Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

Taking a Break: Reposting Non-Partisan Election Joke

A good friend sent this non-partisan joke just in time for election day:

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by
A truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

‘Welcome to heaven,’ says St. Peter. ‘Before you settle in, it seems
There is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts,
You see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.’

‘No problem, just let me in,’ says the man.

‘Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do Is
have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you Can choose
where to spend eternity.’

‘Really, I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,’ says the
Senator.

‘I’m sorry, but we have our rules.’

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes Down,
down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself In the middle
of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse And standing in
front of it are all his friends and other politicians Who had worked
with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him,
Shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while
Getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar And
champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who Has a
good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a Good time
that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator
Rises…

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St.
Peter
Is waiting for him.

‘Now it’s time to visit heaven.’

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls
Moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a
Good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St.
Peter returns.

‘Well, then, you’ve spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now
Choose your eternity.’

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: ‘Well, I would Never
have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I
would be better off in hell.’

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, Down
to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he’s in the middle of a Barren
land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and
Putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.
‘I don’t understand,’ stammers the senator. ‘Yesterday I was here And
there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and Caviar,
drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there’s just a
wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.
What happened?’

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, ‘Yesterday we were
campaigning.. .

Today you voted.’

June 30, 2026 Posted by | Humor, Faith | | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Homer and Love Languages

There are some books out that talk about Love Languages, and they mention five. I actually read the original book and almost threw it at the wall in frustration. It seems so obvious to me – there are thousands of love languages! We are all wired differently, and a successful pairing requires each person paying attention to the small things that matter to the other person.

No! Don’t bring me candy or expensive jewelry! I have particular – maybe peculiar! – tastes.

Love isn’t perfection, it’s abrasive, it rubs off our sharp spots and helps us become easier to live with. AdventureMan has learned a thing or two about me, things I didn’t even know. Keep me traveling. Keep exposing me to new ideas, new sights, sounds, and tastes. I thrive on exposure to new things.

Allow me to break the rules now and then, and eat those King Crab legs, so extravagantly beyond our normal budget. Unexpected kindness is always a love language.

(Aside, Jewel Kilcher, who sings the song with the refrain “In the end, only kindness matters,” was born in Homer. She is related to the Alaska: The Last Frontier Kilchers.)

And this.

It may not look romantic to you.

I have annoyed AdventureMan for years with my need to document, to stop at every gorgeous, irresistible view and take a photo. Sometimes I shoot through the windshield when stopping isn’t possible.

He cleans the windshield.

I don’t ask him; he thinks of it all by himself. He doesn’t do it for himself; he does it for me.

True Love. If you have the eyes to see. If it matters to you, you can see it. True Love.

You’ll have your own definition. True Love is what matters to YOU.

June 30, 2026 Posted by | Travel, Relationships, Marriage, Adventure, Random Musings, Alaska, Beauty, Aging, Road Trips | | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Homer Quiet Anniversary

This was a really funny day. The weather has changed, cloudier, foggier, damper.

We had a reservation for lunch again at Captain Pattie’s; AdventureMan had made it in advance for our wedding anniversary. We had a leisurely morning, starting to pack for our drive back to Anchorage, then heading down early to the Homer Spit where the Viking Orion was docked.

It was so funny being on the other side, watching the cruisers come into the little town of Homer, AK, doubling its normal population. We went down and took a photo; we can’t remember if we’ve been on the Orion before, but we have been booked on the same itinerary – three times – and never took the trip.

We had booked first for 2020. Ummm, yes, COVID nixed that. We had rebooked for the following year and then the following year, and none of those ships sailed. It was a trip from Japan, and at the time, through the Kamchatka Peninsula, which we really wanted to see, Dutch Harbor, the Aleutians, and then around the inner curve of Alaska, ending, I believe, in Vancouver, BC. We never took it. And here it was.

As we entered Captain Pattie’s, we were greeted by the wait staff that had taken care of us the day before, and had another lovely dinner, having salads and splitting a seafood linguine. It was all delicious. 

I did not have King Crab again. After lunch, we visited the shops on the spit, ending up at Carmen’s Gelato, where I had the Chocolate Noir sorbet, very very dark chocolate, very intense, and AdventureMan had chocolate gelato. We sat in the parking lot overlooking the docks and ate our ice cream in bliss.

This was in the window of a shop on the Homer Spit. It totally cracked me up.

We try to have an easy day in each place we stay, and this was our easy day. We napped, we packed, we discarded. We thought through what we would get rid of now, and what we would leave in Anchorage.

We agreed that we got great sleep on this trip; the places we stayed were so quiet. It’s early in the season, and I expect the places will be livelier and noisier as the season goes on. We’re glad we came when we came.

What is amazing to me is how random all our good fortune has been. When AdventureMan said Alaska, and showed me the trip he had found, I just used those dates to plan our own version, and didn’t change a thing. It didn’t occur to me, and I wonder why? I love it that we traveled in comfort and privacy, and it cost us a quarter of what it would have if we had booked the group travel.

June 30, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Arts & Handicrafts, Cultural, Customer Service, Eating Out, Family Issues, Food, Living Conditions, Marriage, Quality of Life Issues, Relationships, Road Trips, Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Homer Happy Surprises

We are up and eager for our boat trip into the Katchemak Bay. We have cereal and banana, pack up some snacks, and put on our sunscreen. It is not so brightly sunny as prior days, but sunny enough to burn. We find the meeting point, and another couple joins us, then the crew and we get on the boat. Once again, we are four customers and a captain and deckhand. 

Even better, the man in the other couple introduces himself and adds “You will notice I have an accent. I am Jordanian.” AdventureMan, ever quick, asks him in Jordanian Arabic “From what part of Jordan do you come,” and we all laugh at his utter astonishment. Once we started talking, we never stopped. 

We watched otter, and learned how they attach themselves to the kelp so that they don’t drift too far from their food source.

We saw countless birds, and one great-grand eagle. We saw puffins galore. And at the same time, we were having these conversations, figuring out who we knew in common as we are near to the same age. 

We had so much fun with this couple that when the wildlife tour ended, we decided to eat lunch together at Captain Pattie’s on the Homer Spit, a place AdventureMan and I have eaten at on earlier trips to Homer. The wife and I had the Alaska King Crab Legs, which were hideously expensive, but not so expensive as I have seen them in other places, and these were perfectly prepared. True Love: AdventureMan knows me to be a frugal woman. He did not bat an eye when I ordered the King Crab.

I know exactly when I last had Alaska King Crab. It was my birthday, many years ago, and my son and I were staying with my parents in Seattle while my husband attended a military school. As we sat down to dinner, suddenly my husband appeared! He had flown in to surprise me! And my mother served King Crab legs with melted butter, and she made a Baked Alaska for dessert. I must have been 30 years old.

We had such a good meal, and such good conversation. Even the wait staff was part of what felt like a great celebration.

After lunch, we headed out to explore downtown Homer. We ended up at the Homer Farmer’s Market, and oh what fun.

We had thought we wouldn’t buy anything, but I found some Spruce Syrup (like Maple syrup, sort of) and we found some barbecue.

Yes, even though we had just eaten lunch, we knew this BBQ was special, and we ordered up two plates and had them wrapped so we could put them in the little refrigerator and have them for dinner.

They were wonderful! I’d like to say we had them on our deck patio, watching the sun go down, but here’s the problem – the sun doesn’t really go down, or it goes a little bit down but not at dinnertime, more like around two a.m. Even then, as you have seen, it is not DARK dark. 

It’s hard to settle down for the evening when it is so light out. We go for a walk in the neighborhood, then come back to catch up – me with my photos and notes on the trip, AdventureMan with his reading.

June 30, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Beauty, Biography, Birds, Civility, Cross Cultural, Eating Out, ExPat Life, Friends & Friendship, Jordan, Language, Living Conditions, Local Lore, Money Management, Quality of Life Issues, Relationships, Restaurant, Road Trips, Travel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: The Ocean House Inn in Homer, Alaska

This is the Ocean House Inn overlooking Kachemak Bay.

This is the view:

Homer Spit is in the background. The first time we came to Homer, we came by the Alaska Maritime Highway System, by ferry. The ferry, the Kennicott MV, landed out on the spit, and we shared a taxi with another couple getting off in Homer. It was a long hike into town; we were glad to have a taxi.

We stayed at the Driftwood Inn, where we have stayed every time we come to Homer, but this time they were already full. After a long search, we found the Ocean House Inn. This place was perfect for us.

Small. Quiet. A view that goes forever. And a suite we love.

We had so much left from lunch that we just stayed in for dinner, eating outside on our deck/patio. We met our next door neighbors – from nearby Louisiana. We were not watching the sun go down – I don’t even know when it goes down; when we go to bed, it is still bright as day outside. The room has great blackout curtains.

This is a place we could come back to.

June 30, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Hotels, Quality of Life Issues, Road Trips, Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Wonders En Route to Homer, Alaska

We awake to a different day, warm, with fog rising off the water.

We have a sweet farewell breakfast up at Northern Lights B&B (Sarah manages several allied B&Bs in the same area as Front Row B&B) with Sarah, and we pack up for our short drive to Homer. 

We have a couple of errands to run as we leave town, and AdventureMan indulges me, I want a photo of the big new cruise ship that has arrived in Seward.

Seward is tourist-friendly, with its train terminal, trolley, good restaurants, and lots and lots to do and see. They recently built a much larger dock, with which to welcome much larger cruise ships. It has caused some controversy, as when a big ships come in, the tourists outnumber Seward residents. Just after we left, the Celebrity Millenium arrived, and sadly, an endangered whale was caught in her propeller, and died, stuck there. Seward loves their whales, visible from most homes and businesses lining the channel. It’s a sad circumstance.

We also need to stop on our way out of town at the Safeway; my lips are dry and I’ve used all my Vaseline. My pens are all leaking on my hands, my purse, ruining anything I write by hand, so I need to pick up some pens I can leave behind. And the local grocery stores are just fun.

Driving past the entrance to Exit Glacier, we get back on Alaska 1S to Homer, spotting elk along the highway and fervent fishermen heading to the salmon-rich rivers and through Cooper Landing and Soldotna.

Heading south from Soldotna, we start to see the far-off beginnings of the volcanic mountains heading down a long chain to form the Aleutian Islands. The day is sunny, and the view is stunning. Every new perfect snow-clad mountain is showing off for us on this gorgeous day. 

We keep trying to find a good spot to stop and take a photo – the frustration of trying to capture the wonder of a chain of perfect mountains is a challenge. AdventureMan spots a Russian Chapel and says “Let’s try here!” 

We drive down to a church, an onion-domed chapel, and a much larger church overlooking an old village. As I walk out to a vantage point, another group drives up in a van, from one of the cruise ships, to have a picnic on the church grounds. We stroll around, loving the old cemetary surrounding the old Russian church, and the new military veterans cemetary under creation. We’re not that far from Homer, so we head on, gassing up in the roadside version of Ninilchik, at one of the Three Bears (Shell gas) stops we see so often selling gas, groceries, and the variety of items people living in relative isolation might need.

As we come into Homer, still a little early for our hotel, we spot Fat Olive’s. We’ve never eaten at Fat Olives, but we’ve tried, and it has been too full too many times. This time, we are in luck. We are eager for some Tomato Basil Soup. I have something called The Trio, and AdventureMan has the meatball pan, sizzling hot out of the oven. It’s all served with more sourdough bread, so much food that as good as it is, we pack up enough to take with us for dinner.

Welcome to the Ocean House Inn; we can’t get out of the car because there is a moose crossing the parking lot to get to the roses.

The Ocean House Inn is on a bluff, high above the water, looking out at the Homer Spit.

It is small, and beautiful. We love our room, which has a small refrigerator, microwave, and a coffee maker, with some cups and utensils – enough that we can work with. Life is sweet.

We settle in, sit outside on our deck, enjoying not-driving. The sun is shining – this is something to celebrate in Alaska. The mountains across Katchemak Bay are gleaming. We have neighbors, but they are all very quiet. 

On our way into town, we got a call from the people we are going on a bay Wilderness Game tour the next day, asking if we would like to be moved to an afternoon tour, they have room. Oh no, we respond, we prefer the mornings. “Uh, OK,” they say. I can worry about anything; I am a little worried the boat is overloaded or something.

We take a quick drive to 2 Sisters Bakery, only to find it closed about ten minutes before we got there, and we hit the local Safeway to pick up some milk and granola. The Homer Safeway is a happening place on a Friday afternoon, and lots of fun. 

So late Friday night that it is actually two Saturday morning, I get up to check if I can see the aurora borealis; reports say with sun activity, the borealis should be very active. Alas, at two in the morning, it is not dark, just a glimmery grey and no aurora borealis is to be seen.

You can still see the bay and the mountains. No aurora borealis.

June 30, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Beauty, Cultural, Hotels, Photos, Restaurant, Road Trips, Travel, Wildlife | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Saltwater Tours, Kenai Fjords, Glaciers, Wildlife and Fishing!

As I was fixing a quick breakfast in the upstairs common living room and kitchen, AdventureMan said “Look! They’ve even provided wine!” and I laughed and said “I bet that belongs to one of the other guests.”

Mere moments later, we met Brian, a frequent guest at the Front Row B&B, who represents a wine distributorship that includes Alaska. He joined us briefly as we ate breakfast, and we were having so much fun that we had to hurry to meet our ship.

We were meeting at the big anchor by the Harbormaster’s office. We saw one other couple there, and assumed the others were waiting on the boat. The captain, Stan, and deckhand, Emma, met us to escort us to the boat, where we discovered, no, it was just us and the other couple for the whole day. Also, they had snacks and sandwiches(from Primrose Provisions, no less), coffee, water, and soft drinks. We were all set. (Alaska Saltwater Wildlife Tours).

If you search for Alaska Saltwater Tours in the search box on the front page of this blog, it will take you to the first time we traveled with them, in June of 2014. It was so wonderful in 2014 that we sought them out again, especially to make this trip.

The day is bright and sunny, so sunny that although I hate sunscreen, I had applied it generously. Captain Stan gave us a quick introduction to the boat and boat rules, Emma gave us a rundown of things we could expect to see, and off we went – a glorious day at sea. 

Forgive me. I can’t get enough photos of mountains. I can’t help it, the different angles of the sun, the sheer magnificence of these mountains as we rock along, and the sea life! Otter! An otter eating a crab! Whale spouts! Whale tails! Whale and baby whale! It’s one thrill after another. 

We can see our B&B from the boat!

We’re not even out of the harbor when we start spotting otter, and whale.

As we go along, Stan and Emma fill us in on all kinds of local lore and tell us more about what we are seeing. It’s a great group and a great day altogether.

Sea Lions sunning on the beach!

Yes, the sea lion is blurry. The boat is rocking. I’m doing the best I can!

Shortly after lunch, we get out the rods and reels and bait the hooks and fish. 

Later we head for Holgate glacier, a rare glacier as it is increasing rather than declining. As we watched, a large chunk calved with a loud CRACK! into the water.

And then more fishing, and the fish are biting. 

Late in the day, we head back. It is 5 as we near the docks, and behind us are all kinds of day excursion boats, returning home. I am covered with salt from the salty water evaporating on my skin, my Levis are stiff with salt, and I can’t wait for a quick shower. As we reach the B&B, our new friend Brian is on the balcony, beckoning us to come up; he has set up a cocktail hour with some very fine wines, several charcuterie boards, some business friends, and all the guests in the B&B! 

As they say in the South, “I look a mess.” We clean us as best we can, make a quick change and head upstairs for this pop-up cocktail hour. We had a lot of fun, meeting our fellow guests. The wine was exquisite and the food was beautiful. It was a lovely way to end a very long day.

June 28, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Beauty, Quality of Life Issues, Road Trips, Travel, Weather, Wildlife | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Hot Times in Seward, Alaska

When we opened our blackout blind (Alaskan summer days are very long, and it stays bright until around midnight. The dark doesn’t last long, and it is light again by 4 am.) we couldnt believe our eyes. It’s our free day – we can do anything! We have nothing scheduled! We slept with the window open last night – it was a hot night, but the open window kept us comfortable.

We walk to another nearby B&B for breakfast; they operate cooperatively under the same management. We met Sarah, our hostess, and once we all started talking, we couldn’t stop. We had so many interests in common! We talked about Athabaskan culture and language, we talked about the importance of friend groups for managing life’s joy and crises, we talked about the love of adventure, and taking calculated risks – we could have gone on and on; it’s wonderful when you connect. 

She fixed AdventureMan eggs exactly as he likes them, and thin pork sausage patties. She brought out all the ingredients for home-made meusli, exactly as I make it with oats and nuts and seeds and fruits, so I could watch my blood sugar. She took really good care of us, all the while able to converse non-stop. She was amazing.

We have a map and we want to find the big anchor in front of the Seward Harbormaster’s office; it’s a hike, but we are up to it. As we walk along the lovely smooth waterfront path, I see something I find astounding and wonderful. All along the waterfront are parks – and camping spots. Some areas provide porta-potties, some more permanent restrooms. This is prime waterfront property, and the city has chosen to make it accessible to people who want to visit Seward. Not just a little – a lot of waterfront space devoted to campers. 

I also love all the public art in Seward, starting just in front of our B&B with statues honoring original founders and participants of the annual Iditerod race. Seward has several kennels that provide opportunities for vistors to get to know the dogs and their training in pulling sleds across a variety of terrains. 

Another thing I love is the sound of seaplanes coming and going. It was a part of my growing up in Alaska, across from a seaplane airport/hanger, and watching the seaplanes taking off and landing from the windows of our home. I haven’t heard the sound for years. and I find it very comforting.

Seward Main Street

Seward’s Pride crosswalk.

The old train station, now a cafe and restaurant with a fabulous view.

Seward also provides a free shuttle, circling to main stops in the community. We want to get to the Alaska Sealife Center, so we hop on the shuttle.

The driver was a man from Utah who was truly impressive as he asked each entering passenger their destination, and once we reached the train depot, also would stop and get out of the bus to load and unload baggage. He had a positive attitude, and was gracious, kind and patient with everyone. Two of the passengers were Native American; they wanted to be let off at the Chamber of Commerce stop which was adjacent the local Safeway. (The Safeway also has a Starbucks.)

The train station was chaos! A hundred people were trying to get their baggage checked for the evening departure. Arriving passengers were seeking their rides to their hotels. Those without pickups got on the bus to be dropped off near their hotels.

Three girls from Mexico got on and sat near us; they were in Seward to catch a Royal Caribbean cruise and wanted to know what to see while in Seward. We told them they were staying in a wonderful area for walking, shopping and to visit the Alaska Sealife Center – where we were getting off!

The shuttle bus let us off at the Alaska Sealife Center, where the 2 Seward girls at the desk gave AdventureMan a double discount for being military and for being a senior, and gave us directions to get us to the Highline for lunch. 

We headed upstairs, starting with the outdoor collection of puffins, gulls, and all kinds of seabirds with a rockery and a huge pond, doing what seabirds do. One puffin took a liking to me, coming closer and closer. We later watched them from underneath windows as they dove and swam at amazing speeds through the water. 

The next stop was the sea lions, looking like enormous golden sea slugs, but very fast sea slugs, whirling round and round their huge enclosure. 

We found a fabulous display of sea terms of measurement, about half of which I knew and several I’d never heard of but was glad to know existed for measuring and accuracy. 

We were so impressed with the young people who served as guides to all the dazzling exhibits of sea creatures. They were delightfully nerdy (as a nerd, I use this word with intentional honor) in their knowledge of the most minute details of the creatures they tended, and delighted in sharing their appreciation and wonder for all sea life. 

We found another area with sea lions, (or maybe they got to go to this other area for feeding time) and watched for a while as they horsed around (can sea lions horse around? Yes! They can!)

After a thorough tour, we were ready for lunch and walked to the Highline, recommended by both our VRBO host/manager, Sarah, and the local girls at the Sealife Center. There we split a smoked salmon spread with sourdough bread, and a halibut sandwich.

We’d walked several miles by this point, so we walked a little more, back to our beautiful Bear’s Den on the waterfront, and we grabbed a short nap and then headed out to hike to the Exit Glacier, just 8 miles out of Seward.

Exit Glacier has . . . exited. It is in retreat. We walked to the closest viewpoint, but the glacier was too far away, so we walked further and we could see it – divided into two sections now, and continuing to recede. It was a great time to be there, late in the day, all the tour buses loaded and gone. We weren’t alone, but few were on the hiking trails.

One family asked us, as we were returning to our car, if we had seen bear. We told them no, but to keep talking to one another, and if any bear were around, they would wander away.

We had an agenda for dinner. We are heading out on an all day wildlife and fishing expedition tomorrow, and we need snacks and sandwiches. Sarah had recommended Primrose Provisions, a repurposed railway depot, so we stopped there for dinner and to get provisions – but they were sold out of sandwiches.

Did I mention the sun was shining in Seward? It was in the high 70’s F., and people were sporting sunburns? We sat on the porch, drinking good wine, waiting for our dinner to come –  an Alaska charcuterie board. It was lovely, with smoked salmon, smoked cod, two spreads, sourdough and strawberries. Beautiful to look at and delicious.

We had only a short walk back to our Front Row B&B, through the small park honoring Iditerod race creators and supporters, celebrating the Seward connection. We need to think about our clothing and day pack for our sea excursion. I needed to make sure I had my fishing license with me!

This was our route for today – the big red dot is the Alaska Sea Life Museum.

June 28, 2026 Posted by | Alaska, Arts & Handicrafts, Beauty, Cultural, Customer Service, Food, Geography / Maps, Living Conditions, Photos, Public Art, Restaurant, Road Trips, Travel, Weather | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Seward AK Front Row B&B

This is the view we woke up to from our suite at the Front Row B&B.

These are the spaces we were privileged to inhabit. We felt so blessed to find this exquisite place to stay.

The bed in our room – incredibly comfortable and also a work of art.

The common areas: uncommonly beautiful.

We had an all-day exploration and fishing trip, and when we returned, salt-soaked, sunburned and exhausted, a guest we had met was waving to us from the balcony saying, “Come on up!” We quickly cleaned up and went up to join all the other guests. The man, who stays at Front Row often, had prepared an impromptu cocktail party with some very fine wines and charcuterie boards.

His generosity of spirit blew me away. We guests didn’t know each other, but all the wine and good bites broke the ice, and we ended up having a very good time, or so the happy noise level informed me. Of all the times we have stayed in B&B’s, this was exceptional and memorable.

The common space is lovely for relaxing, perfect for dining. for entertaining, and is equipped for the pickiest, most needy guests. You can watch whales in the bay from this room, or the attached balcony.

The view of Mount Alice:

AdventureMan was so smart. He took the photo of the wine served at the cocktail party, a dry, complex red wine we both thoroughly enjoyed.

And no, I took the photos when the other guests were not around! 😄

If you want a hot breakfast, you walk a very short walk to a partner B&B where the property manager, Sarah, prepares your dream breakfast.

I needed an oat-y cereal, and Sarah went to her living area and brought out her personal stash – just exactly what I needed – oats, seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and there were fresh bananas to cut and put on it. She made this graciousness feel effortless, and she took her time with us, answering all our questions and giving us the information we needed to make our time in Seward most productive. Conversations with Sarah substantially improved our understanding of the quality of life and current issues in Seward.

Our last morning in Seward, we still had some wonderful smoked salmon spread from our meal at Highlight, so AdventureMan asked her if she could put it in an omelet. She said she could, and whipped up one of the most beautiful and tasty omelets ever, using fresh-cut chives from her garden.

Sarah oversees a variety of rentals and has a keen eye for important details. I cannot imagine a better place to stay in Seward.

June 27, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Character, Civility, Community, Cooking, Cultural, Customer Service, Food, Gardens, Hotels, Living Conditions, Quality of Life Issues, Road Trips, Travel | , , | Leave a comment

Alaska 2026: Alaska Loves Her Veterans

Getting ahead of myself a little bit, on our last day in Anchorage, we were downtown looking for a place to park. We found a parking lot, but it had different areas with different rules and we found it very confusing. A young man was headed to his truck near us, so AdventureMan asked him what the procedure was for this section.

Taking in AdventureMan, he said “Are you a Veteran, Man?” and AdventureMan said “Yes.”

The young man gave a huge grin and said, “You don’t have to pay! I never pay! Alaska loves her veterans! They won’t come after you if you are a veteran. I park her all the time. I never pay!” and then, as soldiers do, they pulled out their resume’s and started comparing where they had served and it was old home week. Happens all the time.

As we were saying our farewells, he remembered something.

“Just try to keep it under an hour,” he said. “I can’t guarantee you can park longer than that, and I try to be respectful and not push my luck.”

“I try to be respectful . . .” I found that so refreshing.

We found evidence everywhere that Alaska truly does love and treasure and remember her veterans. By the side of the highway, as we neared Anchorage, we found this lovely Memorial.

At this memorial, I ran into a childhood nemesis. I don’t know the scientific name. As children, we called it Devil’s Club, and it grows in patches, and it scared us to death. Whe kids got mean, they might cut down a Devil’s Club and threaten one of the younger kids. It could really hurt, too, if you got hit with one.

June 27, 2026 Posted by | Adventure, Alaska, Civility, Cultural, Generational, Heritage, Leadership, Quality of Life Issues, Road Trips, Travel, Work Related Issues | | Leave a comment