Alaska – Page 7

Conversations in Alaska: “Everyone hates permanence” 47 of 50

July 28, 2016July 31, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

Under the harvest moon of open mic night at Fat Stan’s, I shared with one of our naturalists that Nana’s passing has me thinking about getting my first tattoo. I’ve never wanted one, not seriously,[…]

Conversations in Alaska: “Kids Don’t Have to Be Expensive,” 48 of 50

July 27, 2016August 3, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

I talked yesterday to a deckhand engineer in his laidback carhartts and button-down cotton shirt. He paused and stood outside Salmon Landing. He said “Where are you coming from?” “I had to deposit some laundry[…]

50 Conversations in Alaska | “The art of conversation” 49 of 50

July 27, 2016August 3, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

50 Conversations in Alaska: 49/50 At Safeway, I grabbed a white wine under $10 and queued in the 4-bodied line. It’s always long lines here- island pace? Atlanta would be restless, Chicago would gripe, New[…]

Factors Out Of Your Control | The Crash & The Spiritual Leader

July 12, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

Sometimes things go wrong and there’s no way understanding it, except to adjust and learn perhaps, in the adjustment, why things crash to begin with. One day in June (I was doing pick-ups from[…]

Summer in Alaska: The Town

July 10, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

Ketchikan is a small fishing town that became a tourist trap and cruise port. Ketchikan has the largest collection of preserved totem poles and boasts one Walmart, a frenetic salmon ladder at the end of[…]

Summer in Alaska: The Tourists

July 6, 2016July 10, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

Around the end of May, summer is in full swing here in Ketchikan. At 11am on any given Sunday or any other day you’re given, Historic Creek Street is a cluster of tourists, all standing[…]

Crash and Grab vol. 2 | Returning Home and Coming Back to Un-Home

July 5, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

From: Into the Woods The Musical There are Giants in the sky! There are big tall terrible Giants in the sky! When you’re way up high And you look below At the world you left[…]

The Love Museum, The River of Life | Unpeeling in a New Place (& Salmon Spawning)

June 29, 2016June 29, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

On a rainy afternoon when you are standing in your galley kitchen with your new roommates, coworkers and friends (three in one), you can take the time to chat about pleasantries, or go over[…]

The Dock | A Day in the Life of a Well-Oiled Job

June 11, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

By week three, I was familiar with the ins and outs of the Dock Job. All things considered, it is a very cush job. Not to mention, I really like it! Even on days when[…]

The Dock | My Job on Land in Ketchikan

May 13, 2016May 15, 2016 First Person ForeignAlaska

The Dock: The tourists are bobbing through this town like apples in a barrel of water. They want to know where the nearest Starbucks is, the post office, the Chinese restaurant, and the Diamond Shop.[…]