I wish to immediately dispel any mystery surrounding the way I ended the “Cruising” post: I realize that I may have alluded to something far more intriguing and/or salacious than it actually was. While waiting for the shuttle back to our hotel after the Day-Long cruise, “Someone” (not me) said they’d be “5 minutes” in the souvenir shop across the street, and subsequently MISSED that shuttle. “Someone else” (yes, me) boarded that shuttle, and asked the driver (after she’d dropped off the others) to circle back to the cruise port before going to my hotel, to look for “Someone”, who’d actually been picked up by the _next shuttle_. In the end, “Someone else”‘s driver GOT LOST (oy!), and by the time “Someone else” _finally_ arrived in the hotel room, “Someone” was sitting there, and asked, “Oh, there you are! 🙂 Did you go for a walk??” Yup. After being on a boat for 8.5 hours, that’s JUST what I did. Not! In the spirit of the title of this post, I guess I’ll keep him anyway. 😉
On the way out of Seward on Wednesday, we got a great shot of Mount Marathon, and the lovely, cool, crisp morning:
On to the town of Sterling! As I gushed in a previous post, “Amazing Alaska – Day 1, Part 1”, Jim P. provided so much help, information, and guidance on this trip, and sent me a few short videos of moose (!!) stopping in his yard in Sterling, the day before we got to his house.
Just in case you aren’t able to view the video (privacy protected, maybe?), here are some stills:
There were actually TWO calves with the Mamma Moose. It must be just amazing to look out your window & see these creatures on a regular basis! Jim met us on Wednesday morning, at a previously arranged spot, right on the Sterling Highway, and led us to his house. It’s a beautiful, recently built log cabin style home … very cozy!
It was one of those times when, upon walking in, I immediately felt right at home. Although Jim suggested a local festival that we might want to explore, we welcomed the opportunity just to hang out, and have a “Power Down” day. We certainly deserved it! And I loved seeing the Alaska “slice of life” Jim leads. We may have barely known each other back in the 1970’s, but he’s become a friend, and one whom I KNOW will remain one. He already seems like an “old friend”, and I am not referring to our age! LOL
Jim went to run an errand, I caught a quick nap, and by the time I woke up, Gerry had bonded with Shirley over their mutual love of the Hallmark Channel. SHIRLEY!! OMG, Shirley is Jim’s 80-something MOM, who visits him for a few weeks every summer. Shirley is hysterically funny, interesting, spunky, and sharp as a tack! My own Mum always said, “There’s no such thing as a coincidence”, but how crazy is it that Shirley was visiting at the same time as we were, and only days later I’d be in Methuen, Massachusetts, Shirley’s home town? It is safe to say that Shirley and I bonded, as well!!
At dinnertime, Jim cooked for us — freshly (the day before!) caught salmon, halibut, shrimp, chicken, & fixins. A feast fit for kings and queens, for sure! Just before dinner, Jim’s friend Julie arrived, bursting through the door and exuberantly proclaiming, “HELLO, NEW FRIENDS!!” LOL Julie is so sweet, and was interested in hearing all about our travels, both this trip, and previous ones! It was a lively and completely delicious meal!
Something I’d known about, but momentarily forgotten, was how light it stays so LATE at this time of year in Alaska. Dinner wound down, Jim escorted Julie home, Shirley hit the hay, and shortly afterward so did Gerry (hey, them Hallmark Christmas movies’ll wipe ya right out!), and I stayed up with Jim, laughing over “Seinfeld” & “Schitt’s Creek” re-runs, until I realized:
D’oh!! Time to visit dreamland myself!! Loved this decor in the guest room, LOL:
(And thankfully, that’s the closest we came to seeing a grizzly bear! lol)
The next morning we were off to our final destination, and last full day in Alaska, the town of Homer (more in the upcoming post, “Amazing Alaska – Day 4”), and Jim drove down to show us around.
Before leaving, I made sure to capture “the menagerie” in photos … at least part of it. Jim has three pets … Riley, the canary:
Fenton, the cat:
And the king of the menagerie is a gorgeous (and quite crazy) Malamute, named Chumley. I’ve been avidly following Chumley for years, via Jim’s Facebook page videos, and to be perfectly honest, meeting Chumley was absolutely on my bucket list. We didn’t get to interact much … the dog is more than a bit wacky! … but I got to feed him some treats, and pet him for a while, and he’s really (deep down) very sweet. Thanks for your lively “Bye Bye!” at the fence, Chum! Be a good boy!
Before we left, I was very happy that Shirley agreed to pose with Lulu. I can’t decide who’s more lovable, but this photo ranks high on the “Cutest” meter!
Great to meetcha, Shirley, you’re a GEM! I certainly hope our paths cross again!
We hopped into the vehicles, and began the 2 hour drive to Homer, the last town at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. See you there in the next post!