It’s not the case with people, of course. But with boats, when the average age of the “family” is 32.27 years — including the short-haul “baby” Lituya, at 9, and two fast ferries that don’t do long runs over open ocean — that’s an old bunch of boats.

Read more...

Thelma Ratzeburg, 88, died in Ketchikan on June 11, 2013.

Ernestine Delores Kuc, 62, died June 11, 2013, of natural causes at her residence in Ketchikan.

Juliette Rae Gardner, 52, died on June 9, 2013, in Ketchikan.

Patrick Ford Dwyer, 52, died at his home in Seattle on June 4, 2013.

Amid the hail stones of yore, we saw the bright sunshine Thursday, and it was a reminder of our great good fortune.

Although we grumble about the lack of light as we trudge on toward the much anticipated winter solstice, we need only look at what some of our fellow Alaskans tolerate to realize sunrise and sunset are not to be taken for granted.

To wit: Our most recent sunrise was just before 8 this morning. Barrow’s was at 1:48 p.m. (p.m.!) Nov. 19 — the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Our next sunset will be at 3:18 this afternoon. Barrow’s? Jan. 23.

Healthy people adjust to conditions they cannot change and we are a healthy bunch. (We’ve heard some from up north say the 24-hour-a-day summer sun is more difficult to deal with than the dark, though — at this time of year, at least — we are skeptical.)

In Ketchikan and its environs, part of that adjustment to increased darkness involves potlucks and all manner of artistic endeavors. We leave our houses in the dark to see what our friends are up to during the winter; it seems like we are just too busy in the summertime to keep caught up.

As our daylight becomes shorter, literally by the minute this month, let’s remember that we are oh, so close to the shortest day.

And that means the longer days are just around the corner, too.