High/Low Tide

The tides here are amazing to see. Here are some photos of the extreme highs and lows. Also, look what washed up last night. There are lots of icebergs out in the water, but this was the first one we'd seen on shore.

Ferry to Wrangell

Hubby Doc finished up work on Monday about noon, after a weekend on call. To celebrate, we took a short vacation (from our working vacation in Petersburg) on the ferry to Wrangell. It was a three hour ride up through the narrows and across to Wrangell. We had great weather, high clouds, but no rain. Perfect for our trip. We stayed in a sweet B and B, hiked all around town, checked out their fabulous museum, and found plenty of good food. They are known for their Totem Poles, which were really amazing. The people there were very nice and helpful. The local brochure, says all the towns folks are official greeters, and I would have to agree.

Magical Place

Shhhh....Don't let it out, but I think I found where the Gnomes live. I won't tell you exactly where, but it's on the edge of town, near a beach. I took a stroll, down a path in the rain forest, and I'm sure I heard them twittering as I passed by. This truly is a Magical Place.

Blessing the Fleet

Today, at the square, in front of The Sons of Norway hall, they had the Blessing of the Fleet. Petersburg is nicknamed Little Norway, and today, the Norwegians and others had the yearly ceremony. Most the fishing boats are headed out this week for a LOT of fishing. The canneries are ramping up and things are coming alive for this little community. Unfortunately, our time is coming to a close, so we're going to miss out on the busy season.
It was a lovely blessing, and I especially loved the sweaters. It's fun to see the local flavor in their dress. I only wish we could see them in their beautiful costumes they wear for other gatherings. So colorful! Afterwards, they had coffee and the best little Norwegian cookies ever. Makes up for the fact, that they eat Ludefisk!

The Stickeen

Today, while Hubby Doc worked, I got to take a boat trip up the Stickeen. Of course, I felt terribly guilty going without him, but, it had to be done. Some of the medical staff put the trip together, so it was fun to be with some folks I already knew.
The Stickeen is a wild river and a popular recreation area. We only went up a few miles, but many go over a hundred miles up river to enjoy hot springs, great fishing, camping and hunting.
It was especially beautiful today, because the weather was clear and sunny. We really lucked out!
Many of you will remember the story John Muir wrote. Stickeen, about a dog he befriended while exploring the river area.

Gone Fishin'

It's all about fishing here. There are about 3,300 people here, and about 1,500 boats registered locally. They fish, they talk about fish, they eat fish, they make fishy kinda jokes and when they go on vacation, they go some place else, to fish. It's so cool to see all the fishermen walking around. They wear rubber boots, cableknit sweaters, knit caps and slickers. I really wanted to take some pictures of them, but they don't really look like the kinda guys that would be OK with that. So I didn't have the guts to try. But if your ever here, you just gotta walk into one of the local bars! (Just don't ask for a Cosmopolitan!)
Even the airplanes are on floats. Groovy, you can just throw a line right from the plane. Two of Hubby Docs favorites. Boats and planes. In this place, the planes are boats.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Rain, rain, go away, oh wait, that's right, we're in a rain forest! So beautiful here, even in the rain. Took a walk last night during a slight break and got a nice shot of the harbor.
Later, we drove up to the ball park to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. They were fabulous! (yes, it was raining)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETERSBURG! 100 Years

Today was Petersburgs official 100th birthday! What fun. The community met on the baseball field today for a photo. I went to take some pictures of all the townfolk getting ready. They were hoping all 3300 would show up, and I think they were close!
There will be fireworks tonight and lots of events through the year.