April 2020

Today is Saturday April 18th, 2020. April is normally a busy month here in Ketchikan, everyone is prepping and training for a busy summer season. When I look at my 2020 planner it says I should be picking up a staff member from the airport today. It also would have been the last slow weekend in my life until October. Next weekend would have been the first cruise ship.

Today was a perfect day. It was almost 60 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I can almost guarantee you if we were not in the middle of a global pandemic I would have been sitting on the beach around a campfire tonight drinking White Claws with my closest friends. There would be chips and salsa, sausages for roasting over the fire, someone would pull out some Alaska harvest pesto, jam, or pasta that they had made, maybe even some fresh fish, and s'mores for sure. There would be stories of everyones winter adventures and travels, we would all share our hopes for the summer, probably music from someone, we have even been known to fire twirl at bonfires like these. There would be pictures of tonights amazing sunset. And there would be so much laughter and love. That is what today was supposed to be. But our bonfires are on hold, and I'm not sure when I will see my beautiful free spirited friends. They are all hunkered down around the country, some even around the world right now.

But life in Ketchikan is different right now. It is probably similar in some ways to life in your town. People are staying at home, school is closed down for the rest of the year, and most "non-essential" businesses are closed. Ketchikan is sad right now, it is a town that thrives and comes alive in April. Spring arrives and so do about 2,000 people that come to work for the tourist or fishing season, right now there is no one arriving.

Life in Ketchikan is different than usual in April, that is true. But some of that is good too. This is my 6th spring in Ketchikan, and it is the first one I've had time to harvest salmonberry buds and juniper berries. I've explored more beaches and been out on our skiff more in the last month than I have all year, because we have the time. I'm looking forward to more spring harvest, time for fishing, and more time for camping. I miss my job more than words can say, I miss my friends, I miss meeting the new staff I was so looking forward to seeing, I miss the wildlife and the scenery, and I miss all the guests that I would soon be showing around our beautiful home.

Things are different this spring, but that doesn't mean it has to be bad. There was no bonfire filled with all of my friends today. But it was 60 degrees, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Tristan and I went on a walk, explored a muskeg, harvested juniper, and scouted for devils club harvest. I made us a picnic that we ate in our front yard. I laid in the sunshine and read a book. And we had a wonderful dinner. Today was a great day, even if it wasn't what I had planned in my calendar.

I know that things in everyones lives are different right now. I know that things in a lot of people's lives are hard. I know for our community the thought of a summer with no tourists, or even limited tourism, is a very scary and difficult thing to process. We rely on them, believe me I understand. There are a lot of unknowns in our lives in the future. Our lives won't be able to go right back to the way they were, and that is hard to process. But at least for today, I'm choosing to see the positive side (believe me that isn't every day). I'm choosing to see all the things I now have the opportunity for now that the world is on hold.

One day I'll have a bonfire on the beach with my favorite people again. We will watch whales. We will watch the sunset. We will laugh until we cry. We might even decide to go swimming in the bioluminescent water. One day we will listen to the stories of what we have all done since the last time we have seen each other. But until then, I'll enjoy the sunshine, even if the rain is coming. Because today was a good day.