Sitka and Weaving a Story
We have been gathering images and developing impressions, building a collection of memories that we’ll sort through and organize later. Some impressions may forever be kept to ourselves, a private experience we will choose to hoard and savor upon meditative reflections later. Others may be shared as stories of our adventures, new sightings, and exceptional experiences.
This morning Lindy presented another way a story may be told. The carvings, paintings and other forms of indigenous artworks of the Northwest Coast are beautiful to behold, but they are not merely composed of the visual features of form lines, ovoids, s and u-forms. The piece may convey a message, homage or perhaps a story told by the artist. As a visual experience, the artwork is something to contemplate, enjoying the simplicity of a line as it forms a complex design. The message may not be revealed to the beholder. Mystery then, becomes part of the aesthetic of beauty. With this foundation, we embarked on our exploration of Sitka, Alaska.
Roaming, exploring, relaxing, shopping or strolling, consumed the first part of our morning. Later, when we gathered to explore via luxury motorcoach, we found the residents of Sitka to be warm and welcoming hosts. So friendly in fact, some of us were the recipients of a friendly wet lick on the ear. (Brandy, a black Labrador Retriever sitting in the back of a pickup truck, gave some of us this moist greeting as we queued to board and explore.)
”Slick” was her name and apparently she was into greasy, blubbery foods, and fouled her feathers in oil. She was also a sick eagle with avian pox. The release of Slick, rescued last fall and nursed back to health, was a treat we were able to witness at the Alaska Raptor Center. Release to the wild is a goal that is not always attainable, but immensely satisfying to the volunteers and staff of the center. Slick flapped strong and straight away from her dedicated caretakers, and without a thanks or a see-ya-later-gator good-bye, she never looked back. That is what success looks like when it’s on the wing.
Upon return to the Sea Bird, we continued to explore thousands of miles of this vast Alaskan wilderness. With a slide illustrated presentation we experienced Alaska, albeit vicariously, through Robert Bateman’s photographic eye and unfiltered lens. The variety of landscapes, habitats and ecosystems he shared left our appetites whet for a return, to add more elements and texture to a story we have yet to complete.
We have been gathering images and developing impressions, building a collection of memories that we’ll sort through and organize later. Some impressions may forever be kept to ourselves, a private experience we will choose to hoard and savor upon meditative reflections later. Others may be shared as stories of our adventures, new sightings, and exceptional experiences.
This morning Lindy presented another way a story may be told. The carvings, paintings and other forms of indigenous artworks of the Northwest Coast are beautiful to behold, but they are not merely composed of the visual features of form lines, ovoids, s and u-forms. The piece may convey a message, homage or perhaps a story told by the artist. As a visual experience, the artwork is something to contemplate, enjoying the simplicity of a line as it forms a complex design. The message may not be revealed to the beholder. Mystery then, becomes part of the aesthetic of beauty. With this foundation, we embarked on our exploration of Sitka, Alaska.
Roaming, exploring, relaxing, shopping or strolling, consumed the first part of our morning. Later, when we gathered to explore via luxury motorcoach, we found the residents of Sitka to be warm and welcoming hosts. So friendly in fact, some of us were the recipients of a friendly wet lick on the ear. (Brandy, a black Labrador Retriever sitting in the back of a pickup truck, gave some of us this moist greeting as we queued to board and explore.)
”Slick” was her name and apparently she was into greasy, blubbery foods, and fouled her feathers in oil. She was also a sick eagle with avian pox. The release of Slick, rescued last fall and nursed back to health, was a treat we were able to witness at the Alaska Raptor Center. Release to the wild is a goal that is not always attainable, but immensely satisfying to the volunteers and staff of the center. Slick flapped strong and straight away from her dedicated caretakers, and without a thanks or a see-ya-later-gator good-bye, she never looked back. That is what success looks like when it’s on the wing.
Upon return to the Sea Bird, we continued to explore thousands of miles of this vast Alaskan wilderness. With a slide illustrated presentation we experienced Alaska, albeit vicariously, through Robert Bateman’s photographic eye and unfiltered lens. The variety of landscapes, habitats and ecosystems he shared left our appetites whet for a return, to add more elements and texture to a story we have yet to complete.
