Tenakee Trickle

There is a place in this world, not so far from here,

where time slows to about a crawl

You stand and stretch your legs and they begin to take you down a gravel path where you see vibrant sun ripened berries on your way, you pick some and savor the sweet, tartness with your eyes closed for a moment. A meditated calm envelopes your mind and the most urgent thing on your agenda is what your next meal will consist of. Dogs run loose and befriend each other, people tending their gardens look up and smile pleasantly as you pass.
The waves crash onto to beach at 12 hour intervals,
and people have a rhythm all of their own.

Welcome to Tenakee Springs, Alaska

It truely is a place like no where else.

A place where you are encouraged to post a sign that says:

"if no answer come to the garden"

seriously, where else would this apply?


My grandparents have a small cabin here.

And I was fortunate enough to get to visit them for a quick

weekend trip away from the bustle of my dear beloved Sitka.

A break I didnt exactly know I needed until I was loaded up on reading material and snacks and flying the 30 minute float plane ride. After the more than interesting chat with the pilot-

(only stating that he was a flirt would be an insult)

I arrived to begin my trial with tranquility

Oh yeah, did I mention I would be camping out with family? Heh heh. Okay so much for the hope of tranquility, so between the waiting in line to use the commode (fortunately a flushing one at that!) and allotting out who is sleeping in which bunk, and who will be fishing on which day. And Granny rushing around with her ebb of energy trying to make 8 of us content at any given time..... It was a rather enjoyable experience. Not that I thought it wouldnt be! (wink!)
Between the fishing....... And the crabbing.....

And the fantastic wildlife.....

And the berry picking..... mmm pancakes...

Do you know what a thimble berry is? Ive lived in Alaska for 26 years and did not know how to identify them, until now. Silly me.

The great great great great great GREAT (I could have quoted tony the tiger here and saved myself a few greats......) The Gggggrrrreeeaaat lounging and/or reading opportunities! Plus the weather for this particular weekend would be difficult to top! Sunshine the ENTIRE time!

Oh yes and not to forget precisely what Tenakee is well known for. The 107* sulfur mineral hot springs. That the local townsfolk use for bathing.

Hope you left your shyness at home!

If you didnt bring something to read (or wear or do or watch) dont worry theres always the bus stop to rummage in to see what you can find! In Tenakee garage saling is not only on Saturdays, although there IS a local farmers market every Saturday. Abundant local organic produce.

Right here. Right now!

So everyone is friendly in Tenakee right?

Do you think whoever owns this satellite has a big screen tv to match? Maybe we could go see whats on HBO?......How do we get an invite? That is after Granny talks the boys into a bit of maintenance on the cabin. Nice new blue windows Granny!

There was a ice cream social birthday party for one of the residents whilst we were there, a woman who was turning 90! Not sure about the ice cream, (although maybe the advertisements for milk "does a body good" were onto something) but Tenakee is a fairly healthy place to be. Personally I think its all that fresh air!

Fresh air does a body good!!!!

And so do hugs with grandparents!

Bye Bye Tenakee, until next time!

To see more pictures visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/sitkakoala/TenakeeAugust2009#

Things I learned this summer

*When you see something on the ground that is round, white and resembles a bird egg, dont pick it up and squish it; it most likely IS a bird egg.

*The vitamin D in sunshine is GREAT for strong fingernails (and we got the perfect amount this summer)

*Daydreaming and meter reading is not the most effective way to get work done. You may then have to retrace steps over woodpiles, stacks of junk and even strategically placed land mines made by all the loyal fido's around town.

*The BEST salmonberries are found in other peoples backyards :)

*No matter what the weather is doing, anytime you wear rain gear.....its particularly attractive to inebriated fishermen(dont believe me, go ahead, just try it)

*You can stretch out your stomach by over gorging on salmonberries. (Or maybe thats just me... Yep must be just me :)

*Dating 4 guys at once in any particular period is not good for your mental health. (Nor your free time) but at least your girlfriends can live vicariously through you.....


*The new taco cart in town is good any ol time!!!! (Im just hungry again dont mind me, but really try the 8 layer burrito or the carne asada! YUM YUM!)


*Trying to stock pile sunshine for the inevitable winter months takes a lot more energy that could better be utilized for enjoying the wonderfulness while its here- SO GO TAKE A HIKE ALREADY!!! (its only sunshine in a liquid format!)