ALASKA
Someday I may settle down, live in place, buy a home, put down roots and all that. But for now I am continually blown away by the wonder of the new. This trend shows no signs of abating. I have been in Alaska for less than 48 hours and my reception has been fantastic.
I came in with over 10 hours travel time (with a layover in Houston, for some reason). Sage, my new roommate, picked me up at the airport. I found Sage over craigslist. Sage is an interesting cat (I seem to populate my life with interesting people. This is good). She just turned 50 and has spent the last two years in the peace corps (Kazakhstan? I forget) followed by a multi-month bike trek across Eurasia. She has biked in 5 continents, including Chicago to Anchorage and China to Estonia. Her house is covered in knick-knacks from across the globe. The living room is brightly covered in different rugs. There is a tree in the bathroom peopled with origami animals.
Living here I get a free bike, left by the last tenant. I have already taken time to bike around. It is beautiful. There are mountains I can see from my front porch! (see picture) This is a very bike friendly and generally outdoorsy city.
Biking was pleasure number one. Pleasure two came along with a pain. I still have work to do for that class in Sweden that I left early. The final is next week (to be send in via email). I have much reading to catch up on. Today Sage told me of a lovely coffee shop nearby and I biked over. It was such a load off my mind to just get started after nearly a two week break. I was worried inertia would paralyze me. The coffee shop itself was lovely, friendly baristas, unique furnishings, one of my simplest pleasures is to read in a good coffee shop (you may recall from my writings of Sweden).
Pleasure three, however, puts the first two to serious shame. I was invited to Sunday dinner at a friend of Sage’s, Helen. Helen’s husband is a fisherman, and the season opener for Salmon was last Thursday. He had sent some of his first catch on a plane that arrived this morning. Helen cooked it in some sort of lemon/salt baste that has to sit for a year. It was __fantastic__. Plus all guests (6) brought a dish and it was a truly scrumptious meal. But that salmon….the husband called from wherever he was (the coast?) and talked to all of us via speakerphone. He said the king salmon we ate was selling for $50/lb in Seattle. I can believe it. Best welcome to Alaska ever.
-The (still) Wandering Norseman-
Someday I may settle down, live in place, buy a home, put down roots and all that. But for now I am continually blown away by the wonder of the new. This trend shows no signs of abating. I have been in Alaska for less than 48 hours and my reception has been fantastic.
I came in with over 10 hours travel time (with a layover in Houston, for some reason). Sage, my new roommate, picked me up at the airport. I found Sage over craigslist. Sage is an interesting cat (I seem to populate my life with interesting people. This is good). She just turned 50 and has spent the last two years in the peace corps (Kazakhstan? I forget) followed by a multi-month bike trek across Eurasia. She has biked in 5 continents, including Chicago to Anchorage and China to Estonia. Her house is covered in knick-knacks from across the globe. The living room is brightly covered in different rugs. There is a tree in the bathroom peopled with origami animals.
Living here I get a free bike, left by the last tenant. I have already taken time to bike around. It is beautiful. There are mountains I can see from my front porch! (see picture) This is a very bike friendly and generally outdoorsy city.
Biking was pleasure number one. Pleasure two came along with a pain. I still have work to do for that class in Sweden that I left early. The final is next week (to be send in via email). I have much reading to catch up on. Today Sage told me of a lovely coffee shop nearby and I biked over. It was such a load off my mind to just get started after nearly a two week break. I was worried inertia would paralyze me. The coffee shop itself was lovely, friendly baristas, unique furnishings, one of my simplest pleasures is to read in a good coffee shop (you may recall from my writings of Sweden).
Pleasure three, however, puts the first two to serious shame. I was invited to Sunday dinner at a friend of Sage’s, Helen. Helen’s husband is a fisherman, and the season opener for Salmon was last Thursday. He had sent some of his first catch on a plane that arrived this morning. Helen cooked it in some sort of lemon/salt baste that has to sit for a year. It was __fantastic__. Plus all guests (6) brought a dish and it was a truly scrumptious meal. But that salmon….the husband called from wherever he was (the coast?) and talked to all of us via speakerphone. He said the king salmon we ate was selling for $50/lb in Seattle. I can believe it. Best welcome to Alaska ever.
-The (still) Wandering Norseman-
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