Alaska Two: Hello Old Friends

 

The Alaska Experience is just a bonus.  If I see whales or glaciers or get a taste of the great Alaskan wilderness, that will be great. But that's not why I came to Alaska.

The reason I made this trip is to reconnect with old friends.  Old, not in the sense of elderly (though we surely headed that way).  And not old in the sense that we were once friends long ago and are no longer. No, old in the sense that we have been friends for a very long time.  And that goal--to reconnect has been achieved--and it is well worth the time and expense it took to get here.  

I left Ketchikan around 9:45 this morning and landed in Petersburg a little after 11. Chris arrived shortly and it was like it had been 8 hours, not 8 years since I'd seen him last.  We fell right back into conversation like we had since we were high school kids.  The work had been put in years ago--trust earned, mutual respect gained--and so it was easy to simply pick up where we left off.  Of course life had changed a lot for each of us in the intervening years-marriage, kids, professional life, the triumphs and tragedies of living in this broken world, but that just gave us lots to talk about. 

We had a delicious lunch at the coolest little restaurant, where there is no menu, just sumptuous sandwiches and entrees that are made on the spot and placed in the display case. After lunch, Chris took me on a quick tour of the town. (With a town of this size a quick tour is the only kind there is!)

Petersburg is charming little fishing village founded by Norwegian immigrants more than a century ago and the evidence of that Scandinavian heritage is everywhere from the Norwegian flags that fly from many of the home to distinctly Norwegian architecture that characterize the homes.  It's small island flavor still reminds me of my years in Micronesia though the people and culture are different.  As someone who took to the pleasures of island living I can see why Chris and Carissa stayed as long as they have.

The view from here. 

After the tour we met up with Carissa and the kids and spent a couple of hours chatting.  As with Chris, I found that the years had not diminished the ease with which Carissa and I were able to talk.  It is truly remarkable how these foundational friendships really do stand the test of time.  Good friends are a treasure, and I am so grateful to have found two in Chris and Carissa.  

Chris owns a beautiful bearskin rug courtesy of a bear that wouldn't leave he and a friend alone on a recent camping trip. A bear like that represented a danger both to them and to others that might come along later and they reluctantly decided to kill it (I like to say the bear was despondent over a crappy 2020 as many of us were and decided to end it all--suicide by hunter). Nothing was wasted and I am told there were many "bear taco" nights after that--and of course the rug.  Here, his daughter Sophia is clowning around with the rug.  The Cottas' kids are charming, respectful and fun to talk to.

I enjoyed a nice supper with the Cotta family, and then Carissa headed off to a prior commitment, the kids to their activities, and Chris and I spent the evening talking in the way that old friends do--without fear of judgement, honest, real talk about life, love, even religion and politics.  It was a day well spent.

Tomorrow, we are headed "up the river" for the premiere Alaskan experience in this area. I won't be able to write any blog posts or update on Facebook, as we are headed into the wilds where cell phone signals and WiFi do not reach.  I'm looking forward to it!  But most of all, I'm looking forward to more time with good old friends.

"Hello old friends
There's really nothing new to say
But the old old story bears repeating
And the plain old truth grows dearer every day
When you find something worth believing
Well that's a joy that nothin' could take away

And so we meet again
After all these many years
Did we sow the seeds we're reaping
Now that the harvest calls us here
It seems that love blooms out of season
And much joy can blossom from many tears

So old friends you must forget what you had to forgive
And let love be stronger than the feelings
That rage and run beneath the bridge
Knowin' morning follows evening
Makes each new day come as a gift"

                                   --Rich Mullins "Hello Old Friends"