B & D's USA Hideout: Ode to Homer

I spent the summer parked at the Driftwood Inn RV Park with an ocean view and a path leading to Bishop’s Beach. The sun rose early and set late. Yet the seasons seamlessly slipped from one to the other hardly without anyone noticing. Overnight all the leaves were glowing yellow and the only thing that remained of my beloved fireweed was tall stalks and wispy white seeds floating on the breeze searching for winter shelter.

Working at the Bear Creek Winery was wonderful. The owner's, Bill and Dorothy Fry, are two of the kindest and most generous people that you could ever meet. Not to mention their ability to make phenomenal wine. What once was Bill's garage hobby, is now a booming business. The people of Alaska and those visiting the great state absolutely love Bear Creek wine. My summer job was also a small pipe dream of mine. I have no idea why but working behind a bar has just always enticed me. Stocking the wine cellar, weighing the local berries brought in by neighbors near and far and washing and drying endless tasting glasses were all part of the daily routine. I had the most fun giving wine tastings. I really enjoyed chatting with the customers about where they are from, seeing most were tourists. I also loved learning more about the winemaking process and sometimes assisting with the bottling, racking or labeling. The people I worked with are amazing and quickly welcomed me into their circle of friends inside and outside of work. I am very grateful for that. Did I mention that we were fed lunch everyday? Grandma Ruth, Bill's mother, who lives above the winery sent down a delicious hot meal everyday. What other job feeds you, pays you and gives you bottles of wine as an added bonus? Seriously, my jobs may be few and far between at times but I always seem to find the real gems. I even got to meet a celebrity! Zac Brown and his lovely wife came in for a tasting. It was only my second week of work and luckily I didn’t realize who he was until they were almost through with their tasting. I was still trying to memorize all the ingredients in the wine never mind perform for a world class country artist and his wife! They were so sweet and fun to chat with and clearly not overwhelmed with the entitlement of fame.

Another of my favorite things about Homer is that it is a foodie hotspot. Two Sister’s Bakery, The Bagel Shoppe, The Little Mermaid, Mike’s, and Fat Olives are just the beginning of a long list of amazing restaurants in town. Homer also has a killer Farmer’s market with beautiful produce, baked goods, birch syrup and fresh seafood. The best hiking is across Katchemak Bay in Kachemak Bay State Park. I ventured over there three times.

The best trip across the bay was with my cousin MaryKate. She flew all the way from Boston to visit me and Alaska for five days in the middle of September. Within two hours of her landing at the Homer Airport, I had her on a water taxi heading across Kachemak Bay. We camped at a yurt inside Tutka Bay on the first night, hiked the Grace Ridge Trail the second day and then spent the night in another yurt on the other side of the trail on Kayak Beach. It was all so gorgeous. It was also a great opportunity for me to get to know my lovely cousin on a one on one basis. We really had the best time.

Other highlights of my Homer stay included seeing the northern lights from the bow of a friend’s boat on the night of the Black Moon, solo camping next to Grewink Glacier, Keith and Sharon coming down to visit, a Friendsgiving gathering, biking to work (almost) everyday, volunteering for one day with Katchemak Bay State Park and representing Bear Creek Winery on the Alaska Railroad for an Alaska Tourism Convention.

Nothing twists, turns and tugs at my insides like leaving Alaska. The turmoil of emotions I have can only be described as bittersweet. I feel a mess of sadness and gratitude as well as hope and warmth from memories. The turn of the seasons, the short autumn quickly slipping into winter, makes the departure feel more natural and at this point I think we can all acknowledge that I'll be back again someday. I could go on and on about Homer, the people there and the natural beauty of it that makes it such a unique and rewarding place to be. But for now I’ll just show you some of my favorite photos from the best place on earth.