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Andrew and I put mom and the boys back on the ship, and we walked around Juneau at about 4:00 when many of the cruise crowds were returning to their ships. Locals stood on the sidewalks in front of the filled bars and yelled to each other and called between side walk groups and cars cruised by with people hanging out the windows yelling greetings to their friends. It was, after all, the Fourth of July. The sidewalk was clear and we could walk in and out of stores unmolested. The retail culture here must be frantic, a season of only four months, make it pay, work all days (everything was open for the Fourth, with only the local stores, like copy centers, hair cut, general merchandise were closed) and work hard because once winter comes, all activities are over.
We spent time with the boys off shore, but they weren’t exactly doing their favorite activities, but that’s almost impossible when you’re combining the grandparent and the child. But there were activities on the ship; the boys just chose not to participate. And since that was their choice, I didn’t get too wound up about it. Thomas slept.
In Ketchikan we docked practically into the downtown again and sent Thomas off on a fishing trip. He came back with three salmon so we’ll need to have a salmon bake and invite his fishing buddies.
Ketchikan was, like the neighbors, adorable. We liked Creek Street because it’s built on piers overlooking the river, that in the right season, is chocked with salmon. We took Mom on a longer walk to the Heritage center because, yes, there were totems to be seen. Michael now has a lot to say about long carved poles, especially when his mother became very excited over the almost rotting, just barely preserved carved poles. But he was a good sport.
We did most of our shopping in Ketchikan. We bought a sprit box for $80 that reflects the style of carving I most admire, it’s of the raven stealing the sun. We couldn’t afford a mask or a wall hanging. Simple masks were being sold (or tagged) starting at $400 and up. Totems were priced at $4,500 and up. The carving was native to be sure, but for the artistry displayed, I couldn’t, deep in my black little marketing heart, justify the price. The native mask we bought in Costa Rica, painted over by a local artist was much better and cost less. And was available only in a rather remote place. So what we saw did not satisfy us.
I did buy a pewter bracelet, the artist who designed it attended the Emily Carr School of art, so I had to have it. It depicts the raven, my personal favorite because he’s very Miss Behaved.
We did not kayak, it was too cold and I knew I’d spend the entire (and expensive) expedition, complaining about how cold I was. (If I complain about a breeze through the Russian River valley, this would not work for me) So in the interest of marital harmony, I passed on the water adventures.
You know what? The best gift store was in the Vancouver airport it had all the Haida art work, the boxes the masks the wall hangings, even a selection of the bracelets that I bought in Ketchikan (and for a few dollars less, there’s that shipping cost again), and a book on Emily Carr’s artwork depicting the totems in the area
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