Seldom do days go as planned. There is usually a snag of some kind, the analogy being that the unforeseen is like a hanging thread on a much-loved and used piece of clothing.

This morning I tended to the animals while Pete talked with Tracy K. at the Mat Su Health Foundation. They chatted for 45 minutes. I ate my breakfast. Pete’s toast and tea grew cold. Tracy is an important person, which is why Pete didn’t say (as he often tells early morning callers) to call back later, later being another three or four more hours.

So we scrambled to get things done on the home front before heading in the direction of the historic Eagle Hotel. We presumed we’d get there at 11 a.m. We got there at 11:15 a.m.

Bill, who got back from the Midwest at 4:30 a.m. was there picking up books for distribution. I rightly surmised yesterday that because he was coming home on a well-travelled air route, that he would experience flight delays. I was right. Now, interestingly enough, he told me that when he foresaw that he was going to miss a scheduled connection, he called his daughter Hattie who called customer service and got him on another connecting flight.

Bill said that he didn’t get any sleep – he usually gets up at 5 a.m. I didn’t ask him any questions because he looked so tired. I instead remained quiet as he selected select books.

Pam (travelling companion) arrived at the historic Eagle Hotel at 11:30 a.m. We had put the six suitcases in her car yesterday, so we were ready to go. Cherokee was there, at the door, and gave us a send-off. Unbeknownst to me, I had just one mitten with me, and left the other in Pete’s car and my running shoes behind at the hotel.

We drove to the Hillside, on the far side of Anchorage, and there we swapped vehicles with Pam’s daughter. She then took us to the airport and drove Pam’s car back to her place. I got nervous because by then it was 12:30 p.m. and our flight was to depart at 2 p.m. In my mind this was cutting it too close, time-wise.

We got really lucky. The airport was not at all crowded. We got an assist and checked the six suitcases through in a few minutes time. And we made it through the TSA in record time. And so, we actually ended up 20 minutes early.

The plane was fairly empty. I got the window seat and Pam got the aisle seat. The pilot did say the ascent would be bumpy, and it was. Once we were above the cloud cover, it was smooth sailing. I watched the sun set – it was at first a partial ball, then the light spread out over the horizon. Then it grew progressively darker.

After an hour and 15 minutes we began our descent. I could see the moonlight reflected off the ice on the tundra. The plane seemed to be gliding along the earth’s surface. Then the lights of the town, Barrow, came into view.

We got off the plane and walked into the warehouse-like airport, which because passengers were coming and going, was extremely crowded.

We were met by Pamella Simpson who after assisting us in loading the six suitcases, took us to Itinerant Housing.

I took Pam on a tour of the attached corridor, and because she forgot our keys, we got locked out. Oh Oh. I did wonder how we were going to get back into the building. We were directed, by one of the corridor inhabitants, that is the guy who runs the roller rink, in the direction of another building, and there we found a woman who I think is the Itinerant Housing Housekeeper.

I was relieved. I wasn’t wanting to sleep in the corridor – the warning asbestos signs every few feet were off putting.

Next: 329. 11/30/23: “Testing” the Free Enterprise System