:30pm I made my way to this place, which I had seen on my way into town from the ferry terminal.

This place is called the Pioneer Home:

http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dalp/sitka/

It is a huge and beautiful facility, and in the center of the well-kept grounds is a very large and wonderful statue dedicated to Alaska's rich gold mining history.

I did not spend a lot of time here.  Rather I was wandering through town fairly quickly - partly due to a brain that I could not switch down into low gear and party because I wanted to take some time to get to know the lay of the land.

I resolved to come back again at another time and take some time to explore this beautiful area .........

While I was walking through town I saw a flyer for a free Thanksgiving dinner at the ANB.

I did not know what ANB stood for, but the dinner was earlier and I thought I would give it a shot.

I asked a couple of young people who were skate boarding in a bank parking lot where the ANB was, and they walked with me part way, then gave me directions for the rest of the way.

As I got closer I felt fairly certain that I was not going to go into that building. 

A few creepy looking people were standing outside.

When I was standing directly across the road from the ANB (which I found out stands for Alaskan Native Brotherhood) I saw the inside of the hall as someone was coming out of the building.

Nope.  I did not need turkey that badly...............

Heading back the way I had come I walked close to the water and snapped this picture of a lovely fish weather vane............

I very quickly found out that this pup was not one of my stereotypical "big happy Alaskan dogs"

More like nasty cranky Alaskan-Cujo dog.

I walked close to this dog who was tied up, he seemed eager to acknowledge me, and I thought that he looked friendly.

I put my hand out to say hello and maybe pat him on the top of the head.

As I made that move with my hand he turned his head, I saw that he had one eye missing, and he then proceeded to snap at my hand.

He made contact but did not break the skin.

That'll teach me..............

A very beautiful church right in the center of town.

I have not had the opportunity to find out anything about this church yet, but it is beautiful and serene and the mountains behind it are beautiful as well...............

Still wandering, still moving too quickly, still exploring, still trying to slow down, still killing time (albeit happily killing time) before I could get some food, and I was ready for food by mid-afternoon.

Taken close to the boat harbor I came across yesterday...........

I found this place, and stayed for only a minute, but resolving to explore it again soon..........

A picture of me I snapped in a store front doorway.

Before leaving Juneau I deliberately dressed down - insulated boots, fatigue pants, black turtle neck, hoodie, big jacket, wool hat.

In short, clothing that downplayed both blond hair and curves.

I am not fearful about being a woman travelling alone in Alaska, but I also try not to be stupid..........

At 3:30pm I walked into the Moose Lodge and tried unsuccessfully to be inconspicuous.

Many men were very polite and watchful, and the oxygen got sucked out of the room when I took off my hat.

Regardless, I was made to feel welcome and was smilingly encouraged to eat as much as I wanted.

The food was very great and there was a huge amount of it - turkey and all of the trimmings and lots of desserts.

I ate a lot.

The Assistant-Something or Head-Somebody at the lodge introduced himself and sat down at the table I was at for a while.

He tried very hard to be amusing.

I tried very hard to be amused, but could only muster polite.

I don't have the mental energy right now for social-fencing.

And so I was very polite to everyone, as they were with me.

I could see the questions in their faces, but they asked few questions for which I was thankful and grateful.

I ate my fill, drank some diet coke, sat not watching the football game on TV for a while and then left, heading back to the Hostel.

I did not have a bad time there and I was grateful for the very good food, for the attempts at conversation, for the politeness, for the reality that I did not eat a Thanksgiving meal alone.

I have done that before.  A few years ago not long before I was divorced.

It was not a good holiday..............

I turned the lights out last night at 8:35pm and was probably asleep by 8:36pm.

I woke up at 2am and could not go back to sleep so surfed around on the internet for a while.

Eventually I did go back to sleep and did not wake up again until 8 this morning.

When I got up I stood in front of the mirror and l was very dismayed to discover that I looked absolutely awful

My face was very puffy.  My eyes were very puffy.

It did not even look like my face.

I've had my period for a month and now my face looked horrible.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I got dressed and hurriedly headed outside because I needed very badly to be outside

Thankfully my face gradually went back to normal through the course of the morning..........

A few more pictures of the marina down near the hostel I am staying at.

Today was another day similar to yesterday - overcast, mild temperatures, no rain.

Not a bad day at all for November 26 in Alaska...........

After eating a quick breakfast at Subway I headed back to Swan Lake Park.

I just love the name of that park.

The name makes me smile for some unknown reason.

This sign is located along the side of the road near the park.

There is also another sign warning people that swans bite, so feed them carefully and watch your children's little fingers...............

This park reminds me somewhat of Rotary Park in the Valley in Juneau.

Swan Lake Park does not have a 9-11 memorial, or a creative children's play park, but it IS a lovely and sweet residential park and lake located right in the center of a residential area.

It is as it should be - a small outdoor urban park that is easily accessible to families.

And it, just as Rotary Park is, is surrounded by beautiful mountains...........

An unexpected bronze moose drinking water from the lake...........

Benches for resting and lake viewing and bird watching.

Just as I was getting ready to leave the park a young family arrived, settled themselves on one of the benches, and opened up two bags of bread crumbs so that their young children could feed the ducks.............

One of the benches held this loving celebration plaque.

I wonder if Patty and Porky made it to 60??

Once I left the park I wandered.

I had no idea where I was going - had no agenda, no goals, nothing I wanted specifically to accomplish other than to just move and see.

And maybe settle.........

I passed a shopping mall, was surprised at how big it was, and absently wondered why Juneau had such lousy shopping malls when this one looked so nice.

As I continued to walk past it and study it, I happened to look over the top of it, and this is what I saw............

Where the heck did THAT come from?

How had I not seen it yesterday when I first arrived in Sitka?

Obviously it had been hidden behind the clouds and fog.

LC stopped briefly here in Sitka as he was travelling back to Bellingham a few weeks ago, and told me about this huge and beautiful mountain that he had seen.

I saw a huge and beautiful mountain yesterday and thought that it was the one he was talking about, but as soon as I saw THIS, I knew without a doubt that this was the one he described to me.

Shopping malls were instantly forgotten and I was compelled to find a way to see this mountain better, get closer to it, take pictures of it..............

Within a few minutes I had found the water and this entrance down to the cove.

As I walked down to the water I scoped out the area I was heading into - walkway back to the road over there, smaller walkway close to the water that looked like it headed towards a harbor over here.

Yet again, I was excited at the anticipation of new discoveries............

Without a doubt the highlight of my day today........... 

There were a number of eagles close to the harbor as I approached.

They were noisy and restless, and this was the only good picture I took............

An Alaskan van............

Until I finally saw it today

 this was the mountain that I thought LC was talking about............

I have been trying to take a decent picture of an Alaskan Airlines jet with the water and mountains in the background, ever since I arrived in Alaska.

I finally got one today.

This passenger jet touched down on the runway behind the trees just a few moments later.............

I walked down from the parking lot to the piers and proceeded to wander slowly along these wooden walkways just taking in the view of the mountains and beautiful boats.

While standing at the end of one pier, I watched three men for a while work on this boat.

What a great hard-working and unpretentious vessel.  I loved it.

From where I stood on the pier to where the men were working on the boat was perhaps 30 feet.

I turned my attention away from them for a minute, zoomed my camera in and got ready to take another picture of the mountains.

Just as I raised my camera I heard a loud noise behind me.

I turned at the sound but did not focus too much on its source, because I assumed it was the result of something the guys were working on.

And then I saw him.

A huge sea lion rolling his body - the front half of him already submerged and the back half following immediately behind.

By the time I raised my camera he was already completely under water.

Just a few seconds later he reappeared and I raised my camera, only to realize too late that it was too zoomed in (for the mountain shot) to be any good for a shot of a sea lion this close.

And then he was gone again.

I'm standing there dicking around with my camera, and all the time watching him as he swims directly in front of me underwater, body completely extended.

As he glided by me underwater he was not more than 10 feet from me.

I managed a picture of him underwater but truthfully if you did not know what it was, it would not look like much.

I got one picture of his face before he disappeared for good.

SO unexpected!  So quick!  So exciting!  And then he was gone.......

He's probably the same huge sea lion that tormented me in Juneau all through this past summer.

I saw the Juneau sea lion at three different beaches and could never get a decent shot of him.

A not-so-decent shot of my boys' face here in Sitka............

As I was heading back up to the road I saw an eagle land on a street light right above the canopy of the ramp.

A minute later I took a number of good shots of this guy.

Unlike the other eagles I had seen this morning, this guy did not appear to be nervous or unsettled or in any hurry to fly somewhere else..

He stayed in the same spot, even when I was standing directly underneath him, and was still resting there comfortably when I finally left............

After leaving the lovely and full boat harbor I walked down a back street towards town, that was filled with fish processing and fish packing factories.

This unexpectedly colorful and beautiful painting was on the side of one of those buildings.

Totally unexpected in an area that was truthfully old and run down and solely functional............

As I continued to make my way back closer to downtown the buildings opened up to the channel and I took various pictures of a Coast Guard cutter, pier and float plane.

I started to duck down the side of one building so that I could get a better angle for a picture and then happened to look down and see a sleeping dog tied to a heavy bench.

After my Cujo-like-experience of yesterday I thought better of the detour and stayed on the road.

The road angles would just have to do..............

I have no idea what this is, but it was beside the road and too interesting looking to pass up.............

These pictures only take me to early afternoon on Friday.

I have so many more and will post them in my next blog post.

I have asked LC to give me some space.

Hearing his voice is too hard.  Too upsetting.  Too hurtful.  Too painful.

I need to settle........somehow.

Walking and wandering and picture taking is helping.

I have nervous energy to burn. 

A brain that won't slow down.

Questions I can't answer.

An emptiness that is not easy for me to describe.

And lonely...........yes I was wondering on which side of the line I was now standing - alone or lonely.

I have figured out the answer to that question.

I am taking so many pictures I can't fit one days' worth into one post.

I guess anyone who reads this blog will be reading about Sitka for a little while.

I like this town very much..............