Teachers will know what Hum Drums are. They arrive every year in April, along with state testing. Spring break is over. Memorial Day is far away. The school year will never end.
In Skagway, in August, the residents, both permanent and seasonal, are ready for the "stupid tourists" to go away. In May, we all know that tourists will say and do stupid things. These have been chronicled here and in other writing (think Heard on the Wind) in the past. This is humorous in May. Even in June. And partway through July. But in August the modifier is moved. Tourists say and do stupid things in the beginning. By now, stupidtourists becomes one thought, one word. The homicide rate increases as we all (visualize) running down a stupidtourist, or strangling a stupidtourist, or letting a stupidtourist "slip" from a zipline.
The bar business picks up after the stupidtourists have sailed away for the day. Conversation starters become "when are you leaving?", "what are you doing this winter?" Student workers are actually packing and leaving. The retireds and the nomads pick up the slack. Shop managers try to find someone, anyone, to take extra shifts. Food and bar servers begin to pack in the tips.
We are planning our route home. Ferry tickets are bought. We are figuring what to abandon, what to mail, and what we can pack in the Jeep. We seem to have acquired things.
We will return to sunny Arizona. It has been overcast now forever. It rained all night last night. The Hum Drums are here. We march to their beat.
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2 comments:
I still have my weather calendar set to include the temperatures in Juneau and Sitka. I have wondered at times how you two manage with so much rain and clouds!
Our Alaskan cruise didn't go to Skagway or you would have seen us. Have a safe and fun drive home!
Hi Maureen,
I wondered why we didn't see you. I hope you had a great cruise. Juneau and Sitka are much wetter than Skagway so that makes a difference. This summer has had lots of clouds but has been pretty dry. We did get 36 hours of rain earlier this week and it reminded me of how dry it's been. We've both noticed that up here we routinely take a jacket with us (and wear it). In Arizona, we seem to always leave the jacket at home and then wonder why we're not comfortable. Or maybe it's just that we don't have the extreme range of temperatures up here.
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