This morning I woke up early and walked just a block or so down to my fave coffess shop here in Sitka. As I walked, I could hear the distant cry of the gulls and a raven calling in the woods nearby, and the sun was shining, but the streets were still quiet. The Back Door Coffee shop has a lovely display of local small quilts and I snapped a picture of a few of them....

 

Fiddleheads!

A bit later in the day, I drove along as "taxi-driver-in-training" with the Taxi owner, Hank.  Hank owns the only yellow Prius taxi in Sitka and had many interesting and illuminating taxi driving stories to share. We picked up a few customers and took them to their destinations,  but also took an excursion to the "end of the road"--or at least the end of one of the roads leading out of town.

This is along the picturesque drive where Hank takes his tourist's that ask to see the scenery....

After about 7 miles you each the end of the road. Sitka is on an island--Baranof Island---so to travel to Sitka you must come by boat, ferry, or airplane.

Hank with the cab....

Hank gassing up--since the taxi is a Prius, this doesn't happen real often...

I am hoping to start driving customers early next week---I ran into a bit of sticky red tape around obtaining an Alaskan Driver's license in a timely manner, and I am working at unsticking myself. Of course I need an Alaskan license to obtain the local city taxi driver permit. Meanwhile I am learning all I can from Hank before I am on my own because as soon as I start driving he plans to go out commercial fishing--- salmon trolling--- so I really will be on my own. Plus, I am enjoying reaquainting myself with Sitka and all my friends here.

THIS JUST IN : Sloth like progress : Alaska Business license purchased (over 65 so got a nice discount), City Business license pending but started--(of course I have to pay city sales tax), state trooper background check done(no problems found--go figure), and physical completed at doctor's office--- just waiting for the DMV sticky red tape to come off, sigh. Quite a lot of hoops to jump through before I can lease Hanks's Taxi and get driving, but I am plugging away at it--in between hanging with friends and eating good Alaskan food (black cod--yum!).