There is something about snail mail that says, "Hey...I've taken the time to actually put pen to paper or cookies to box because YOU are worth it." So far, the most interesting mail I've seen come through was one of those US mail set rate boxes. The box felt like there was absolutely NOTHING in it. Au contraire! It was a twisty balloon in the shape of...nope...you will NEVER guess this one. A hat? A flower? A lewd sculpture? Nope. A mosquito! And on it was drawn an elaborate "we miss you" message. It came from friends and family of Kayce, a co-worker who lives in Tok, Alaska. It really did look like a mosquito. Kayce was born and grew up here in Alaska...a rarity amongst HAP-AY employees.
So for those of you who have asked for our snail mail address and those of you who haven't but are marvelous bakers of tasty treats (only...sorta...kidding...Mike would frown at me for begging for goodies), here is our snail mail address:
Mike and/or Shari Guida
c/o Holland America/Princess
P.O. Box 536
Skagway, AK 99840
Spring has sprung up here in Skagway. Lilac bushes have shown their faces and while the buds are still tight, enough are open so that when you draw the branch to your face, that lovely scent emerges as the quintessential springtime freshness. The "meadow" above is actually a 30x30 grassy area in a vacant lot behind our building where I once watched a stray dog relieve itself of its kibble. But this vacant lot is now covered in sunshine. Who says dandelions are weeds? They are WILDFLOWERS! It is all perspective.Rhubarb is everywhere. Apparently it was one of the staple vegetables when Skagway was known as the Garden City in the early 20th century. When the U.S. used Skagway as a gateway to bringing in supplies at the beginning of WWII, many of the gardens were replaced by quonset huts. The rhubarb was dug up and replanted in odd places all over town as both ornamental horticulture and vegetable.
There are many attractions up here in the gateway to the Yukon area. Some are historical such as the Red Onion brothel tour, the NPS walking tour or Liarsville--a recreated gold camp. Some are adventurous such as a helicopter tour to dogsled on a glacier ($519 per person), zip-lines, or hiking and rafting. Others are just tourist attractions. One such is the Yukon Suspension Bridge. It is a recreation of...nothing. It is exactly what it says: a suspension bridge...built over the Tutshi (pronounced "TOO-shy") River and Canyon to provide a view...of the Tutshi River and Canyon. Mike took a tour group up there and a guest took a photo of him on the bridge. I've driven by it, but haven't done the walk across yet. I'd rather do a zip line.
One of the challenges of being at summer camp is sharing a kitchen with 36 other people. The kitchen has 3 refrigerators, a double sink and a free-standing oven/stove. It is very sketchily supplied with an odd assortment of utensils, pots, pans and dishes. The cutting board is a flexible sheet that has seen better days. There were probably 3 plates and a handful of utensils when we arrived. There is one pot suitable for cooking pasta and two small sauce pans, a wee frying pan and a small frying pan plus one lasagna sized baking pan. There are also a grater, can opener and ladle. That's really about it.
We opened our camping box and keep our hardware from it in our room. This has been supplemented from what I purchased at the town garage sale and also with a couple of (sorry, Ro) Rubbermaid containers for leftovers. The other thing that I'm really missing in cooking is my drawer full of spices and seasonings. We grabbed oregano, bay leaves, dill and Chicken Magic before leaving home. Salt and pepper were in the camping box. But purchasing all that is needed for making a miscellany of dishes just sticks in my craw. On the other hand, purchasing new will allow me to freely discard what is old at home. Remember you're supposed to throw all those herbs and spices away after 6 months because they lose their flavor. I think most people in the U.S. can probably carbon date some of our kitchen herbs.
Everything is mightily expensive here. If purchased in town, groceries arrive via barge once a week. Shop early and shop fast because shelves will be empty of meat and dairy very quickly. What will be left of any produce will look more appropriate to the compost heap than to an enticing market shelf. Elsewise, it's a two hour one-way trip to Whitehorse to the Canadian Superstore (supermarket) or Wal-Mart. It is fun having our mini-wheats packaged in a box with both English and French on it. Anyway, we're trying to save money.
When we do shop in Canada we have to be very careful that any produce we bring back was either grown in Canada or the U.S. to get it through U.S. customs. We're eating a LOT of pasta...sometimes occasionally with meat. We can make a pound of pasta last for about 3 small meals.
So we've had pasta puttanesca, pasta with meat sauce, pasta with chicken cacciatore and I have makings for clam sauce, more puttanesca and more meat sauce to doctor up with some chopped beef. Or we have rice and chicken or rice and beans. It really stretches the meals. Lunch is PB&J or cold cuts/cheese sandwiches or...believe it or not...ramen noodles! Breakfast is the frosted mini-wheats eaten dry as we buzz around getting ready for work.
I had been pushing for breakfast out one morning at either the Corner Cafe or Sweet Tooth. There is also a place called Sugar Mama's and their main product is: cupcakes for $2.75. We're not talking big huge cupcakes. Just your little mom-makes-cupcakes-for-kindergarten sized cupcakes. The one I had was tasty with mounds of nice icing, but hardly worth $2.75! It was Nathan's 20th birthday (he works with me in the sales & service department) and our boss, 24-year-old Abby, bought the cupcakes. It was a treat that I was happy to allow someone else to pay for.
We have kept eating out to a rarity now that we're in town. If we eat at one of the two dining areas attached to the Westmark hotel, we get 50% off on our food. The other night I treated myself to a salad with fried chicken strips. It was so nice to have a salad! And there was a young man singing and playing a guitar that evening who was quite good.
I'm no longer pushing for breakfast out as it was a treat yesterday to have both breakfast and lunch on the Zuiderdam. One of the perqs to working sales & service here in Skagway is the once or twice a week we might be assigned to expedite passengers embarking or disembarking the ship to or from their land tour. Think cruise ship food and the variety of offerings on the Lido deck. And if isn't too crowded we get that view from this upper deck looking out into the mountains!
Last night I was exhausted from the day, yet remarkably restless. It being only early dusk, I put my shoes on and went out for a walk. It was light enough to read the book I brought with me and it was 10:15 p.m. My walk led me to the end of the catwalk on the Broadway dock. The harbor was dead calm with a glassy surface reflecting the surrounding mountains. The town was quiet save for a little noise from open mike night at the Red Onion. By the time you're out on the end of the catwalk the only sound is your feet echoing on the grid and an occasional shorebird scream. So very peaceful.
I walked around town and smelled some more lilacs and peeped in the darkened gift shops (again)...some full of goods while the jewelry stores sat with their bare window shelves...the expensive gems tucked away in the safes for the night. Not a soul did I pass. I thought of having a beer at the Bonanza Bar & Grill, but the last two people were leaving and the bartender was doing his final accounting. And I didn't really want a beer. By this time the dusk was late dusk which means "unable to read a book outside." It was 11:30 p.m. and it was time to have some toast and read in our kitchen. At 12:30 a.m. it was still....late dusk. The summer solstice is just ahead and around the corner.
More and more it is becoming green up here. The yellow building with the green cupola is on Broadway and houses, of course, a gift shop. The yellow building behind it is where we live although our wing is hidden in this picture. We live on the second floor...above the "meadow."
Go Suns!
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