On Wednesday, I began to worry that I wouldn’t be able to get my family back to the airport with their luggage. Sunny, Crepe Suzette and I spent most of the day in thrift stores and the truck bed was quickly filling to near capacity . We also visited Best Buy and Lowes. And that was it for me and Anchorage. I was through. I knew I had to bring the family back to the airport on Friday but after that I was determined to be absolutely though with Anchorage.
Thursday, we planned to have an at the cabin day, but that backfired when certain members of our family decided it would be nice to eat lunch at an Alaska style café. We searched Big Lake and most of Wasilla before deciding on the Roadside Inn. It was a good choice.
Sister being generous.
Out by the Roadside Inn.
Afterward, Craig surprised us by pulling into a couple of antique/junk shops.
He stayed in the truck and we got out and milked the time for all it was worth. I felt kinda bad when Crepe Suzette looked out the window and noticed that Granddiddy was slumped in a real uncomfortable position. Apparently he had fallen asleep. Mama and I tried to hurry Sunny along but she tends to have trouble pulling herself away. In her defense, antique/thrift/junk shops in L.A. are so picked over that she rarely can find a deal so she sifts through the stuff like it is solid gold. And I understand that. The only difference between our love of thrift stores, is that is she isn’t afraid to spend a little money on something she loves. She also isn’t a bit deterred by the fact that whatever she buys isn’t likely going to fit in her suitcase and she will have to find a box and a post office in order to get it home. Not one little bit deterred. It is fun to see her get excited and continually bring items to the counter. While at one store, I laid down three whole dollars for two handmade scrubby pads for dishes and Sunny bought, well, a lot more than that.
With Mom and Craig set to leave on Friday at midnight and Sunny leaving the following morning, saying goodnight Thursday night was hard. I had a great deal of anxiety about how I would handle saying good-bye to everyone again, so in preparation I told Mom and Sunny that we would not have a tearful good-bye at the airport. Thankfully everyone was in agreement. Apparently, I should have filled Crepe Suzette in on the plan because when she realized our time was nearing an end, she began to sob heavily. At that point, my emotions were out of my hands.
We pulled ourselves together and on Friday we began the incredibly daunting task of packing our things and cleaning up the cabin. I spent a lot of time strategically packing the truck bed with all of our goods. I was trying to get as much as possible packed in there before Craig came out mumbling about how he was just going to call a rental car. But before long he was out there shifting bags and luggage, and mumbling about how he was just going to call a rental car. But, we made it happen (just barely) and he tied on the tarp for the long haul back to Anchorage.
Sunny arranged for us to stay in a nice hotel for the evening where Crepe Suzette got to spend some time with Granna in the indoor pool. Then us girls got in the hot tub for a while and before long it was time to say good-bye to Mom and Craig. We kept it short and sweet and they got on the shuttle bound for the airport.
Sunny, Crepe Suzette, and I sat down to pray for all of our safety while traveling, and I could hold it together no longer. Crepe Suzette snapped me back quick when she said, “Don’t cry Mama, you’re gonna make me cry.” She was handling it like a trooper; the least I could do was pull it together for her sake. So I did.
Soon after, we settled in our beds and in what seemed like no time at all, I was waking up to see Sunny gathering her luggage to catch the shuttle to her plane. She kissed us bye and headed out well before daylight. Crepe Suzette cried her little self back to sleep as Sunny climbed aboard the shuttle headed for the airport.
We gave the sun a chance to melt whatever ice might be on the road and headed out, Delta bound. Because there was potential for black ice on the road, I took it a little slower.
Look who fell asleep. A very rare occurrence indeed.
A couple of times, I even felt secure enough to pull the CD case out. Crepe Suzette and I listened to everything from Paul McCartney to Charlie Daniels. It was a pleasant ride.
The closer we got to home, the more the world transformed. The RV parks had closed down for winter. The mountains were covered with thicker blankets of snow and the evergreens glistened under heavy frost.
In many places, there was a layer of snow on the ground.
Once I pulled over and let Crepe Suzette run through it.
It was her first experience with snow in Alaska.
Wow Hayley you are are very good photographer. Good job describing everything. It's so good to see Charley playing in the snow, running like a little pony. But she looks so alone with all that land around her. I haven't called her on purpose. I just realized that. I guess I am quietly distancing myself from her so we can handle it better. But seeing her here makes me want to reach out and grab her. You too Hayley. You look gorgeous in that self photo with the boggin. Good job getting yourself and my baby home safely. I know it was just in time before the roads got rough.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mom. I don't think that distance business is the best way to handle your feelings Ma. You know better than that.
ReplyDeleteYeah I know but I'm not intentionally doing it. I said I just realized why I was doing it. It's a subconscious thing.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I get that.
ReplyDeleteBut stop it anyway.
ReplyDeleteO'kay lets do Skype this weekend.
ReplyDeleteLOL. You two crack me up. I definitely need to get to Anchorage (in the spring) and check out some of these places. :) Looks like you had a great trip, great time with the family. Great update, Hayley!
ReplyDeleteWell, hells bells, if I'd known this post was so much about me, me, me, I woulda read it sooner. Ha... Just kiddin. I've been traveling and have had out-of-town company you know, but I do feel bad I'm just getting to these last couple of posts. They are great. Ma's right; you do look very beautiful in that self-photographed toboggan pic... and the photography is awesome. I'm glad you don't have to drive on that treacherous road on a regular basis. Yyecchhkk..
ReplyDeleteWe had a good trip, tho, didn't we?