Week 5 in Sitka

This was a really nice week.   Very busy at work, but I got a lot done and should be able to return to a more normal schedule this week.    I will post some photos I have taken this week in my ramblings around town.

On Saturday night there was a wedding reception across the street in the Science Center annex.  Here is the bridal party posing on the beach.  This photo was taken at about ten pm last Saturday.   It stays bright until about 11pm.

Sunday was a quiet, rainy day .   There are lots of rainy days here.   It is a rainforest after all!

On Wednesday night, I went to the last Wednesday evening concert of the Annual Sitka Summer Music Festival at the newly re-opened Sitka Hotel with Arika.   Amazing chamber music concert!

Then I was off to Ludwig's Bistro, the best little restaurant in Sitka.   The occasion was a going away dinner for Mirinda.   Conor, Mirinda, and I had great dinners and desserts along with sharing a wonderful new friendship!   

The walk home from Ludwig's was lovely.   I took this photo at about 9:15pm on Wednesday evening.  

On Saturday I went across the street to the Sitka Science Center, where there is a large Salmon hatchery and an interesting indoor exhibit with local sea urchins and other sea creatures in a touch tank.   The colors are amazing. 

We had several gorgeous sunny days this week.   When the sun is out, I  seem to take a lot of photos.  There is a window in the stairway at the hospital with the most gorgeous view. 

I did some shopping today after having a great brunch at my favorite restaurant .   Many Sitkans where these boots, Xtra tuff's, because it is wet here so much.  I decided I have to have a pair of Xtra tuffs.    Here they are!(I have big feet!!)

And I will be flying to North Carolina on Friday and will be in Oriental for a week.  So, I will take a break from posting.   Happy Fourth of July!!

Happy Father's Day from Sitka

Well, I had another good week!  Very busy at work, but it is all good.   I am getting a lot done!  I am somewhat surprised at how much I enjoy this work.  Guess I am not ready to call it quits with work yet!!

The weather was really nice this week.  We had some clouds and a little rain, but several glorious days.  The temperatures have been between 55-62 in the daytime.   It actually felt hot yesterday afternoon.   So nice!  Tuesday night I had a walkabout town and across the bridge.   The colors are so different depending on the sky!

On Wednesday, my delightful neighbor Charissa suggested that we kayak after work.  What a treat.   We are right across the street from an access spot, so we carried the kayaks over, climbed in, and paddled away!  

Yesterday (Saturday) I hiked on the Beaver Lake and Herring Point trails.   It was a great, long hike.   About 8 miles!   I slept well last nite!    I hiked with Mirinda, Michael, and Conor.   I kept up with them pretty well!    We were in the general vicinity of Blue Lake, the reservoir for Sitka.   We saw a big water pipe coming down from the lake.  The water here is good, and cold!

There are so many beautiful, slightly challenging places to hike here.  I should be in good shape at the end of my time here!  We stopped at the local brewery on our way home!

Great week in Sitka!!

Settling in for a summer in Sitka

I think this is a pretty good place to be for the summer.  The weather is cool, occasionally gorgeous, and always slightly different than the prediction.  It is nice, and you always need to be ready for a shower.   I am always in a jacket with a hood, and so far that has been just what I needed.

Work is going very well.  I am working for the Southeastern Alaska Regional Healthcare Consortium (SEARHC).  SEARHC is a non-profit tribal health consortium of 18 Native communities, which serves the healthcare interests of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian and other Native people of SE Alaska. SEARHC is one of the oldest and largest native-run rural health organizations in the nation.

I am based at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital in Sitka.  This hospital serves all SEARHC beneficiaries in SE Alaska.   The Hospital is named after Mt. Edgecumbe, an extiinct volcano on Kruzof island, the last barrier Island between Sitka and Japan.   (you cannot see Japan from Sitka!)   You can see Mt Edgecumbe most days, though.   Here it is:  

SEARHC decided a few years ago to pursue Joint Commission Accreditation for all of the operation. This means that the organization must meet the same standards as all accredited hospitals and health systems in the United States.  The organization achieved accreditation and now maintains accreditation for a Critical Access Hospital, Outpatient Clinics, Dental Services, and Behavioral Health Services.   It is an amazing organization.  On Wednesday I flew to Juneau for the day to see the large clinic and the dental clinic there.   It is very impressive to see these facilities.    My plane ride home from Juneau was a great experience.  I was on a Harris Airline six seater plane.  The views were fantastic!

Yesterday, I took a great hike with my new friend Mirinda, and a large group organized by Sitka Trail Works.   We took a boat ride to Kruzof Island, then a long hike to Sealion Cove.   It was a good, but very wet day.   My pictures let you know that.   it was quite an adventure. We did enjoy our time exploring around on the beach and saw one big starfish and some sea creatures in tidal pools.

Quiet day today on a rainy Sunday.   It was good to sit still for a day!   getting ready for a busy week!

My first boat ride on Sitka Sound

I had a fun boat ride yesterday afternoon on Sitka Sound.   I walked three blocks down the street to the Crescent Harbor dock and boarded the St. Anastasia for a nice tour.  The stated purpose of the afternoon ride was to see wildlife.   We saw some bald eagles, some sea otters, and one sea lion.  But the scenery was so spectacular that the ride was amazing.    We rode through some small islands that were fairly close together and saw the gorgeous trees and shorelines.   On the way back in, we saw the other side of Sitka harbor, where the commercial activity takes place and many small boats are docked.  There is an eight year waiting list for slips! 

Between islands

And back to Sitka!

The Hospital and the bridge I drive across daily to get there!

and one last picture of downtown Sitka from the water.

Week 2 in Sitka

This week started off with the Memorial Day holiday, so I was lucky to have an extra day off to finish unpacking and finding my way around Sitka.   Since I am in a rain forest it rains a lot.  But I have learned that the weather here can change faster than it does in most places.    It can be raining hard one minute, sunny for the next half hour, then cloudy again.   Yesterday we had some really strong winds that made it feel quite chilly, even though the temperature was about 55.  I am learning to be an observer of the weather, and have already learned that you always wear a rain jacket here!

I explored the Sitka National Historic Park, which is about two blocks from my apartment, on Monday.  This park is on the site of an Tlingit indian fort used during the battle with the Russians in 1804.  The park is in the gorgeous rain forest.   There is a collection of Totem poles that were moved here to honor the Alaska Native heritage.   The Indian river, a salmon spawning river  runs along the border of the park. 

An authentic canoe is being carved in a workshop at the park.    I will walk here a lot!

I also experienced my first concert of the Sitka Summer Music Festival.   The quartet played  Beethoven Chamber music in a restaurant down the street.   I met three new friends when I told the hostess that I would like to have people join me at my table.  The place was packed, so I quickly had Albert, Jay and Arika join me.  We stayed and chatted for a long time after the concert was over. 

I enjoyed a yummy Alaskan style seafood salad!   The crab leg was a meal in itself!

More soon!   I am loving Sitka, enjoying my job, and so glad I had this opportunity.