wandering, encounters in alaska

today is an awfully cold day in alaska. i woke up in the boat this morning freezing and the wind was howling outside. i have been pleasantly surprised by the people i am meeting here. most of the people my age have been really helpful and supportive. i met a guy named patrick. he is from minnesota and has been living all over the world, most recenlty spain and finland. he spent his past winter in north lake tahoe at squaw. he has been putting a good word in for me around town. i met an old captain named chuck on one of my first days here. chuck has been fishing for somewhere over thirty years. he has a great white beard and wears the same blue sweats and jacket everyday. yesterday, he invited me onto his ship for some water and a conversation. he was giving me all the advice about how to get a job on a boat. he told me stories about his time in vietnam, which he referred to as the university of southeast asia (we were talking about how i finished college), and the winters he spent on crabbing boats (the real deadliest catch). he has been a great person and everyday is offering me some new advice. i met andy last night who is the captain of his own boat. andy has been having some problems with one of his crewmen and may fire him and if he does i could be on his boat. i would be super excited about this and i hope it happens soon! my other new friend is named dan. he works in the control tower in the airport. dan gave mark and i a lift on our first day and since i have to walk past the control tower to the boat yard, i spend a little time in the control tower talking with dan and watching planes land and take off. dan's an excellent photography. he has spent a lot of time here and for people here all year, this place seems a bit lonely. i think dan has enjoyed the company. i'm praying that i get on the boat with andy and take off on sunday. i really like the sound of that.