I arrived in Anchorage at about 3:43pm AK time/7:43pm EST. The weather was (I found out later) 67 degrees today. It was very sunny. I was pumped when I saw that my seat from Seattle to Anchorage was a window seat, finally, although it was on the left side of the plane, which would be looking out at the Pacific Ocean and not BC/Southeast AK. I was just glad I got a window seat at last. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I sat down and got situated, the flight attendant comes up to me and asks, "how attached to that seat are you?" I hesitated and replied, "uh, not really I guess." She then asked me if I would be willing to switch seats with a guy who wanted to sit with his wife but was seated up near the middle of the plane. I was in the second row from the back. I agreed, somewhat reluctantly on the inside, but knew I was making the right choice. As it turns out, there was an open WINDOW seat on the RIGHT side of the plane when I went to take the man's left side aisle seat. The flight attendant said I could sit there and so I gladly did. This taught me a lesson to do the right thing even though you don't always want to, becomes sometimes it works out in your favor. I then proceeded to take pictures and videos of southeastern AK and south central AK from the plane and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. I kept taking pictures and videos even after all electronic devices were supposed to be off. I couldn't help myself. We were flying right above huge white-capped mountains. I finally stopped when the quite man next to me informed his quite wife in a very quiet, non confrontational way that all electronic devices were supposed to off. I stopped out of annoyance.
After getting my bags which both arrived safe and sound, I was picked up at the airport by my second cousin once removed, Joy. But for all intents and purposes, I'll be calling her "Aunt Joy", which she is OK with. We said hello and then she gave me a plastic bag containing "smoke fish". It was basically smoked, tender salmon jerky and I ate it all. It was delicious and I was hungry. We drove to see the float planes on a nearby lake and walked around in the warm sunshine. It was cool to see one take off. She then drove me to her sister's house in Anchorage where I picked out a bike that she had agreed to lend me for the summer. It is one that is just sitting around and collecting dust. I met her family and vaguely remembered them from my first visit to AK in 2000. After departing "Aunt Bonnie's" place, Aunt Joy drove me to a sporting goods store that I had bought a knife at in 2000. I finally bought a pair of steel-toed Alaskan XTRATUF rain boots. They are, as they say in the vernacular, legit. I payed a pretty penny for them, but they should last me the rest of my life. I also bought, at the advice of Aunt Joy, a can of Counter Assault Bear Deterrent, or just simply called "bear spray". This should make me feel safer on my hikes and bike rides during my days off. We then headed to Costco where I experienced what it is like to go shopping for groceries for myself for the first time in my life. It was awful but a little enjoyable at the same time. I felt kind of grown up. I also realized that if I kept buying food, I would run out of money. I kept asking myself, "do I really need this", most of the time the answer was of course not, you have a case of Ramen Noodles. With Aunt Joy's help, we picked out some good food. Let's just say I'll need to get paid before I can buy anymore food anytime soon.
After that, we drove northeast about twenty-five minutes to Chugiak, where her parents, my late grandpa Spear's cousin and cousin's wife live. They live in a little log cabin on a dirt road off of a nearby residential road. I remember that place well from my 2000 Alaska family trip. We ate an amazing dinner of moose meatballs, salmon meatballs, salad, rhubarb jello, homemade buns, potatoes, and topped it off with a wild picked blueberry pie. His wife did the cooking and it was delicious. Leo, Aunt Joy's dad who's cabin we were at, gave me a sweet tan corduroy Alaska hat with a salmon on it. It is sweet. After dinner and a quick tour of he and his wife's small greenhouse, we took a picture with them and Aunt Joy and I went on our way.
After unpacking the food I and Aunt Joy had bought and shooting some hoops with Aunt Joy's husband and daughter who I suppose is my third cousin?, I have written this, and now must get some must needed rest. Tomorrow is drive the hour and a half south to Portage and get moved in to my new home for the next four months day/first day on the job day.
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