Christmas in Juneau

picnic shelter on shore of Auke Bay

This Christmas was certainly not like any other - in the past, if we didn't spend Christmas Day at "home", we traveled to Detroit, Dallas or Louisville to spend the holiday with whatever family was available.  There was always some child to share the day with, but not this year.  While I certainly regret not being able to spend the day with family, we did skype/talk to everyone, and enjoyed a quiet morning.  On Christmas Eve day, we went to a local production of  "A Christmas Carol", which was amazingly good!  The theater was quite small, but a 2 p.m. Christmas Eve performance was sold out.  The production followed the popular movie, but was given the "Readers Digest" treatment (trimming where needed, but not affecting the story).  The actors, including the children, were very well-rehearsed and the show was completely entertaining.  Scrooge himself was so similar to George C. Scott that we had to look twice - which we did, because we were in the third row!  After the play, we returned home until church, and later that evening, we visited for a brief time with some people we had met who so graciously invited us to their house.  After some wine and a slice of homemade banana cream pie (chocolate cream for Bill), we went home and watched the Midnight Mass from Rome.  Christmas Eve was rainy, but Christmas Day dawned cloudy and dry so we decided to walk off that aforesaid pie.

view across to unnamed islands

We are lucky to live in the area surrounding the Auke Lake Recreation Area, which includes many picnic shelters, some with massive fireplaces and a paved trail that winds around the towering Sitka Spruce right along the ocean.  We walked to a place called Point Louisa, which is a spit of land in Favorite Channel.  I'm using the correct words for places since I hear them all the time but have no idea where or what they are, so I'm learning with you!  The weather, up to that point, was calm with just a break in the clouds.  As we walked to the (literal) end of Point Louisa, the wind on one side was very strong and biting, with white-capped waves.  On the other side of the Point, things were calm, with little wind and no need for caps or mittens as we walked.  I was wearing my

looking across Favorite Channel

Packer sweatshirt in anticipation of the game (which for us started at 4:15 p.m. - a great time to watch a football game!) and some others who were "out and about" mentioned it (some thought it was Oregon colors!).  We shared the scenery with photographers, dog-walkers and some others with children who we think were meeting for a Christmas Day family outing.  As we walked, we heard an Alaskan drummer (similar to American Indian drums) beating the drum and chanting.  The sound rose over the water and made for a very reflective moment  - secular Christmas is fun and we did miss the annual reading of gift tags (some of you know what I'm referring to!) and seeing Jonah and Alana open their gifts, and the making of dozens (and dozens) of cookies.  And we certainly look forward to the next time that we are all together (thank goodness for skype!) in person.  However, we were reminded that Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus' birth - and God gave us here in Juneau a wonderfully scenic way to remember.

panoramic view towards Indian Point

Tide is in!

our deck is 3rd from the right, on the second floor

Our condo is awesome - we live on "stilts" over the tidal basin, part of Auke Bay.  Twice a day the tide comes in and, if high enough, goes under our stilts so it looks like we live IN the ocean!  There are two high tides and two low tides per day, and the time always changes.  When the tide is "out", or low, the tidal basin is hard and people have walked their dogs in the basin. 

View at high tide - 10:36 a.m. on 12/22

The tide numbers don't indicate the depth of the water, but how high over sea level the water will go, but the water is probably 10-12 feet deep at high tide.  The water will go well under our deck and against the barrier in the parking lot.  We are expecting high tides on December 24 and 25, as indicated in the photo (19.6 ft at 12:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve). 

the tide book opened to December

Today, the high tide is 18.6 feet and is already covering the tree trunk that I use under my deck as a benchmark.  If the water covers the trunk, I know that it is as high as I've seen it.  In late October, just before we arrived, the high tide was 20.6 feet.  With a bit of wind like we have today, I can assume that the water was pushed somewhat into the parking lot.  It has not been that high since then. During high tides, the water is full of activity.  We have harlequin ducks, ravens, seagulls, the eagles, and, today, harbor seals are swimming around.  I hear in the summer, it is even busier, and more beautiful.  The photo of our condo (above) was taken in the summer and you can see the beautiful green foliage.  While there have been whales in Auke Bay, the bay that drains into our tidal basin, they don't get this far.   The book is a free publication of the yearly tide tables, meant for fishing and hiking.

I love my "leg lamp" lights!

There are many warnings on the hiking trails to pay attention to tides because when they come in, they come in fast (from low tide to high is about 4-6 hours) and you may be stranded, with no way back except to swim (not recommended!). 

When I open my patio door, I can hear the birds, listen to the waves and feel like I am in paradise - only colder and darker!

It ain't the North Pole, but it's close!

After the initial shock of missing "black Friday" shopping this year, I think I can say that I like this lower-key holiday season.  It's kind of interesting that people I talk to who have lived in the lower 48 (as they call the "contiguous" U.S.) talk nostalgically of the shopping opportunities that they left behind to move to the Land of Santa Claus.  Really, when you think about it, what can't you buy at Walmart?  And, if Fred Meyer has a coupon, you can buy it there cheaper.  No need to "price check".  Granted, that sweater you have your eye on only comes in blue and you had better pick up the XL when you have a chance - almost all the advertisements have the words "limited to stock on hand" for almost all sale items.  However, Freddies (as we "locals" call it!) offers a 10% discount on Tuesdays in December for those 55+, and I have taken advantage of that (even though you actually have to ASK for it - how loudly can you say "I am OLD - give me my discount!").  I do miss Walgreens - I thought a fun game show would be to give someone $100 on Christmas Eve at 5:00 p.m. and challenge them to purchase a complete "Christmas" in one hour.  You could do it - complete with presents, food, even wine at some stores!   We Meier's actually had to do it one time many years ago, when Millie was ill and there wasn't going to be a Christmas - until she "rallied" and Grandpa Ed sent us to Walgreens for all the fixins' of a fine Christmas dinner!   Alas, there isn't a Walgreens and I'm getting a bit tired of the Walmart.  I have shopped (shhh - don't tell the grandkids!) online and had the gifts shipped (for free!) to Milwaukee where Uncle Brian will transport them to Louisville.  Ad's come with the Sunday paper - five sheets for Freddie alone!  One for toys, one for groceries, one for electronics, one for "fine" jewelry and one for seasonal specials.  The local Walmart ad comes in Thursday's paper, and that is it!  There is a Radio Shack and a Joanne Fabrics in the Nugget Mall along with a Hallmark Cards and an Alaskan Outfitter (like an REI).  Since this is all we have here in Juneau, it is plenty.  My Pastor's wife used to live in St. Louis when her husband was in the seminary and she said she misses Kohl's.  Of course, you can find anything you'd ever want online, but you can't try on the jeans or see if your shirt sleeves are long enough or if the brown curtain panels are really brown, not taupe.  Of course, shopping isn't all one can do around Christmas time.  Bill and I bought our tree from the Juneau High School Swim Team ( a fundraiser) for $40 and we went to the beautiful Chapel By the Lake (at Univ. of Alaska - Southeast) for a community choir Christmas Concert.  On Christmas Eve afternoon, we have tickets for a performance of "A Christmas Carol" that has gotten terrific reviews in the paper ("Scrooge" was flown in from Anchorage!) and we were invited to share a "cup" of Christmas Cheer on Christmas Eve with someone we met last weekend at the Juneau Electric Christmas Party (the Meier's didn't hit the hay until 2 A.M.!).  That is what the holiday is about - new friends and familiar Christmas tree ornaments, skyping with family just before the Packer game, and sharing my vast selection of cookies with neighbors (I'll leave them with the morning paper!)

Out the road