Life in the Cove

I don't even know where to begin. I'm being paid to live in an Alaskan paradise. I'm not sure I'll actually want to leave in the fall. They may have to pry my fingers away from the dock, or drug me and throw me in the boat. The pictures do not do it justice. I am so happy and calm here. I get to go kayaking whenever I want to. My work consists of cleaning, gardening, and cooking/baking which are things I enjoy doing anyway. I feel like I've been adopted into a second family. It's...it's... unbelieveably amazing. I wish I could share this place with all my friends and family.

In other news, my stepdad, Alex, had a heart attack two days ago. He's doing fine, but had to be flown to Anchorage and was in surgery for nine hours. He's recovering, and should be back home in a few days, but it was really scary and unexpected. My mom has been with him the whole time. I know she's beyond exhausted. We (kids) have been trying to take care of as much as we can here so she won't have a million things to do when she gets back. But my sister is getting married in two weeks, so things will be busy no matter what.

I just bought tickets to Burning Man about 45 minutes ago. More on that later. Yes, impulsive decision to do something crazy. Last time I did that it was worthwhile, so I'm hoping that trend holds true. I'm a little worried about the desert heat. Not so much about the crazy people. It seems like it'll be a good way to really cut loose before I get serious about a real job for the winter. I've spent a lot of my life hiding from exciting experiences, and I want to change that. I want to have stories to tell that will shock my kids someday. I want to have done things they won't believe I had ever done. I want to have done things I won't believe I actually did. Besides, I've always wanted an excuse to cover my entire body in henna tattoos, and I honestly can't imagine another situation in which that would be perfectly appropriate. I won't be taking drugs or drinking heavily (or having indiscriminate relations...) I can assure you of that. But I do hope to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will shift my perspective and maybe dissolve a few more of my pesky inhibitions--the unnecessary ones that keep me so shy and self-conscious.

I'm going to finish my lovely day with a nice hot sauna. I am SO well taken care of here!

Yak milk is delicious.

I just wrapped up a really fun weekend. There was good company, good weather, good food, good music, and lots of dancing. Definitely my favorite kind of weekend. Now I have two days to rest and relax before my job officially begins. Wednesday we'll be moving a bunch of stuff over to the lodge, and Thursday we will all officially move in over there.

There have been earthquakes every night the past three nights. They always wake me up with a jolt. They haven't been big ones, but they definitely shake the house. I wonder if there's going to be more volcanic activity soon.

I would write more, but I'm fading. I think a nap is in store.

Next week I'll be able to write all about the new job, and living at the lodge in Halibut Cove! Oh, and yes, I do realize that I have wandered very far from the original theme of this blog, and also that it could benefit from photos and such. I will work on that. Stay tuned.

Whew!

The pace of my life has finally picked up. It was time. Yesterday I got the full tour of the lodge I'll be working at, and found out they will have enough projects for it to be a full-time gig (yay!) So next Wednesday I'll be moving to Halibut Cove. What a lovely, lovely place, and such wonderfully warm and welcoming people to work for. What other summer job could I possibly want? I get to garden, cook, clean, among other things that I already enjoy doing without getting paid. In a magnificent setting. With awesome people, including my little brother. :)

Today I worked over there for about five hours, raking the hill, cleaning up the garden, and clearing branches. It was great. I can't get over how nice it is to be doing something where I actually use my two hands to do something other than type. And the rest of my body too. I'm going to be very sore tomorrow, I'm sure. All these little muscles are waking up and saying, "Oh, wait, what? You need us?!?!" And on top of that I played ultimate frisbee for a couple of hours, which included plenty of running. Thankfully it was a very nice, mellow bunch of folks who didn't mind my slow reflexes and lack of spatial awareness. ;) And I wasn't even as awful as I thought I would be, though I definitely missed the frisbee more than I caught it.

Okay, time to wrap this up and go to bed. Sounds like I may have another workday tomorrow!

It's already Monday again!

I just got back from Fairbanks after an 11 hour drive. Had a great weekend hanging out with friends--hiking, dancing...saw a play. It was really fun to see Fairbanks again after seven years. I'm typing this on my new laptop, which, while it does not seem to have the fatal heating system flaw the first one did, it does have an incredibly annoying way of making the screen blink rapidly, especially when I scroll. I already have a headache from it. Grrr.

I'm at my parents' house now, should get going to the old house soon. It's stormy tonight. I'll write more later. I also have pictures from my birthday beach-hike which I will post on facebook someday.

Whew, okay, time for 30 more minutes of driving, haul my stuff up the driveway, and collapse on my bed. :)

I don't have the funds to make a chicken costume, but I do have the time...

I'm always overwhelmed when I return to a blog, or journal, after a long absence. For some reason I feel that I am obligated to fill-in all the events that had elapsed since my last entry, as if that were even possible. But I'll try to do a quick summary of what I remember of my life since my last blog (which was not posted on blogger, just solely on facebook notes, which I was doing for a while).

So, the last note was pre-Mexico. I spent three weeks exploring Mexico with Justin, and had a wonderful time. It went by very fast. Despite my nervousness, and warnings from people about the dangers of Mexico, I returned completely unscathed, never felt like I was in danger, and never even got sick. There is a lot to say about the trip, but I won't say it all now. It was nice, it all but banished my fears surrounding travel, and in fact made me much more interested in seeing more new places. And perhaps someday returning to Mexico for another visit. It was certainly one of the best last-minute impractical, impulsive decisions I have ever made.

Upon my return from Mexico, I moved out of my sub-let in Sitka, and continued with a combination of house-sitting and couch-surfing for the rest of February, and all of March, while working part-time to help tie up some loose ends at my old job. On April 1st, I drove my car to the ferry terminal at 4am, loaded down with all the possessions I would be keeping. A friend also met me there with my kayak, which I had arranged to sell to a woman in Juneau.

Spring was a very bittersweet time of year to leave Sitka, and my dear, dear friends there. I had moments where I seriously questioned my reasons for doing so, but no matter how little sense it seemed to make, I knew it was time for me to go, and start a new phase of my life. I had wanted to come spend time in Homer, with my family, for years. And I had become too restless with my office job, as wonderfully stable as it was. I needed to find out more about myself and what I want in life.

I spent two weeks in Juneau, enjoying the Folk Festival, and the company of Justin, his family, and my friends who were in town for the festival. There's nothing quite as much fun as a weekend of good friends, good music, and dancing.

On the 14th, I again packed my things into my car and drove to the ferry terminal. After arriving in Haines, I drove to Destruction Bay and spent the night at a motel. The next day, I drove all the way to Eagle River to stay with Britta, who was my stepmother years and years ago. It was wonderful to see her again, and she even made me German pancakes for breakfast! I was a full day ahead of schedule, so I decided not to tell my parents, and surprised them at their house the following afternoon.

So here I am, in Homer. I am living at my parents' old log home (they have since moved) 16 miles out East End Road, with their renter, Julie, and her dog. There is still quite a bit of snow out here, but it's melting fast. I have a part-time job lined up at a Lodge in Halibut Cove, which will start at the end of the month, and I'll hopefully be finding another job over there to fill in some more hours. I am really looking forward to having a hands-on job.

After that, which will end mid-August, things are still very fuzzy. But I trust that in time they will become clearer.