"Anchor chains, airplane motors, and train whistles"

Not sure what I was originally expecting but the climax of project construction was rather uneventful. I was shaved and bathed and on June 11^th, nearly one month after Ketchikan's ship berth III was originally scheduled to open, the Diamond Princess became the first ship to use the dock. The ship came in at dawn. Ok, not really. Up here civil twilight ends at 3:00am this time of year. But it was early none the less and flat calm on the waterfront. The ship pulled nice and slow up to the dock and, "phthphthphth!"

The sound of marine grade rubber on steel (I love that sound).

Maybe I was expecting some fanfare or a parade but at 5:30 am my only company was a couple of longshoreman and the port security officer. With my camcorder in hand I think they thought I was gungho tourist. The Contractor and crew had already left the ‘Rock’ for a week’s worth of R & R. So there I was with my mug of coffee…

I guess in structural engineering where all equations should equal zero; when nothing happens it is a good day. It's a very good day when nothing happens and you have Crab Benedict for breakfast with your wife. June 11th was a very good day.

As is typical every day now in Ketchikan the north pacific fleet (of cruise ships) arrives in caravan early each morning. Monday through Wednesday the caravan of three or four ships arrives headed north from Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco. Thursday through Saturday the ships go the other direction back to Canada and 'America'. Usually the same ships will visit Ketchikan every week or every other week. With ten thousand visitors arriving daily into the downtown area Ketchikan has changed significantly in the last month and a half. At the end of April, two people walking down the sidewalk would have been cause for rubbernecking, "What's going on over there?!"

Now, when construction isn't going on, I prefer to retreat to my office trailer to avoid the crowds.













With work slowing down, Michele and I had a chance to change focus a little bit and enjoy spending more time with each other and anticipate our upcoming arrival. As such, this web log (or "blog") will transition to more of a family blog with lots of photos.

With a little extra free time we have gotten the opportunity to get out and explore our surroundings a little bit more. Friday we took a trip to the Misty Fjords National Monument. Billed as the 'Grand Canyon of the North' the sight of 3000 foot cliffs jutting up for the the sea is pretty impressive. Although if I was marketing the park, "Yosemite with Seaweed" might be a more accurate slogan. If you've seen Princess Bride, the Misty Fjords really are the "Cliffs of Insanity".

Michele finished up work at the hospital last week. She is now preparing the apartment and household for our baby's upcoming arrival. We are making weekly doctor's visits and now have three different due dates: June 30th, July 7th, and July 16th. What do those dates really mean? Means I can set up a betting pool with the construction crew to make a little side income. And most importantly it means she is term. So now we wait but said not to expect anything until after the 4th of July. We'll keep you posted as events arise. Thank you for your prayers.

RJ and MJ


Manscaping

Construction RJ

Long-haul RJ

Ned Flanders RJ

Pencil-pusher RJ