Housesitting in Haines

"Our last two dogs died when people were housesitting"

With that final morale boosting comment, Ann and Tim left us in charge of Tahvi, the Siberian husky mentioned in the last blog, and Kunene the cat, and departed for their summer holiday in Canada.

Actually "holiday" is a bit of a generous description of what sounds like purgatory, carrying very heavy canoes for miles overland to then paddle in a lake 7 feet long before carrying the canoes 8 miles to the next bath tub sized puddle. This happens all day every day of the two week trip, and all this in the middle of a bear and mosquito infested wilderness so remote that the Canadians haven't bothered to name it yet.

Tim and Ann asked us to make full use of their facilities whilst they were away so the bikes, canoe and boat remained in the garage as we did our best to eat our way through Ann's food stocks. I've been banned from mentioning Ann's hoarding fetish by the way, so I'll save my comments for the team of food buyers who are arriving shortly from Harrods to learn what products they are missing from their shelves!

As I asked Angela to pass me the wasabi lime mustard (thanks Ann) at dinner one night I mused on the hardship of life in America's last frontier. For example the nearest KFC is 260 miles away in Whitehorse Canada (Just popping out for a takeaway honey? Don't forget your passport!)

Alaska has been in the news recently as the Governor, Sarah Palin, has just been chosen by Senator McCain to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Locals point to the fact that she is a keen hunter and knows how to dress a moose. I should pause at this stage and explain for the benefit of my ex colleague Gary, in case he's learnt to read, that dressing a moose does not involve a shopping trip to Macys.

The Haines newspaper, The Chilkat Valley News, is refreshingly free of the cut and thrust of national politics and headlines the heated debate about whether the local beaver population should be cut back. A great read is the weekly police report regarding the 911 calls received.

Last week a caller reported, "nearly hitting a rabbit near Deishu Drive", another phoned to say their water wasn't working and a business reported they had found a used condom in their car park.

It is a tribute to how safe and crime free this town is that most of the reports are of similar importance. Possibly the worst incident of the week up to 4 Sept 2008 was the US border guard phoning the police to apprehend a driver that had gone through the border without stopping. The police caught up with the driver "who was from Switzerland and was unaware of doing anything illegal".

Haines is a small community of about 2,500 people and 5000 bears. We've met hundreds of the latter at the local Chilkoot River weir, as you will see from a recent photo album. The people are very friendly and an odd mix of generations and attitudes just like Juneau. Our first social event (and last one actually) was to attend the local Book Club with Tim and Ann.

Fortunately we didn't have time to read the book, Water for Elephants, a fictional account of a circus in the US Depression era.As far as I could tell from the conversation the book contained no sex, violence or car chases and didn't mention football (soccer) so it won't be on my "must read" list in the near future.

Fortunately unable to contribute, we sat there helping ourselves to fresh crabs legs. Being in the US and being in the biggest US state, it won't surprise you to learn the legs were about four feet long and had previously been extras on the film set of "War of the Worlds".

Just as I was starting to grapple with the grand daddy of all legs our hostess invited Angela and I to talk about our trip to Africa. The Haines Book Club is actively seeking new members after a spate of suicides following that presentation!

Immediately after the Book Club we were driven to a beach party to celebrate the marriage of two more people we didn't know. It was dark, it was cold, it was raining and the mosquitoes were fighting with the "No see'ums" to get at us.

The locals didn't mind though, they were jigging around in their wellies to the Dixie/Rock/Cajun music of the live band so fast that the insects probably couldn't catch them! The food to accompany the event turned out to be an oil drum full of crabs tipped on to a trestle table, the biggest seafood platter we've ever seen.

Some highlights of Haines turn out to be the most unexpected. Tim took us to the Hammer Museum on Main Street (just about the only street) where the owner Dave Pahl talked with infectious enthusiasm about his collection of; yep you've guessed it, hammers. I walked in thinking this would be as exciting as watching American rounders (I think they prefer to call it baseball here) and ended up fascinated by the subject.

Haines Library, a lovely place to read on a wet day (fortunately it is open every day!) won the coveted "Best small library In Haines" award. I jest, it actually won the "Best Small Town Library in the US" award when built in 2005 and I mention it because our friend Ann, as Librarian, was instrumental in getting the place funded and built. That should get me back in her "good books" again after the earlier mention of the UN Food Distribution Centre that doubles up as her larder.

A further pleasant surprise, in the land of Budweiser and Millers was a visit to Haines Brewery. It is housed in a building used as part of the street set for the Disney movie White Fang and inside owner Paul Wheeler talked with passion about real beers such as IPA and Spruce Tip (a bitter flavoured with spruce tips, it actually has a superb taste). This was a difficult place to leave!

I've mentioned the people and some of the buildings so I'll finish this blog with the wildlife. Ann and Tim told us they get bears around their place and they were not kidding. Just prior (fortunately) to our arrival a brown (grizzly) bear had smashed their rear kitchen door open and made off with a big bag of dog food, no wonder the dog Tahvi chases bears by the way!

We've seen single bears and several sows with small cubs right outside the house; it has been an incredible experience. Just a short walk down the road is the Chilkoot River and weir, where a guy spends all day counting the returning sockeye salmon. This job is more exciting than it sounds thanks to the presence of numerous bears attracted to the weir for salmon fishing.

With all the bear activity it is easy to overlook the harbour seals, the mink and the bald eagles, all intent on filling up on salmon before winter sets in. We've been salmon fishing as well and I cannot think of a more beautiful setting to catch them.

If you are one of those people who believe you get re-incarnated as an animal, just make sure you don't come back as a salmon!

Perhaps the icing on the cake in terms of wildlife was the privilege of a quick glimpse of 4 river otters playing on the shoreline the other day, as an American Kestrel swooped overhead, sensory overload!

Well, our housesitting and pet minding stint is drawing to a close so we are busy conserving energy ready for an all day cleaning blitz to get the house back to the condition prior to Tim & Ann's departure. Time is being spent on quiet contemplation and choosing numbers for the UK and Euro Lotteries. Angela, excited by the prospect of a £95 million Euro draw thought about my request for a number between 1 and 9 and answered "10"

On that note, good afternoon from Haines Alaska!