Settling into Seward

I was sitting here, this evening and I realized that I have not posted anything to the blog for a couple of weeks now.  We have been going at what seems like a whirlwind pace.  Of course, it is not really a whirlwind, it just seems that way from the perspective of rapid change.  Most days, I get up early, work hard all day and go to bed tired but happy.  Life is good here.

As Susan mentioned previously, I got a good job at Icicle Seafoods (Seward Fisheries), here in town.  It will be an easy walk from our new house (rental, not purchase) and is year-round employment.  That is a real plum, in a town which runs on seasonal tourism.  I am making and fixing and doing, professionally, things that I used to do as a hobby.  It is hard work and I love it.  The people are friendly and interesting and interested in each other.  It is just a fine place to work.

After five weeks of living in the trailer, it looks like we will be getting into a house next week.  That is a really fine thing, as it has started to get cold here and waking up with the temperature, inside, at around 50 is briskish.  It will also be nice to have inside plumbing and not to have to walk across the driveway to impose on Lisa and Larry and their family.  Their generosity has been beyond description.  They have allowed us to live here and shared their facilities with such grace and good humor and true humility of spirit (in its proper sense, not its cartoonish sense) that we hardly know how to thank them.  Indeed, the only down side about moving into our new house will be not being able to visit quite as easily.  Although I hope that we will be in and out of each others houses with a frequency approaching that which we enjoy now.

We are really looking forward to unpacking the moving van.  I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted something, only to realize that it is on the truck.  We will be back in our own bed, with our own chairs, and all our Stuff.  There is even enough room for it all, I think.

The credentialing process, for the prison ministry is proceeding at its own pace.  I have made contact with the part time chaplain who has been enormously helpful and has made me feel welcome.  He has also put me in contact with the local Kairos organization and I will be going inside for a weekend in January.  I do not yet know just what form my ministry will take here.  It will be as God and the Holy spirit want it to be.  I am a willing tool of Their great work.

Susan has, by virtue of her determination and creativity, found a part time job, kid wrangling, for a local daycare.  She will be working about 20 hours a week and will be beginning a major push on the Cake Front.  She is amazing!  She has also gotten back into the pool which has been a real blessing for her.  She is still on the hunt for an Avon lady, but I am sure she will bag one soon.

We are both losing weight and getting disgustingly healthy.  It is all this clean air and good living which is doing it, I think.

So that is generally where we are right now.  I will post some typical pictures of Seward and the surrounding area soon.  Until; then, here are a couple of teasers.  God bless you all.

Susan's Perspective--On Location

Okay, okay, folks---so sorry there have been no follow ups.  My fault!  We have been BUSY!
  We are still living in our Cozy Camper in the driveway of  our dear friends Lisa and Larry and their two ADORABLE children.  Ethan, the youngest, has my heart  wrapped around his little finger.  Joel is quiet and intense and SO bright.  We are so blessed to have their help and support.
   WELL--where to start.  First, the pertinent stuff.  After 16 months of being unemployed in Richmond, Vernon , within  2 WEEKS,  got hired on at the Icicles Seafood Seward Fishery as a plant engineer.  He is one of 5 guys who keeps the machinery up and running.  It is a big job--8-4:30 m-f.  And he loves it.  He started last Monday.  He is getting his hands dirty, wearing jeans and  and  knee high Extra Tuffs boots, and is a VERY happy camper.   He is one of   The Guys,  and has quickly made friends.  Right now the plant is heading into the slow time of year--40 employees.  In the summer, it swells to over 400, with on-sight housing for the workers who are seasonal.  And his work-week will expand to 60 or so hours a week, with overtime pay. The money is good.  Most important of all , his self esteem has returned, and he is happy.  I take him to work each day--5 minutes away, and  at 4:30 I pick up my smiling, grinning blue collar worker.
      I had an interview today for a job, and I continue to look.  The pastry school  is not hiring right now,  but I plan to pester them on a regular basis.  I already know the head pastry chef--we plan to lunch next week.
       We have settled into our new church, St. Peter's Episcopal,  downtown.  Vernon has submitted his paperwork to begin prison ministry.  He met with Pastor Dave from Soldatna last week.  He heads up the program here in Seward, and said they had been praying for a person to take it over here.  And Vernon called.  So they are wasting no time in getting him cleared.  Again, Vernon is happy. 
        In these three weeks, we have met so many people, and they are all so warm and welcoming.  This is a small town.  It has the atmosphere of  Mayberry.  I kid you not.  Folks smile here.  They wave to you as you drive or walk by.  You are greeted in the street with a handshake or a hug.   Children play outside, and ride bikes all over town.  "Rush hour" lasts 5 minutes, and  means that at Nash road, it will take an extra 3 minutes to make the left going downtown.  Downtown is  6 blocks,  27 corners,  no stoplights.  Speed limit is 25, and EVERYBODY obeys it.  No buildings are over three stories high.  That's the law.  It is immaculately clean because people CARE that it is.  Everybody knows everybody, and are more than happy to help you solve a problem, or find somebody who can.
          We arrived at the perfect time, as the tourist industry is closed for the year.  We looked at a house to rent the other day that we both liked alot.  Has a view if the Bay.
           I am still overwhelmed at the beauty here.  We have spent our free time walking on the docks, watching  otters play,  talking to the fisherfolks as they come in and out,  and taking in the incredible sea air.  It is so clean here  that it takes some getting used to.
           So--we have  settled in.  Winter will be here soon, and the snow.  No wondering if Christmas will be white.  It goes with the territory, and oh, what beautiful territory it is!

Susan's Perspective

I am, three days later, still pinching myself.  We are well and truly here.  We arrived on a sunny day, stopping at the local Ace hardware store so Vernon could pick up a shipment.  A huge cruise ship was in port, and the place was full of tourists.  But we ain't tourists no more!  We are HOME, and we were expressing our jubilation with hugs and tears.  Made friends within ten minutes.  Folks we did not yet know were welcoming us...the salesman at the hardware store, the lady out front who liked our camper, the engineering recruiter Vernon met.  And the tourists were watching and listening with gazes of envy.   I felt like yelling "WE don't have to leave again....!"  The mountains were glorious across the bay.  The drive from Anchorage to Seward was so familiar; we had driven it four times on our last two visits.  The highway  runs along the Kenai Fjords,  where earlier in the year you can see whales  breaching.  The mountains all along the drive are so high you  can't see the tops due to clouds.  And covered with snow and glaciers.  Beauty such as this cannot be described.

View From St. Peter's

  We are camped in the driveway of our dear friends Larry and Lisa, and their sons, Ethan (5) and Joel (10).  We're "plugged in" and comfy, surrounded  by snow covered mountains and tall sweet pine trees.   Friday we spent at DMV, the post office, the bank, and picking up job applications.  Also rented a storage unit down the street.  We have unloaded the pickup truck, as well as the stuff in the camper we stored.  It has been a couple days of work. 
  Last night, we went for ice cream, and a walk in the rain on the docks.  Folks were coming in off the water, with enormous fish  We watched them hosing off their boats, unloading gear, and swapping stories.  Vernon had a ruddy glow about him.  His smile is quick to his face now.  He is living near the water again, and breathing salty CLEAN air.  It was not long before he was engrossed in conversation with these fisherman, talking boats and tides and rudders.  He is happy.  And I am blessed to be married to this man who guided us thru 4,567 miles of terrain to get us here.
   As we knelt in church today with our new family around us,  I  thanked  our God who was with us every step of the way, and who continues to guide us here.  Every new face we see has greeted us with  genuine warmth and  handshakes, if not hugs.  We are here because He wants us to be.  We still have alot to do...a house, jobs, etc, but we will do the work to make that happen.



    To all of you who have followed our journey, it is not over yet--we will continue to update.  But I also want to thank you for  your prayers.  You know who you are. 
    And to those of you who think a dream cannot be achieved,  I say YES it can.  Get out from behind your desk and DO it.  This life affords you one go 'round.  DON"T waste it wishing.  Get off your butt and SEE THIS COUNTRY and meet the people who live "out there"  on the road.   Take it from me...it is worth EVERY mile.

Home, at last

Dear Friends,

It is with great joy and tremendous humility that I tell you that we have made it to Seward.  We arrived last Thursday, just as predicted, to find such a welcome as could not be imagined.  We laughed, we cried, we did the "happy dance" on North Harbor Street, to the bemused gaze of the cruise ship tourists and the locals alike.  Everyone we have met has been just as kind and pleasant as you could want, with the possible exception of the surly bus driver in whose space we had briefly parked our truck and his shoes probably were pinching him..

So we got here and found a space to park the trailer with some very kind and lovely people who have made us feel welcome like family.  Ten minutes after we hit town, I met an engineering recruiter who asked me to shoot him a resume this weekend.  Susan also met, at about the same time, someone who wants to buy our Airstream.  Everywhere we turn, we are finding our hopes and dreams fulfilled.  God is good.  I mean, REALLY Good!

 

This morning, we got to worship with our new church family at St. Peter's Episcopal, here in Seward.  It was such a joy to finally be able to bow before our Lord, in the company of these dear, good people.  What a blessing!  This truly is a church family and we are so blessed to be here.

I met some wonderful people, this morning, who know the people to talk to about getting my prison ministry going.  After all these months of spinning my wheels, with ministries that did not ever quite get around to doing anything, it will be wonderful to get back into the field to serve.  Of course, there will be a period of background checks and reality checks of various kinds, but I feel like I am moving forward again.

I will be keeping this blog going as the ministry here develops.  Keep watching.  God is going to do some amazing things!

Susan's Perspective

It's HUGE, it's white, and  it sneaks up on you as you go around a bend in the road.  And it is still over 100 miles away.  Denali.  The High One.  Mount Mckinley.  Another one of those breathless moments.  The mountain welcomed us today.  Not everybody is that lucky.  It is only visible 20% of the year.  As we got nearer, the clouds around the base dissapated, and it was sharp and clear.  It followed us for about  75 miles, showing us its different sides.  Then, just as quickly, it was engulfed in its own weather system.  That's okay, I think we will see our friend again.  We live in the same state now!

Susan's Perspective

Frost heaves, No, it's not what you get when you drink too much in the cold. For those of you in Richmond, remember the excitement of you and a carload of friends careening down Cherokee road at 50 miles an hour and becoming airborn? Well, this last part of the Alaskan Highway in Canada has been like that, except you go 20 miles an hour, for 128 miles, and the thrills are closer together. Let me define this for you as I de-stress. The upper part of the highway is built on permafrost, which has a depth of about 160 feet. You cannot see it---the roads look normal. But permafrost melts and re-freezes under the road beds. Hence, the effect is swells and/or cracks in the road. Now, imagine going over these in a pickup truck, pulling a 30ft camper. Oh, joy. I am very glad I am not prone to seasickness.....! And the cats were sedated. There are actually long stretches where it is smooth, and we are told the road crews have made vast improvements over the past year. And honestly, it really is NO fun traveling without some adventure, eh?


Yesterday, as we approached the drive around Kluane (Pronounced clue AN nee ) Lake, we saw snow covered mountains and glaciers for the first time. You will have to forgive me if I overuse the word breathtaking, but it's the only one that applies. The St. Elias Mountains. It is late fall here, and the mountains are getting their coats on.. We stayed in a campground last night that was surrounded by them. As I walked to the loo at dusk (10:45 pm) I stood there and listened to the mountains. They do have a song in the silence. It's the way the wind plays with the peaks and valleys. It is the voice of God at times, telling me to STOP and listen to the grandeur He has given us, to appreciate more than just what the eye can see. These mountains have been here for millions of years, and will continue to be for many more. I feel like such a speck, but at the same time, He gave them to US to gaze at , and listen to, for our short time here. Wow.

Today was a Big Day in the scheme of our travel. Twenty miles outside of Beaver Creek, we saw the sign that said “Welcome to Alaska” and then the border station was up ahead. I LOST it, totally. I could not keep the tears back. This was what we had striven for. This was to be HOME. As I rolled up to the window after Vernon had gone through, I was a mess. I handed over my passport, was asked some questions, and then the guard looked at me and handed the passport back with a warm smile on his face and said “Welcome home”. I pulled up into a parking slot next to Vernon. We both got out of our vehicles and just rejoiced for a few minutes. Lots of hugs and tears. Recovery ensued, and we were back on the road...a road, I might add, in considerably better shape I loved Canada, but there is something about seeing the flag in front of you, and not in the rearview mirror, that makes your heart swell. Welcome home, indeed.

There's no place like home...

Ever since we left Richmond, and indeed, even before then, I have been concerned about the end of the Alaska Highway. I had been told that the road was steep and windy and very rough, with the surface totally broken and distorted by the thawing and freezing of the road bed. Well, yesterday and today, we finally got to the part that I had dreaded. Yesterday we traveled a bare 200 miles to find that the place where we had wanted to stay was full, yea, overfull of Airstream trailers. They had 33 Airstreams in a campground meant for 16. Packed in cheek by jowl. It was a caravan passing through. We had fun with the Wagonmaster for a brief while (“What do you mean we can't come in. This is an Airstream isn't it?”) and then retraced our steps 11 miles back to Destruction Bay, where we got a nice space and a good dinner. A Good nights sleep and on the road again.

More frost heaves, more broken pavement, meandering gouges in the pavement. The stuff of nightmares. We traveled 128 miles in 3 ½ hours. Not spectacular time, but at the end, we were at the US border. Now please do not misunderstand me, here. I REALLY like the Canadians. They are kind, friendly, polite and just as welcoming as any people can possibly be. Their contry is beautiful and they seem far more carefree than the Americans I k now. But there is just something about coming up over a ridge and seeing Old Glory waving from atop a pole that makes me choke up a little.

We passed through customs with minimal effort and, after a brief boo-hoo and a prayer of thanksgiving we got back on the road to Tok. With the improved road surface, we did the next 90 miles in just under two hours. We actually found someone going slower than we were! And we passed him! We arrived in Tok at about 3:30 and found ourselves a nice site at the Sourdough Campgrounds, We are finally Inside.

Tomorrow Glennallen, Wednesday Anchorage and Thursday, home to Seward. It hardly seems possible. It feels like we have been traveling for months. I can hardly wait.