Day 2, June 30th, Living in Girdwood, AK

Observations about the Perpetual Sunlight: It is light out all of the time. It’s possible that it may get dark at some point between 11pm and 5am, but as of 11pm when I finally pull out the futon to catch some z’s for the night, it still looks like it is 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Tess doesn’t seem to mind the constant sun, and I can sleep through almost anything. So, I am not complaining about the endless daylight; I am merely observing it. The perpetual sunlight also seems to keep this town very active. When I am pulling the shades shut at 11pm it seems like everyone else on my street is still wide awake. There are trucks driving up and down the dirt road, people biking to the local watering hole and people walking their dogs. It’s a little trippy, but I am sure that I will get used to it.

Operation Fitness for Fear: Tess and I continued our operation to run the fear out of her. Today we ran on a bike path at the bottom of our street. The path took us past a field where both para-gliders land and moose apparently roam. I have yet to see a moose in that field, but since it’s called “Moose Meadows,” I’m guessing that I will sooner rather than later. We also ran past some elementary kids playing soccer. That is the fun thing about Girdwood, Alaska. On one hand, it’s fairly remote and unique; you might run into a bear or a moose on your morning run. On the other hand, there are people just living their lives, playing soccer and riding bikes in the street, like it’s any other small town in America. At just about the point in the run where Tess and I had to turn around we saw a small fountain along the path. I decided to let her get a drink of water before we ran back to the house. Remember how I said that Tess loves water? Yeah. She didn’t take a drink. She took a swim. I am quite certain that is not what that fountain was designed for, but she loved it. Apparently Tess wants to add swimming laps to the Operation FFF regimen. I am opposed to joining her in the fountain.

Observations on the Drive into Anchorage for Work: I saw a bald eagle flying over the mudflats today. I guess that’s kind of the norm around here, but it still made me smile. That’s not something you see everyday in the lower 48.

Observations about the Anchorage Public Library: The Anchorage Public Library on Diamond Road is quite small. It’s about the size of the organic food section of a Safeway in Colorado. It is also in a mall, which I find a little odd, but it’s a great place to work. For the most part it is quiet, aside from the occasional woman using the typewriter, or the guy eating chips at the table next to you. I don’t seem to recall chips being allowed in most libraries, but whatever. As I said, it’s pretty quiet, except for around 3pm today. At that point in time a group of teenagers came in and sat down at the table next to me. They made no attempt to whisper so I made no attempt to avoid eavesdropping. Their conversation was pretty typical for teenagers. They talked about cars and girls and drugs and drinking and what they were going to do for the Fourth of July. And then, in the middle of that conversation, they started reciting, verbatim, the fish and game rules for snagging (catching) salmon. “It must be hooked above the gills . . . .” It was like they were studying for a test (maybe they were). All I know is, that’s when I remembered that I was in Alaska, when I heard teenagers talking about snagging salmon. That’s also when I packed up my computer and headed home because I wanted to start planning my first fishing trip!

Driving Home from Anchorage: On my way home from Anchorage I made two phone calls. The first phone call was to my friends Merry and Sas (That’s a shout out to you guys! I already miss having cider at your house on Sunday nights and I’ve only been gone a week!) The second call I made was to return a phone call to the FBI agent who I had spoken with the day before. She had to check with her boss to make sure that it was ok to do the interview with me over the phone instead of face to face. (The phone interview was regarding my friend who is applying for a job within the government). The agent had confirmed earlier in the day that it was ok to do the interview over the phone so I called her back and we started discussing my friend almost immediately. Now, as I mentioned before, the last time that I spoke with the agent she was quite personable. I got that same vibe from her this time as well. I was feeling very at ease and she *seemed* to be enjoying the interview too. She asked me some standard questions about my friend and then she asked if I thought my friend was biased towards certain groups of people. Without even thinking, I laughed and said, “Um no. She’s one of the most accepting people that I know. Case in point, I’m a lesbian and I’m one of her best friends.” Now, I am *sure* that the FBI trains their agents to be casual and put people at ease, so that they will disclose more information, but I swear you guys . . . I think she started flirting with me a little after I said that! (Okay, Okay, it’s either that or I’m in a predominantly male state and I’m grasping at straws). All I know is that I started subtly flirting back. I mean, come on, did she really need to know what I was doing in Alaska and when I was coming back to CO for the interview about my friend?! Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? All I know is, if you’re reading this Agent J. . . Call me!

(And don’t worry, I already confessed to my friend that I thought the FBI was flirting with me and she said that is pretty standard. I’m also pretty certain that she’s going to get the job, despite, or due to my subtle flirting).

Evening Hike in Girdwood: When I got home from Anchorage, instead of plopping down on the couch like I would normally do after a day in the office, I took Tess on a walk that starts about five minutes from our house. The walk was on a bike path that runs through some marshy areas between the mudflats (and highway) and the mountains that surround Girdwood. It’s incredibly picturesque. We walked for about 2.5 miles and Tess posed for pictures when necessary because she is a good girl. Unfortunately she tends to turn and look at whatever I am taking a picture of, right as I snap the picture. (For example, on this walk, she turned to see the train that was passing by instead of sitting majestically to the left of it while it rolled by with the mountains framing the scene in the background). This usually “ruins” the picture because all you can see is the body of a dog and her head and neck turned around 180 degrees from the camera. However, after trying in vain to correct this habit of hers, I have decided to embrace it. I think it’s her attempt to make typically beautiful shot extra unique. She’s like the dog version of Picasso.

Shoo Tag Update: Tess and I went on this walk through the marshes without putting mosquito repellent on. This was stupid because the place is crawling with mosquitoes. However, I still had that hippie-dippie Shoo Tag in my pocket. You know, that tag that supposedly wards off the mosquitoes via magnetism or something like that. Anyway, after one hour in the marshes and no bites, I’ve got to say, that thing may work after all. Stay tuned for updates after the next mosquito battle!

Bears and Moose and Worms: One of the inevitable things that almost everyone asks you when you tell them you are going to Alaska is, “Aren’t you afraid of bears? Or moose?” I tend to respond with some kind of generic statement about how bears and moose want to see you up close and personal about as much as you want to see them. I also tell them that you can avoid them by making plenty of noise (wearing bear bells, or yelling “hey bear” when you go around a corner). That’s what I tell people. And that is all true. But here’s another bit of truth: I treat bears and moose the same way that I treat worms. I dislike worms. I think they are gross and I prefer to avoid touching them as much as possible. *However* if I am around someone who acts like they are afraid of or disgusted by worms, I will be the first one to pick that worm up off of the sidewalk, or put it on a fishing hook. I act like its no big deal, and yet it’s all a front. I completely acknowledge this, but I do it nevertheless. Well. I feel the same way about bears and moose. When someone asks me if I am afraid to go on a hike, because I might run into a bear or a moose I respond with this gem. “Of course not, you just have to be smart about making noise so that you don’t startle them.” However, the reality is, of course I am a little afraid of running into a bear or a moose! As a consequence, I assure you that you can hear me coming from a mile away. Tess has a bear bell on, ringing with every step she takes, and I’m yelling “hey bear” before I crest any hill or turn any corner. And, if there’s any chance that I might run into a local on one of these hikes, in order to avoid looking like a tourist, and yet still wanting to engage in safe hiking techniques, I change the phrase from “hey bear” to “leave it.” Admittedly Tess often has something in her mouth that warrants the “leave it” phrase. But yes. That’s right. I throw Tess under the bus and make it seem like I am yelling at her instead of looking like a tourist. Am I bad mommy for doing that? Maybe. Have we run into a bear or a moose yet? No. So maybe I’m a good mommy after all.

The Overall Theme: I’m really a *little* bit of a chicken at heart, but you can’t tell that from the pictures. And you’d certainly never know it unless you read this blog!