×

I can see the stars

Very well aware of the old saw about the alternative, I can still state I am very grateful I don’t ever have to turn 80 again.

I heard the doctors at the hospital saying I was in superb health . . . for my age. Then why was I there? and why again? I probably haven’t visited since my maternity years ended. Riding in an ambulance is a comforting experience and the EMTs who returned on a different date for a minor head wound (my, how those bleed!) were terrific . . . but I also had cancer surgery and two cataract operations. When vertigo became a problem, I happily discovered I could still see the stars.

It’s a year I will definitely toast to its ending.

Still, there were a lot of really great times in there.

I was able to share special days with the two daughters I seldom get to see. And then there was Alaska! Memories positively overwhelmed any of the lesser good.

Neither could I forget all the golden days at home — weeding when it’s warm which I can never get enough of (especially this year), parties and good friends, the big “thing” in the lake (is it really “just” a grass-eating carp? nobody knows for sure), pets which I adore (losing a very special one and gaining another, equally dear) and all the gorgeous birds and, OK, some assorted wildlife. I’ve seen far fewer deer but one’s a young buck plus a doe who runs very well on just three legs. Just the other morning I watched a scruffy greying raccoon meander through the yard, realizing once I saw the pictures it was a porcupine. That’s a first.

Then Alaska.

Getting acquainted once on the ship, I was surprised how many were repeating this same cruise for the fourth or fifth time. Why, with the entire world at your fingertips, return to Alaska? “Because it is always different.” I asked a friend who’d cruised there is she’d go back. “In a heartbeat.”

I confess I was enthused about being gone for two weeks which included a number of days at sea. Magazines pile up for sure and I had two books I’d tried to find time to read, one for a number of years. (Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations” is a fantastic view of the world in the late 1700s.) Feet up, frequently on the deck watching the world slowly pass by, I finished all — and more. I even had time for trashy (fun!) novels. Missions accomplished.

Trust me, please, I never neglected the scenery — it was magnificently spellbinding and, as promised, changed quickly. And certainly I did engage in some of the countless activities offered every hour.

Before leaving home, I’d written of what I hoped to see in Alaska, using photographs I’d taken here. (You might have read it at the end of September.)

“A glacier.” Any who know would have laughed at my backyard representation. Our ship came as close as we could to the first — coming out of the mountain with such a wide expanse of white — at Tracy Arm. The real stunner, however, had to be our approach to the Hubbard Glacier. It would take aerial shots to show its source but the height towered over our ship — and extended on both ends further than one could see. I hear it’s been severely affected by climate change which is understandable but there’s plenty of ice left for now.

I had hoped for a sighting of the Northern Lights but gather they’re too shy to appear in the summertime.

I had a nice talk with a state-certified organist in Juneau, one of only two qualified to play one of the two theatre organs in Alaska. The state capitol, only reachable by boat or plane, had absolutely no security at the State Office Building. People came and went as was their wont. I found that a lovely (and impressive) note.

Eagles? Oh my, yes, Here, there, and everywhere. Again, the close-ups I’d taken at home were better except for one youngster, definitely close enough but hardly colorful.

I saw whales on a number of occasions — twice breaching — very close to our little boat but the rains were heavy and my pictures useless.

So it was the sea creatures who intrigued me. Sea otters and sea lions posed so close for photographs. The otters were most fun, floating on their backs in packs with their feet sticking straight up.

Then there were the bears. I had dreamt of bears and, ultimately, all dreams were satisfied — and then some.

Have I seen it all? Hardly. Would I go back?

In a heartbeat.

Susan Crossett has lived in Arkwright for more than 20 years. A lifetime of writing led to these columns as well as two novels. “Her Reason for Being” was published in 2008 with “Love in Three Acts” following in 2014. Information on all the Musings, her books and the author may be found at Susancrossett.com.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today