Through the weekly excitement

The busiest days in the tourism world here are Tuesday and Wednesday. We have the most ships in then, and the tour schedules get crazy. The radio is full of chatter almost all day as counts get confirmed, coaches get rerouted, things break down, and the usual slosh gets done. This week I got a challenge on both days, as I was given the complicated schedule. Because of the number of tours, it is possible on Tuesday and Wednesday that we don't have enough buses or drivers to work the schedule with the typical ease. It isn't ideal, but in these cases we run tours inside of other tours. It can get complicated, but it can be fun too.

I had this both days, and was happy that the timing worked out. I was driving almost non stop from 7:15 to 12:45, making the drops and pick ups between the locations. I was making little notes about which group had heard which stories and facts so I wouldn't repeat myself, and it all ended well. When this type of schedule happens, I hope I am able to keep it together so my groups don't have the feeling of being cheated on. I want each group to feel they have my undivided attention, and even if they don't see me while at a stop, I want them to think I am waiting patiently to return so I can answer questions, fill their head with tasty tid bits of Alaska brain food, or be available to chat and get to know them. If they knew I was conducting myself with a whole different group, would they feel their experience was genuine? I don't want to take the chance. It's best if they think their driver isn't two-timing with tourists. I think it went well.

I'm off today. Usually I dread days off, but this week I will take it gladly. Kodak has been rolling around by my feel playing with toys, and practicing his ninja jumps all morning. Quality kitty time is essential to keep my sanity and remember to give large quantities of love. It's hard to be selfish when he looks up with his butterscotch eyes and wants a good scratch.

And for a picture today, I'll revisit a promise I made quite a while ago. A view of Xtratuffs. The foot gear of choice here. In rain, on a boat, or for casual wear, these boots can be seen all over town in lots of industries. They are more common than tennis shoes.

To my knowledge, they only come in brown, which is great. They have a super think sole, and to my understanding, are really comfortable. With 97 inches of rain falling in the downtown area (we're in a rain forest!) it makes sense to have super dry feet. Sydney from Allen Marine (the whale watching company) was nice enough too pose for me.

And for a burst of cute, I couldn't pass up sharing this little guy in his bright yellow rain coat. All he wanted to to was jump in that puddle. (They make Xtratuffs for kids, but he's not quite big enough.)