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Peaks So High, They Touch the Hands of . . . the Goddess

September 24, 2006

Peaks so High, They Touch the Hands of . . . the Goddess
Or . . . Where the Heck Have You Been?

Regular readers of The Betty Blog have sent messages to inquire about the September silence. Well, I’ve been up north to Alaska. I have been down yonder to Nashville . . . Two very different worlds on the same planet, yet decidedly connected by universal themes sung by the troubadours . . . music being so very “there” every which way I've turned on both trips.

Two weeks of back-to-back travel after 20 months avoiding planes, it is good to be home . . . in the Castro. I have learned much and seen much and thought about much, all the highs and lows of life and the sadness and the joys.

Margie, my pal and songbird, joined me on the deck of the Ms Statendam that morning we visited the Hubbard and Turner glaciers, and I knew on that deck intuitively that I was in the company of those who are genuine when they say they are my friends and that they care . . . Margie, Ann, Kit, Grace, Mary Ann, Michelle, Mary, Marcia . . . and more wonderful, wonderful women who traveled to Alaska to experience Olivia’s cruise . . . and share some time together through our “Betty Ann” group.

@ It was a journey of reconnections with friends I hadn’t seen in years . . . Ann, Iris, Ellen, Joanne, Kate, Lé, Lori, connections with new friends . . . and connections with women who will be friends because they pay attention. They not only pay attention, they know that what one says or does has ramifications for the lives of others and that it is a responsibility we all bear . . . to pay attention. Is this not a reoccurring message here in this blog?

The music of Margie, Meg Christian and Roxanna Ward. The humor of Karen Williams and Kate Clinton. A chance to dance, walk on ice, ride trains and helicopters, mush a dogsled and sleep to the gentle sway of a big ship making its way through the Inside Passage.

Meeting up in Juneau with a pretty girl named Althea who comes down to Mecca now and then . . . who gave me a private tour of everything I wanted to see and she wanted me to see, took me to her favorite milkshake place, toured me around Douglas Island where she lives and went with me to the top of Mt Roberts in a tram for a soda in the Timberline Bar & Grill and a live look at Gastineau Channel. Who showed me where the Juneau web cams (cruise ship dock, noaa, Juneau webcams, Pedersen Hill cams, Juneau Harbor cam) are located so I would know where the one with the view I like to check originates. Who took me and others to the Red Dog Saloon where she used to perform ragtime every night.

Enjoying that fabulous train that runs from Skagway to the summit at White Pass and beyond. Taking photos this time and having the memory flashbacks I knew I would from a previous visit there with one who is no more in my life, she and her troubled woman-child. For me, this ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad was a reclamation, setting aside memories from that other time when no one was happy and I had to learn again what it feels like to be alone even when you're with someone.

The train ride this time was hardly the same . . . the views more beautiful, the tunnels a deeper shade of dark. Four train cars packed with women from our ship broke spontaneously into song, "I've Been Working on the Railroad," when we made an unscheduled engine switch just a few miles out of town. Four train cars packed with women waved and smiled and laughed hard at the straight people in the cars of a train going the other way that we passed somewhere near the summit and Canadian / US border there. Yes, priceless moments to behold, sing along, laugh along and be part of.

@ So no, it wasn’t all a barrel of fun because life happens . . . even when you are making plans . . . and yes, I'm human and have my sensitivities. Do you? There were times when the prevailing norm of “coupledom” among the 1200 aboard ship drove me to the edge and I longed for a day when the single person is viewed as equal to one who is ½ of a couple . . . that unspoken and sometimes spoken dynamic that values those who are “married” more than those who fly solo. I believe that dynamic to be real and sometimes it fuels my work and drives me to do all I can to make sure that those who dare to come alone will know they are so very welcome . . . and wanted, too.

There were moments when I was too tired to make much sense, and moments of reflection thinking about those who might have come along had circumstances been other than they are.

There was the instance when I realized I needed to spend time in Sitka sitting in a pharmacy seeking the refill of an eye drop prescription, knowing that meant I wouldn’t be going on a shore excursion seeking the sea otters and whales and birds that day.

But, yes, it was worth it, and I knew that during those moments of ecstasy looking at the grandeur of snow-capped mountain peaks, looking at the swirl and twirl and spray of whales or the historic path where wanna-be miners and their animals trod more than a century ago . . . some of whom gave up their lives for a cause or a dream they simply believed in. I feel that way sometimes, too . . .

It was all worth it when I had the chance to see dramatic photos taken by friends who work a camera better than do I, and when the ship’s staff sang to us and presented flaming Baked Alaska to everyone at our tables during dinner . . . whether we had ordered it or not . . . and to be sure, no one went hungry on that ship.

It was worth it on our last day at sea when I walked out on the aft deck not expecting to see much . . . and there was yet another range of mountains in the distance with dual peaks that soared so high they touched the hands of . . . well, you know the phrase . . . they touched the hands of the goddess or the great spirit in the sky or whatever you choose to think about that.

And, I do tip my hat to the hardworking staff of Olivia, with special thanks to Laura Fitzpatrick, who did their best to make sure that we had a grand time, a great vacatioin and our every need was met. This was my fourth cruise and my first with Olivia. Will I go again? I hope so and we'll see what the future brings for Betty & Ann Presents . . . in terms of taking our groups on future trips aboard ship.

@ I was home from Alaska just long enough to wash the underwear and then head off to Nashville with Kitty Rose . . . another important story that begs its own day's entry, and so . . .

. . . “Tautugniagmigikpiñ,” as the Inuktituts say in Alaska, or “Qaukpattauq,” as the Inuktituts say in the Yukon or “So long little doggie,” as they say on the western trail, or “Y’all come back now, y’here,” as they say down south in Nashville, sure to be the setting of our next blog entry yet to come, bringing a perspective from the Americana Music Association’s 7th Annual Convention and Awards at the famous Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Old Opry!

(Betty's List Photos)