The Real SE Alaska Returns

That beautiful, warm sunshine seems to have departed for a time.  In it's place we have the weather that we have become accustomed to; lower temperatures and cloudy skies with lots of rain. 

This is a look down one of the main streets in Skagway.  There is still a lot of the early 1900's feel with the wooden walkways and power poles. It is really small in population at around 800 people.  After the tourist season many leave for the winter dropping the population down to just over 300 who tough out the cold weather.

The week has been full of study as I prepare for lessons.  Diane has been busy doing many different odd jobs in preparation for the first day of seminary which is next Monday.  We had an orientation for the seminary students and their parents on Sunday, after the final block in the building had finished.  Our Junior and Senior class will be bigger than we have experienced here.  There will be 24, at least.  The Stake Presidency called Sister Carol Stauffer to help teach the class.  She has a daughter, Grace, who will be a senior this year.  Carol has been a substitute and we know she will be tremendous.  We meet with her today for some training.

The garden we entered in Skagway had many bronze sculptures.  We've seen this in the wild, but the bears haven't been quite that buff.

 

The class of sophomores will have about 13 in it.  It is being team taught by Michael and Heidi Malin.  Heidi is a returned missionary and served in Siberia.  They are no longer newly weds and we are glad to have them as long as they will teach. 

We enjoy the Native American art. 

Lynn Hirschi is going to try to teach the incoming 12 freshmen alone this year.  Her team teacher was released.  Her helper of last year, Erin Willis, experienced have her husband called to be the bishop.

We and Sister Jenny Schlechter had a meeting with Pres. Gilbert of the stake presidency and Harold Mikesell, our high council advisor.  We discussed the needs in the stake and anything we could place on the table concerning seminary.

The Wednesday evening lesson was on the importance of the family unit, and life after the one we are living now.  I enjoyed these lessons very much.  My family is important to me, every member that I know and have yet to meet.  (I put that in there because our son Erik and his wife, Andrea, announced we are expecting our 30th grandchild in February.)  And I have a vested interest in the life after this one.  It is immediate with me, knowing that I have a wife and a father and all four of my grandparents that have experienced the journey where we close our eyes on mortality and open them again, immediately, on eternity.

The greatness and majesty of this earth just never ceases to amaze me. 

When things get slow, Diane and I do family history and indexing.  Occasionally I will take a couple of hours off and drive to some coastal area and fish.  The pinks (humpy) really seem to like what I am throwing out.  I am hoping to soon get an incoming silver (coho).  It really doesn't matter if I catch anything.  I find myself just looking around at the beautiful scenery around me and enjoying every second of being here.

We had to fly above the clouds at times to avoid running into these jutting mountain peaks.