A Different Drummer – and Family Matters

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” Henry David Thoreau

A busy week.

• We entertained some friends/acquaintances for dinner last night (paella and pie) and our dearones next door for dinner on Wednesday (home made meatballs and spagghetti sauce.) We’re digging ourselves into the Juneau community and learning more about it.  Seems as though the people who move here from the lower 48 march to a different drummer.  And those already here, or who came from elsewhere in Alaska are likewise a different breed of cat.  Think we must be too, which explains why this place feels so comfortable. Folks here largely seem to be their own persons; independent, adventurous, quirky, unstuck from the consumption rat-race,  and joined to the natural world –  in one’s face in all its glory and power in this isolated and beautiful spot.
• Finished up my pro-bono work on the website of Developmental Delay Resources (DDR), a project on which I’ve spent hundreds of hours over the past few months.  [The design/color elements were not my choice.] Prepared comprehensive site documentation in readiness for passing it along to a new webmaster.
• Spent hours on family matters (and believe me family matters) related to my brother’s recent diagnosis and surgery for a brain tumor. Extremely grateful for our Skype account which makes it inexpensive and easy to place frequent and lengthy phone calls around the globe. My family, while small, is widely scattered.  Negotiating the time zones is quite a challenge but thanks to Internet technology I’m able to provide a deal of support during a difficult time to my brother and his partner (Australia) my two nieces (England and Wales), and two close cousins (Scotland and Switzerland.)
• Spent Tuesday observing the Assessment Center process of the Juneau Assembly as it recruits a new City Manager pending the retirement of Rod Swope at the end of April. There were 3 finalists in this round, all from “down south.”  Two had never visited Juneau before, and the third had done so once briefly. At the end of three days, the Assembly decided to embark on a new search – Juneau is different, and none of them got it.  [I love this good government stuff.]

The weather has been lovely – cold, crisp and sunny, drawing overyone outdoors in the incredibly lengthened days to go cross-country or downhill skiing, walk the dogs, or just plain gawk at the views.  I swear I’m on a first-name basis with nearly as many Juneau dogs as I am people.  If I were a dog, I sure would want to live here.  Doggie heaven if there ever was one. Juneau has the only aiport terminal I’ve been in where, sometimes, the dogs nearly outnumber the humans.

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