If you think Auggie is getting upset because of all the travel I’ve been on; well, he is going to be downright pissed when he finds out where I am not taking him along to next.

In little over a week, I am returning to where all of this Bear Feeds stuffs began, and doing all those things that Bear Feeders wish to have back … probably.  I am flying up to Anchorage, AK for a long weekend of catching up with good friends, curling, and maybe … possibly … having a drink or two.

Story goes … About a month ago, I was banging around on the old Facebook and came across a picture of my old curling team (Team Strugglebus).  Being in a sentimental way, I waxed about what it would be like to “get the band back together”.  One of my old teammates, Heidi Hill, floated back that a bonspiel (that’s curling for ‘tournament’) was coming up soon.  I checked flights, poked at people who could end up making a team, poked at others to get a couch to sleep on, sobered up, sobered up again, make sure I was sober for a long enough time to make good decisions, then hit the ‘purchase’ button.

Every since that day, a complete lack of a plan has led to poor planning (so … an improvement).  I’m going to be competing in the Spring Spiel at the old Anchorage Curling club; where I will throw my first rock in anger then probably spend the rest of the weekend crying from blown knees.  As we were working up the team, that old teammate Heidi and I had this conversation:

Me:  “So, if I skip, will you be my 3rd?”
Heidi:  “Sure”
Me:  “You know, in Canada, that would be a way to propose marriage”
(insert uncomfortable silence here)

The team is still coming together, meaning, yeah, who wants to play on a team where the skip hasn’t played in 3 years.  Contrary to popular belief, Kilts won’t be worn either.

As far as a rest of a plan … still coming together.  I’m being taken in by the world famous Laura Sherman with the blessings of the pack Auggie used to run with (plus Squirrel, cause … Squirrel is new).  I get some time to myself which made me want to do things that people do in Anchorage … like get chased by a moose, yell at the BP Building for taking years of my life away, or get stuck in traffic on the Glenn Highway in a Turtle Costume (look it up).    I am sure sooner or later we will hit some of my old haunts if they are still open.

The thing is … this is the first time I will be back in Alaska since the day I moved away.  Since that day, I don’t go very long between times I pull up the Alaskan Dispatch website, or check out old photos, or talk to old friends.  I’ve now nearly doubled the time I’ve been away compared to the time I spent there, but my memories are so rich and full that it’s so easy to miss that place.  Yes, things are good these days (at least better than my time in Boston), but it’s hard to forget a place that is so hard to forget.