On the last day of their workshop we made a special dinner for them, drank some wine, took pictures, and said goodbye. It was actually sort of disappointing to be done. I liked being busy and I met some nice people in the bunch. There were people from five different countries that came all the way to Alaska for this workshop. One woman from Brazil brought with her her husband and son who hung out in town all week. I had a nice time talking with them. They live in a German settlement in southern Brazil and it was fun to see how much I had in common with people that live so far away. Plus, if I ever go to Brazil, I now know somebody!I've gone on a couple adventures with the kids on the limited nice days that we've had but I don't want to post pictures of the children online. I love hiking the Diamond Creek Trail. It is the one thing that makes me homesick because I am sad that nobody I love can see it. It is three miles from the inn to the trail head on a paved road and then another two miles on a dirt road to where you have to hike down the edge of a large gully on the bluff down to where the creek meets the ocean. I am reluctant to take pictures because it won't really show how beautiful it is. The kids love the hike too (we drive as far as we can with them along and then walk the short distance down to the beach) because they like to play around in the creek and swim in the tide pools.
I have heard that you can hike from Diamond Creek to Bishops beach in town along the beach at low tide and I have been wanting to do it all summer. A couple of weeks ago it happened to work out that I had the afternoon off, it was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day, the tide was right, and it worked out to have someone pick me up in town. Nick (dog) and I did it in about five or six hours. It was slow-going through the gravel and sand along the beach but so worth it. All along to my right was the Pacific and to my left a steep bluff shoreline. Once in a while I would come across a little creek that was running down the bluff.
I even came across a whole bunch of sea lions perched on some rocks and their friends, the sea otters, swimming around. The ones that were close enough to me to take pictures of scattered when I came by so I couldn't get a good shot but I was excited to see some of the ocean wildlife. I have yet to see a whale but I am determined. I spend a lot of time on the beach but not so much on the water. But-I did finally make it across the bay!
Mindy, the kids, and I took a water taxi across the bay to do the glacier hike. The taxi dropped us off on a beach and then picked us up at a different destination point. The hike to the glacier was only a couple miles but I was uptight the whole time. It was through the bush and we came across a couple piles of bear scat. Granted, we had Nick with us, a bear horn, and we were singing and make as much noise as we could the whole way but I don't care, bears are still wild animals and I am afraid of them. It was raining and buggy the whole way but the scenery trumped any discomfort.
The trail led us to Grewingk Glacier Lake. We kept hearing thundering noises from the glacier and the best we can come up with is that it was echoing from cracking in the glacier. I am told that glacier ice, because it is so compressed, pops and fizzes when you put it in a glass of water. I wasn't about to swim out to get a hunk but it would be neat to see if that is true. After eating a snack we hiked another mile or so to a little lagoon where the taxi picked us up. From where we were on a rocky shore we could see across a distance in binoculars a black bear walking around the beach and some sea otters playing in the water. It was a good day and I am absolutely flabbergasted at what these kids will do (with few complaints).
We've had more sunny weather this week. When it gets above 65 degrees we call it a barn-burner and the kids and I are usually in our bathing suits before noon. The neighbor, Sandy, and I have been going on quite a few trail runs. Sandy is over twice my age and in way better shape than me. I am a wimp on the trails but I just happened to be concerned about little things like breaking my ankles or getting mauled by a bear. What Alaskans consider a trail is comparable to walking through a row of a corn field in August with added obstacles such as tree roots and pushki (large plant with skin-irritating juices). Given the terrain, our runs are probably about the pace of a walk but I love being out on the trails, especially with Sandy because she knows where she is going. This week we saw lots of berries but not enough to gather quite yet.
I'll be house sitting for Sandy and her husband for three weeks toward the end of this month which will be a nice change of pace. September is going to be a busy month here at the inn with the Photo Fest and and a wedding at the end of the month. I'm still formulating a plan for the future. I was offered a paid apprenticeship with a prominent potter in town if I happen to stay through the winter. It would be the experience of a lifetime but she also said that the offer stands for next summer or whenever I might be here. It sounds like a no-brainer but I am starting to get anxious to get home and begin to settle down, really anxious. Plus, I am truly in the liberal trenches up here. These are the don't shave their armpits liberals, the on the school board liberals. I pretty much walk around town as a moving target. Speaking of hippies, I got some killer footage of people dancing at the Concert on the Lawn last week, I mean killer, but I hate my voice in it so if you want a good laugh let me know and I'll send it to you.I rarely stay up this late to see the darkness and I'm scared about running to my cabin tonight but I probably should before the monsters come out, or those liberals (shudder).
Blessings.
