To hell and back

Today was an Alaskan adventure bonanza. I woke up to clear skies and knew immediately that whatever I had planned (and most assuredly, there was a lot) would have to wait until I took full advantage of the rare weather. So basically, I disregarded my usual mentality and tried on the Alaskan laidback work ethic. And I think I like how it fits.

I took my best friend and the 2 housesit dogs to Sandy Beach on Douglas and explored the mining ruins on Treadwell trail. We found this home-made raft thingy which was basically just a long sheet of wood glued (?) on top of styrofoam. Since we were too heavy, we tried to sail the dogs away on it, but the smart buggers wouldn't have any of that and refused to stay on the contraption. Determined to cast something off, my friend tried to get on it again and half fell in the water losing his balance.

Our stomachs were grumbling for nourishment, but the sun was still out, the clouds were still gone, so we sacrificed yet another obligation and drove to Mendenhall Glacier. The snow and ice allowed us to walk closer to it than what was possible last summer when my sister and her husband visited. We went from beach frolicking in the Channel to rolling around in the snow (okay not we, the dogs) next to the icefield. Then since we were already out that far anyway, we went to the Shrine of St. Therese and had another ocean view. Daniel took a picture of a sign there that says, "Entering sacred grounds. Act accordingly." He was joking around and saying how I should take the shot while he's next to it flicking the camera off when someone's parents drove by to pick up their kids from a retreat and saw him exhibiting the middle finger. On sacred grounds. Acting very un-accordingly. They slowed... the driver's door opened... I braced myself. I thought (very, very) fleetingly of an excuse that Austrians use their middle finger for pointing, that he was merely showing off the sign in his appropriate cultural gesture, and I'm an anthropologist and needed the picture for research purposes. But I suppose he realized we didn't need his lecture when we have eternal damnation in brimstone to face, so he closed the door and kept driving.