10:33 PM
| Sunrise at | 4:29 AM | in direction | 38° | Northeast |  |
| Sunset at | 11:08 PM | in direction | 323° | Northwest |  |
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| Seward Harbor |
I am woefully behind on posts, given that I set out to post daily. But this is the beginning of the light season and it's amazing how much needs to be done and how much I want to do and how time flies before I even realize it is nearing bed time. I think my lapses in posting are as telling as if I were taking photos or posting daily. The increase of light alters my perspective (as it does most of us here), leaving us awash in contentment.
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| Sockeye salmon- silvers - and sea water tank with visitors and exhibits reflected |
Fairbanks is especially beautiful. Leaf out has been very slow this year, but Fairbanks still leads the change. All the through the state, we saw scant greenery until we got back to Fairbanks.
In Seward we stayed at Murphy's Hotel. It is modest, one of the older style motel rooms with enough room for a bed, a small desk, TV, microwave, and refrigerator and nothing else. There were hooks to hang clothes and no place to lay suitcases. Still they had renovated and although simple, the colors, and choices for furnishings were nicely done. We slept comfortably and were close to everything, so I have a new favorite place in Seward.
Seward was not cold, and the whales were in the Sound. Gary and I debated going out into the Bay rather than going to the Sealife Center; my dad wasn't interested. Ultimately, we decided to take a few hours at the Aquarium and then head on to Homer with the plan of going out on Kackemak Bay while there. I have since realized given a choice, Dad will most likely not go to sea (or even to bay).
Once, when Gary and I were first traveling to Alaska, we stayed in Seward and walked down to the Seaman's park where the Bay turns back toward the mountain and the Sea Life Center. We sat there for a long time, listening to a gull call for its mate, letting the bay waters lapping against the shore lull us into a peaceful state of mind. It was not warm, but not cold. Behind us was a vacant lot that I remembered that had also been for sale on a previous visit. As I looked around, it struck me that residents of Eden would envy us, sitting where we were. I immediately wanted to open a B&B on that corner, wrapping the building around the corner with windows in each room facing to the Bay and our living quarters above, kitchen at the back. I'd call it Eden's Envy.
Gary thought about it and suggested its name should be Tsunami Watch (Effects of 1964 Tsunami on Seward). We did not pursue the idea because I couldn't get him to stop telling everyone the name was Tsunami Watch - casting a pall upon the idea. It continually brought to mind the most severe earthquake ever recorded in North America. However, someone else thought my idea good because it is a B&B now. They put in more separation between rooms, almost like condos, but it is still serving breakfast for guests.
This trip we did not sit and reflect on the perfection of the location and instead enjoyed the residents of the Sealife Center. While beautiful, it is also a little depressing because some species I was looking at are diminishing in population rapidly - a great concern for those whose life's work it is to understand and possibly protect them. For me it is sad simply because so many species are losing ground to human ways and possibly predation. Among those impacted are Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and Sea Otters.
I learned that puffins are unusual birds. Not because they make meals of fish below the surface, but because of how they hunt. I was amazed the first time I saw a puffin fly underwater. It was hard to catch on film.
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| There are two birds in the photo, one behind the golden fish near the center and another - just visible with wings spread in flight under the large rockfish(?) |
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| You can see the trail of bubbles as the puffin flies by |
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