Jim was curious about the midnight sun. He went to a view (through dirty windows) from our hotel at 11:27 and the sun was just above the horizon. At midnight, there was a beautiful sunset that still remained at 12:45. He has noticed that it is still somewhat light at 2AM, but didn’t do anything to see what the actual sunrise time was. The actual sunrise isn’t until 4:20. Jim’s confusion came because noon and midnight are actually off by 2 hours from the real solar time.
We started to walk toward downtown to search for breakfast. We noticed a bunch of tents diagonally opposite our hotel’s parking lots. This was the Anchorage Market and Festival, a 2 block long agglomeration of stalls selling everything from fresh produce to clothes to schlocky tourist stuff. The place has so many stalls that they have street signs to show which row you are on.
There were several food stalls, so we decided to eat. Another less than healthy meal ensued. We bought coffee and tea at one vendor for a dollar each. The tea had a lot of brown sugar in it and was yummy, but Jim usually has his plain or with artificial sweetener. We split a huge cinnamon roll that cost just $3 and that completely filled us.
We did, however, do something healthy by buying a pint each of cherries and strawberries for $10. Ardith lost a hat a few weeks ago and today bought her 3rd hat this trip in search of a perfect replacement. A booth that was selling photos had a huge camera on display with a great sign.
The market also has entertainment. We got to the market a half hour before it was officially open and left about 20 minutes after and the acts hadn’t yet started. They did an official opening ceremony with 2 brothers (kids) ringing the gong. They did have curiosities, though, like a dog sled that had been in the Iditarod race that people were free to handle. Later, we saw that they had pony rides. Families were buying things like twisted balloons and cotton candy for their kids.
Later, we headed for a walk on the Tony Knowles Costal Trail that extends about 11 miles around the city. We walked it for nearly 2 miles. Most of what we could see were properties of the Alaska Railway. Jim enjoyed that.
Several different guides and a flight attendant from Alaska Airlines that we met while doing laundry recommended the Snow City Cafe. We were there in time for a late-ish lunch, about 2PM. The place is so popular that we had to wait 25 minutes for a table.
We visited an art gallery a few doors away and people watched while waiting. The wait was well worth it. Jim had the quiche special: Chicken apple sausage, red peppers, onion and Swiss cheese with fresh fruit on the side. Ardith had a meatloaf sandwich with country bacon, cheddar cheese tomatoes and onion straws with a cup of freshly made tomato soup on the side. We split a dessert that was made with a peanut-butter Rice Krispie Treat covered with a layer of dense chocolate. Wow!
For a bit of penance, our evening meal was cherries and a few crackers with cheese.
Our son, Peter, had sent us a list of some of the things he enjoyed in Anchorage when he was here for a conference a few years ago. One of those was the city cemetery. Peter has done a fair amount of research on cemeteries and gave talks at conferences on that. Ardith was tired from the large amount of walking we did today, so Jim walked there alone. The cemetery is 3 blocks by 3 blocks and Jim spent about an hour and a half wandering through it. His imagination was greatly stirred, speculating on the lives of many of the people who were buried here. The cemetery is divided into tracts and sections. The majority have names like Tract D, but many are specialized according to an affinity group.
Jim wondered where a Catholic, Pioneer of Alaska who belonged to the American Legion and who was cremated would be buried.
The feature of the cemetery that Peter though was very unique was the propellers marking the graves of at least 3 aviation pioneers. Jim also liked one with a model airplane suspended above the grave.
There were several Russian Orthodox crosses marking graves. All but one were made of wood and painted white. One had 4 crossbars instead of 3. When Jim was in Russia, he visited 3 different cemeteries. He only recalls seeing one or two wooden crosses.
One “standard” cross was made of wood and had a fresh coat of gold paint. Another grave was marked by a pair of what were probably bones from a whale. Terese Smithmyer’s name and a heart were cut out of a metal cross. The white specks you see on her marker are mosquitoes. We had been warned about those pests by several people while we were planning our trip. So far we have only seen a few, but our trip is far from over. Actually we are about at the halfway point.
A very ornate marker for a woman who died 2 years ago at age 28 included a real autographed softball!
Several markers had scripture verses in a native language.
One grave had a lot of things that appeared to be temporary even though the man was buried about a year ago. Perhaps the family is saving money for something more permanent.
While Jim was wandering the cemetery, he saw a woman about 40 years old. She smiled and greeted him. About 10 minutes later, he saw her weeping bitterly along a wall that was probably a columbarium – a place for storing cremated remains. He noticed her still there several minutes later. He wished that he could do something to comfort her, but knew that wouldn’t work.
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